Born: 1921
Campaigns Served: Namur, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima
Highest Rank Attained: First Lieutenant
Decorations:
Bronze Star, Purple Heart with Gold Star
John Fox - universally known by his middle name, Murray - was born in Massachusetts. His parents, Michael and Mary, raised him in fairly affluent surroundings in the town of Worcester. Murray Fox attended the Worcester Academy and Georgetown University, paving the way for a planned career in the foreign service.
The attack on Pearl Harbor changed his plans, however. Fox graduated from Georgetown with the class of 1942, and enlisted in the Marine Corps. His background and education made him a natural choice for the Quantico Officer's Candidate School; Second Lieutenant Fox departed for his first command in the late fall of 1942. He joined Charlie Company, First Separate Battalion (Reinforced), which was then forming at New River, North Carolina.
With Charlie Company:
Murray Fox became the leader of the company weapons platoon. He travelled with them to Camp Pendleton, California, where he was promoted to First Lieutenant. In August, his battalion became part of the 24th Regiment, 4th Marine Division.
Lieutenant Fox led his mortars and machine guns into action in the battle of Namur. He spent the spring of 1944 with the division at Camp Maui - hard days of training were balanced by adventures on liberty with his good friend Philip Wood of Company A.
On June 15, 1944, Fox landed on Saipan with his company. He served through the entire campaign for the Marianas without injury - seemingly defying all odds, as few officers survived the battles of Saipan and Tinian unwounded.
In the fall of 1944, Lieutenant Fox was transferred to the battalion Headquarters Company.
With HQ Company:
Murray Fox became a platoon leader with the Headquarters Company, and prepared for the invasion of Iwo Jima. This would be his fourth major landing, and he would be going in prepared. Fox saved up his liquor rations for weeks before the attack. "All Marines carry two canteens. So we landed with one canteen of water and one canteen of Scotch," he told an interviewer in 2005. After landing, "there were no Marines there, and then we saw eight Japanese mortar shells coming in. I shouted at my gunnery sergeant, 'Gunny, have the men drink the whiskey now!' And he shouted back, 'For Chrissakes, they drank it before we left the ship!'"
Only days after landing on the island, Fox resumed his grim pattern of filling gaps left by fallen officers. Second Lieutenant Steven Opalenik of the battalion 81mm mortar platoon was felled by shrapnel on February 22, 1945; Murray, calling on his past experience with Charlie Company's mortars, took command of the platoon. He kept the position until March 2, when Captain Roy Klopfenstine was transferred to take command of Charlie Company. Lieutenant Fox took command of the Headquarters Company and led them through the remainder of the battle.
Murray Fox was transferred to the Headquarters and Service Company of the 24th Regiment on March 26, 1945. He had survived the fiercest battle of the century, but the memories weighed heavily upon him.
To read transcriptions of two letters written by Lieutenant Fox shortly after the battle, please click here.
Although the Marines had not been part of his life plan in his early years, Murray Fox stayed with the Corps for many years. He eventually retired as a lieutenant colonel, listing among his decorations a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. Today, Murray Fox lives in Greenbrae, California.