James Wesley Fackler papers

Collection — Container: Single Folder Collections -1998 Box 8 (98.0142-98.0162), Folder: 98.0161 - Folder 1

Identifier: 98.0161

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

James Wesley Fackler served as a U.S. Navy corpsman during World War II in a medical company that directly supported the U.S. Marines during the Battle of Okinawa. The collection includes the daily log of Medical Company C for the period April-June 1945 while the company was in direct support of the 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division on Okinawa.

The manuscript describes the activities of a member of a medical company, probably written by Fackler. It describes life as a corpsman, liberty, neuropsychiatric wards, battle fatigue, transportation, training at Camp Lejeune, entertainment onboard ship, training on Benika Island of the Russell Island group, food on the islands (including Spam), transport on the USS Magoffin, USS Ulithi, the USS Franklin, Okinawa, forward lines, fighting on Okinawa,medical operations on Okinawa, life in the forward lines for corpsmen, duty in postwar China, and shopping and life in China.

Dates

Created: 1943-1945
Other: Date acquired: 05/19/1997

Creator

Fackler, James Wesley (Person)
Slossberg, Dr. David S. (Family)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to all researchers.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to quote, publish, broadcast or otherwise reproduce from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Associate Dean for Special Collections & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Florida State University Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Biographical or Historical Information

Born in White Bear Lake in 1925, James Wesley Fackler joined the U.S. Navy in 1943 as a corpsman at the U.S. Naval Hospital, Farragut, Base Hospital #8, Pearl Harbor HI, and C Company, 1st Medical Battalion, 1st Marine Division. He received his training at USNTC Farragut ID, Camp Lejeune NC. During the war, he served in the Russell Islands and Okinawa. The medical company to which Fackler was assigned included field aid stations and a field hospital.

After the war, Fackler transferred to China to help Chinese nationalists and was discharged in 1946. He ranked Pharmacists Mate Third Class at the time of discharge. Fackler's service earned him many decorations including the Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Commendation, Asiatic Pacific Theater w/ one Star, American, Theater and China Service Victory Ribbon.