Sylvester Theodore Greenwald was born to his parents Louis and Clara Greenwald on July 11, 1920 in Gridley, Illinois. Sylvester had a younger brother, Raymond. Sylvester enlisted in the Navy on May 8, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois. Muster rolls show that he was Hospital Apprentice First Class in April, 1943 in the Pacific. In July 1943, he was promoted to Pharmacist Mate Third Class. In January, 1944, he was promoted to Pharmacist Mate Second Class, and became attached to the Sixth Marines.
Sylvester was killed in action on Saipan on July 1, 1944, two weeks after the invasion began. The island was secured on July 9, 1944, with a loss of over 3400 Marine, Navy, and Army combatants. He was first buried in the Second Marine Division Cemetery on Saipan in Plot E, Row 11, Grave 25. In 1949 he was buried in the Honolulu Memorial Plot B, Grave 588.
Phm2c Greenwald's group includes his officially engraved posthumous Type 1 Purple Heart with its small blue presentation case, some information from the National Archives and internet research.
Spring 2022 sold to a collector.
