Chuck Tatum
| Chuck Tatum | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Chuck |
| Born |
July 23, 1926 Tulsa, Oklahoma[1] |
| Died |
June 22, 2014 (aged 87) Stockton, California |
| Allegiance |
 United States |
| Service/branch |
 United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Rank |
 Private First Class |
| Unit | Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
 Bronze Star Medal with  Combat "V" Purple Heart |
| Other work |
Author Racing driver |
Charles William "Chuck" Tatum (July 26, 1926 – June 22, 2014)[1] was an American World War II veteran, bronze star recipient, race car driver and builder. On February 19, 1945 he was among the first wave of Marines to land on the Japanese island stronghold of Iwo Jima.
Tatum's war memoir, Red Blood, Black Sand, was one of five books used as source material for the Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks produced HBO miniseries The Pacific. Tatum is portrayed in the series by actor Ben Esler.
Biography
Military service
Tatum enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps when he was seventeen. He became a machine gunner. He was sent to the newly activated 5th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California in 1944 and became acquainted during training (and on Iwo Jima) with Medal of Honor recipient, Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone ("Manila John"), a machine gun section leader who was killed in action the first day on Iwo Jima and awarded the Navy Cross posthumously.
He was sent for further training with the 5th division at Camp Tarawa near Hilo, Hawaii which was preparing for the assault and capture of Iwo Jima. He was a member of Baker ("B") Company, 1st Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division. On February 19, 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").
Tatum landed with the 1st wave of white faced (anti-flash cream) Marine infantry and their attached Navy medical corpsmen off of LVTs (amtracs; amphibian tractors) from LST #10 that they had boarded February 11 when the USS Hansford stopped at Saipan. "Red Beach 2", a 550-yard landing zone, was about 800 yards across from Motoyama Airfield #1 which was 1,500 yards north of Mount Suribachi on the south end of Iwo Jima. "Red Beach 2" was one of the seven color named and numbered landing zones that together was two miles long on the east side of Iwo Jima. Tatum was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" for saving a Marine buddy, Steve Evanson, during fighting at Hill 362 on Iwo Jima (Evanson nevertheless died the next day). Tatum was subsequently wounded in action and evacuated from the island.
Career
Tatum became a successful race car driver and builder after the war. Blake Tatum, son of Chuck Tatam, drove a Crusader that was manufactured by his father's company to become the 1994 Formula Vee West Coast Regional Champion.[2]
He was active in Marine affairs and was twice the president of the Stockton Marine Corps Club in California. In 1995, he arranged a memorial service in Washington D.C. in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. Tatum's book, Red Blood, Black Sand, first printed in 1995, is one of the five books used as a basis for the television mini-series The Pacific; Tatum is portrayed by actor Ben Esler.[3]
References
- 1 2 Legends of the 5th Marine Division from the 5th Marine Division website. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
- ↑ Pace, Harold (2004). "Crusader". Vintage American Road Racing Cars 1950-1969. MotorBooks International. p. 54. ISBN 0-7603-1783-6.
- ↑ Lori Gilbert. "From Stockton to Iwo Jima and back". Recordnet.com. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
External links
- Burkin, Christian; Kirk Barron (14 March 2010). "Chuck Tatum: Stockton to the Marines (video)". Recordnet.com. Retrieved 12 July 2010.