Born: June 25, 1922
Died: February 2, 1996
Campaigns Served: Namur, Saipan (wounded)
Highest Rank Attained: Private First Class
Decorations: Purple Heart
John Czepiel was born in 1922; he grew up in Massachusetts and enlisted in the Marine Corps around the age of twenty. He began his career as a rifleman, but when the Corps restructured in 1943, Czepiel found himself as an ammunition carrier for his company's newly created third mortar squad.
While training at Camp Pendleton, Czepiel ran afoul of some cactus. Though this was a fairly common experience, Czepiel had the bad luck to suffer his injury on a day when the Weapons Platoon's photographer was feeling mischevous. The resulting photograph was reproduced several times; copies wound up in the posession of the platoon's leader and at least one of the other gunners.
"Corpsman Sears is engaged in the delicate task of removing cactus needles from Czepiel's butt."
- JJ Franey
"This lad made the mistake of sitting in some cactus - of which there is a hell of a lot out here. One of the four company corpsmen is straightening him out."
- Phil Wood
PFC Czepiel fought with the weapons platoon during the battle of Namur; he stayed with the mortar section after they became part of the company headquarters in the spring of 1944.
Czepiel at Camp Maui, April 1944.
John Czepiel was badly wounded on June 16, 1944, during the battle of Saipan. In early July, he was transferred to Naval Hospital #10 and was never returned to combat.
John Czepiel died in 1996 and is buried in St. Stanislaus Cemetery, Easthampton, MA.
Photo by Scott Southwick, FindAGrave.com volunteer.