Camp Shelby in Forrest County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
First Marine Division
⎯⎯⎯
Mississippi Medal of Honor Recipients
Photographed by James Hulse, January 3, 2026
1. First Marine Division / Mississippi Medal of Honor Recipients Marker
The First Marine Division is the oldest and most decorated Division size unit in the US Marine Corps activated February 1, 1942 aboard the Battleship USS Texas
Regiments - 1st - 5th - 7th - 11th
Major Campaigns and Interventions
WWII 1942-1945
Guadalcanal E. New Guinea New Britain Peleliu Okinawa 1945-49 N. China
Korea 1950-1953
Pusan Perimeter Inchon-Seoul CCF Intervention Chosin Reservoir UN Counteroffensive CCF Spring Offensive UN Summer-Fall Offensive 2nd Korean Winter Korean Defense 3rd Korean Winter Korean Summer-Fall
All Gave Some... Some Gave All
Freedom Is Not Free
Reverse Side
Mississippi Medal of Honor Recipients
2nd Lt. Henry Comminsky
C Company 1st Bn 1st Reg. 1st Div
Lance Cpl Roy M Wheat
K Company 3rd Bn 7th Reg 1st Div
First Division's Major Battles
Guadalcanal - KIA-1440 WIA-2,966 Total-4,406
Peleliu - KIA-1236 WIA-5,450 Total-6,686
Okinawa - KIA-3,332 WIA-18,899 Total-22,231
Inchon - KIA-421 WIA-2,029 Total-2,450
Chosin - KIA-910 WIA-3,485 Total-4,395
Officers Mississippi
this page online
President John Welch, WWII - China - Korea
Vice President Jim Westendorf, Korea - Chosin
Secretary-Treasurer George Higginbotham, WWII - Okinawa
Chaplin Charles Arndt, WWII - Guadalcanal - Korea - Chosin
Appointed Chaplin Wallace Cooper, Korea - Chosin
Chapter Representative C.L. Womack, Guadalcanal - New Britain - Peleiu - Okinawa
Legal Officier Erwin Ward, Korea
Sergeant at-Arms, W.K. Goss, China - Korea
Appointed Monument Committee
Joe Beckham, WWII - Tarawa (2nd Div.) - China
Barry Bodine, Korea - Chosin
James Bourne, WWII - Iwo Jima (3rd Div.)
Coleman Birdsong, Korea - Chosin
Karl Rushing, Korea - Chosin
Glen Sewell, WWII - Korea - Chosin - Vietnam
Roy Treadway, Korea
Jim Brieger, Korea - President Chosin IEW
Ted Blakenship, Korea, Bunker Hill, Siberia
Erected by First Marine Division Association Mississippi Chapter.
Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, World II.
Location. 31° 11.827′ N, 89° 13.407′ W. Memorial is in Camp Shelby, Mississippi, in Forrest County. It is at the intersection of Forrest Ave
Photographed by James Hulse, January 3, 2026
2. Mississippi Medal of Honor Recipients Marker - Reverse Side
Regionally, this memorial is in Mississippi’s Pine Belt. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, and in the Piney Woods. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Honoring all Mississippians who served in the Airborne (a few steps from this marker); AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter (a few steps from this marker); The Spirit of the Red Cross (a few steps from this marker); OH-6 Cayuse Light Observation Helicopter (a few steps from this marker); Fourth Marine Division of World War II
Photographed by James Hulse, January 3, 2026
3. First Marine Division / Mississippi Medal of Honor Recipients Marker
The view of the marker along the trail.
More about this memorial. The marker and the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum are located at the historic Camp Shelby, an active Mississippi National Guard military installation. The museum is open to the public, but appropriate identification is required for access.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 27, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 9, 2026, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 49 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 13, 2026, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
