John Beck
| Date and Place of Birth: | September 10, 1922 San Diego, CA |
| Date and Place of Death: | March 3, 1945 Iwo Jima |
| Baseball Experience: | College |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Rank: | Private First Class |
| Military Unit: | F Company, 2nd Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division, USMC |
| Area Served: | Pacific Theater of Operations |
Ernie Beck and his twin, John, were born on September 10, 1922 in San
Diego. Their family settled in San Diego in 1887. Ernie was a catcher
and John a pitcher. They played ball together at San Diego High School
and San Diego State College (now University). When the war came, Ernie
was drafted into the Army in 1942. John knew his number would soon be
called, so he joined the Marines. Ernie recalls, "It was the first time
we had ever been apart."
John and several other Marines earned their paratrooper "jump wings" at
Camp Gillespie in El Cajon, California. The airborne Marines were
transferred to Camp Pendleton, but were disbanded in January 1944 when
it was decided only the Army would have paratroopers. John Beck was
assigned to the 26th Marines of the 5th Marine Division, and shipped out
of San Diego for Hawaii in September 1944. He was the best pitcher for
the Division posting an 11-2 record. John played against several major
leaguers while in Hawaii.
In 1945, he was sent to Saipan in preparation for the invasion of Iwo
Jima. Private First Class John Beck was a machine gunner. He landed on
Iwo Jima on February 19, and fought on that barren island for 13 days.
He was killed in action on March 3. Ernie says he was the best brother
anyone could ever ask for. He thinks of his twin every day.
Ernie was a member of 3626th Quartermaster Truck Company that landed at
Normandy on D+3. In December 1944, The 3626th transported the 101st
Airborne Division to Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Ernie had
driven an officer by jeep to confer with the 101st Airborne Division in
Bastogne. They were invited to spend the night, but the officer said,
"Let's get out of here." The next day, the Germans surrounded Bastogne
and demanded surrender. Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe replied,
"Nuts." The 101st held the town until December 26, 1944 when the 4th
Armored Division provided reinforcement.
Ernie returned to San Diego State College where he played baseball from
1946 through 1949. He went on to serve four years as head baseball coach
at Mission Bay High School and 26 years at Clairemont High School in San
Diego. When he retired in 1984, he was the winningest high school
baseball coach in San Diego history and the Clairemont High baseball
field was named in his honor in 2012.
Thanks to Bill Swank and Ernie Beck for providing the information for this biography.
Date Added: February 12, 2013 Updated: February 24, 2013
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