Born: September 19, 1919
Died: October 20, 2002
Campaigns Served: Namur, Saipan (wounded), Iwo Jima
Highest Rank Attained: Sergeant
Decorations: Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Edgar Collins was born to Versie and Cora Collins of Ross County, Ohio. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942, and trained with the Browning Automatic Rifle as a member of Company A, 24th Marines. In addition to his duties with his rifle platoon, Collins served as the company's barber.
After his baptism of fire in the battle of Namur, Collins was promoted to corporal. He carried the Bar into action on Saipan, where he was badly wounded on Saipan on June 17, 1944. He was evacuated to a naval hospital to recover. He returned to Able Company before the Iwo Jima campaign, was promoted to sergeant, and assigned a new rating as a "visual signalman" - a Naval term meaning he specialized in the identification of flag codes and other means of non-radio communication. Given the nature of combat on Iwo Jima - though veterans would remember that their hand-held radios "worked for shit" - it's likely that Collins was more often called upon to carry a weapon in the front line than decipher semaphore signals.
Edgar Collins survived Iwo Jima unscathed, and was discharged on November 27, 1945. He married Georgia Overly in 1946, and worked for Mead Paper for forty-four years.
Collins died in 2002. He is buried in Greenlawn Cemetery, Chillicothe.
Photo by David H. Sweeney, FindAGrave.com volunteer.