🇺🇲WWII uncovered: Private First Class Chuck Tatum: 5th Marine Division: Veteran of Iwo Jima


🇺🇲WWII uncovered: Private First Class Chuck Tatum: 5th Marine Division: Veteran of Iwo Jima

Charles William Tatum, of Stockton California, enlisted with the US Marine Corps while attending Stockton High School. In 1944, at the age of 17 years old Chuck was sent to train with the 5th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California. In 1944, the US Marines were building the 5th Marine Division--also known as "The Spearhead"--in preparation for the invasion of the Island of Iwo Jima.

Tatum was sent for further training with the 5th Division at Camp Tarawa near Hilo, Hawaii. Tatum was a member of B Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division.

"On 19 February 1945 (D-Day), his battalion (Landing Team 1-27) disembarked and landed on "Red Beach 2", on the southeast side of Iwo Jima, off of landing boats from the attack transport, USS Hansford (APA-106 ), with orders to, "land, seize, and occupy Iwo Jima" ("Island X")." 

"My personal experience there happened on the morning of February 19, 1945. We landed in the first wave, and immediately we started climbing these sand terraces you might have seen in the pictures. And when I looked back at the beach, I could see one solitary Marine standing up. This was Marine Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone, the Medal of Honor recipient at Guadalcanal. He could see that the invasion had sort of ground to a halt, so he was motivating everybody by cuss words and kicks to the seats of the pants to get them underway. Well, my position was about three or four terraces up. I was a machine gunner, and when Basilone came to my position, he pointed out a target, and by looking down his arm I could see a giant Japanese pillbox, and he indicated I should start firing on it."

"When I pulled the trigger, the gun wouldn’t fire; it had been fouled by the black sands of Iwo Jima. So at that point my assistant gunner had to take a toothbrush out of my pack to clean the breach and blow the sand out of it. He stuck the belt back in, and I could see the tracers hitting close to the pillbox. And Basilone didn’t like that, so he indicated I should move obliquely to my right to fire at it, which we did. But then they closed the steel doors, which left the bullets merely bouncing off of it. Basilone then found a demolition man, who handled the explosives. As I was firing at the pillbox, he walked up the line of fire, and about ten feet from it, he tossed the composition of C2, about ten pounds of it, and it blew the doors off. Basilone indicated that I should commence firing into the aperture." - Private First Class Charles Tatum

Chuck Tatum would survive the Battle of the Iwo Jima - But the loss of his mentor, John Basilone and many of his Marine brothers would stay with him for the rest of his life. 

In 1951, Chuck married Evelyn Smith and together they had four children. Chuck worked as a general manager at several auto dealerships and dedicated much of his time to designing, building and racing cars. His personal racecar – the “Tatum Special” which was built from scratch – was on the cover of Motor Life in August 1954, featured in Car Craft December 1953, MotorLife September 1954, and Hot Rod October 1953.

"Furthering his dedication to ensure history is remembered, Chuck spent nearly a decade researching his book on Iwo Jima interviewing over 150 veterans of the Battle. As a past President of the Stockton Marine Corps Club, Chuck and his fellow Marine veterans composed a sizable database of photos and testimonials of which he has referenced in his book "Red Blood, Black Sand." Chuck helped produce a documentary based on his writings which won an Emmy Award. His book is credited as one of the literary works used as reference for HBO’s mini-series, “The Pacific.” (2007 American Veterans Conference interview)

Actor Ben Esler portrayed Private First Class Chuck Tatum in the HBO miniseries “The Pacific.”

A recipient of the Bronze Star with combat V and the Purple Heart Medal, Private First Class Charles William Tatum passed away on June 22, 2014 at the age of 87 years old. He lies in rest at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon California. Lest We Forget.

WWII uncovered original description and photos sourced by Marines WWII Database, Colonial Rose Chapel obituary June 22, 2014, Ancestry Database, Find a Grave Database, 2007 American Veterans Conference interview and Red Blood, Black Sand: Fighting Alongside John Basilone from Boot Camp to Iwo Jima by Chuck Tatum. (Fair Use Photos)

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