Glen Edward Martinez, age 31, from Boulder, Colorado, Boulder county.
Service era: Iraq
Military history: Clb-1, Clr-1, 1St Mlg, Camp Pendleton, California
Date of death: Friday, May 2, 2008
Death details: Hostile; Karmah, Iraq
Source: Department of Defense, Military Times
Robert Newell Smith, age 20, from Boulder, Colorado, Boulder county.
Service era: World War II
Date of death: Monday, November 22, 1943
Death details: From November 20 through 23, 1943, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy conducted a large-scale amphibious assault on the Japanese-held atoll of Tarawa as part of Operation Galvanic, the Allied capture of the Gilbert Islands. Located 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, Tarawa was a crucial stepping stone in the planned U.S. offensive across the central Pacific toward Japan. The Japanese garrison on Tarawa’s main island of Betio was well-entrenched with hundreds of bunkers and gun positions behind formidable beach obstacles. The first wave of Marines approaching the shore encountered lower-than-expected tides, forcing them to leave their landing craft on the reef and wade the hundreds of yards to the beach under intense enemy fire. The heaviest number of U.S. casualties were suffered during this phase of the landing. Eventually, rising tides allowed U.S. warships to maneuver closer to shore and support the troops with effective naval gunfire. More Marines landed on the second day, launching attacks inland from the beaches and seizing the Japanese airfield on the island. However, the enemy launched vicious counterattacks and two more days of intense fighting were needed to secure Betio. The last enemy strongpoints were taken on the morning of November 23. The fighting on Betio cost the Marines nearly 3,000 casualties but enabled U.S. forces to press further across the Pacific and yielded valuable tactical lessons that reduced U.S. losses in future amphibious landings. Private First Class Robert Newell Smith joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Colorado was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which took part in the Battle of Tarawa. On November 22, 1943, PFC Smith was killed in action on Betio and buried in Cemetery #11. However, after the war, his remains could not be located, and he is still unaccounted for. Today, Private First Class Smith is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Donald Deloy Stoddard, age 21, from Boulder, Colorado, Boulder county.
Service era: World War II
Military history: B Company, First Battalion, Sixth Marine Regiment, Second Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force
Date of death: Monday, November 22, 1943
Death details: On March 16, 2020, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant Donald Deloy Stoddard, missing from World War II. Sergeant Stoddard, who entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Colorado, was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which took part in the Battle of Tarawa in the Gilbert islands chain. He was killed by an enemy gunshot to the head, during action on Tarawa on November 22, 1943. His remains were buried in Cemetery #33 on Betio Island at the time. However, his remains were not located or identified from those recovered from this loss area after the war. In 2019, the non-profit organization History Flight located a burial trench west of Cemetery 33 on Betio, identified as Row D, from which they recovered and turned over remains to the DPAA. Based on the historical details of Sgt Stoddard’s burial location, as well forensic discovery, DPAA eventually associated Sgt Stoddard from among these recovered remains.
Source: National Archives, grave marker, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency