John Saini, age 20, from Healdsburg, California, Sonoma county.
Parents: Michael Saini
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 1943
Death details: On April 23, 2016, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private First Class John Saini, missing from World War II. Private First Class Saini, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from California, was a member of Company H, 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, and 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 fought during the battle in November 1943. DPAA analysts eventually identified PFC Saini from among these remains.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency