Reeser, George Raymond
Marines Corporal

George Raymond Reeser, age 25, from Washington, Illinois, Tazewell county.

Parents: Levi and Esther Reeser

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, November 22, 1943
Death details: On March 27, 2020, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) accounted for Sgt. George Raymond Reeser, missing from World War II. Reeser, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Illinois, served with Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. On November 22, 1943, he was killed at some point in the Second Marine Division’s invasion of Betio Island, during the Battle of Tarawa. His remains were recovered and buried in Row D at the U.S. Marine Cemetery 33 on Betio, but his remains were not recovered or identified after the war. In 2009, the non-profit organization History Flight Inc., located a burial trench on Betio Island, in an area west of Cemetery 33 and identified as Row D. Remains recovered from the burial trench were turned over to DPAA and accessioned for analysis, and based on historical details including burial location, and circumstantial and medical record analysis, these remains were later identified as those of Reeser.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency