Charles Howard Roan

Marker Text:

Charles Howard Roan
(August 16, 1923 - September 18, 1944)
   Claude native Charles H. Roan volunteered for World War II service in the U.S. Marine Corps in December 1942. On active duty in the Pacific, he was killed in battle on Peleliu Island when he threw himself on a Japanese grenade, thereby saving the lives of four fellow Marines. For his heroic action he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The medal was presented to his mother, Armstrong County Treasurer Lillabel Roan, in ceremonies here at the courthouse in July 1945. A U.S. Navy destroyer built in 1946 was christened the USS Charles H. Roan DD-853. (1994)