Augustus D. Whitney III

PRIVATE FIRST CLASS AUGUSTUS D. WHITNEY III was from Camden NJ. Born in the Frankford section of Philadelphia, his father was a minister, and the family moved to Camden when the elder Whitney became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church at North 5th and Penn Streets, in early 1931. An honor student, he was a 1943 graduate of Camden High School where he took the college preparatory course. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in March of 1943, and attended Princeton University in Princeton NJ, as part of the Navy V-12 program. Also at Princeton during this period, was Peter Albano, of Audubon NJ. 

Augustus Whitney III was in the Navy Training Unit (Marine Department), Marching Unit; his initial session at Princeton was July 5-October 23, 1943, but this is stamped "cancelled" with a note that "next term to be considered first term" on his record. This next term was the period of November 1, 1943-February 19, 1944, and is followed by a note that he was detached on February 25, 1944.

After volunteering for overseas duty, Private Augustus Whitney was killed in action on Iwo Jima on February 24, 1945. He was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Augustus D. Whitney Jr. of 410 Linden Street, Camden NJ. Also surviving were four brothers, Paul, John, Mark, and Richard.

Augustus Whitney is remembered by Camden High School classmate and friend Joseph Cooper:

We used to ride on the number 80 bus that went up Broadway ending at the Camden High School in the morning and we talked a lot.  He was a wonderful individual, friend and I remember him often in thinking of the waste of human life in war, and fate.

After the war Augustus Whitney was brought home, and he was buried at Beverly National Cemetery, Beverly NJ on April 17, 1948

Augustus D Whitney attended Camden High School a year ahead of me and we both traveled on a public bus in the morning to school. I got to know him well and as I understand it, he graduated in 1943 and entered the Marine Corps, was sent under one of their programs to Princeton and then requested active duty, was sent to the Pacific theatre and was killed in action. Gus, as I remember him was intelligent, well-liked and is missed by his friends and family. - Joseph Cooper, Feb. 6, 2001