Maywood in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Benjamin R. Morin, S.J., Memorial
Photographed by Sean Flynn
1. Benjamin Morin Memorial Marker
2nd Lt. Benjamin R.
Morin, S.J.
1920 -- 2015
Maywood's warrior priest
The first U.S. tank commander to
engage enemy forces in World War II
on the Bataan Peninsula
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1920.
Location. 41° 53.193′ N, 87° 50.076′ W. Memorial is in Maywood, Illinois, in Cook County. It is on Oak Street near 1st Avenue, on the right when traveling west. The monument is part of the Maywood Park Veterans Memorial. It is located behind and to the right of the flagpoles, and is in front of a tank and immediately behind a marker honoring Illinois service members who died on Bataan or in Japanese internment camps. The park includes other military memorials and artifacts, including another monument for Bataan veterans and a monument to Maywood's World War I veterans. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 132 Oak Street, Maywood IL 60153, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this memorial is in Greater Chicago. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 192nd Tank Battalion Memorial (here, next to this marker); Company B, 192nd Tank Battalion Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Maywood World War I Veterans Memorial (a few steps from
this page online
Another marker is no longer nearby. Site Of Company "B" 192nd Tank Battalion (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Regarding Benjamin R. Morin, S.J., Memorial. Ben Morin was born on August 15, 1920, in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and raised in Maywood, a western suburb of Chicago. While in high school at Proviso Township High School (now Proviso East, about two blocks south of the memorial), Morin enlisted in the Illinois National Guard's 33rd Tank Company, which was headquartered in Maywood. When he was discharged from the National Guard on October 14, 1940, he re-enlisted the next day and was eventually part of the B Company of the 192nd Tank Battalion, also headquartered in Maywood.
The 192nd was
Photographed by Sean Flynn, July 7, 2023
2. Benjamin Morin, S.J., Memorial
The memorial is behind a monument to Illinoisans of the 192nd Tank Batallion who died on Bataan in World War II.
Also see . . .
1. In Memoriam: Fr. Benjamin R. Morin, SJ. Obituary from the Jesuits official website (Submitted on July 10, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
2. Morin, 2nd Lt. Benjamin R. A detailed look at Ben Morin's service in World War II, including his capture and incarceration from 1942 until the end of the war
Excerpt: "Morin was the last surviving officer of the 192nd Tank Battalion and was buried in the cemetery at Columbiere Center in Clarkston, Michigan, on April 28, 2015."(Submitted on July 10, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
3. Freedom (Partners Magazine). Fr. Ben Morin looks back on his years as a POW and his time as a Jesuit (Submitted on July 10, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
4. The Origins of Maywood's Bataan Days. A look at Maywood's link to the battle in Bataan and the Bataan
Photographed by Sean Flynn
3. Maywood Park Veterans Memorial: "Remember Bataan"
The monument to Ben Morin is near the tank in the background of the photo.
Excerpt: "They were barely more than kids, only in their teens and early twenties. Their buddies from Proviso High School called them 'Weekend Warriors.' They were members of the 33rd Tank Company, 33rd Infantry Division of the Illinois National Guard based at the Armory in Maywood, Illinois. In September 1940, the Draft Act had been passed and selected National Guard Units were called into active duty to prepare for the possibility of entering the war in Europe. The 33rd Tank Company was organized May 3, 1929 at Maywood, Illinois and was inducted into active Federal service as Company 'B' of the 192nd Tank Battalion on November 25, 1940."(Submitted on July 11, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
via National Guard, 2015
4. Illinois Guardsman who was first U.S. tank commander to engage enemy forces in World War II dies
National Guard, April 28,2015:
"1st Lt. Benjamin Morin, the first U.S. tank commander to engage enemy forces in World War II and the last surviving officer of the National Guard's famed 192nd Tank Battalion, has died at a retirement home for Catholic priests in Michigan."
Click for more information.
"1st Lt. Benjamin Morin, the first U.S. tank commander to engage enemy forces in World War II and the last surviving officer of the National Guard's famed 192nd Tank Battalion, has died at a retirement home for Catholic priests in Michigan."
Click for more information.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 10, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 491 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 10, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 4. submitted on September 7, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
