A Final Return From Tarawa

Photo By Warrant Officer Kelly Byers | U.S. Service members with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) carry cases containing remains believed to be of unidentified military personnel from the Battle of Tarawa out of the back of an U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, during a solemn movement at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, July 24, 2017. The contents of the transfer cases will be examined by forensic anthropologists at DPAA's skeletal identification laboratory. DPAA's mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation. (DPAA photo by Sgt. Kelly L. Street)  

HONOLULU, HI, UNITED STATES

07.24.2017

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Seth Coulter  

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

“It is a distinct honor for me to be a small part of this solemn movement of remains, the first step in the process of at long last returning the remains of whom we believe may be United States Marines home to their families and their final resting places,” said Lt. Gen. David H. Berger, MARFORPAC commander.

The Battle of Tarawa took place November 20-23, 1943, on the heavily-fortified, Japanese-controlled Betio Island in the Pacific Ocean. American forces began the battle with a pre-dawn bombardment by sea and air, in which nearly 3,000 tons of explosives were used. Even before the smoke cleared, members of the 2nd Marine Division began their amphibious assault. The low tide prevented a majority of the landing craft from clearing the reef surrounding the island, leaving many chest-deep in water hundreds of yards offshore with no cover in a hail of gunfire as they moved forward.

At the end of the 76-hour battle more than 1,000 Marines had been killed in action and to this day nearly 500 are still missing from the battle.

“As Marines, we value the men and women who have answered the call to serve, and that commitment does not end when they fall in combat. Taking care of them and their families is a responsibility we take very seriously”, said Berger.

Now, nearly 74 years later, some are hopefully returning home thanks to the recovery efforts of History Flight. The non-profit organization has been working tirelessly around the world alongside DPAA to locate missing Service members and return them to American soil. With more than 80,000 Service members still unaccounted for from conflicts since WWII, it will take the combined efforts of both organizations to bring the missing home.

“We’re deeply grateful to History Flight for their efforts in helping recover these remains, and the efforts of DPAA over the next several months to confirm their identities so that they might be sent home for burial in accordance with their families’ wishes,” said Berger.

There is still much work to do. The remains will be brought to DPAA laboratories and undergo testing to identify the Marines. After that, they will be turned over to their respective family members to be given a proper burial with full military honors and with that, hopefully, a sense of closure for the families that have waited so long.

“I couldn’t ask to do something more impactful or more meaningful than to come here 70 plus years later and be able to bring a fellow Marine home from a conflict where they were essentially unaccounted for and bring closure to a family even if its years later, “ said Capt. Kelan Hughes, DPAA Team Leader.

This marks the 3rd return from Tarawa in an ongoing effort to recover the missing Service members.

• Date Taken: 07.24.2017
• Date Posted: 07.25.2017 09:14
• Story ID: 242445
• Location: HONOLULU, HI, US