Whitaker, Channing R.
Marines Reserves Private

Channing R. Whitaker, age 18, from Granger, Iowa, Dallas county.

Parents: Luther Whitaker

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, November 22, 1943
Death details: On May 29, 2019, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private Channing R. Whitaker, missing from World War II. Private Whitaker joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Iowa and served with Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 22, 1943, during the 2nd Marine Division’s invasion of the Japanese-held Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands. He was reportedly buried in Cemetery 33 on Betio. After the close of World War II, Graves Registration personnel recovered the remains of U.S. service members buried on Betio; however, Private Whitaker’s remains were not among those recovered. In 2009, the non-profit organization History Flight located Cemetery 33 on Betio. DPAA and History Flight began excavating the area around Cemetery 33, leading to the recovery of remains from a previously undiscovered burial trench west of the cemetery. DPAA was eventually able to identify Private Whitaker from among these remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency