Likens, Kenneth William
Marine Reserves Private

Kenneth William Likens, age 20, from Mount Clemens, Michigan, Macomb county.

Parents: William Likens

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Monday, November 22, 1943
Death details: On May 31, 2019, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced it has accounted for Private First Class Kenneth William Likens, missing from World War II. Private First Class Likens entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Michigan and served in Company B, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed on November 22, 1943, during the assault on the Japanese-held island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll. His remains were reportedly buried in the East Division Cemetery (renamed Cemetery #33) on Betio, but he was not identified among remains exhumed from the island after the war. In 2019, DPAA in partnership with the non-profit organization History Flight traveled to Betio where they uncovered a previously undiscovered burial trench and recovered human remains. U.S. analysts used modern forensic techniques and identified PFC Likens from these remains.
Cemetery: Great Lakes National, buried 2019

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency