Born: unknown
Died:
Campaigns Served: Namur, Saipan, Tinian (with HQ/2/20), Iwo Jima
Highest Rank Attained: Corporal
Decorations:
Fred Bates enlisted in the Marine Corps from the Custom House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended boot camp at Parris Island, and was posted to sea duty aboard a succession of ships, including the USS Erie, USS Helena, USS Enterprise, and USS Louisville.
As a corporal, Bates became one of the original members of Second Battalion, 20th Marines. He served with the engineer battalion on Namur, Saipan, and Tinian. In the fall of 1944, his regiment was disbanded, and Bates was transferred to Headquarters Company, First Battalion, 24th Marines. He carried the MOS of a "chemical NCO," responsible for watching for signs of an enemy gas attack, and would have reported to Lieutenant Paul Rossi, the battalion's chemical warfare officer.
Bates survived his fourth campaign unwounded, and stayed with the battalion through the end of the war.