Menendez, Manuel
Marines Reserves Private 1st class

Manuel Menendez, age 18, from Elizabeth, New Jersey, Union county.

Parents: Helena Menendez

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 1943
Death details: On August 28, 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private First Class Manuel Menendez, missing from World War II. Private First Class Menendez, who entered the U.S. Marine Corps from New York, was attached to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. On November 20, 1943, he was killed during the amphibious assault on Betio Island, as part of the Battle of Tarawa. He was buried in a cemetery on Betio, though specific details regarding his loss and burial were unrecorded at the time. Following the war, his remains were recovered, but could not be identified at the time and were buried as unknowns at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. In 2017, these remains were disinterred for further analysis. Using modern forensic techniques, DPAA analysts identified these remains as those of PFC Menendez.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency