John M. Rust
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Marines
John M. Rust of Duluth, Minnesota enlisted in the Marine Corps on Sept. 18, 1940.
He was a Master Technical Sergeant and communications chief, with the scout company, tank battalion, 2nd Marine Division and 3rd Marine Division in the Pacific Theater.
He participated in the combat landing of Bougainville and the combat landing, 3rd wave, of Guam, after 40 days at sea aboard an LSD. During the assault landing of Iwo Jima, he was aboard an LST that was hit by a kamikaze plane.
He recalls, "Saw flag raised on Mt. Suribachi, saw first plane return from Tokyo raid. Back to U.S. April, 1945. Married Aug. 11 [see Dorothy M. Rust above]. Did guard duty on honeymoon."
He was discharged on Nov. 18, 1946.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The St. Louis County World War II Project. 275
