Oetjen, Charles Edward
Marine Reserves Private

Charles Edward Oetjen, age 18, from Blue Island, Illinois, Cook county.

Parents: Edward A. Oetjen

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 1943
Death details: On May 6, 2016, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private First Class Charles Edward Oetjen, missing from World War II. Private First Class Oetjen, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Illinois, was a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 20, 1943, during the assault on the Japanese-controlled Betio Island of Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands. His remains were not recovered at the time. In 2015, the non-governmental organization History Flight, in partnership with DPAA, excavated a burial site on Betio Island and recovered remains of U.S. Marines who were killed during the assault on Betio, and PFC Oetjen was identified from among these remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency