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 Wilson D. Watson - Ozone AR Posted by:  Don.Morfe
N 35° 38.790 W 093° 25.218
15S E 461950 N 3944822
Wilson D. Watson is buried in Russell Cemetery, Ozone, AR. He is a World War II Medal of Honor Recipient for action in Iwo Jima, Japan on February 26 and 27 1945.
Waymark Code: WM1AVF3
Location: Arkansas, United States
Date Posted: 10/11/2024
Views: 0
From Wikipedia: "Wilson Douglas Watson (February 16, 1922 – December 19, 1994) was a United States Marine Corps private who received the Medal of Honor for his actions on Iwo Jima during World War II. He single-handedly killed 60 enemy soldiers, thus enabling his platoon to advance, earning him the name "One-Man Regiment of Iwo Jima". After World War II, Watson continued his military service in the United States Army. At the time he retired, he held the rank of Staff Sergeant." ( visit link)
Description:
From Wikipedia: "Wilson Douglas "Doug" Watson was born on February 18, 1922, to Charles Watson and Ada Watson (née Posey), in Tuscumbia, Alabama. He is one of twelve kids; eight brothers, three sisters. Before his enlistment in Little Rock, Arkansas, on August 6, 1942, he worked on his father's farm and completed seven years of grade school. Watson received his basic training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California, and was deployed overseas on January 24, 1943.
Serving as an automatic rifleman with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division during the bitter fighting on Iwo Jima, Watson earned the Medal of Honor for heroism during February 26–27, 1945, when he single-handedly killed more than 60 Japanese and enabled his pinned-down platoon to continue the advance. In the attack, he was shot seven times and was hit in the shoulder by mortar fragments. He was evacuated from Iwo Jima after he suffered a gunshot wound to the neck on March 2, 1945. He previously saw action at Bougainville, Guadalcanal, and Guam.
Private Watson was presented the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman on October 5, 1945, at the White House.
Following his discharge from the Marine Corps, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Force, and then the United States Army as a private, working as a mess hall cook. In 1963, he was arrested in Marion, Arkansas and charged with desertion after being reported missing from his post in Fort Rucker, Alabama in October 1962. When asked about his leaving, Watson stated he just got "fed up" with the Army and left. He eventually reached the rank of Staff Sergeant and finally retired from the military in 1966.
He was married to wife Patricia, whom he had two children with.
Watson died on December 19, 1994, in Russellville, Arkansas.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_D._Watson
Date of birth: 02/16/1922
Date of death: 12/19/1994
Area of notoriety: Military
Marker Type: Headstone
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Sunrise to Sunset
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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