John Curtis Deen

 

May 28, 1942

CURTIS DEEN left this week for Jacksonville where he will enlist in the U. S. Marine Corps.

June 11, 1942

CURTIS DEEN JOINS MARINE RESERVES

JOHN CURTIS DEEN, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Deen of Bunnell, has enlisted in the nation’s oldest fighting force, the U.S. Marine.

Curtis Deen enlisted in the Marine Reserve, for the duration of the national emergency, and is now at Parris Island, S. C., taking his basic military training, after the completion of this he will be transferred to a secondary post for additional training.

December 3, 1942

CURTIS DEEN, of the Marines and stationed at New River, N. C., is spending a few days here with his father W. H. Deen and his sister, Mrs. Z. G. Holland, Jr.

December 10, 1942

CURTIS DEEN, of the Marines, returned to New River, N. C., this week after spending a few days here wis his father, W. H. Deen.

December 24, 1942

CURTIS DEEN, who recently spent a short leave here with his father, W. H. Deen, has received his rating as private first class since his return to his Marine company at New River, N. C.

April 8, 1943

Marine Pfc. CURTIS DEEN has been assigned to a weapons school at New River.

May 6, 1943

CURTIS DEEN, also at New River, has been promoted to Cpl. after taking some special training.

May 27, 1943

Also from public relations officer Capt. Arthur Wimer at New River, N. C., we learn that CURTIS DEEN has graduated from the “Infantry Weapons Course, Weapons School, Rifle Range Battalion, at this Marine Base, and is now ready to serve as a qualified instructor.”

July 29, 1943

Pfc. CURTIS C. DEEN, with the Marines at New River, N. C., is here on a short furlough with folks.

September 23, 1943

Attention, Shelton Barber. Another Bunnellite is at Oceanside. Marine Cpl. CURTIS DEEN got transferred out there just recently.

March 2, 1944

Saw a letter from CURTIS DEEN to his father here, W. H, Deen, telling him “I am OK, and don't worry about me. I'm on Kwajalein Island. Incidentally, Curtis was recently promoted to the grade of Sgt. in his Marine outfit. He added that he "didn't have time to write and paper is hard to get.”

March 9, 1944

Another Flagler County Marine now gets his mail "care of postmaster San Francisco," this time it is Shelton Barber, but he at least can tell us where he is.

Here is his letter, in part: "I haven't received any Tribunes in quite some time, but blame the delay on being transferred overseas. I am looking forward to the day when all those back issues catch up with me. Since it is OK by the censor, I can tell you where I am, at present. I am in the Hawaiian Islands. And it is beautiful, grass skirts, pineapples, and all.

Coming back from Los Angeles from liberty one night when we were yet in California, I happened to get on the bus and sit down beside CURTIS DEEN. It certainly was good to see some one from home. We had a long talk then, but I haven't seen him since. Give my regards to all the folks at home."

(It so happens, Shelton, Curtis, is now, or was recently, with the Marines on Kwajalein. Incidentally, we hope those back issues do catch up with you. Jim Townsend, in England, got his first one since arriving. It was dated December 16.)

August 3, 1944

CURTIS DEEN ON WOUNDED LIST

CURTIS DEEN, Marine, son of W. H. Deen of Bunnell, has been wounded in action in a Pacific theater, a telegram from Marine officers to the father here stated. At the same time a letter was received here from Marine Deen saying "I am on my back and probably will be for some time, but am I am being well taken care of.”

Curtis has been in the Pacific theater of war for a number of months, his father last hearing from him immediately after the completion of the Kwadjelin campaign in which he participated.

November 9, 1944

Marine Sgt. CURTIS DEEN who was wounded several weeks ago (presumably in the Marshall’s campaign) wired his father here last Sunday from California that he had arrived in the States. A letter received a few days later from him said that he had come by hospital ship from the SWP. Curtis added that his knee and ankle was still a little stiff but it is good to be able to walk on it again. He has been sent to Bainbridge, Maryland.

November 23, 1944

Marine Sgt. CURTIS DEEN, who was wounded on Saipan and now in Naval hospital at Bainbridge, Maryland, has advised his father here that he expects to be able to come home shortly after December 1. Curtis said in a previous letter that "I now can walk well on my leg."

December 21, 1944

SGT. CURTIS DEEN VISITS HOME HERE

Marine Sergeant CURTIS DEEN, seriously wounded last July in the battle for Saipan Island, was here to visit his father and other members of the family last weekend.

After arriving in the United States several weeks ago, he was sent to a hospital at Bainbridge, Md., then was transferred to the U. S. Naval hospital in Jacksonville.

Sgt. Deen's wound was confined to one leg and he is just now getting around on it. Doctors have yet "a lot of work to do on it." Sgt. Deen said.

December 28, 1944

Several of the fellows were fortunate enough to get home for Christmas, among them Howard Hunter, Alfred Tucker, Nathan Durrance, Raymond Smith, Jack Clegg and CURTIS DEEN, although Smith and Deen have to return to hospital shortly.

January 18, 1945

SOME DETAILS OF SAIPAN BATTLE TOLD BY DEEN

Take it from Marine Sergeant JOHN C. DEEN of Bunnell, that old saying "three strikes and you're out" has a real meaning so says Marine Public Relations office, which has sent. the following story to The Tribune:

Sergeant Deen, son of W. H. Deen of Bunnell, slugged it out with the Japs on Saipan for 22 days, crossing the Island three times, before he was wounded by Jap artillery shrapnel.

He is now attached to the Naval hospital in Jacksonville and is being processed by the Marine Rehabilitation office prior to being honorably discharged from the Corps.

“Our rifle company went ashore at Saipan on the south end of the first assault wave,” he said.

"We went ashore in an amphibian tractor and according to orders that ride was good for 1500 yards. However, the Jap mortar and artillery fire stopped us at the 300 yard line. The Japs knocked out too many tractors loaded down with men and equipment."

Leatherneck Deen's outfit landed about a mile south of the town of Charan-Kanoa, fighting its way across the island on what he calls his "first strike across Saipan.”

After driving across the island on the first strike, his outfit swung back and started a second strike across the island. It was headed for Mount Tapotchau and a tie-in with the main Marine forces that were battling the Japs in a series of rocky hills on the main road to Garapan.

“Crossing the island that second time we had our toughest going around the air strips, but it was even tougher when we joined the main Marine lines at Mount Tapotchau. Jap reinforcements coming down the main island road from Garapan counter-attacked on the eighth day of the campaign.

In a two-day battle around the mountain the Marine's routed the Japs and DEEN'S rifle company started a third strike across the island. This time they advanced north, swinging just east of Garapan, hoping to drive the Japs into the northern tip of the island.

"It was a yard-by-yard advance but after 22 days of fighting we pinned the Japs down in a small two-mile corridor. We had them locked up with their backs to the ocean."

According to the Bunnell Marine the Japs started their series of "banzai" charges on July 6th. The first suicide attack was made with the full support of Jap mortar and artillery units massed in the narrow enemy held strip.

"We were over near the shore line and holed up in a series of hills that were covered with large coral rock. I don't think the Japs opening artillery and mortar barrage was over a minute old when I was hit in the leg by shrapnel."

Sergeant DEEN still thinks he was plenty lucky. Although he was wounded and evacuated just before the Japs overran his section of the line.

"It I had been wounded 10 or 15 minutes later, well, the odds are 10 to 1 that I would have been killed in the fanatic Jap banzai charge,” Deen concluded.

Marine DEEN is also a veteran of the Marshall Islands campaign. He participated in the assault landing at Kwajalein Atoll, remaining in that combat area for a month.

Enlisting in the Corps in May of 1942, DEEN served overseas for 10 months. He wears the Fourth Marine Division Presidential Unit Citation and the Pacific theater ribbon with two stars.

January 25, 1945

Sgt. CURTIS DEEN, who is a patient at the naval hospital in Jax, is home on a two-weeks leave.

Sgt CURTIS DEEN is spending a furlough here with his father W. H. Deen.

February 15, 1945

Marine Sergeant JOHN CURTIS DEEN, wounded on Saipan, last July, can now write his name as just plain Mr. Deen. He was honorably discharged last week and is now at home here. Curtis still has a bum left leg, but he manages to "get around."

October 11, 1945

...... the following men perhaps well known to you - are now just plain Mister Civilian. They have been given honorable discharges from Uncle Sam’s fighting forces ..... J. CURTIS DEEN