SANTA CLARA, Calif.—A World War II veteran died on March 4. He was 106 years old.
The Stockton Marine Corps Club will host a celebration of life ceremony in Stockton, California, for William “Bill” White. He was a U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) veteran who served in the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.
White died with his daughter and granddaughter by his side.
He was born in Long Beach, California, on July 31, 1915 and joined the Marines in 1934. He was later stationed in Pearl Harbor. He went to Parker Ranch in Hawaii for training and prepared for the invasion of Iwo Jima.
According to the post, White was “ashore after the first Flag was raised landing on the beach directly under Mt. Suribachi,” and he was with the “1st Battalion, 28th Marines at that time and then he was wounded and sent back to the U.S.”
He was then stationed at many locations, including Pearl Harbor, Washington, Korea, San Francisco, and Okinawa, Japan, between 1947 and 1960. He was promoted to major in 1963 and retired from the Marine Corps in June 1964.
In the mid-1960s, he became a member of the Huntington Beach Police Department.
White was granted many awards, including the Purple Heart, Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, China Service Medal, Armed Forces Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Combat Service Medal, Victory Over Japan Medal, American Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Korean Defense Medal, Korean Service Medal, Korean Presidential Unit Medal, Sea Service Medal, Overseas Service Medal, United Nations Medal, USMC Good Conduct Medal, and National Defense Medal.
White spent his final days living at The Oaks at Inglewood Assisted Living facility in Stockton.
Instead of flowers, his family has asked people to make donations to the Hospice of San Joaquin County or the Stockton Marine Corps Club.
More details about the celebration will be announced later, following a private cremation and burial for White in Huntington Beach, California, next to his wife Jeanette at the Good Shepherd Cemetery.
