Clair C. Chaffin

A native of Jackson, Michigan and now a resident of Archer, Florida, Clair dropped out of high school in the 10th grade to join the Navy and "even the score" for the death of his two brothers in the war.

He attended Boot Camp in Great Lakes, Illinios, in February 1943. Despite an intensive training schedule as a corpsman, Clair managed to carve out time to sing in the Great Lakes Naval Choir. From Great Lakes, he traveled by a "very old train" to North Island Air Station in San Diego, California for duty as a corpsman. He was subsequently assigned with the Marine Corps at Camp Elliott, San Diego, where he learned hand-to-hand combat,weapons training, and became a black belt in martial arts.

While serving in the Fourth Marine Division, Corpsman First Class Chaffin participated in four South Pacific campaigns: Roi Namur, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima

On the Pacific Island of Saipan, his duties were anything but mundane. He delivered three babies, performed a tracheotomy on a fellow Marine in a fox hole while a Japanese Zero strafed either side, and rescue seven Marines who were wounded and trapped in a fire zone between friendly and enemy lines. For his heroic efforts in saving, treating and moving those men to safety, he was awarded our nations third highest medal, the Silver Star.

Following his return from the war, Clair attended juinor college in St. Petersurg, Florida, majoring in building construction. He spent the next 54 years coordinating and supervising major Department of Defense and Veterans Administration constuction projects in Alabama, Indiana and throughout Florida.

In recognition of his educational sacrifice to serve his country, Governor Jeb Bush awarded Clair a full high school diploma from the state of Florida in 2004.

Clair C. Chaffin was involved with the many veteran organizations in the Gainesville, Florida area. He is a life member and former President of the Fourth Marine Division Association.

On Monday Jun 8, 2009, Clair C. Chaffin was murdered in an attempted robbery outside his motel room in Florence, South Caroline. He was 83. He is a true American Hero.