Dallas Texas

Mathewson, Harold Grant Jr.
Marines Private

Harold Grant Jr. Mathewson, age 18, from Dallas, Texas, Dallas county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, November 21, 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 Harold Grant Mathewson Jr. joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Texas and was a member of Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which took part in the Battle of Tarawa. He was killed in action on the atoll on November 21. Private First Class Mathewson’s body was buried in Cemetery #33, Main Marine Cemetery on Betio Island, but his remains could not be located after the war. Today, Private First Class Mathewson is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Rawlins, Joe Horriss
Marines Private 1st class

Joe Horriss Rawlins, age 18, from Dallas, Texas, Dallas county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 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 Joe Horriss Rawlins joined the U.S. Marine Corps from Texas and served with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 20, 1943 during the Battle of Tarawa, and was buried on Tarawa in Main Marine Cemetery, Cemetery #33. Post-war searches of burial sites on Tarawa failed to locate PFC Rawlins’s remains. Today, Private First Class Rawlins is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Patrick, George Frank
Marines Reserves Private

George Frank Patrick, age 22, from Dallas, Texas, Dallas county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 1943
Death details: On August 30, 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Private George Frank Patrick, missing from World War II. Private Patrick, who entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Texas, served in Company D, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. He was killed in action on November 20, 1943, during the Battle of Tarawa, though specific details regarding his loss are unknown. He was reportedly buried with other service members on Betio Island in a battlefield cemetery; however, he could not be identified among the remains disinterred from the island following the war. Between 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted recovery operations on Betio, and Private Patrick’s remains were among those recovered but could not be identified at the time and were interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific as unknown remains. In 2017, DPAA analysts disinterred Private Patrick’s from this cemetery and used modern forensic technology to identify them.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Matthews, Ernest Alberti Jr.
Marines Reserves 2nd lieutenant

Ernest Alberti Jr. Matthews, age 25, from Dallas, Texas, Dallas county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Saturday, November 20, 1943
Death details: On June 30, 2016, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of Second Lieutenant Ernest Alberti Matthews Jr., missing from World War II. Second Lieutenant Matthews, who entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Kansas, was a member of Headquarters Company, Headquarters Battalion, Division Special Troops, 2nd Marine Division. On November 20, 1943, 2ndLt Matthews was killed in combat against Japanese forces on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, during the Battle of Tarawa. 2ndLt Matthews’ remains were not recovered at the time. In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, many U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but 2nd Lt Matthews’ remains were not recovered at that time. In 2015, the nongovernmental organization History Flight, Inc., notified DPAA about a discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the Battle of Tarawa. In 2016, these remains were turned over to DPAA, and using modern forensic techniques, analysts identified 2nd Lt Matthews from among them.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Beaumont, James Ammon
Navy Seaman 2nd class

James Ammon Beaumont from Dallas County Dallas, Texas .

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona. Remains not recovered.
Cemetery: Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial

Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Carlisle, Robert Wayne
Navy Seaman 1st class

Robert Wayne Carlisle, age 18, from Dallas County Dallas, Texas .

Parents: J. B. Carlisle

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona. Remains not recovered.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Fort Worth Star Telegram (1944)

Hartson, Lonnie Moss
Navy Reserves Signalman 3rd class

Lonnie Moss Hartson, age 18, from Dallas County Dallas, Texas .

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona. Remains not recovered.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Honolulu Star Bulletin (1942)

Herriott, Robert Asher Jr.
Navy Seaman 1st class

Robert Asher Jr. Herriott, age 18, from Dallas County Dallas, Texas .

Parents: Robert A. Herriott Sr.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona. Remains not recovered.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Fort Worth Star Telegram (1942)

King, Leander Cleaveland
Navy Seaman 1st class

Leander Cleaveland King, age 20, from Dallas County Dallas, Texas .

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Sunday, December 7, 1941
Death details: Killed aboard the USS Arizona. Remains not recovered.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

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