Caddy, William R.
William Robert Caddy was born on 8 August 1925 in Quincy, Massachusetts. On 27 October 1943, he was drafted into the Marine Corps Reserve from that state and was called to duty on 10 November 1943. After training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Caddy became a Rifleman in Company I, 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division. With that unit he participated in the battle for Iwo Jima. On 3 March 1945, after boldly moving forward against Japanese forces during the bitter fighting there, Caddy deliberately dived on a grenade that had fallen nearby. His action saved other members of his platoon from serious injury, but at the cost of his own life. For his "self-sacrifice in the face of certain death," Private First Class Caddy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
William R. Caddy is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii. The Marine Corps League Detachment in Quincy, Massachusetts was named in his honor in 1946 and, in October 1963, Treasure Island Park in Quincy was renamed "P.F.C. William R. Caddy Memorial Park."
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