Roan, Charles H.
Charles Howard Roan was born on 16 August 1923 in Claude, Texas, where he attended school and worked before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps from that state in December 1942. Ordered to combat duty in the Pacific war zone, Roan served with the Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division. While in the Marines, he attained the rank of Private First Class.
On 18 September 1944, during the bitter fight to capture Peleliu from the Japanese, Roan's squad was closely engaged by the enemy after it had advanced ahead of the rest of its company. Wounded by one Japanese hand grenade, he flung himself on another that landed amid his group, sacrificing his life to save his fellow Marines. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" on this occasion, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Charles H. Roan is listed on the American Battle Monuments Commission's "Wall of the Missing" at Manila Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
USS Charles H. Roan (DD-853), 1946-1973, was named in honor of Private First Class Charles H. Roan.
