Smith, James Samuel
Marines

James Samuel Smith, age 19, from Liberty, Mississippi, Amite county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, November 21, 1944
Death details: On June 13, 2016, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private First Class James S. Smith, missing from World War II. Private First Class Smith entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Louisiana and served in Company C, 2nd Amphibious Tractor Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. He went missing on November 20, 1943, during the assault on Betio Island during the invasion of the Tarawa Atoll. PFC Smith could not be found following the battle and was presumed lost. He remained unaccounted-for until 2011 when the nongovernmental organization History Flight Inc. discovered a burial site on Betio. DPAA excavated the site and recovered human remains which were accessioned by the DPAA laboratory in Hawaii. Analysts used material evidence and dental comparisons to individually identify Private First Class Smith from among these remains in 2016.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency