thedrifter
12-15-08, 07:46 AM
Local Marine believed among the war dead on Tarawa Atoll
Published:Monday, December 15, 2008
By William k. Alcorn
There are still 541 servicemen listed as missing in action on the atoll.
YOUNGSTOWN — The remains of a Youngstown Marine may be among the 139 Marines and sailors a privately funded venture says it has discovered in eight grave sites on Tarawa Atoll, site of one of the most deadly World War II battles in the Pacific Theater.
“We have all the records for the 43 cemeteries on Tarawa — some trench mass graves, some individual and all sizes in between,” said Ted Darcy of the WFI Research Group of Fall River, Mass. WFI research was joined by the History Flight organization of Marathon, Fla., in the search for the missing Marines and sailors.
“We knew what graves had not been found after the war and have all the original burial plots, maps and lists of those buried. One of the lists contains the name of Andrew Polmaskitch Jr. of Youngstown.” Darcy said.
“If his remains are not among the 139 we believe to be in the eight sites we examined, he could show up elsewhere on the island. We just ran out of time and money to complete the search,” Darcy said.
Also, he said that, according to his research, the Marine Corps buried 112 unidentified bodies. Tarawa is a horror story from beginning to end, with the U.S. not taking care of our dead,” he said.
The Battle of Tarawa began early Nov. 20, 1943, when Marines of the 2nd Marine Division launched an amphibious attack against the Japanese stronghold of Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. The battle, which lasted about 72 hours, claimed the lives of some 1,000 Marines and 687 sailors. All but 17 of the 4,800 Japanese soldiers defending Tarawa were killed.
Among the Marines and sailors killed on Tarawa are an estimated 541 still listed as missing in action. The joint venture team thinks it has located gravesites of 139 of the Tarawa MIAs, Noah said.
In November 2007, History Flight and WFI Research agreed to work together in a privately funded effort to locate and return the bodies of U.S. war dead on Tarawa to their families.
Financial support was provided by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Baddour Foundation, private individuals and History Flight board members to field a team of professional researchers, historians and ground-penetrating-radar specialists to locate the grave sites.
The team relied on government maps of the battle site, burial records, and casualty and combat reports, as well as interviews with construction contractors who have found human remains at the sites, as well as island locals who have found American artifacts, in its research.
Darcy said he is confident that the eight burial sites they examined contain remains of U.S. military personnel.
But, Darcy said, the actual excavation of the graves will be left to the U.S. government so that the archaeological integrity of the sites isn’t spoiled. He said it could be years, or never, before the Department of Defense moves to retrieve the bodies.
“We are in the process of compiling the final reports on our efforts, and when they are completed, we will turn the information over to the Department of Defense POW-MIA Office and the Commandant of the Marine Corps” said Noah.
“We’ll make one additional trip to the island to search for the remaining grave sites and make arrangements for the return and identification of the bodies. Allowing the families of the missing to finally have closure is our foremost goal,” Noah said.
According to the military records they worked with, Darcy said 55 Ohioans were killed on Tarawa. That total includes 31 MIAs.
Fourteen years of research, conducted by the WFI Research at various research centers around the country, and the second of two survey trips to Tarawa, completed Nov. 8, 2008, by History Flight, resulted in their belief that 139 MIAs have been located at eight burial sites on the island.
All are believed to be Marines and sailors from the actual battle and not later casualties. Five of the eight burial sites have had Marine remains accidentally dug up during the extensive construction activity on the island. One of the burial sites contains the remains of Marine Lt. Alexander Bonnyman, who won the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Tarawa, Noah said.
“We’ll make one additional trip to the island to search for the remaining grave sites and make arrangements for the return and identification of the bodies. Allowing the families of the missing to finally have closure is our foremost goal” said Noah.
“Tarawa is the first of 14 projects we hope to accomplish in the coming years,” Darcy said.
Youngstown veterinarian Dr. Donald Allen has a particular interest in the finding of the remains of Marines and sailors on Tarawa. He visited the island several times researching his book, “Tarawa — The Aftermath.”
Dr. Allen, who said he wants to go back to Tarawa when the WFI Research/History Flight team returns, said it is “highly probable they have found graves. In my opinion, the whole Island is a grave site.”
“It is worth taking the next step: to lay out the gridwork and excavate layer by layer and sift the material looking for bones or bone pieces and artifacts,” Dr. Allen said.
“I’m glad there is a group trying to find the MIAs. Because of the smallness of the island, and because of the large number of MIAs, I think the odds are good that the remains of large numbers of bodies will be found,” Dr. Allen said.
alcorn@vindy.com
Ellie
Published:Monday, December 15, 2008
By William k. Alcorn
There are still 541 servicemen listed as missing in action on the atoll.
YOUNGSTOWN — The remains of a Youngstown Marine may be among the 139 Marines and sailors a privately funded venture says it has discovered in eight grave sites on Tarawa Atoll, site of one of the most deadly World War II battles in the Pacific Theater.
“We have all the records for the 43 cemeteries on Tarawa — some trench mass graves, some individual and all sizes in between,” said Ted Darcy of the WFI Research Group of Fall River, Mass. WFI research was joined by the History Flight organization of Marathon, Fla., in the search for the missing Marines and sailors.
“We knew what graves had not been found after the war and have all the original burial plots, maps and lists of those buried. One of the lists contains the name of Andrew Polmaskitch Jr. of Youngstown.” Darcy said.
“If his remains are not among the 139 we believe to be in the eight sites we examined, he could show up elsewhere on the island. We just ran out of time and money to complete the search,” Darcy said.
Also, he said that, according to his research, the Marine Corps buried 112 unidentified bodies. Tarawa is a horror story from beginning to end, with the U.S. not taking care of our dead,” he said.
The Battle of Tarawa began early Nov. 20, 1943, when Marines of the 2nd Marine Division launched an amphibious attack against the Japanese stronghold of Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. The battle, which lasted about 72 hours, claimed the lives of some 1,000 Marines and 687 sailors. All but 17 of the 4,800 Japanese soldiers defending Tarawa were killed.
Among the Marines and sailors killed on Tarawa are an estimated 541 still listed as missing in action. The joint venture team thinks it has located gravesites of 139 of the Tarawa MIAs, Noah said.
In November 2007, History Flight and WFI Research agreed to work together in a privately funded effort to locate and return the bodies of U.S. war dead on Tarawa to their families.
Financial support was provided by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Baddour Foundation, private individuals and History Flight board members to field a team of professional researchers, historians and ground-penetrating-radar specialists to locate the grave sites.
The team relied on government maps of the battle site, burial records, and casualty and combat reports, as well as interviews with construction contractors who have found human remains at the sites, as well as island locals who have found American artifacts, in its research.
Darcy said he is confident that the eight burial sites they examined contain remains of U.S. military personnel.
But, Darcy said, the actual excavation of the graves will be left to the U.S. government so that the archaeological integrity of the sites isn’t spoiled. He said it could be years, or never, before the Department of Defense moves to retrieve the bodies.
“We are in the process of compiling the final reports on our efforts, and when they are completed, we will turn the information over to the Department of Defense POW-MIA Office and the Commandant of the Marine Corps” said Noah.
“We’ll make one additional trip to the island to search for the remaining grave sites and make arrangements for the return and identification of the bodies. Allowing the families of the missing to finally have closure is our foremost goal,” Noah said.
According to the military records they worked with, Darcy said 55 Ohioans were killed on Tarawa. That total includes 31 MIAs.
Fourteen years of research, conducted by the WFI Research at various research centers around the country, and the second of two survey trips to Tarawa, completed Nov. 8, 2008, by History Flight, resulted in their belief that 139 MIAs have been located at eight burial sites on the island.
All are believed to be Marines and sailors from the actual battle and not later casualties. Five of the eight burial sites have had Marine remains accidentally dug up during the extensive construction activity on the island. One of the burial sites contains the remains of Marine Lt. Alexander Bonnyman, who won the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Battle of Tarawa, Noah said.
“We’ll make one additional trip to the island to search for the remaining grave sites and make arrangements for the return and identification of the bodies. Allowing the families of the missing to finally have closure is our foremost goal” said Noah.
“Tarawa is the first of 14 projects we hope to accomplish in the coming years,” Darcy said.
Youngstown veterinarian Dr. Donald Allen has a particular interest in the finding of the remains of Marines and sailors on Tarawa. He visited the island several times researching his book, “Tarawa — The Aftermath.”
Dr. Allen, who said he wants to go back to Tarawa when the WFI Research/History Flight team returns, said it is “highly probable they have found graves. In my opinion, the whole Island is a grave site.”
“It is worth taking the next step: to lay out the gridwork and excavate layer by layer and sift the material looking for bones or bone pieces and artifacts,” Dr. Allen said.
“I’m glad there is a group trying to find the MIAs. Because of the smallness of the island, and because of the large number of MIAs, I think the odds are good that the remains of large numbers of bodies will be found,” Dr. Allen said.
alcorn@vindy.com
Ellie