Original items: One-of-a-kind collection. Private John Ellsworth Tigue Unites States Marine Corps serial number 436619 was Wounded in Action in the Battle of Iwo Jima on March 7th, 1945. He enlisted on August 7th, 1942 and was originally assigned to the Paramarines (also known as Marine paratroopers) which was a short-lived specialized combat unit of the USMC, trained to be dropped from planes by parachute. Marine parachute training which began in New Jersey in October 1940 ended with the parachute units being disbanded at Camp Pendleton, California in February 1944. He was then assigned to the Company A, 5th Engineer Battalion, 5th Marine Division.

This collection of items was purchased directly from Tigue's family and is comprised of the following items:

- Camillus Cutlery Company Marine Raider Stiletto dagger with correct M6 leather scabbard. Camillus produced the USMC Raider's Stiletto in 1942 and a total of 14,370 knives were made. The knife features a cast zinc handle with the USMC scroll and Camillus maker's markings etched on the blade. This example's zinc grip and crossguard show losses from corrosion and deterioration due to contact with salt water. Additionally all etching marks to blade have been removed during the course of its lifetime through sharpening. Blade measures 6 1/2" with an overall length of 11 1/2". These knifes were issued to both Marine Raiders and Paramarines. Leather scabbard is in good complete condition and has the following written on the front; John E. Tigue USMC.

- Original Paramarine insignia patch.

- Original 5th Marine Division insignia patch.

- Copies of 4 original wartime photos of Tigue in uniform, parachuting and boarding an airplane.

- Copy of Tigue's U.S. Marine Corps Identification Card.

- Copy of USMC letter dated March 31st, 1945 notifying Tigue's parents that he was wounded in action on Iwo Jima on March 7t, 1945.

- Copy of USMC letter dated April 30th, 1945 notifying Tigue's parents that he sustained shrapnel wounds of legs and was reported to be at a Naval Hospital recovering.

- Copy of USMC enlistment letter dates July 28th, 1942.

- Copy of a muster roll dated July 22nd, 1944 from the ship USS BAXTER (APA 94) listing Tigue as a member of Company A, 5th Engineer Battalion, 5th Marine Division.

The first cohort of Marines paratroopers trained at NAS Lakehurst in New Jersey in October 1940, eventually becoming the 1st Marine Parachute Battalion. They were followed by a second group in December 1940, forming the 2nd Marine Parachute Battalion. A third class trained at Camp Kearny in San Diego, California in early 1941, eventually forming the 3rd Marine Parachute Battalion. After the United States entered World War II, the training program was stepped up, and a special training camp and parachute training school was opened temporarily at Camp Elliott in San Diego in May 1942, next to Camp Kearny, moving to purpose-built accommodation nearby at Camp Gillespie in September 1942. A second
training camp and parachute training school opened at Hadnot Point on the New River in North Carolina in June 1942, but closed in July 1943.

The 1st Parachute Battalion was attached to the 1st Marine Division for the invasion of Guadalcanal. On 7 August 1942 the unit conducted an amphibious assault on the small island of Gavutu and later seized the neighbouring island of Tanambogo with other Marine units. The battalion later moved to Guadalcanal fighting alongside the 1st Marine Raiders in the Tasimboko raid and the Battle of Edson's Ridge. The high casualties suffered by the Marine paratroopers led the battalion to be moved to Camp Kiser in Tontouta, New Caledonia in September. The 2nd Parachute Battalion performed a diversionary raid on Choiseul Island in October 1943 and later joined the 1st and 3rd Parachute Battalion on Bougainville.

The three parachute battalions with approximately 3,000 members, had become the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment, of the I Marine Amphibious Corps. Four parachute operations were planned but never executed.

However, the need for and cost of a parachute corps in the Marines was questioned, as were other specialized elite units, such as the Marine Raiders. The Marine Corps also lacked the transport aircraft required for a massed parachute drop. On 30 December 1943, Marine Commandant Thomas Holcomb ordered the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment to be disbanded, and along with the Marine Raider units, it officially ceased to exist on 29 February 1944.

Apart from a small group including Peter Julien Ortiz who parachuted into France as part of an Office of Strategic Services team to support the French Resistance, the Paramarines never dropped by parachute into combat, but were utilized during beach raids in the Pacific campaign, including at Guadalcanal. Paramarines at San Diego were transferred to the 5th Marine Division which landed on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. Former Paramarines, Cpl. Harlon H. Block and Pfc. Ira H. Hayes, assisted in the raising of the American flag on Mount Suribachi on 23 February 1945, depicted in Joe Rosenthal's iconic photograph. A third former Paramarine, Sgt. Henry O. "Hank" Hansen, had participated in the first American flag-raising earlier that day. 4 of the 82 Marine Medal of Honor recipients in World War II, were former Paramarines who were awarded the medal for their heroic actions on Iwo Jima.