Murphy, Thomas Jesse
Navy Reserves Pharmacist’s mate 2nd class

Thomas Jesse Murphy, age 22, from Greencastle, Indiana, Putnam county.

Parents: Anna Vanlandingham

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 1943
Death details: On September 14, 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class Thomas Jesse Murphy, missing from World War II. Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class Murphy, who entered the U.S. Navy from Indiana, was attached to Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 8th 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. His remains could not be identified from among the remains recovered from Betio after the war. In 2017, the independent investigative group History Flight, in partnership with DPAA, located a burial trench on Betio and recovered human remains. DPAA analysts identified PhM2 Murphy from among these remains.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency