11/14/2025
We had the honor and privilege of meeting Cpl Leonard B Turner, the oldest Marine for the MARSOC ball tonight and last member of the original Raiders. I always carry an extra coin just in case I come face to face with a legend. Born in 1923, Turner enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942 following the example of two of his brothers who had already signed up for World War Il ahead of him: Bob via the Coast Guard and Bill through the Marine Corps.
Following bootcamp, Turner was assigned to 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, a newly established battalion directed by Lt.
Col. Evan Fordyce Carlson. The unit was nicknamed Carlson’s Raiders, a highly specialized unit which incorporated guerilla warfare tactics to fight the Japanese in the Pacific.
Turner was sent to Guadalcanal, Efate, and Espiritu Santo; and was a part of the first waves during the battles of Bougainville, Guam and Okinawa.
After the war was over, Turner returned to his hometown of Detroit and served in a supervisory capacity at General Motors Headquarters, retiring after 42 years.
