SHUEMATE, JAMES T.

Pvt. James T. Shuemate, United States Marines, has been killed in action [July 20, 1943] while in defense of his country in the Solomons area of the South Pacific battle zone.

A telegram was received by Mrs. J. S. Shuemate, mother of Pvt. Shuemate, shortiy after noon Friday, from the War Department in Washington, stating that her son had been killed in action.

There were no details as military secrecy dictates a policy of simple announcement. A letter will follow to Mrs. Shuemate giving more details. It was presumed here that Pvt. Shuemate lost his life in the battle for New Georgia. Some days ago Mrs. Shuemate received a letter from her son, the first she had received in many weeks, or since he had landed in the battle zone with the Marines. In the letter Pvt. Shuemate said they were going through hell.

Pvt. Shuemate celebrated his 18th birthday in February fighting the Japs. He was with the Raiders, crack Marine outfit, which has seen much action in the Solomons.

Pvt. James T. Shuemate, son of Mrs. J. S. Shuemate of Cameron, graduated at Yoe High School in the Class of 1942, and enlisted in the Marines one week after graduation. J. S. Shuemate, the father, died late in 1942. The mother lives in West Cameron with her family of small children. She was very deeply affected by the death of her eldest son on whom she had to depend when the war was over, to help her along with the little ones. Women of the neighborhood were at the Shuemate home to comfort and to do what they could to assist her.

Upon enlistment, he was sent to San Diego, Calif., for his boot training and from there he went to Tongue Point, Oregon, for the tough days in preparation for the job ahead. It was at Tongue Point he answered a call for volunteers for the Raiders. He was among the few who passed the physical examination. He obtained his Raider training at Camp Joseph H. Pendleton, at Oceanside, California.

James, or (Shorty) Shuemate, had been in the Marines 8 months when he completed his training and was ready for the zero hour when it came in the South Pacific.