Stoddard, Donald Deloy
Marines Sergeant

Donald Deloy Stoddard, age 21, from Boulder, Colorado, Boulder county.

Service era: World War II
Military history: B Company, First Battalion, Sixth Marine Regiment, Second Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force

Date of death: Monday, November 22, 1943
Death details: On March 16, 2020, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant Donald Deloy Stoddard, missing from World War II. Sergeant Stoddard, who entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Colorado, was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which took part in the Battle of Tarawa in the Gilbert islands chain. He was killed by an enemy gunshot to the head, during action on Tarawa on November 22, 1943. His remains were buried in Cemetery #33 on Betio Island at the time. However, his remains were not located or identified from those recovered from this loss area after the war. In 2019, the non-profit organization History Flight located a burial trench west of Cemetery 33 on Betio, identified as Row D, from which they recovered and turned over remains to the DPAA. Based on the historical details of Sgt Stoddard’s burial location, as well forensic discovery, DPAA eventually associated Sgt Stoddard from among these recovered remains.

Source: National Archives, grave marker, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency