29. Who Was the Saipan Stare Marine?
The Klonis claims were taken at face value at first, but subsequent research debunked them. Angelo Klonis was not an OSS operative, but an Army cook whose unit’s baptism of fire occurred in France, two days after the iconic photograph was taken in Saipan. Evidence supports that the photographer correctly labeled the photo for what it was: that of a Marine in Saipan.
The subject is wearing Marine camouflage cover on his helmet, is clad in Marine dungarees, and his equipment is secured by Marine straps. Photos before and after on the photographer’s contact sheet depict personnel with unit patches of the 1st Battalion, 24h Marines. Finally, the photographer’s original caption for the image reads “T. E. Underwood, 24th Batt. St. Petersburg, FL“. There was a PFC Thomas Ellis Underwood from Saint Petersburg, Florida, who fought in Saipan, serving as a squad leader with Company B, 1/24 Marines. He fought in Iwo Jima the following year, earned a Bronze Star, and was killed in action at age 22.
