Buchheit, John Joseph
Marines Reserves Private

John Joseph Buchheit from Philadelphia County Philadelphia, Pennsylvania .

Parents: John A. Buchheit

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, January 22, 1946
Death details: In September 1944, American forces launched Operation STALEMATE II, the invasion on Peleliu, an island in Palau. On Sept. 15, the 1st Marine Division came ashore under enemy fire. The following day, Marines secured the island’s airfield despite taking heavy casualties. The battle for Peleliu lasted another two months, as Marines were forced to clear heavily fortified pockets of Japanese resistance across the island. The 1st Marine Division, reinforced by the 81st Infantry Division, slowly advanced north under nearly constant mortar and artillery fire. The invasion of Peleliu had the highest casualty rate of all the amphibious Pacific Island invasions of World War II. Pvt. John Joseph Buchheit joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Pennsylvania and was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He was reported missing in action on September 15, 1944, on Peleliu. The circumstances surrounding his loss were unknown at the time. He remains unaccounted for. Today, Buchheit is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Cemetery: Manila American Cemetery

Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency