The Legacy of Charles H. Roan

The Legacy of Charles H. Roan. . , Charles Howard Roan was born August 13, 1923 in Claude, Texas. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve on December 12, 1942. He was killed in action on September 18, 1944 on Peleliu Island, Palau while serving with the Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division against enemy Japanese forces, shortly after his leader ordered a withdrawal upon discovering that the squad was partly cut off from their company as a result of rapid advance along an exposed ridge during an aggressive attack on the strongly entrenched enemy. , Private First Class Roan and his companions were suddenly engaged in a furious exchange of hand grenades with Japanese forces emplaced in a cave on higher ground and to the rear of the squad. Seeking protection with four other Marines in a depression in the rocky, broken terrain, Private First Class Roan was wounded by an enemy grenade which fell close to their position and immediately realizing the imminent peril to his comrades when another grenade landed in the midst of the group, unhesitatingly flung himself upon it, covering it with his body and absorbing the full impact of the explosion. By his prompt action and selfless conduct in the face of almost certain death, he saved the lives of four men and his great personal valor reflects the highest credit upon himself and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his comrades., For his selfless heroism in absorbing the impact of a hand grenade to save the lives of his four companions, Private First Class Roan was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor by President Harry Truman in July 1945. A United States Navy Destroyer, the USS Charles H. Roan (DD-853) was named in his honor, and was christened in 1946. , The Roan was decommissioned in 1973 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 21 September 1973. She was then transferred to the Turkish government, known as the TCG Maresal Fevzi Cakmak (D351) in the Turkish Navy until she was stricken in April of 1995., [left and right KIA panels] , world war one 1917-1918 , Harold Gist Army, world war two 1941-1945 , Maurice H Adams Army . John Ennis Benson Army . Jack Davis Conrad Army . Willie Newton Dye Army . Roscoe G Holston Navy . LT Britton Kemp Air Force . William L Harris Jr Navy . Lyman York McGehee Air Force . Lt Wiley Alan Stoner Navy . Dick Nicklaus Reck Army . Charles Howard Roan Marines . GCWhatley Jr Navy . Jap R Wilson Jr Army . Cecil R McCoy Marines, Korea 1950-1954, Vietnam 1961-1975, Lebanon , Granada 1982-1984, Panama 1989-1990, Iraq , Persian Gulf 1990-, Afghanistan 2001-