ARCOLA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Amazing ARCOLA, ILLINOIS

U.S. Marine Corps Veterans

Those Arcola High School students or graduates who served in the U.S. Marine Corps are:
Allen, Stan Armer, Archie D. Baxter, Charles W. Beals, Donald Edward Black, Richard
Collins, Joe Cothran, Wayne Davidson, Michael Lee Dilliner, William B. Drake, Larry
Harrington, Jim Hilgenberg, Stanley Hutton, Glen Jolley, Richard Ayers Knaus, Dale
Lytle, Lloyd Pantier, Jason Roberts, Allen Christian Seaman, George William Shaffer, Jack
Shields, Jr., Andrew Jackson Stewart, Charles Sykes, James Aubert Van Deveer, Jr., Carl
Stanley Hilgenberg Arcola High School
Graduated 1936
Service
Guadalcanal
Rank
Technical Sergeant

William B. Dilliner
16 April 1921 - 24 March 2006 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1937
Service
1944-1946
San Diego, CA; Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, CA; Hilo, Hawaii; Iwo Jima
Fifth Marine Division
Rank
Corporal
Medals
Purple Heart

Private Dilliner went in with the thirteenth wave of Marines on the initial invasion day of Iwo Jima, and was one of comparatively few to have survived the first week of bombardment and shelling. Almost seven thousand Americans lost their lives on Iwo Jima.
Bill suffered a compound fracture of his left arm and a compound fracture (being hit in both his tibia and fibula) of his left leg when shot on the eleventh day after landing on Iwo Jima. He almost lost his leg but he pleaded with them to not sever his leg above his ankle and the bones later healed together, leaving his left leg one and one half inches shorter. He spent sixteen months in military hospitals before returning home.
Dale Knaus
11 Sep 1921 - 28 April 1979 		Arcola High School
Service
World War II - 1941-1945
San Diego, CA; South Pacific
Rank
Staff Sergeant
Medals
2 Purple Hearts

Richard Ayers Jolley 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1941
Service
Camp Elliott, San Diego, CA
South Pacific
Donald Edward Beals Arcola High School
1939-1941
Service
Inducted January 1, 1942
Fought at Guadalcanal
Rank
Private 1st Class
Richard Black Arcola High School

Lloyd Lytle 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1942
Service
Camp Elliott, San Diego, CA

George William Seaman
11 Nov 1927 – 29 Jun 2013 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1945
Service
1945-1965
Parris Island, SC; Hawaii; Illinois; Quantico, VA; Okinawa; Japan; North and South Carolina; New York
Rank
Major

Jim Harrington 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1949

Stan Allen 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1957

Wayne Cothran 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1959

Charles Stewart
2 Nov 1940 - 23 Jul 2020 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1959

Andrew Jackson Shields, Jr.
29 Apr 1941 - 10 Apr 2021 		Arcola High School
1956-1959
Service
4 years
Philippines

Larry Drake
30 Dec 1940 - 23 Dec 2017 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1960
Service
1960-1964

Jack Shaffer
26 Mar 1941 - 29 Dec 1966 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1960
Service
1960-1966
1st Plt, 1st Armored Amphib Co, 11th Marines, 1st Mardiv, III MAF
Killed in action December 29, 1966 - Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam
Rank
Sergeant
Medals
Purple Heart, National Defense, Vietnam Service, Vietnam Campaign

Archie D. Armer 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1962
Service
1964-1970
1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Division
Hawaii, Philippines, Okinawa, Japan, Malaysia, Viet Nam
Rank
Sergeant
Medals
Bronze Star with Combat V device, Purple Heart with gold star, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Medal, Viet Nam Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Viet Nam Campaign Medal, Republic Viet Nam Civil Action Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Navy Sea Service Deployment, Viet Nam Unit Citation with Oak Leaf Cluster

Glen Hutton 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1966
Service
13 Aug 1968 - 13 March 1970
Rank
Lance Corporal
Medals
Purple Heart

Joe Collins 		Arcola High School
1963-64
Service
1967-1969
Rank
Corporal

Charles W. Baxter 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1967
Service
1971-1997
USMC - Southeast Asia (1971-1974)
IL Army National Guard (1974-1977 & 1980-1997)
U.S. Army (1977-1980)
Rank
Captain

Carl Van Deveer, Jr. 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1967
Service
1968-1970
Vietnam

Michael Lee Davidson
5 Jan 1957 - 7 May 2006 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1975
Rank
Corporal

Jason Pantier 		Arcola High School
Graduated 1989

Allen Christian Roberts
27 May 1986 - 28 Nov 2007 		Arcola High School
Graduated 2004
Service
Marine Attack Squadron 214
Killed in Action - November 27, 2007 near Al Asad, Iraq
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Rank
Corporal
Medals
Iraq Campaign Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Expedition Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Medal

James Aubert Sykes
10 Dec 1985 - 10 June 2011 		Arcola High School
Graduated 2004
Service
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Rank
Corporal
Medals
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (2d Award), Iraq Campaign Medal (w/2 Bronze Service Stars), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal,
Rifle Qualification badge (Expert 3rd award).
Questions/Comments to arcolaalumni@yahoo.com
Last Revision November 4, 2021