Keith Beadleston

Birthplace: Oak Hill, KS

Branch of Service: Navy

Unit: Company A 1st Armored Amphibian Battalion

Theater of Operation: Pacific

Enlisted / Commissioned: Sep 1, 1945

Discharged: Dec 1, 1945

Highest Rank: Corporal

Honored By: The Eisenhower Foundation

Corporal Keith Beadleston was in Company A, 1st Armored Amphibian Battalion in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. This was a newly formed battalion untested in combat tank unit. He served at Roj and Namur in the Marshall Islands, Guadalcanal, Mariana Islands, Ryukyus Islands and landed int eh first wave of combat at Guam precedent the Marine artillery units. The battle for Guam was a tough one. The LVTA tanks had 20 gauge steel protection and had 37 mm gun turrent some later ones had 75 mm howitzers. The crews were hand picked by the Major Lt Gen Louis B Metzger, a 26 yr old, with 4 years training in the Marines. Each man was selected after interviews with him and selected those who had worked as truck drivers, bartenders, lumberjacks or other demanding jobs. A college boy could get in if he was motivated. The unit was activated in August 1943 and left Guam in August 1944. Keith was discharge Dec. 1 1945. When the last great battle of WW II ended the armored amphibian battalion had proved its worth and had fired over 19,000 round of direct fire. Not bad for “unarmed artillery” – Keith’s tank. “The Luck of the Irish”” was one of the those still standing at the wars end. The last LVTA tank was destroyed on Okinawa by the a Japanese “horned” mine. Courtesy of Talmage Historical Museum & Library