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Mitchell Forrest Simmons

Another warrior from the “Greatest Generation” departed with honors this week. Mitchell Forrest Simmons was 89. He was born and raised in South Carolina. Upon graduating from Clemson, he joined the Marine Corps and attained the rank of Major, after leading assaults at historic battles on Guadalcanal, Peleliu and Okinawa. Mitch conducted his life as an offering, indebted to his Creator, rather than living life as if it were owed to him. He lived to go, not to stay. He fought the good fight and he kept the faith. I knew Mitch since I was a child. He was a great American and will be missed by many, especially his wife, Fran, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. 

Guard the gates of heaven Mitch.

This entry was posted on June 9, 2007 at 12:50 and is filed under Military Science, News, Valhalla, Warfare. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

5 Responses to “Mitchell Forrest Simmons”

  1. forrest simmons's avatar forrest simmons Says:
    June 26, 2007 at 12:21

    May I ask how you knew my father?

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  2. Patrick Sperry's avatar patricksperry Says:
    June 30, 2007 at 07:01

    I was sent the story by Leonard Casey who remembered the name. When we were children in Oceanside he came, if I remember correctly, to my Godfathers home, and we met him there.
    My father and Godfather both served at the canal, as well as other places, and I would think that is how they met.
    My father died in Korea. My Godfather, “Black John” MacCaffery died in 1971 in his sleep in Oceanside.

    I try to post about members of the greatest generation when I know about them, and their passing.

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  3. forrest simmons's avatar forrest simmons Says:
    July 24, 2007 at 10:53

    Thanks. I’ve been going through allof my father’s “stuff” since his passing, and never realized what an amazing pack rat he was. He saved everything, particulary anything that had to do with his time in the Marine Corps and Clemson University. Typical of that generation, he seldom spoke of either unless VERY strongly prompted, but the amount of correspondence he saved related to both indicates his deep love for both institutions and the peolle he encountered through them.

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  4. Patrick Sperry's avatar patricksperry Says:
    July 29, 2007 at 10:22

    My God isn’t that the truth, I mean about being unassuming! Both my Father and God father were with Edison’s Raiders until the unit was disbanded, not to mention that they were assigned to being bodyguards for the photographer that took the famous Mount Suribachi picture.

    Those guys never thought that they were hero’s, they just figured that they had a job to do, and did it.

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  5. mitchell forrest simmons 3's avatar mitchell forrest simmons 3 Says:
    February 4, 2010 at 07:35

    he was my grandaddy. and boy do i miss him

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