Patterson Cemetery District, Stanislaus County, CA 

Submitted by Gale Stroud and Burta Herger 26 Aug 2007

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm

These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit 
or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations 
desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain 
the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of 
the submitter.

Patterson Irrigator,  04/06/1945, p 6

Crows Landing Boy Killed on Iwo Jima
Crows Landing. Apr. 4--  Private First Class Donald Osburn of the Marines has been killed in action.
The tragic message reached his parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Jack Osburn, just before noon on Saturday, informing them
that their boy had died on Iwo Jima on March 10th during the hardest and toughest campaign ever fought in the history of
the Marine Corps. No details were given.
Memorial services for the deceased will be held at the Newman Presbyterian Church at 2 o'clock Sunday afternoon.
Donald, born at Newman on January 18, 1925, was a graduate of Bonita Grammar School here and of Orestimba Union
High School, receiving his diploma with the Class of �43.  He had enlisted in the Marine Corps in January of that year
and was given permission to complete high school before reporting for active duty or July 1st.
After attending training school at State Teachers College in Flagstaff, Arizona, he was assigned for further training at San
Diego. He volunteered for special training as a Marine Raider, completing this phase at Camp Pendleton. He was then
assigned to the Fleet Force Infantry and went overseas in August of last year.
Since then, his duties were such that Donald was unable to write of his experiences in the Pacific nor concerning where
he was stationed. His parents knew that he was on Iwo Jima, for news dispatches had mentioned his unit as taking part.
When letters failed to arrive, even after the normal delay expected under combat conditions, the anxiety of his parents
proved well-founded.
Active Boy Scout
Donald was an active Boy Scout and achieved the signal, and merited, honor of being named an Eagle Scout. During his
Senior year in high school, he assisted Scoutmaster Tom Yancey with many phases of Scout activity. He was also an
active member of the Christian Endeavor Society of the Presbyterian Church.
His father is associated with the First National Bark here and was manager of the local Branch of the Bank of Newman
for many years before being transferred to the main office at Newman, a position which he resigned last Summer to
return here to accept his present post.