Hometown: Lancaster, OH
Branch: U.S. Marine Corps
Unit: 20th Marine Depot Company, 7th Field Depot, “Montford Point Marines”
Military Honors: Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: June 15, 1944 - KIA in Saipan, Mariana Islands
Age: 19
Conflict: World War II, 1939-1945

By age 15, Kenneth Tibbs had to leave school to help support his family in Lancaster, Ohio, just outside of Columbus. Born on May 30, 1925, Kenneth was one of seven children. His father, Albert, passed away when Kenneth was 13 years old. His mother Florence worked at home raising the family. When Florence remarried, Kenneth’s stepfather, Melvin Brown, was unable to work due to a heart condition.

Kenneth worked multiple jobs—as an auto mechanic, as a porter, and as a laborer for the Ralston Steel Car Company in Columbus, Ohio. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on October 14, 1943. When he left for the Marines, Tibbs’ girlfriend Katherine Howell was pregnant with their child.

At age 18, Tibbs was sent to Camp Montford Point in New River, North Carolina, for basic training. Prior to World War II (1939-1945), black Americans were restricted from combat roles in the military. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802, which prohibited “discrimination in the employment of workers in the defense industries of Government because of race, creed, color, or national origin…”

But the struggle to be considered equal was far from over. While Roosevelt’s order banned discrimination in military roles, it did not prohibit racial segregation. Tibbs was one of the first all-black “Montford Point Marines” training at a new facility hastily put together outside of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Located in the deep South, black Marines endured racial discrimination both on and off the base.

Conditions at Montford Point challenged the resolve of the young recruits, as construction of the camp was still underway when they arrived. They lived in huts with no running water or toilets, enduring the heat, humidity, and mosquitos. These difficult conditions prepared them well for what was to come.

Throughout his service in the military, Kenneth Tibbs continued to send $60 a month from his paycheck back to his family. He proved to be an outstanding Marine, consistently receiving high marks on his professional and conduct reports.

On February 22, 1944, Tibbs was assigned to the 20th Marine Depot Company. He was promoted to Private First Class two months later.

On February 26 of 1944, Tibbs and his company began the long journey to join the fight in World War II’s Pacific Theater of Operations. Leaving from Norfolk, Virginia aboard the USS James O’Hara (APA-90), the 20th Marine Depot Company sailed for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. They left Hawaii in May 1944 aboard the USS Pierce (APA-50), arriving in Saipan in June.

PFC Tibbs’ unit joined Task Force 52 for the Battle of Saipan. With Allied forces gaining strength in the Pacific and slowly working their way toward Japan itself, control of Saipan was strategically crucial for establishing an air base. From there, American B-29 bombers would be able to reach the Japanese home islands.

After days of heavy U.S. Navy bombardment, the Marines began storming the beaches of Saipan on June 15, 1944. These landings marked the first combat action for black Marines in World War II.

Early on that day, on Yellow Beach #2, PFC Tibbs was killed by a gunshot. At age 19, he was the first black Marine killed in combat and one of 3,000 Americans killed in the battle. Back home, Tibbs’ girlfriend Katherine gave birth to their daughter, Helen. She would never have the chance to meet her father.

Following his mother’s wishes, PFC Kenneth Jewell Tibbs was laid to rest at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, in Honolulu, Hawaii (Section M, Site 187)—alongside fellow American soldiers, sailors, and airmen who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Sources
Artist’s rendering by Craig Du Mez
VA News: Veterans Legacy Program: Pfc. Kenneth Tibbs, the sacrifice of one of the first African-American Marines in WWII
National History Day: Private First Class Kenneth Jewell Tibbs
Together We Served: Tibbs, Kenneth, PFC
The Columbus Dispatch, June 28, 2012: U.S. honors first black Marines
Senate Congressional Record S4669, June 27, 2012: Tribute To Montford Point Marines
University of North Carolina Wilmington: The Marines of Montford Point: Fighting for Freedom (Video)
Burial Site: Find a Grave