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Francis Junior Pierce
Francis Junior Pierce (December 7, 1924 – December 21, 1986) was a United States Navy hospital corpsman in World War II who received the nation's highest military decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor. He was awarded the medal for heroic actions "above and beyond the call of duty" on March 15–16, 1945, while assigned to a Marine Corps infantry battalion during the Battle of Iwo Jima. BiographyEarly years and military servicePierce was born on December 7, 1924, and grew up in Delaware County, Iowa. A week after his 17th birthday (the day Pearl Harbor was attacked), he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. After his initial training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois, he attended the Hospital Corps School at Portsmouth, Virginia. Afterwards, he served at the naval hospital in Parris Island, South Carolina until August 1942. he was then transferred to the Fleet Marine Force (FMF) Field Medical Service School at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for field training with the Marine Corps.[1] In January 1944, he was assigned to the 4th Marine Division at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California where he was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment of the division as a Fleet Marine Force hospital corpsman. He participated in numerous military campaigns including Saipan and Tinian. During the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945, he helped in caring for and protecting wounded Marines and became one of four navy corpsman assigned to a Marine unit to receive the Medal for heroic actions during the battle; he was initially awarded the Navy Cross for actions on March 15, 1945, and the Silver Star Medal for actions in which he was wounded twice on March 16, 1945.[1] RetirementOn December 1, 1945, Pierce was honorably discharged from the Navy. After a brief stay in his hometown of Earlville, Iowa, he moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. There, he married a young woman named Lorraine who he had been communicating with during the war and joined the Grand Rapids Police Department. He also briefly served in the Michigan National Guard from May 1949 to November 1950.[2] In 1948, Pierce was informed that the Navy Cross he received for extraordinary heroism and the Silver Star Medal for gallantry in action on Iwo Jima, were both being upgraded to the Medal of Honor. On June 25, 1948, he was presented the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman during a ceremony held in the White House Rose Garden.[1] In civilian life, Pierce had two sons with his wife Lorraine. After she died, he married Madelyn Mellema and had two daughters. He served a long distinctive career in the police, carrying out many duties such as being the head of the vice squad and being a bomb disposal expert. He eventually became deputy chief of the Grand Rapids Police Department in 1972, and retired in 1982. Francis Pierce died of lung cancer in 1986. LegacyA special memorial scholarship was established by the Marine Corps in his name to honor navy hospital corpsmen. Military awardsPierce's military decorations and awards include:
Medal of Honor citationPierce's Medal of Citation reads: The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to PHARMACIST MATE FIRST CLASS FRANCIS J. PIERCE
UNITED STATES NAVY for service as set forth in the following CITATION:
See alsoReferences
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