Frederick J. Karch

Brigadier General Frederick Joseph Karch (August 9, 1917 – May 23, 2009) was United States Marine Corps officer who served during World War II and the Vietnam War, particularly notable in the latter for leading the Marine Corps onto Nam O Beach at the beginning of large-scale US involvement in Vietnam. Biography Early life Karch was born in Carmi in the state of Illinois, son of Carmi Township High School principal Henry J. Karch and his wife Flora Clark Karch. In 1935 he graduated from Carmi Township High School and went on to study at the University of Illinois. Enlistment and World War II After one year at the University of Illinois, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, Karch transferred to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Upon graduation in June 1940, he was commissioned as a United States Marine Corps second lieutenant. At Philadelphia Navy Yard, Karch completed Basic Training and was sent to San Diego as a battery officer in the 10th Marine Regiment.