Rank and Name, Corporal Norval Thomas Banks.
Unit/Placed in, 4th Tank Battalion (Comp B), 4thMarines, United States Marine Corps
Norval is born approx. on 1923 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Father, Earl Banks.
Mother, Grace A. (Moxely) Banks.
Brother(s), Earl G. Banks.
Norval enlisted the service in Maryland with service number # 389322.
Norval was KIA during the Saipan-Landing when his LVT was hit by Japanese Artillery Fire on 15 June 1944, he is honored with a Silver Star Medal, Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal, American Campaign Medal, Navy & Marine Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.
Norval is buried/mentioned at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu County, Hawaii U.S.A.
Courts of the missing.
He also has a Memorial Grave at Mountain View Cemetery, Marriottsville, Howard County, Maryland, USA.
Thanks to, https://www.familysearch.org/
Jean Louis Vijgen, ww2-Pacific.com and Europe 1940-1945 on Facebook.
Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.
ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov
Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker
Seabees History Bob Smith https://seabeehf.org/
Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org
POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.
Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/ Robert Capistrano
National Historian
Navy Seal Memorial, http://www.navysealmemorials.com
Family Info, https://www.familysearch.org
Info, https://www.pacificwrecks.com/
Medals Info, https://www.honorstates.org
Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com
Tank Destroyers, http://www.bensavelkoul.nl/
Norval Thomas Banks
PLACE OF BIRTH:
West Friendship, Maryland
HOME OF RECORD:
Baltimore, Maryland
AWARDS BY DATE OF ACTION:1 of 1
Silver Star
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS
DURING World War II
Service: Marine Corps
Rank: Corporal
Battalion: 4th Tank Battalion
Division: 4th Marine Division
GENERAL ORDERS:
Commander in Chief, Pacific: Serial 11684 (April 3, 1945)
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Corporal Norval Thomas Banks (MCSN: 389322), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with the Fourth Tank Battalion, FOURTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the landing operations on Saipan, Marianas Islands, 15 June 1944. Embarked in a lighter that was listing dangerously as a result of the faulty loading of a tank, Corporal Banks courageously and without hesitation volunteered to exposed himself to heavy enemy artillery and mortar fire by adding his weight to the starboard side in an effort to prevent the craft from capsizing before it reached shore, but was instantly killed when a hostile shell hit the lighter. Corporal Banks inspiring conduct and selfless devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
