Born: March 31, 1923
Died: March 1, 1945
Campaigns Served: Iwo Jima (killed)
Highest Rank Attained: Private
Decorations:
Purple Heart
Harold Davis joined Charlie Company in the fall of 1944. He was a machine gunner.
Davis was killed in action during the battle of Iwo Jima. The battalion muster rolls initially listed Davis as killed, with the addition "Date and place of burial unknown." After the battle, it was determined that Davis had died on March 1, 1945. His remains were located and in 1949 were buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Section A Grave 222.
Photo by Deborah Dean, FindAGrave.com volunteer.
Note: it is possible that Private Davis was one of the Marines killed when a Japanese artillery shell scored a direct hit on a crater sheltering ten Charlie Company men. The only survivor, Glenn Buzzard, was evacuated with shrapnel wounds and a concussion, unable to remember who exactly was hit. The unusual notation "date and place of burial unknown" may imply that Davis was hit directly by the shell or otherwise unidentifiable by the Graves Registration team.