PLEASE NOTE: The following roster is an APPROXIMATION of the strength and make-up of Baker Company. It is based upon the muster rolls for the battalion, which are held at the USMC Historical Branch in Quantico. I have attempted to make this list as accurate as possible, given the makeup of a Marine rifle company in early 1944 and by using the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) numbers listed on the muster rolls. It is impossible to ensure complete accuracy based on this alone (one will note a large number of riflemen - MOS 745 - and only a handful of mortarmen - MOS 607), and until further documentation comes to light, this list cannot be made fully accurate. If you have any information about a Marine's role in Baker Company, please contact me.
Total Strength: 193
Killed in action: 22
Wounded in action: 30
Missing: 0
Total Casualties: 52
Not Present: 2
Casualty Rate: 26.9%
The high number of casualties - by far the most in the battalion and some of the heaviest in the division for this battle - were due to Baker Company being the unlucky recipient of a banzai attack in the early morning of February 2. Their Third Platoon was the worst hit; Captain Cokin would later write that the platoon was "virtually wiped out" by the attack.
COMPANY HEADQUARTERS
Captain Milton G. Cokin (Commanding)
First Lieutenant William A. Eddy (Executive Officer)
First Sergeant Milton B. Cooper
Staff Sergeant Jason C. Edwards (Mess Sergeant)
Sergeant Everil J. Manuel (Quartermaster Supply Technician)
Corporal Anthony J. Giamanco (Chemical NCO)
PFC Corpus A. Gallegos (Clerk)
PFC Coolidge M. Graves (Truck Driver)
PFC George M. Hinebaugh (Cobbler)
PFC Francis P. Wilson (Carpenter)
Private Billy G. Glenn (Truck Driver)
Cooks
Chief Cook John B. Lee
Field Cook John F. Nash
Assistant Cook Alexander DeVico
Field Music Section
Field Music First Class Ray C. Mayhew
Field Music First Class Joseph W. McTague
Duty Section
Sergeant Steve Haloostock
Sergeant John L. Meeks
PFC George P. Asack, Jr.
PFC Paul H. Hoff
Private Chester L. McCoy
RIFLE PLATOONS
First Lieutenant Kenneth A. Beehner
First Lieutenant David E. Lownds
First Lieutenant Howard F. Shattuck, Jr. - wounded in action
PFC Charles M. Farber (Messenger)
PFC George L. May (Messenger)
PFC George E. Quigley, Jr. (Messenger)
PFC William M. Schultz (Messenger)
PFC Charles E. Thompson (Messenger)
PFC Phelps R. Wilson (Messenger)
Squad and Fire Team Leaders
Sergeant John F. Gilroy - wounded in action
Sergeant John J. Miller, Jr.
Sergeant Fred B. Penninger – killed in action February 1, 1944
Sergeant Edwin T. Williams - wounded in action
Corporal James F. Collins - wounded in action
Corporal James R. Frazier
Corporal Alex Haluchak - wounded in action
Corporal James J. Hehir
Corporal Stanley T. Homewood - wounded in action
Corporal Gentry D. Moss – killed in action February 2, 1944
Corporal Everett E. Schafer
Corporal Walter S. Shamray
PFC Frank O. Boggs – killed in action February 1, 1944
PFC Daniel J. Brandon
PFC Donald L. Fitzpatrick - wounded in action
PFC Roy E. Husner - wounded in action
PFC Joseph P. Pinciak
PFC Lawrence J. Thorne, Jr.
PFC Charles A. Townsend
Private Gilbert L. Miller
Riflemen
Corporal Harold D. Caudill, Jr.
Corporal James D. Redding
PFC Connie H. Allen
PFC Herbert G. Bevins
PFC Murray Bower
PFC Lawrence C. Byerly
PFC Raymond S. Cable
PFC Amelio R. Cassese - wounded in action
PFC Clifford A. Cederleaf
PFC Attilio A. Centofanti
PFC Stewart C. Donnelly – killed in action February 2, 1944
PFC William C. Dore
PFC James E. Drury
PFC Edward J. Duclos
PFC Edward G. Eller - wounded in action
PFC James H. Faircloth - wounded in action
PFC Frank Fawthrop, Jr. - killed in action February 2, 1944
PFC Pedro Gaminde, Jr.
PFC Walter H. Gunewitz
PFC Homer L. Hager, Jr.
PFC Richard A. Hayes
PFC Elmer R. Hensley - wounded in action
PFC Murdick S. Hill
PFC A. D. Hobson
PFC Howard W. Johnson
PFC Ripley G. Judice
PFC Arnold E. Kennedy – killed in action February 2, 1944
PFC Arthur E. Kirkpatrick, Jr.
PFC Robert Koch - wounded in action
PFC Stanley J. Koziol
PFC James D. Magill
PFC Robert J. McCarthy
PFC Marion A. McFarlin, Jr.
PFC Carroll R. Meyer – killed in action February 1, 1944
PFC Joseph D. Meyers - wounded in action
PFC Allen W. Moler – killed in action February 2, 1944
PFC James M. Morgan – killed in action February 1, 1944
PFC Joseph P. Mulcahy – killed in action February 2, 1944
PFC Charles V. Nelson
PFC Herbert B. Newman
PFC Paul Olock – killed in action February 2, 1944
PFC Telesfor Ortega
PFC Giustino Parente – killed in action February 2, 1944
PFC Lee L. Parker
PFC William O. Paul – killed in action February 2, 1944
PFC Henry Pileckas
PFC Edward Pretaboir – killed in action February 2, 1944
PFC Harold R. Rediske
PFC Wendell C. Ricker
PFC Henry J. Rieker
PFC Jeff Rodriguze
PFC James G. Rogers
PFC Donald M. Rothweiler
PFC Anselm G. Saltarelli - wounded in action
PFC Frank Schur – died of wounds February 3, 1944
PFC Donald H. Shurmantine
PFC Edwin W. Smith – killed in action February 2, 1944
PFC Robert P. Stanley - wounded in action
PFC Robert W. Swanson
PFC Everett Tackett
PFC Eugene M. Talty - wounded in action
PFC Ellis W. Thomas
PFC Andrew Tomasko
PFC Frederick S. Trusnovec
PFC Garrison F. Tucker
PFC William A. Ultcht - wounded in action
PFC Frank H. Vargas - wounded in action
PFC Frank Warren
PFC George B. Watts - wounded in action
PFC Bruce A. White
PFC Peter Wilchinski - wounded in action
PFC Glenn L. Wolfe
Private Kenneth M. Carpenter
Private Herbert M. Darmstadter, Jr.
Private Charles C. DeCelles
Private Robert M. Halligan
Private Mason L. Hurlbut – killed in action February 2, 1944
Private James A. Lewis
Private James A. Masterson
Private Ralph M. Mauss - wounded in action
Private Kenneth W. Mosty
Private Emil A. Nichols
Private Gardner E. Perry
Private Jack C. Saunders
Private William H. Skinner
Private Jay Stephenson – killed in action February 2, 1944
Private Carroll E. Stout
Private William R. Swann
Private John H. Thomason
Private Claude Tipton, Jr - wounded in action
Private William J. Warner – killed in action February 1, 1944
Private Billy G. White
Automatic Riflemen
PFC Robert L. Breslin
PFC Jack D. McCormick
PFC Loyd Pittman
PFC Donald J. Rader - wounded in action
PFC Francis J. Reynolds
PFC Robert F. Seitz
PFC James B. Shearin
PFC Albert J. Sparr, Jr.
PFC Thomas E. Underwood
PFC Jerome M. Verschaeve
Private Jack D. Pentland
WEAPONS PLATOON
Second Lieutenant Donald C. Joy – killed in action February 1, 1944
Gunnery Sergeant Henry Linker
MACHINE GUN SECTION
Platoon Sergeant Ray E. Janeway (651 Section Leader) - wounded in action
Platoon Sergeant Paul C. Revels (651 Section Leader)
Sergeant Jess E. Harville (Section Leader)
Gunners
PFC Roger N. Arsenault
PFC Otto H. Becker - wounded in action
PFC Robert G. Birdsall
PFC Claude L. Chamberlain
PFC Russell A. Chambers
PFC James B. Cochran
PFC John K. Howell
PFC Gordon W. Myers
PFC Ronald E. Vaid – killed in action February 2, 1944
Private Robert D. Baatz
Private Raymond L. Cook
Ammo Carriers
PFC Frank C. Bruile
PFC Lee C. Hill
PFC Harlan C. Jeffrey
PFC Leo E. Morris
PFC Robert E. Pitts
PFC Michael J. Ryan
PFC Otto W. Schwarz, Jr.
PFC Laverne E. Sullivan
PFC Earl G. Taylor
PFC Earl Whidby
Private Perry Allen
Private Melvin J. Burzynski
MORTAR SECTION
Sergeant John C. Drumright (Section Leader) – killed in action February 2, 1944
Sergeant John R. Lacey (Section Leader)
PFC Harmon I. Chichester (Squad Leader)
PFC Paul A. Bloor (Gunner)
PFC Leslie M. Chambers (Gunner)
PFC George F. Claar (Gunner) - wounded in action
PFC James W. Smith (Gunner)
Unknown Assignment
Sergeant Albert J. Estergall (383)
Sergeant John R. Lacey (651)
Sergeant John J. O'Brien (651)
PFC John O. Edwards, Jr (937)
PFC Hugh Stevenson (606)
Not Present - Administrative
Sergeant Guy R. Bulifant
Private Chester R. Hodge