A Marine's Story: Private John Irvin Kerns

Born on August 9, 1919, U.S. Marine Corps Private John Irvin Kerns grew up in Copperhill, Tennessee.

Enlisting in the US Marine Corps in response to World War II and volunteering to be a Marine Raider, Private John Kerns took part in the raid on Makin Island and volunteered to help with the evacuation. However, he and nine other Marines were left behind and captured on August 17th and 18th, taken prisoner, and executed on October 16, 1942. Private John Kerns has never been recovered.

Private John Irvin Kerns is memorialized in the Court of the Missing, Honolulu, HI.

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Private Alden Curtis Mattison. Sergeant Dallas Henry Cook and Corporal Joseph N. Gifford also participated in the Raid on Makin Island.