Remains of Servicemen Killed in Battle of Tarawa Returned

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has returned the remains of at least 22 servicemen killed during the battle of Tarawa in World War II to the United States.

The Honorable Carry Ceremony was held on July 17 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

The Battle for Tarawa was part of a larger U.S. invasion (Operation GALVANIC) to capture Japanese-held territory within the Gilbert Islands. The operation commenced on November 20, 1943, with simultaneous attacks at Betio Island (within the Tarawa Atoll) and Makin Island (more than 100 miles north of Tarawa Atoll). While lighter Japanese defenses at Makin Island meant fewer losses for U.S. forces, firmly entrenched Japanese defenders on Betio Island turned the fight for Tarawa Atoll into a costly 76-hour battle.

Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Servicemen killed in action were buried where they fell, or placed in large trench burials constructed during and after the battle. These graves were typically marked with improvised markers, such as crosses made from sticks, or an up-turned rifle. Grave sites ranged in size from single isolated burials to large trench burials of more than 100 individuals.

Postwar Graves Registration recovery efforts were complicated by incomplete record keeping and by the alterations to the cemeteries shortly after the battle. The locations of multiple cemeteries were lost. The alternations to other cemeteries resulted in the relocation of grave markers without relocating the remains beneath. As a result, many of the Tarawa dead were not recovered.

Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war.  Currently there are 72,692 service members still unaccounted for from World War II, of which approximately 30,000 are assessed as possibly-recoverable.

Acting Secretary of Defense Richard V. Spencer said: "We do not forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, and it is our duty and obligation to return our missing home to their families and the nation. Thank you to everyone who took part in this repatriation." DPAA is particularly grateful to History Flight, Inc.