Marine Corps PFC James Francis Mansfield, 19, killed in World War II, was finally returned to his family and, on August 27, 2016, laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
Born January 26, 1924, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, James Francis Mansfield was the 4th of 6 children blessed to the union of Lawrence and Hilda (Parkin) Mansfield. Raised in Plymouth area schools, James enlisted in the Marine Corps on December the 12th of 1942.
Private First Class Mansfield was with his brothers in Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion of the 8th Marines (K-3/8) of the 2nd Marine Division when they landed on Betio. Their mission 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 James - just 19 years old - perished. He was soon buried 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, James' parents accepted the Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation.
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 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but PFC Mansfield's remains were not recovered. On Feb. 28, 1949, a military review board declared James "non-recoverable".
For more than 71 years, he remained buried - indeed, lost - on that island where he and so many of his brothers-in-arms fell.
In June 2015, History Flight notified the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that they had 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. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015.
On May 6, 2016, Jimmy's sister and 2 brothers received "The Call" from the Marine Corps POW/MIA Section. For Harold Mansfield, Lawrence Mansfield and Lillian Cashman, it was almost more than they could bear - Jimmy had finally been found and was ready to come home.
To identify his remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA and autosomal Short Tandem Repeat DNA analysis, which matched a sister; laboratory analysis, including dental analysis and anthropological comparison, which matched Mansfield's records; as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
PFC Mansfield's family has requested privacy as they lay him to rest - near his parents and oldest brother - with full military honors.
Marine Corps Private First Class James Francis Mansfield is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although he has now been recovered and identified, PFC Mansfield's name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 4 of the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that James is no longer missing.
SOURCES
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Release No: 16-062 (Aug. 19, 2016)
American Battle Monuments Commission
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
Born January 26, 1924, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, James Francis Mansfield was the 4th of 6 children blessed to the union of Lawrence and Hilda (Parkin) Mansfield. Raised in Plymouth area schools, James enlisted in the Marine Corps on December the 12th of 1942.
Private First Class Mansfield was with his brothers in Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion of the 8th Marines (K-3/8) of the 2nd Marine Division when they landed on Betio. Their mission 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 James - just 19 years old - perished. He was soon buried 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, James' parents accepted the Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation.
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 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but PFC Mansfield's remains were not recovered. On Feb. 28, 1949, a military review board declared James "non-recoverable".
For more than 71 years, he remained buried - indeed, lost - on that island where he and so many of his brothers-in-arms fell.
In June 2015, History Flight notified the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that they had 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. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015.
On May 6, 2016, Jimmy's sister and 2 brothers received "The Call" from the Marine Corps POW/MIA Section. For Harold Mansfield, Lawrence Mansfield and Lillian Cashman, it was almost more than they could bear - Jimmy had finally been found and was ready to come home.
To identify his remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA and autosomal Short Tandem Repeat DNA analysis, which matched a sister; laboratory analysis, including dental analysis and anthropological comparison, which matched Mansfield's records; as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
PFC Mansfield's family has requested privacy as they lay him to rest - near his parents and oldest brother - with full military honors.
Marine Corps Private First Class James Francis Mansfield is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although he has now been recovered and identified, PFC Mansfield's name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 4 of the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that James is no longer missing.
SOURCES
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Release No: 16-062 (Aug. 19, 2016)
American Battle Monuments Commission
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
Marine Corps PFC James Francis Mansfield, 19, killed in World War II, was finally returned to his family and, on August 27, 2016, laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
Born January 26, 1924, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, James Francis Mansfield was the 4th of 6 children blessed to the union of Lawrence and Hilda (Parkin) Mansfield. Raised in Plymouth area schools, James enlisted in the Marine Corps on December the 12th of 1942.
Private First Class Mansfield was with his brothers in Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion of the 8th Marines (K-3/8) of the 2nd Marine Division when they landed on Betio. Their mission 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 James - just 19 years old - perished. He was soon buried 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, James' parents accepted the Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation.
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 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but PFC Mansfield's remains were not recovered. On Feb. 28, 1949, a military review board declared James "non-recoverable".
For more than 71 years, he remained buried - indeed, lost - on that island where he and so many of his brothers-in-arms fell.
In June 2015, History Flight notified the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that they had 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. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015.
On May 6, 2016, Jimmy's sister and 2 brothers received "The Call" from the Marine Corps POW/MIA Section. For Harold Mansfield, Lawrence Mansfield and Lillian Cashman, it was almost more than they could bear - Jimmy had finally been found and was ready to come home.
To identify his remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA and autosomal Short Tandem Repeat DNA analysis, which matched a sister; laboratory analysis, including dental analysis and anthropological comparison, which matched Mansfield's records; as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
PFC Mansfield's family has requested privacy as they lay him to rest - near his parents and oldest brother - with full military honors.
Marine Corps Private First Class James Francis Mansfield is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although he has now been recovered and identified, PFC Mansfield's name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 4 of the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that James is no longer missing.
SOURCES
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Release No: 16-062 (Aug. 19, 2016)
American Battle Monuments Commission
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
Born January 26, 1924, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, James Francis Mansfield was the 4th of 6 children blessed to the union of Lawrence and Hilda (Parkin) Mansfield. Raised in Plymouth area schools, James enlisted in the Marine Corps on December the 12th of 1942.
Private First Class Mansfield was with his brothers in Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion of the 8th Marines (K-3/8) of the 2nd Marine Division when they landed on Betio. Their mission 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 James - just 19 years old - perished. He was soon buried 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, James' parents accepted the Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation.
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 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio Island, but PFC Mansfield's remains were not recovered. On Feb. 28, 1949, a military review board declared James "non-recoverable".
For more than 71 years, he remained buried - indeed, lost - on that island where he and so many of his brothers-in-arms fell.
In June 2015, History Flight notified the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency that they had 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. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015.
On May 6, 2016, Jimmy's sister and 2 brothers received "The Call" from the Marine Corps POW/MIA Section. For Harold Mansfield, Lawrence Mansfield and Lillian Cashman, it was almost more than they could bear - Jimmy had finally been found and was ready to come home.
To identify his remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA and autosomal Short Tandem Repeat DNA analysis, which matched a sister; laboratory analysis, including dental analysis and anthropological comparison, which matched Mansfield's records; as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
PFC Mansfield's family has requested privacy as they lay him to rest - near his parents and oldest brother - with full military honors.
Marine Corps Private First Class James Francis Mansfield is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although he has now been recovered and identified, PFC Mansfield's name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 4 of the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that James is no longer missing.
SOURCES
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Release No: 16-062 (Aug. 19, 2016)
American Battle Monuments Commission
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
Inscription
IN MEMORY OF
JAMES F MANSFIELD
PFC US MARINE CORPS / WORLD WAR II
JAN 26 1924 + NOV 21 1943
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