Former Morningside Student Is Killed in Iwo Jima Fighting
Little Rock, Iowa – Special: Lt. William Van Beest, 24, son of Mr. and Mrs. Manus Van Beest of Little Rock, was killed in action on Iwo Jima, according to word received by the parents from the war department.
Lt. Van Beest, a graduate of Little Rock High School in 1938 and of Morningside College, Sioux City, in 1942, was serving in the paratroop division of the Marines.
His death was the fifth of service men from Little Rock.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, April 5, 1945
William Hermanus Van Beest was born Mar. 24. 1921 to Manus and Ruth Van Beest. He died Mar. 14, 1945 and is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Lt. Van Beest served in World War II with the U.S. Marine Corps 1st Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division and was wounded in action and died of his wounds. He was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism in action against the enemy on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands. His actions were not only an inspiration to all who saw him on this day but resulted in the destruction of 17 enemy emplacements containing machine guns and the death of 98 enemy personnel. Lt. Van Beest’s conduct on this and many similar occasions, until he was seriously wounded, was in accordance with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Source: ancestry.com
