— World War II —

MERLE RALPH CORY was in his mid 40’s and working as a civilian cryptanalysis at the OP-20-GZ (Translation and Dissemination Section), the organization responsible for breaking the Japanese cryptic code prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Then Mr. Cory, was the translator who intercepted the encrypted message warning of the Pearl Harbor attack. Following December 7^th, he resigned to join the Marine Corps. He was too old for a regular enlistment, but was offered a direct commission as a 2^nd Lieutenant to fill the Marine Corps’ crisis shortage of Japanese linguists. Cory was assigned to the S-2 of the Fifth Marines of the 1^st Marine Division. He soon found himself aboard ship heading for Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942. On Guadalcanal, Lt Cory interrogated several Japanese prisoners of war, discovering that a large number of Japanese "Marines" and laborers were willing to surrender. Based on this information, LtCol Frank Goettge organized a 25-man patrol, along with Lt Cory, to bring them in. On August 12, The Goettge Patrol deployed to the designated area and was immediately taken under fire from the Japanese. Col Goettge was killed with the first burst of fire, and Lt Cory fell gravely wounded with a bullet in the stomach. The ensuing battle left the entire patrol killed, save three. Cory was listed as missing in action on 13 August 1942, which was changed to Killed in Action (body not recovered) a year later.
Lt Merle Ralph Cory, USMCR is honored with a headstone erected in New Tacoma Cemetery, Tacoma, Washington.

GERALD PRICE HOLTOM was born on January 31, 1915 in Japan, where his parents were Baptist missionaries from 1910 to 1940. Holtom could speak Japanese like a native. The date of Holtom’s entry in the Marine Corps is unknown and subsequently designated the Intelligence Officer and Interpreter/Interrogator for the 2^nd Marine Raider Battalion, the famous Carlson’s Raiders, under command of LtCol Evans F. Carlson. Captain Holtom was killed on August 17, 1942 in a raid to destroy a seaplane base on Butaritari Island of the Makin Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. In a letter received by his parents, Carlson wrote, "On the morning we landed at Makin, Jerry was with me. We captured a post office and Jerry came to me and said that he intended to examine some Japanese notices which were posted on the bulletin board. I told him that I would be along the road leading to the right flank of our position. The battle was in progress. He was looking for me along this road when a sniper shot him, the bullet passing through his left chest and emerging behind the right shoulder. He lived only ten seconds." The body of Captain Holtom and 18 other Marines were buried on the small coral reef island after the two-day raid. In 1999 these bodies were recovered and identified when searchers found an island resident who, as a young boy, had helped bury the bodies.
On August 17, 2001 Captain Holtom was interred at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

— Vietnam —

DONALD GILBERT COOK was born on August 9, 1934 and joined the Marine Corps while in New York in 1956. From 1958 to 1960, Cook attended the Chinese Mandarin Language Course at Monterey, California and the United States Army Intelligence School at Fort Holabird, Maryland, graduating first in a class of 25.

Subsequently, the next three years he served as the Officer-in-Charge of the 1st Interrogator-Translator Team with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Hawaii. During this period Cook displayed a remarkable interest in prisoners of war and their conduct while imprisoned and interrogated. He wrote a pamphlet based on the experiences of American POWs in Korea detailing the Communist interrogation techniques and applied those techniques in realistic training scenarios for Marines undergoing SERE training.

While with the 3^rd Marine Division he was assigned temporary duty in Vietnam as a special advisor to the Vietnamese Marines, when the Viet Cong captured him on December 31, 1964. Cook died while in captivity on December 8, 1967 and his fellow prisoners buried his body in the jungles of South Vietnam. He was carried on the records of Headquarters Marine Corps as Missing-In-Action until February 26, 1980 when he was officially declared Killed in Action.

Donald G. Cook was posthumously promoted to the rank of Colonel and presented the Medal of Honor for his gallant service to his country. Since his body was not recovered, he is remembered with an "in-memory-of" stone at Arlington National Cemetery.

Donald Gilbert Cook is honored on Panel 1E, Row 80 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC.

ROGER EARL DALRYMPLE was born on October 28, 1937 in Bakersfield, California. He was serving as a Chief Warrant Officer (0250) with the 9th ITT in support of the 7th Marine Regiment, when on November 17, 1967, CWO DALRYMPLE was Killed in Action by a booby trap device while investigating a Viet Cong tunnel for intelligence value. He died in the service of our country in South Vietnam, Quang Nam Province.

Roger Earl Dalrymple is honored on Panel 30E, Row 7 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC.

GEORGE PERCY KENDALL, JR was born on February 6, 1930 in Missoula, Montana. He was serving as a Staff Sergeant (0251) and member of the 11th ITT in support to the Military Advisory Command (Vietnam) (MACV) in Hue City when, on February 4, 1968 during the Tet Offensive, he was Killed in Action in an ambush by a vastly superior North Vietnamese Army force. He was posthumously promoted to Gunnery Sergeant and awarded the Silver Star Medal for heroic action.

George Percy Kendall, Jr. is honored on Panel 37E, Row 23 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC.

PEDRO JAIME CAUDILLO was born on July 26, 1928 in Laredo, Texas. He was serving as a Warrant Officer (0250) and sub-team commander with the 3rd ITT in support to the 1st Marine Regiment at Khe Sanh Combat Base, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. He was Killed in Action on May 19, 1968, sustaining fatal wounds from an artillery barrage while moving to interrogate a North Vietnamese Army officer Prisoner of War. He was posthumously promoted to Chief Warrant Officer and awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

Pedro Jaime Caudillo is honored on Panel 63E, Row 6 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC.

WILLARD DALE MARSHALL was born on November 10, 1937 in California. He was a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Class of 1961. He was serving as Team Commander of the 19th ITT. While on patrol to obtain information of intelligence value, he was ambushed by a vastly superior force of Viet Cong soldiers on June 11, 1968. He was Killed in Action during the ensuing firefight in Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam. Captain Marshall was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroic action.

Willard Dale Marshall is honored on Panel 58W, Row 27 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC.

JOSEPH KENT WOLFE was born on October 19, 1944 in Los Angeles, California. He was serving as a Sergeant (0251) and member of the 9th ITT in support of the 7th Marine Regiment when he was Killed in Action on September 20, 1968 in South Vietnam, Quang Nam Province. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Joseph Kent Wolfe is honored on Panel 43W, Row 50 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC.

MICHAEL CHARLES WUNSCH was born on March 16, 1944 in Feastersville, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy, Class of 1966. He served as Team Commander of the 15th ITT. On July 28, 1969, Captain Wunsch was Killed in Action in South Vietnam, Quang Tri Province. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal.

Michael Charles Wunsch is honored on Panel 20W, Row 68 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC.

— Lebanon —

RONALD J. GARCIA was a Staff Sergeant (0251) serving with the 2nd ITT attached to BLT 1st Battalion, 8th Marines. He was Killed in Action in Beirut, Lebanon when at approximately 0622 on Sunday, October 23, 1983, the Battalion Landing Team headquarters building in the Marine Amphibious Unit compound at Beirut International Airport was destroyed by a terrorist bomber driving a stake-bed truck that had penetrated security to the building, where it exploded. The truck drove over barbed and concertina wire obstacle, flattened the Sergeant of the Guard’s sandbagged booth at the building’s entrance, penetrated the lobby of the building and detonated while the majority of the occupants slept. The force of the explosion [12,000 pounds] ripped the building from its foundation. The building then imploded killing 241 Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers.

Ronald J. Garcia is honored on the Beirut Memorial Wall at Camp Lejeune in Onslow County, North Carolina.

— Iraq —

RONALD E. BAUM was a Gunnery Sergeant serving with the 2^nd Intelligence Battalion, 2^nd Marine Division, II MEF. The 38 year-old Marine Interrogator from Altoona, PA was Killed in Action on May 3 2004 when his unit was ambushed and came under heavy machine gun and Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack near Fallujah, Anbar Province, Iraq. Baum had moved to the top of his Humvee to better direct his Marines and coordinate their return fire. He was killed when a mortar round hit the vehicle. He died in the service of his Corps and country while leading his Marines. GySgt Baum was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat "V" for his heroic action.

Ronald E. Baum was laid to rest with full military honors near his home in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania and is honored for his sacrifice and service to his Corps and Nation.

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning—
We will remember them."

(Laurence Binyon, "For the Fallen" 1914)

Our Fallen Marine Corps ITT Association Members

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Updated:10/11/14