William Edeward Rambo, age 20, from LaPorte, Indiana, LaPorte county.
Parents: Paul Rambo
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 1943
Death details: On June 24, 2019, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private William Edward Rambo, missing from World War II. Private Rambo, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Illinois, served with Company H, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 20, 1943, during the amphibious assault on Betio Island, the opening salvo of the Battle of Tarawa. He was buried in a cemetery later designated Cemetery 27; however, in 1946, repatriation efforts on the island failed to locate the burial site. In 2015, the non-profit organization, History Flight (now an external provider of DPAA), located Cemetery 27 while excavating on Betio. The remains recovered from the cemetery were turned over to DPAA. In 2019, DPAA analysts identified Private Rambo from among these remains.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency