Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. When Claude Revere Garvey enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on December 29th, 1917, he lied to the recruiter, listing his date of birth as May 12th, 1899, when in reality it was May 12th, 1901. He was only 16 years old. 6 months later, on June 15th, 1918, whilst fighting with the 49th Company, 5th Regiment in the Legendary Battle of Belleau Wood, Garvey was struck in combat and rushed to a hospital. The next day, June 16th, 1918, he died of his wounds at Field Hospital #16, one month after his 17th birthday. For his valor in combat, he would be awarded the Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star and a Silver Star Citation, both for Chateau Thierry.

Claude Revere Garvey was born on May 12th, 1901, in Kansas City, Kansas. At a young age, his family moved to Wichita, Kansas, where he attended high school. His family then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. On December 29th, 1917, Claude traveled to Kansas City, Missouri, to enlist in the Marine Corps at 16 years old.

His Marine Corps Muster Rolls give a more detailed history of his service. After being transferred to the 49th Company on June 8th, 1918, he fought for seven days before falling in combat. During this time, he showed enough valor in his service to be awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star, and a Silver Star Citation, both for his work in Chateau Thierry. In a postwar newspaper article published a year following his death, the citation attached to his Croix de Guerre is mentioned: “The citation accompanying the Croix de Guerre is signed by Petain, marshal of France, who praises the Minneapolis Marine for his courage in crossing areas swept by violent artillery and machine gun fire to keep his detachment supplied with ammunition.” This would also have been the reason for his Silver Star Citation.

The Columbia certificate is in a particularly beautiful frame, with a shielded American eagle placed at the top. His certificate reads “Claude Revere Garvey - Marine Corps served with honor in the World War and died in the service of his country.” It wouldn’t be until 1932 that the Purple Heart Medal was authorized for wounded soldiers, and not until World War II that they would be awarded for soldiers killed in action, so this certificate was one of the very few items issued to Garvey’s family acknowledging his death.

We have conducted much research into Garvey and have included several newspaper articles and other research documents in this post to provide context & a photograph of Garvey. Anything related to the Battle of Belleau Wood is incredibly sought after, but this certificate has the added story of a 16-year-old boy who wanted to fight for his country, even if it meant lying to it. Measures 17 1/2" x 21 1/4" framed.

The Battle of Belleau Wood

In March 1918, with nearly 50 additional divisions freed by the Russian surrender on the Eastern Front, the German Army launched a series of attacks on the Western Front, hoping to defeat the Allies before U.S. forces could be fully deployed. A third offensive launched in May against the French between Soissons and Reims, known as the Third Battle of the Aisne, saw the Germans reach the north bank of the Marne River at Château-Thierry, 59 miles from Paris, on 27 May. On 31 May, the 7th Machine Gun Battalion of the U.S. 3rd Division supported the Senegalese Tirailleurs in holding the German advance at Château-Thierry, in hard house-to-house fighting, and the German advance turned right towards Vaux and Belleau Wood.

On 1 June, Château-Thierry and Vaux fell, and German troops moved into Belleau Wood. The U.S. 2nd Infantry Division—which included a brigade of U.S. Marines—was brought up along the Paris-Metz highway. The 9th Infantry Regiment was placed between the highway and the Marne, while the 6th Marine Regiment was deployed to their left. The 5th Marine and 23rd Infantry regiments were placed in reserve.

On the evening of 1 June, German forces punched a hole in the French lines to the left of the Marines' position. In response, the U.S. reserve—consisting of the 23rd Infantry Regiment under Colonel Paul B. Malone, the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines under Major Julius S. Turrill, and an element of the Marine 6th Machine Gun Battalion—conducted a forced march over 10 km (6.2 mi) to plug the gap in the line, which they achieved by dawn. By the night of 2 June, the U.S. forces held a 20 kilometers (12 mi) front line north of the Paris-Metz Highway running through grain fields and scattered woods, from Triangle Farm west to Lucy and then north to Hill 142. The German line opposite ran from Vaux to Bouresches to Belleau.

On the night of 4 June, the intelligence officer for the 6th Marines, Lieutenant William A. Eddy, and two men stole through German lines to gather information about German forces. They gathered valuable information showing the Germans were consolidating machine gun positions and bringing in artillery. While this activity indicated an attack was not immediately likely, their increasing strength was creating a base of attack that raised concern about them breaking through to Paris.

At 17:00 on 6 June, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5)—commanded by Major Benjamin S. Berry—and the 3rd Battalion 6th Marines (3/6)—commanded by Major Berton W. Sibley, on their right—advanced from the west into Belleau Wood as part of the second phase of the Allied offensive. Again, the Marines had to advance through a waist-high wheat field into machine gun fire. One of the most famous quotations in Marine Corps history came during the initial step-off for the battle when First Sergeant Dan Daly, a recipient of two Medals of Honor who had served in the Philippines, Santo Domingo, Haiti, Peking, and Vera Cruz, prompted his men of the 73rd Machine Gun Company forward with the words: "Come on, you sons of bitches. Do you want to live forever?"

The first waves of Marines—advancing in well-disciplined lines—were slaughtered; Major Berry was wounded in the forearm during the advance. On his right, the Marines of Major Sibley's 3/6 Battalion swept into the southern end of Belleau Wood and encountered heavy machine gun fire, sharpshooters, and barbed wire. Marines and German infantrymen were soon engaged in hand-to-hand fighting. The casualties sustained on this day were the highest in Marine Corps history up to that time. Some 31 officers and 1,056 men of the Marine brigade were casualties. However, the Marines now had a foothold in Belleau Wood.