Photo By Staff Sgt. Ethan LeBlanc | U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Matthew Wedding, a Marine escort, salutes the casket of Pvt....... read more read more
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ORLANDO, Fl. — More than eight decades after he was killed in action during one of the fiercest early battles of World War II, U.S. Marine Corps Pvt. Charmning Rowe has finally returned home.
Rowe, a native of Orlovista, Florida, was just 21 years old when he died in combat on Sept. 24, 1942, during a firefight with Japanese forces near Mount Austen on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. He was one of 10 Marines buried by fellow service members in hasty battlefield graves, known as Hill X and Hill Y in enemy-patrolled territory. Until recently, those graves remained lost to history.
The remains of Rowe were repatriated to his family on June 5, 2025 following a decade-long recovery and identification mission led by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). The return marks a solemn and significant moment in the nation’s ongoing effort to honor those who gave their lives in service.
“Today we close the chapter on a story that began in 1942 and bring home a hero,” said Sgt. Matthew Wedding, the Marine charged with escorting Rowe's remains. “This mission embodies our commitment to never forget and to fulfill our promise to bring every Marine home.”
Rowe enlisted in the Marine Corps on Jan. 20, 1942, just weeks after the U.S. entered World War II. Following recruit training at Parris Island, South Carolina, he was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. He arrived on Guadalcanal on Sept. 18, 1942—six days before his death.
Under the command of Lt. Col. Lewis “Chesty” Puller, Rowe and his fellow Marines engaged in a patrol southwest of Henderson Field on Sept. 23, tasked with pushing back Japanese forces from the key airfield. The following day, Rowe and three other Marines—Pvt. Randolph R. Edwards, Pfc. Erwin S. King, and Pfc. Morris E. Canady—were killed by enemy gunfire during the firefight. They were buried the next morning on Hill X in individual graves, their locations carefully marked by their comrades.
However, despite post-war efforts by the American Graves Registration Service in the late 1940s, none of the 10 Marines buried at Hills X and Y were recovered. In 1949, Rowe was officially declared “non-recoverable.”
The case was reopened in 2012 by the DPAA’s predecessor, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command followed new research that revealed postwar recovery teams may have searched the wrong locations. Analysts determined wartime maps and postwar records had mislabeled the two hills. Using aerial imagery from 1942 discovered in a Hawaiian museum archive, investigators were able to correctly relocate Hills X and Y.
Excavation efforts resumed in 2016. In 2018, a DPAA team uncovered human remains and military artifacts—including Pfc. King’s dog tag—on Hill X. Continued efforts in 2019 yielded more remains and evidence, which eventually linked to Rowe and his fellow Marines.
Rowe's repatriation is not just a story of science and recovery, but one of enduring legacy.
“This mission highlights the institution’s commitment to never leaving a Marine behind,” said 1st Sgt. Juan Duque, inspector-instructor, Motor Transport Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 451, 4th Marine Logistics Group.
Rowe and the other Marines killed on Hill X were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. Their names remain etched on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines, a solemn tribute to their sacrifice.
As his remains return to the soil of his birthplace, Pvt. Charmning W. Rowe's story serves as a lasting testament to duty, courage and the unbreakable bond of the Marine Corps.
| Date Taken: | 06.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2025 10:07 |
| Story ID: | 500051 |
| Location: | ORLANDO, FLORIDA, US |
| Hometown: | ORLOVISTA, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 95 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Remains of WWII Marine Recovered, Repatriated After 80 Years, by SSgt Ethan LeBlanc, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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