Private First Class (PFC) Zivo Bodroski, United States Marine Corps Reserve, Service Number: 851023

Early Life

Zivo Bodroski was born on 3 June 1924 in Dearborn, Wayne County, Michigan. His father, Peter Bodroski, born about 1885 in Yugoslavia, died before 1945 (location unknown) was a Barber. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1905. His mother, Katie Reich was born about 1890 in Yugoslavia and died (unknown date/location). She emigrated to the U.S. in 1913. Zivo’s parents were married in about 1911. Zivo was the youngest of five children in the family; he had four older sisters.

Military

Zivo Bodroski entered the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in July 1943. From October 1943 until the time of his death, he was assigned to Company “L”, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, operating in the Pacific Theater.

3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines was activated on 22 July 1942, at what is now Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina. In July 1943, the battalion relocated to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. In August 1943, they were assigned to 4th Marine Division. This division was formed by the organization and redesignation of several other units. The 23rd Marine Regiment began as infantry detached from the 3rd Marine Division, and an artillery battalion of the 12th Marines became the genesis of the 14th Marines and engineer elements of the 19th Marines formed the nucleus of the 20th Marines. In March the 24th Marine Regiment was organized, and then in May it was split in two to supply the men for the 25th Marines.

This war-time shuffling provided the major building blocks for 4th Marine Division. The units were originally separated, however, with the 24th Marines and a variety of reinforcing units (engineer, artillery, medical, motor transport, special weapons, tanks, etc.) at Camp Pendleton in California. The rest of the units were at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. This East Coast echelon moved to Pendleton by train and transit of the Panama Canal in July and August 1943. When all the units were finally together, the 4th Marine Division was formally activated on 14 August 1943, with Major General Harry Schmidt in command.

After intensive training, 23rd Marines shipped out on 13 January 1944, and in 13 months made four major amphibious assaults, in the battles of Kwajalein (Roi-Namur), Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima, with the division suffering more than 17,000 casualties.

Roi-Namur

An account of 23rd Marines attack during the battle of Roi-Namur: "As dawn broke on D plus 1 (February 1, 1944), the LVT's waddled out of the jaws of the LST's and took up their circling, while the air strikes and naval bombardment mounted in fury. Originally, 1000 had been designated as H-hour, but, due to unforeseen difficulties (such as the lack of usable LVT's), it was changed to 1100. As It was, the first waves did not land till nearly 1200. RCT 23 attacked Roi with its strategic airfield. After the earth-shaking barrage of naval shells and aerial bombs, climaxed by a deluge of rockets fired from LCI's, opposition on Roi was comparatively light, and the 0-1 line was reached at 1217. After pulling back some over-extended units and reorganizing, RCT 23 continued the attack about 1530. The twisted steel skeletons of the hangars and the shattered remnants of the Jap planes were overrun, and the northern edge of the island was reached by 1800. All that remained was mopping up the enemy snipers who were still hiding in the drainage ditches. This was completed by the next morning, February 2, and at 0800 Roi was declared secure. The third battalions Shore Party was the Seabees of 3/20."

Saipan

For Saipan the 23rd landed on beaches blue 1 & 2. Shore party for 3/23 was the third battalion 20th Marines( 121st Seabees).[3]

Iwo Jima

For Iwo 3/23 was commanded by Col. Shelton Scales and was the reserve Assault Battalion for yellow beach. They landed from APA 154 the USS Lowndes. Their assigned Shore Party was “C” Company, 133rd Seabees.

23rd Marine Regiment was awarded two Presidential Unit Citations and a Navy Unit Commendation, and then deactivated on 10 November 1945.

Death and Burial

Zivo Bodroski was Killed in Action on 20 February 1945 on Iwo Jima. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal. Initially buried on Iwo Jima, he was reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, Section: 12, Site: 7535 on 17 January 1949.

Sources

https://www.fold3.com/memorial/653613620/zivo-bodroski

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49124707

https://www.naval-history.net/WW2UScasaaDB-USMCbyNameB.htm

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1089/?name=zivo_bodroski&count=50&name_x=1_1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_Battalion,_23rd_Marines

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/268201715:2238?tid=&pid=&queryId=61257bb3fd49a21d11b89126b094f284&_phsrc=REM96&_phstart=successSource

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/163965:2324

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org/). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Together We Served and on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the faller’s name and read his/her story.

If you have any details, photos or corrections for this story, please email me by clicking on my name. CDR Robert Mulvanny – redandbon@outlook.com Contributing Author, Stories Behind the Stars.

Bodroski, Zivo, PFC