Born: July 6, 1922
Died: June 21, 2005
Campaigns Served: Namur, Saipan (wounded)
Highest Rank Attained: Private First Class
Decorations: Purple Heart
Hamilton Pendergast was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1922, the youngest of three children. He grew up in Brooklyn, then moved to Massapequa, on Long Island.
"Whitey" Pendergast was an exceptional athlete, and was courted by a minor league baseball team - an offer he refused so he could enlist in the Marine Corps. He went through boot camp at Parris Island, and was assigned to the First Separate Battalion (Reinforced) at Camp Lejeune.
With Dog Company:
Pendergast became a heavy machine gunner with the battalion's weapons company. He saw combat on the island of Namur with Lieutenant James Donovan's First Platoon; when Company D was disbanded in March, 1944, Pendergast was reassigned to Able Company.
With Able Company:
Pendergast was wounded on July 15, 1955 - the first day of the battle of Saipan. He was transferred to Naval Hospital #10 in July, 1944, and did not return to the company.
Pendergast died in 2005, and is buried in the Culpeper National Cemetery, Virginia.
His obituary read, in part:
"At his death, he was 82 and each of his 82 years was marked by cherished memories and life lessons that he shared openly with family and friends.... He was a strong and proud Marine who made sacrifices, mistakes, and generated a lot of laughter. It was important to him that we all learn from his life - the good and the bad. "Whitey" always taught to have a firm handshake and to remember that whenever you point a finger at someone else, there are always three fingers pointing right back at you. He leaves behind a lifetime of love and memories with his wife, Evelyn Pendergast, and their three children, Thomas Pendergast, Barbara Klagges, and Loretta Stevens.... Interment was held in Culpeper National Cemetery, Culpeper, Va., with full military honors provided by the United States Marine Corps."
- Newsday, June 28, 2005.
Photo by Gary S. Hines, FindAGrave.com volunteer.