| Original caption: “Standing in the grassy sod bordering row upon row of white crosses in an American cemetery, two dungaree-clad Coast Guardsmen pay silent homage to the memory of a fellow Coast Guardsman who lost his life in action in the Ryukyu Islands.” United States Coastguardsmen visit the grave of a fallen comrade. 7 Coast Guard-manned transports, 29 Landing Ship, Tanks (LSTs), the cutters USCGC Bibb and USCGC Woodbine, and 12 Coast Guard-manned Large Landing Craft, Infantry (LCI(L)s) participated in the invasion of Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands. It’s likely the grave of Motor Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Petty Officer Forest D. Flockencier (February 4, 1921 – April 1, 1945). He was killed during the Okinawa invasion, when Japanese suicide swimmer infiltrators boarded USS LST-884 when it was close ashore, severely damaged after a kamikaze strike. As Flockencier and Coastguardsman Magness M. McClellan (January 25, 1924 – June 28, 1997) pulled up the cargo nets that night, he was shot in the neck as the Japanese attempted to board LST-884. McClellan was shot in both arms. United States Coast Guard Lieutenant Clemons C. Pearson (June 15, 1910 – September 9, 1988), USS LST-884’s Commanding Officer, presented his widow, Lilian M. Ankeny Flockencier, (June 6, 1919 – September 3, 2005) with a 1,000 dollar saving bond for his son Stuart W. Flockencier (born 1944) in January 1946. After World War II, Flockencier’s body was interred at Gethsemane Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan. United States Coast Guard Signalman 3rd Class Petty Officer John P. Ross Junior (August 27, 1925 – June 4, 1945) was killed in action when a kamikaze hit his ship, USS LCI(L)-90. She was at anchor in Chimu Wan Harbor, Okinawa. USS LCI(L)-90 was acting as harbor entrance control unit. There was 1 other ship present in the harbor, USS PCS-1460, a Patrol Craft Sweeper. At 1340 Hours on June 3, 1945, PCS-1460 or shore batteries opened fire on an Aichi D3A “Val” Type 99 Carrier Bomber. USS LCI(L)-90’s 20 millimeter Oerlikon antiaircraft artillery guns were manned but not loaded. The crew of USS LCI(L)-90 didn’t see the Val until the other American guns opened fire and the Japanese plane dived out of the clouds, strafing as it went. Bullets hit the beach, the water, and USS LCI(L)-90. The Val did not strike squarely on the ship, but rather struck a glancing blow on the after starboard side of the pilot house and conning station. The crew of Number 2 Oerlikon were blown out of the gun tub before they could do anything. The Val damaged troop compartments, the radio room, and the pilot house. Ross was transferred to USS Bowditch (AGS-4) with 2nd and 3rd degree burns covering his entire body. He died aboard that ship the next day at 1050 Hours. Photo by Coast Guard Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class David M. Benrud (March 29, 1923 – July 14, 2003). | |
| Image Filename | wwii1646.jpg |
| Image Size | 969.48 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2313 x 2892 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Coast Guard |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 1, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Okinawa |
| Country | Ryukyus |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-26-G-4739 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database