On October 26, 2018, Marine Corps Reserve PFC Paul David Gilman, 19, killed during World War II, was finally laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
Born January 11, 1924 in Belen, New Mexico, Paul David Gilman was the 5th of seven children blessed to the union of Charles Clarence and Sarah Elizabeth (Meadows) Gilman.
On January 5, 1942, Paul - barely 18 years old - enlisted in Denver, Colorado.
PFC Gilman was with his brothers in Mike Company, 3rd Battalion of the 8th Marines (M-3/8) when they landed on Betio as part of Operation: GALVANIC. The mission of the 2nd Marine Division was to secure the island in order to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll; thereby preventing the Japanese Imperial forces from getting closer to the United States, and enabling US forces to get closer to mainland Japan. It would become one of the bloodiest battles in the Corps history.
It was November 20, 1943 (D-Day for the "Battle of Tarawa"), when young Paul - just 19 years old - perished. He was reportedly soon buried in a cemetery later designated Cemetery 27 on Betio Island - a temporary location chosen by his fellow Marines, the survivors of the battle, until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families.
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having a son or husband off fighting in the war left the whole family on edge. The fact that this battle took place just before Thanksgiving meant that most of the families, who had unknowingly earned their Gold Star, would receive their heart-wrenching telegrams on Christmas Eve – some Christmas Day or even New Years Day.
For his service and sacrifice, Paul’s parents accepted his Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation. Also left to mourn his passing were Paul's siblings, Evelyn Marguerite, Elaine, Harold Charles, William Milan and Martha Charlotte. His big brother, Radioman Second Class Earl Wilton Gilman of the United States Navy, was captured by the Japanese after the fall of Corregidor, Philippine Islands, on 6 May 1942, and was held as a Prisoner of War until his death while still in captivity.
The Battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In the case of Gilman, records indicate his remains were recovered and were buried in Division Cemetery #3, which was later renamed Cemetery #27. In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company (604th GRC) centralized all of the American remains found on Betio Island to Lone Palm Cemetery for later repatriation; however, almost half of the known casualties from the battle were not found., PFC Gilman’s remains were among those not recovered. On October 14, 1949, a military review board declared Paul "non-recoverable".
In May and June 2015, History Flight notified the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. Subsequent recoveries in November 2015 and February 2016 resulted in additional remains. The remains were turned over to DPAA in June 2016.
On January, 19, 2018, Jennifer Morrison, an independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of PFC Gilman and provided their contact information to the Marine Corps POW/MIA Section. This (re)established lines of communication with Paul’s family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered David Edgington the opportunity to provide a Family Reference DNA Sample, should it be necessary for his Uncle Paul's identification.
On May 17, 2018, the DPAA identified the remains of Private First Class Paul David Gilman, and his family received “The Call” from the Marine Corps POW/MIA Section with the good news.
On June 5, 2020, the DPAA officially announced to the world that PFC Gilman was coming home. To identify his remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Paul's baby sister, now Mrs Martha Abeyta, was able to finally see her big brother come home. He was finally returned to his family and, on October 26, 2018, laid to rest in Belen, New Mexico with full military honors.
Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class Paul David Gilman is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although he has now been recovered and identified, PFC Gilman’s name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that Paul is no longer missing (56131450, cenotaph).
SOURCE
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Personnel Profile
DPAA Release No: 18-173 (Oct. 23, 2018)
American Battle Monuments Commission
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Note from the memorial maintainer:
I am grateful to Chuck Williams & Hattie Johnson (USMC POW/MIA Section), the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab, History Flight and the DPAA for their efforts in bringing my Marine home. “It takes a village!”
Born January 11, 1924 in Belen, New Mexico, Paul David Gilman was the 5th of seven children blessed to the union of Charles Clarence and Sarah Elizabeth (Meadows) Gilman.
On January 5, 1942, Paul - barely 18 years old - enlisted in Denver, Colorado.
PFC Gilman was with his brothers in Mike Company, 3rd Battalion of the 8th Marines (M-3/8) when they landed on Betio as part of Operation: GALVANIC. The mission of the 2nd Marine Division was to secure the island in order to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll; thereby preventing the Japanese Imperial forces from getting closer to the United States, and enabling US forces to get closer to mainland Japan. It would become one of the bloodiest battles in the Corps history.
It was November 20, 1943 (D-Day for the "Battle of Tarawa"), when young Paul - just 19 years old - perished. He was reportedly soon buried in a cemetery later designated Cemetery 27 on Betio Island - a temporary location chosen by his fellow Marines, the survivors of the battle, until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families.
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having a son or husband off fighting in the war left the whole family on edge. The fact that this battle took place just before Thanksgiving meant that most of the families, who had unknowingly earned their Gold Star, would receive their heart-wrenching telegrams on Christmas Eve – some Christmas Day or even New Years Day.
For his service and sacrifice, Paul’s parents accepted his Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation. Also left to mourn his passing were Paul's siblings, Evelyn Marguerite, Elaine, Harold Charles, William Milan and Martha Charlotte. His big brother, Radioman Second Class Earl Wilton Gilman of the United States Navy, was captured by the Japanese after the fall of Corregidor, Philippine Islands, on 6 May 1942, and was held as a Prisoner of War until his death while still in captivity.
The Battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In the case of Gilman, records indicate his remains were recovered and were buried in Division Cemetery #3, which was later renamed Cemetery #27. In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company (604th GRC) centralized all of the American remains found on Betio Island to Lone Palm Cemetery for later repatriation; however, almost half of the known casualties from the battle were not found., PFC Gilman’s remains were among those not recovered. On October 14, 1949, a military review board declared Paul "non-recoverable".
In May and June 2015, History Flight notified the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. Subsequent recoveries in November 2015 and February 2016 resulted in additional remains. The remains were turned over to DPAA in June 2016.
On January, 19, 2018, Jennifer Morrison, an independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of PFC Gilman and provided their contact information to the Marine Corps POW/MIA Section. This (re)established lines of communication with Paul’s family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered David Edgington the opportunity to provide a Family Reference DNA Sample, should it be necessary for his Uncle Paul's identification.
On May 17, 2018, the DPAA identified the remains of Private First Class Paul David Gilman, and his family received “The Call” from the Marine Corps POW/MIA Section with the good news.
On June 5, 2020, the DPAA officially announced to the world that PFC Gilman was coming home. To identify his remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Paul's baby sister, now Mrs Martha Abeyta, was able to finally see her big brother come home. He was finally returned to his family and, on October 26, 2018, laid to rest in Belen, New Mexico with full military honors.
Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class Paul David Gilman is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although he has now been recovered and identified, PFC Gilman’s name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that Paul is no longer missing (56131450, cenotaph).
SOURCE
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Personnel Profile
DPAA Release No: 18-173 (Oct. 23, 2018)
American Battle Monuments Commission
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Note from the memorial maintainer:
I am grateful to Chuck Williams & Hattie Johnson (USMC POW/MIA Section), the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab, History Flight and the DPAA for their efforts in bringing my Marine home. “It takes a village!”
On October 26, 2018, Marine Corps Reserve PFC Paul David Gilman, 19, killed during World War II, was finally laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
Born January 11, 1924 in Belen, New Mexico, Paul David Gilman was the 5th of seven children blessed to the union of Charles Clarence and Sarah Elizabeth (Meadows) Gilman.
On January 5, 1942, Paul - barely 18 years old - enlisted in Denver, Colorado.
PFC Gilman was with his brothers in Mike Company, 3rd Battalion of the 8th Marines (M-3/8) when they landed on Betio as part of Operation: GALVANIC. The mission of the 2nd Marine Division was to secure the island in order to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll; thereby preventing the Japanese Imperial forces from getting closer to the United States, and enabling US forces to get closer to mainland Japan. It would become one of the bloodiest battles in the Corps history.
It was November 20, 1943 (D-Day for the "Battle of Tarawa"), when young Paul - just 19 years old - perished. He was reportedly soon buried in a cemetery later designated Cemetery 27 on Betio Island - a temporary location chosen by his fellow Marines, the survivors of the battle, until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families.
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having a son or husband off fighting in the war left the whole family on edge. The fact that this battle took place just before Thanksgiving meant that most of the families, who had unknowingly earned their Gold Star, would receive their heart-wrenching telegrams on Christmas Eve – some Christmas Day or even New Years Day.
For his service and sacrifice, Paul’s parents accepted his Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation. Also left to mourn his passing were Paul's siblings, Evelyn Marguerite, Elaine, Harold Charles, William Milan and Martha Charlotte. His big brother, Radioman Second Class Earl Wilton Gilman of the United States Navy, was captured by the Japanese after the fall of Corregidor, Philippine Islands, on 6 May 1942, and was held as a Prisoner of War until his death while still in captivity.
The Battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In the case of Gilman, records indicate his remains were recovered and were buried in Division Cemetery #3, which was later renamed Cemetery #27. In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company (604th GRC) centralized all of the American remains found on Betio Island to Lone Palm Cemetery for later repatriation; however, almost half of the known casualties from the battle were not found., PFC Gilman’s remains were among those not recovered. On October 14, 1949, a military review board declared Paul "non-recoverable".
In May and June 2015, History Flight notified the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. Subsequent recoveries in November 2015 and February 2016 resulted in additional remains. The remains were turned over to DPAA in June 2016.
On January, 19, 2018, Jennifer Morrison, an independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of PFC Gilman and provided their contact information to the Marine Corps POW/MIA Section. This (re)established lines of communication with Paul’s family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered David Edgington the opportunity to provide a Family Reference DNA Sample, should it be necessary for his Uncle Paul's identification.
On May 17, 2018, the DPAA identified the remains of Private First Class Paul David Gilman, and his family received “The Call” from the Marine Corps POW/MIA Section with the good news.
On June 5, 2020, the DPAA officially announced to the world that PFC Gilman was coming home. To identify his remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Paul's baby sister, now Mrs Martha Abeyta, was able to finally see her big brother come home. He was finally returned to his family and, on October 26, 2018, laid to rest in Belen, New Mexico with full military honors.
Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class Paul David Gilman is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although he has now been recovered and identified, PFC Gilman’s name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that Paul is no longer missing (56131450, cenotaph).
SOURCE
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Personnel Profile
DPAA Release No: 18-173 (Oct. 23, 2018)
American Battle Monuments Commission
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Note from the memorial maintainer:
I am grateful to Chuck Williams & Hattie Johnson (USMC POW/MIA Section), the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab, History Flight and the DPAA for their efforts in bringing my Marine home. “It takes a village!”
Born January 11, 1924 in Belen, New Mexico, Paul David Gilman was the 5th of seven children blessed to the union of Charles Clarence and Sarah Elizabeth (Meadows) Gilman.
On January 5, 1942, Paul - barely 18 years old - enlisted in Denver, Colorado.
PFC Gilman was with his brothers in Mike Company, 3rd Battalion of the 8th Marines (M-3/8) when they landed on Betio as part of Operation: GALVANIC. The mission of the 2nd Marine Division was to secure the island in order to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll; thereby preventing the Japanese Imperial forces from getting closer to the United States, and enabling US forces to get closer to mainland Japan. It would become one of the bloodiest battles in the Corps history.
It was November 20, 1943 (D-Day for the "Battle of Tarawa"), when young Paul - just 19 years old - perished. He was reportedly soon buried in a cemetery later designated Cemetery 27 on Betio Island - a temporary location chosen by his fellow Marines, the survivors of the battle, until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families.
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having a son or husband off fighting in the war left the whole family on edge. The fact that this battle took place just before Thanksgiving meant that most of the families, who had unknowingly earned their Gold Star, would receive their heart-wrenching telegrams on Christmas Eve – some Christmas Day or even New Years Day.
For his service and sacrifice, Paul’s parents accepted his Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation. Also left to mourn his passing were Paul's siblings, Evelyn Marguerite, Elaine, Harold Charles, William Milan and Martha Charlotte. His big brother, Radioman Second Class Earl Wilton Gilman of the United States Navy, was captured by the Japanese after the fall of Corregidor, Philippine Islands, on 6 May 1942, and was held as a Prisoner of War until his death while still in captivity.
The Battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In the case of Gilman, records indicate his remains were recovered and were buried in Division Cemetery #3, which was later renamed Cemetery #27. In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company (604th GRC) centralized all of the American remains found on Betio Island to Lone Palm Cemetery for later repatriation; however, almost half of the known casualties from the battle were not found., PFC Gilman’s remains were among those not recovered. On October 14, 1949, a military review board declared Paul "non-recoverable".
In May and June 2015, History Flight notified the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. Subsequent recoveries in November 2015 and February 2016 resulted in additional remains. The remains were turned over to DPAA in June 2016.
On January, 19, 2018, Jennifer Morrison, an independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of PFC Gilman and provided their contact information to the Marine Corps POW/MIA Section. This (re)established lines of communication with Paul’s family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered David Edgington the opportunity to provide a Family Reference DNA Sample, should it be necessary for his Uncle Paul's identification.
On May 17, 2018, the DPAA identified the remains of Private First Class Paul David Gilman, and his family received “The Call” from the Marine Corps POW/MIA Section with the good news.
On June 5, 2020, the DPAA officially announced to the world that PFC Gilman was coming home. To identify his remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial (mtDNA) DNA analysis, dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
Paul's baby sister, now Mrs Martha Abeyta, was able to finally see her big brother come home. He was finally returned to his family and, on October 26, 2018, laid to rest in Belen, New Mexico with full military honors.
Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class Paul David Gilman is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although he has now been recovered and identified, PFC Gilman’s name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that Paul is no longer missing (56131450, cenotaph).
SOURCE
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Personnel Profile
DPAA Release No: 18-173 (Oct. 23, 2018)
American Battle Monuments Commission
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Note from the memorial maintainer:
I am grateful to Chuck Williams & Hattie Johnson (USMC POW/MIA Section), the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab, History Flight and the DPAA for their efforts in bringing my Marine home. “It takes a village!”
Inscription
PAUL / DAVID / GILMAN
PFC / US MARINE CORPS / WORLD WAR II
JAN 11 1924 / NOV 20 1943
PURPLE HEART / BELOVED SON / BROTHER UNCLE
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