JAMES D. LABELLE:
An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
Part or all of this collection is restricted.
For
details, please see restrictions.
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | LaBelle, James D., 1925-1945, creator. | |
| Title: | James D. LaBelle papers. | |
| Dates: | 1925-1950. | |
| Language: | Materials in English. | |
| Abstract: | Correspondence (1944-1945), miscellaneous material (1925-1950), and a Medal of Honor citation from a Columbia Heights, Anoka County, Minnesota, native who died at the Battle of Iwo Jima. The letters are from Pfc LaBelle to his sister Virginia Carpentier. Miscellaneous material includes newspaper clippings, a telegram, a photograph, a church service program, and a gratuity payment record and letter addressed to his mother. | |
| Quantity: | 0.10 cubic feet (2 folders in 1 box and 1 Reserve item). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
![Private James D. LaBelle [1943?]](https://storage.googleapis.com/mnhs-finding-aids-public/library/findaids/00754/images/LaBellePortrait_100x144.jpg)
James "Jim" Dennis LaBelle was born
on November 22, 1925, in Columbia Heights, Anoka County, Minnesota, to Wilfred and
Theresa (Murphy) LaBelle. With his widowed mother's permission, seventeen-year-old
Jim enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in Minneapolis on November
18, 1943. After basic training in San Diego, California, Private first class (Pfc)
James La Belle joined the regimental Weapons Company, 27th Marines, 5th Marine
Division on June 30, 1944. At Camp Tarawa, a Hawaiian marine camp, the regimental
Weapons Company engaged in more indoctrination and training preparatory to actual
combat.
Pfc LaBelle took part in the assault on Iwo Jima (his first battle), which began on February 19, 1945. On March 8, 1945, Pfc LaBelle jumped onto a live grenade to protect two other soldiers in his foxhole. He died as a result, only nineteen years old. The family did not receive official word of his death for another three months. For this, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. In a ceremony at Minneapolis's Powderhorn Park on July 21, 1946, the medal was presented to LaBelle's mother, now Mrs. Theresa Hodge. James Dennis LaBelle is one of ten Minnesotans to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor during World War II.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Access Restrictions:
Access to and use of reserve materials requires the curator's permission.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. James D. LaBelle Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession numbers: 15,365; 16,224
Processing Information:
Processed by: John Knauss; Christopher G. Welter, February 2010
Catalog ID number: 990017331960104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| Box | |||||||||||
| P467 | Box 1 | Correspondence, January 21, 1944-January 25, 1945. | |||||||||
| Miscellaneous material, 1925-1950. | |||||||||||
| Includes newspaper clippings, a telegram, a photograph, a church service program, and a gratuity payment record and letter addressed to his mother. | |||||||||||
| Reserve 41 | Medal of Honor citation, [1945?] | ||||||||||
| Restricted. Photocopy of original item is in miscellaneous material. | |||||||||||
| Signed by President Harry Truman, the citation accompanied the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to Pfc LaBelle posthumously. | |||||||||||
![James D. LaBelle's Medal of Honor citation, [1945?]](https://storage.googleapis.com/mnhs-finding-aids-public/library/findaids/00754/images/LaBelle_thumb.jpg)
Digital version
| |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Iwo Jima, Battle of, Japan, 1945.
- Marines -- Minnesota -- Medals, badges, decorations, etc.
- Medal of Honor.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Correspondence.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Medals.
- Persons:
- Carpentier, Virginia, 1919-2006.
- Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972.
- Document Types:
- Awards.
Collapse
All