Early Life

John Vandenberg was born on 5 January 1918 in Kenosha, Wisconsin to John (b.14 February 1880 d. 4 October 1922) and Catharine Elisabeth “Elsie” (Powers) (b. 15 February 1890 d. 15 August 1967) Vandenberg aka Van Den Berg. John had a sister Evelyn Rita who died at the age of 4 in 1916. He had an older brother Oral, and a younger brother Howard. Howard served in the Army during WW II. John was a graduate of St Thomas parochial school and Kenosha High School. By 1940 the Vandenbergs had split apart: John, aka Eugene, moved to San Francisco, where he worked for a mineral collection company.

Military

After the attack on Pearl Habor, Vandenberg enlisted in the Marine Corps on 22 December 1941. Upon graduation from recruit training at Marine Corps recruit Depot, San Diego he was promoted to the rank of Private First Class. Pfc Vandenberg volunteered for Marine Raider training and upon completion was assigned to A Company 2nd Raider Battalion.

Raid on Makin Island (17-18 August 1942)

The mission of the Marine Raiders, one of America’s first special operations forces, was to destroy Japanese installations, take prisoners, gain intelligence on the Gilbert Islands area and divert Japanese attention and reinforcements from the Allied landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi.

Two US submarines (Nautilus and Argonaut) deployed from Hawaii with 222 men of the Second Marine Raider Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Evans F Carlson. The landing on 17 August and assault on the initial objectives on the Makin Island was for the most part a success

.Engagement with enemy forces, destruction of their equipment and installations continued into the night of 17 August with the Marines withdrawing to the Nautilus and Argonaut at nightfall. Initially only 53 men in four boats reached the submarines. Leaving behind 120 Marine Raiders who were rescued by additional boats. One Marine rescued and the last man out on the 17th was Major Roosevelt, son the US President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The operation continued on 18 August and after two days of fighting the Raiders suffered 51 casualties; 18 killed, 14 wounded, 12 missing and 7 presumed drowned. As the remaining Marines withdrew on the second day Lt Col Carlson signaled the submarines resulting in the rescue of the 70 surviving and wounded Marines. The submarines carried the survivors and wounded back to Hawaii,

Aftermath

Of the twelve missing, 9 are known to have survived and observed the burial of 21 dead Marines before being taken to Kwajalein. There the Marines were beheaded. The Japanese officer responsible for that action was later tried and executed for war crimes.

Although the Marine Raiders succeeded in killing over half of the Japanese occupied garrison, the raid failed to meet its material objectives

On 28 August 1942, John’s mother Elsie Vandenberg was notified by telegram that he had been killed in action and that due to the “present situation temporary interment in the locality where death occurred and you will be notified accordingly”.

Bioarcheological recovery

In 1999 the remains of 19 Marines, one of whom was previously listed as missing, were recovered and identified. Six of the Marines were returned to families for private burial and the remaining 13 were buried at Arlington National Cemetery in 2001. The remains of eleven to include the 9 who were executed on Kwajalein have not yet been located.

General James Jones, Commandant of the Marine Corps spoke at the Arlington ceremony as the Marine Raiders were home at last.

This is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WW II fallen saved on together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen’s name and read his/her story.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Makin_Island

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2020/10/06/the-makin-raid-what-really-happened-to-the-marines/

https://news.usni.org/2012/08/16/makin-island-raid-70

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/11/26/bringing-thehome/31dc9af5-e078-40c8-af80-68cc362815c0/

https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/From%20Makin%20to%20Bougainville-

Marine%20Raiders%20in%20the%20Pacific%20War%20PCN%2019000313000.pdf?ver=2018-10-30-102328-017

https://muse.jhu.edu/book/28135

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/raiders-1942.htm

Kenosha Evening News dtd 29 August 1942

Kenosha Evening News dtd 31 August 31 1942

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15550165/john-eugene-vandenberg

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56134228/john-eugene-vandenberg

http://1familytree.com/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I3086&

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/140294225/john-eugene-vandenberg

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/147883162/catherine-elisabeth-vandenber

Kenosha News dtd 18 August 2001

John E Vandenberg