On July 21, 1945, in a simple presentation ceremony on the Armstrong County Courthouse lawn, Mrs. Lillabel Roan, of Claude, Texas, accepted the Medal of Honor posthumously awarded her son, Pfc. Charles Howard Roan, USMCR.
Charles Howard Roan was born August 16, 1923, in Claude, Texas. Until he performed his act of sacrifice, his life had been that of any small town American boy. Charles attended the local high school and worked in a local garage.
Marine Corps serviceedit
The youth enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in December 1942. A rifleman in the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, he was already a veteran of bitter fighting when he threw himself upon a Japanese hand grenade in the Peleliu landing, saving four Marines in his unit at the cost of his own life on September 18, 1944. Prior to his death, he had been in two previous battles – New Guinea and Cape Gloucester — and had seen 15 months of overseas duty. In addition to the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart, he also held the Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal with three battle stars.
Memorial services for PFC Roan took place in the Methodist Church in Claude on April 8, 1945.
Medal of Honor citationedit
For his actions at Peleliu in 1944 the Medal of Honor was awarded to Roan with the following citation:
PRIVATE FIRST CLASS CHARLES H. ROAN UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE
for service as set forth in the following CITATION:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese Forces on Peleliu, Palau Islands, 18 September 1944. Shortly after his leader ordered a withdrawal upon discovering that the squad was partly cut off from their company as a result of their rapid advance along an exposed ridge during an aggressive attack on the strongly entrenched enemy, Private First Class Roan and his companions were suddenly engaged in a furious exchange of hand grenades with Japanese forces emplaced in a cave on higher ground and the rear of the squad. Seeking protection with four other Marines in a depression the rocky, broken terrain, Private First Class Roan was wounded by an enemy grenade which fell close to their position and, immediately realizing the imminent peril to his comrades when another grenade landed in the midst of the group, unhesitatingly flung himself upon it, covering it with his body and absorbing the full impact of the explosion. By his prompt action and selfless conduct in the face of almost certain death, he saved the lives of four men. His great personal valor reflects the highest credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his comrades.
The Texas State Veterans Home in Amarillo, opened in 2007, bears the name of Charles H. Roan.
PFC Roan's name is inscribed on the Wall of the Missing at the American Battlefield Monuments Commission Cemetery outside the city of Manila, Philippines.
A memorial marker in honor of Roan is located in the Claude Cemetery, Armstrong County, Texas
. Who's Who in Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
"Medal of Honor citation". Retrieved September 27, 2010. [dead link]
. Archived from the original on June 6, 2008. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
External linksedit
Charles H. Roan at Find a Grave – inscription at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Philippines
charles, roan, private, first, class, charles, howard, roan, august, 1923, september, 1944, united, states, marine, sacrificed, life, save, those, four, fellow, marines, landing, peleliu, during, world, heroism, posthumously, received, nation, highest, militar. Private First Class Charles Howard Roan August 16 1923 September 18 1944 was a United States Marine who sacrificed his life to save those of four fellow Marines in the landing on Peleliu during World War II For his heroism he posthumously received his nation s highest military honor the Medal of Honor Charles Howard RoanPrivate First Class Charles Howard Roan United States Marine Corps World War II Medal of Honor recipientBorn 1923 08 16 August 16 1923Claude TexasDiedSeptember 18 1944 1944 09 18 aged 21 Peleliu Palau IslandsPlace of burialManila American CemeteryAllegianceUnited StatesService wbr branchUnited States Marine CorpsYears of service1942 1944RankPrivate First ClassUnit2nd Battalion 7th Marines 1st Marine DivisionBattles warsWorld War II New Guinea campaign Operation Cartwheel Battle of Peleliu AwardsMedal of HonorPurple HeartOn July 21 1945 in a simple presentation ceremony on the Armstrong County Courthouse lawn Mrs Lillabel Roan of Claude Texas accepted the Medal of Honor posthumously awarded her son Pfc Charles Howard Roan USMCR Contents 1 Biography 1 1 Early years 1 2 Marine Corps service 2 Medal of Honor citation 3 Namesakes 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksBiography editEarly years edit Charles Howard Roan was born August 16 1923 in Claude Texas Until he performed his act of sacrifice his life had been that of any small town American boy Charles attended the local high school and worked in a local garage Marine Corps service edit The youth enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in December 1942 A rifleman in the 2nd Battalion 7th Marines 1st Marine Division he was already a veteran of bitter fighting when he threw himself upon a Japanese hand grenade in the Peleliu landing saving four Marines in his unit at the cost of his own life on September 18 1944 Prior to his death he had been in two previous battles New Guinea and Cape Gloucester and had seen 15 months of overseas duty In addition to the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart he also held the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with three battle stars Memorial services for PFC Roan took place in the Methodist Church in Claude on April 8 1945 Medal of Honor citation editFor his actions at Peleliu in 1944 the Medal of Honor was awarded to Roan with the following citation The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to PRIVATE FIRST CLASS CHARLES H ROANUNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE for service as set forth in the following CITATION For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the Second Battalion Seventh Marines First Marine Division in action against enemy Japanese Forces on Peleliu Palau Islands 18 September 1944 Shortly after his leader ordered a withdrawal upon discovering that the squad was partly cut off from their company as a result of their rapid advance along an exposed ridge during an aggressive attack on the strongly entrenched enemy Private First Class Roan and his companions were suddenly engaged in a furious exchange of hand grenades with Japanese forces emplaced in a cave on higher ground and the rear of the squad Seeking protection with four other Marines in a depression the rocky broken terrain Private First Class Roan was wounded by an enemy grenade which fell close to their position and immediately realizing the imminent peril to his comrades when another grenade landed in the midst of the group unhesitatingly flung himself upon it covering it with his body and absorbing the full impact of the explosion By his prompt action and selfless conduct in the face of almost certain death he saved the lives of four men His great personal valor reflects the highest credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service He gallantly gave his life for his comrades S HARRY S TRUMANNamesakes editThe United States Navy destroyer the USS Charles H Roan DD 853 was named in his honor The Texas State Veterans Home in Amarillo opened in 2007 bears the name of Charles H Roan PFC Roan s name is inscribed on the Wall of the Missing at the American Battlefield Monuments Commission Cemetery outside the city of Manila Philippines A memorial marker in honor of Roan is located in the Claude Cemetery Armstrong County TexasSee also edit nbsp Biography portalList of Medal of Honor recipientsReferences edit nbsp This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps Private First Class Charles Howard Roan USMCR Who s Who in Marine Corps History History Division United States Marine Corps Archived from the original on February 5 2012 Retrieved September 27 2010 Medal of Honor citation Retrieved September 27 2010 dead link PFC Roan USS Charles H Roan DD 853 Archived from the original on June 6 2008 Retrieved September 27 2010 External links editCharles H Roan at Find a Grave inscription at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Philippines Charles H Roan at Find a Grave cenotaph at Claude Cemetery Texas Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Charles H Roan amp oldid 1215998189, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
