Rememberind Justice Chambers

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Col. Justice Chambers was awarded the Medal of Honor for his valor
 displayed during the World War II capture of Japanese-held Iwo Jima.

File photo | The Herald-Dispatch

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Justice Chambers, then a major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve,
 was attending summer camp with his unit when it was called up
to active duty in 1940. Chambers answered that call and
went on to serve with exceptional valor on the bloody
 island battlefields of the Pacific. He was wounded
 three times during World War II’s
 island-hopping campaign.

The last time came on Iwo Jima, where he was critically
 wounded while rallying his fellow Marines to capture
a key enemy ridge. His actions that day were
 honored with the Medal of Honor,
 presented him by President
 Harry S. Truman in 1950.

Born and raised in Huntington, Chambers completed three years at
 Marshall College (now University) and went on to earn a law
 degree from National University in Washington, D.C.
 After serving two years in the Naval Reserve, he
 joined the Marine Corps Reserve as a private.
 He was commissioned as an officer in 1932.

Chambers retired from the Marine Corps Reserve in
 1946 with the rank of colonel. After his retirement,
 he served as staff advisor for the Senate Armed
 Services Committee. In 1962, President
 John F. Kennedy appointed him to
 the post of deputy director of the
 Office of Emergency Planning

He died in 1982 and was buried in Arlington National
 Cemetery. The U.S. 60 Bridge connecting Cabell
 and Wayne counties is named in his honor.

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Note:  This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on Nov. 13, 2024.

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