Baumbach, Elden Richard
Marines Private 1st class

Elden Richard Baumbach, age 19, from Lynden, Washington, Whatcom county.

Parents: Rachel Baumbach

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, November 22, 1943
Death details: On February 4, 2020, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private First Class Elden Richard Baumbach, missing from World War II. Private First Class Baumbach entered the U.S. Marine Corps from California and served in Company D, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He fought on Betio Island during the U.S. invasion of the Tarawa Atoll. He was killed in action on November 22, 1943, and the following day, was reportedly buried in Cemetery 33 on the island. Naval Construction Battalions later reorganized the cemeteries on Betio, complicating disinterment efforts after the end of hostilities. PFC Baumbach and many other marines buried in Cemetery 33 could not be located or identified after the war. In 2009, the non-profit organization History Flight, Inc. located Cemetery 33 on Betio; and in 2019, discovered a burial trench near Cemetery 33 where they recovered remains and turned them over to DPAA for analysis. Scientists used circumstantial evidence and laboratory analyses to identify PFC Baumbach from among the remains found in this trench.
Cemetery: Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial

Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency