Cpl. Lawrence Diggs, a Marine veteran of World War II, celebrates his one hundredth birthday in Chicago, Ill., on May 4, 2024. Diggs, a native of Inverness, Miss., was drafted in 1943 and underwent recruit training at Montford Point, N.C. He served with the 7th Ammunition Company, 1st Marine Division, during the war in the Pacific Theater. After hostilities ceased and the war ended in 1946, Diggs returned to the United States, received a promotion to Corporal, and was subsequently discharged on May 11, 1946. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Dalton J. Payne)
Staff Sgt. Amilcar Marroquinsalinas and Staff Sgt. Eric Kinglewis, Marine Corps recruiters with Marine Corps Recruiting Station Chicago, had just arrived at their recruiting office when a loud noise rang out. Without hesitation, the Marines went to investigate the source of the sound.