On August 18, 2017, Marine Corps PFC George Bernard Murray, 20, killed in World War II, was finally laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
Private First Class Murray was with his brothers in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion of the 2nd Marines (B-1/2) 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 George - just 20 years old - perished. He was reportedly buried on Betio Island - a temporary location 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, George's parents accepted the Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in 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. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but PFC Murray's remains were not identified. All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification in 1947. By 1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP, also known as "The Punchbowl") in Honolulu.
In August and September 2010, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) recovery team conducted an archaeological mission on Betio Island. During the mission, the team received a unilateral turnover of possible human remains from the Kiribati Police. The remains were sent to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Murray's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, which matched a maternal family member, dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, which matched his records, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
HOMECOMING & SERVICES
For people who want to pay their respects, a procession for George Murray will take place on Friday, August 18, 2017 starting at 10 a.m. It will start at at the Marshall-Spoo Funeral Home in Oceano and will go through the city.
HOMECOMING
Aug 17 - Murray's remains made their way from LAX back to Oceano with a first-class Marine escort.
REINTERMENT
Aug 18 - At 11 a.m., Murray were laid to rest in a full military ceremony at the Arroyo Grande Cemetery, near his mother (Section M).
Marine Corps Private First Class George Bernard Murray is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although PFC Murray has now been recovered and identified, his name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing" (56126570, a cenotaph). A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that George is no longer missing.
NEWS ARTICLES
"For decades his body was missing. Now WWII Marine's remains are coming home to Oceano" (14.Jul.2017)
"Family waiting for WWII soldier's return from Tarawa" (28.May2011)
SOURCES
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Release No: 17-088 (Aug. 11, 2017)
American Battle Monuments Commission
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
Private First Class Murray was with his brothers in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion of the 2nd Marines (B-1/2) 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 George - just 20 years old - perished. He was reportedly buried on Betio Island - a temporary location 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, George's parents accepted the Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in 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. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but PFC Murray's remains were not identified. All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification in 1947. By 1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP, also known as "The Punchbowl") in Honolulu.
In August and September 2010, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) recovery team conducted an archaeological mission on Betio Island. During the mission, the team received a unilateral turnover of possible human remains from the Kiribati Police. The remains were sent to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Murray's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, which matched a maternal family member, dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, which matched his records, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
HOMECOMING & SERVICES
For people who want to pay their respects, a procession for George Murray will take place on Friday, August 18, 2017 starting at 10 a.m. It will start at at the Marshall-Spoo Funeral Home in Oceano and will go through the city.
HOMECOMING
Aug 17 - Murray's remains made their way from LAX back to Oceano with a first-class Marine escort.
REINTERMENT
Aug 18 - At 11 a.m., Murray were laid to rest in a full military ceremony at the Arroyo Grande Cemetery, near his mother (Section M).
Marine Corps Private First Class George Bernard Murray is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although PFC Murray has now been recovered and identified, his name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing" (56126570, a cenotaph). A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that George is no longer missing.
NEWS ARTICLES
"For decades his body was missing. Now WWII Marine's remains are coming home to Oceano" (14.Jul.2017)
"Family waiting for WWII soldier's return from Tarawa" (28.May2011)
SOURCES
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Release No: 17-088 (Aug. 11, 2017)
American Battle Monuments Commission
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
On August 18, 2017, Marine Corps PFC George Bernard Murray, 20, killed in World War II, was finally laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
Private First Class Murray was with his brothers in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion of the 2nd Marines (B-1/2) 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 George - just 20 years old - perished. He was reportedly buried on Betio Island - a temporary location 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, George's parents accepted the Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in 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. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but PFC Murray's remains were not identified. All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification in 1947. By 1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP, also known as "The Punchbowl") in Honolulu.
In August and September 2010, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) recovery team conducted an archaeological mission on Betio Island. During the mission, the team received a unilateral turnover of possible human remains from the Kiribati Police. The remains were sent to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Murray's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, which matched a maternal family member, dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, which matched his records, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
HOMECOMING & SERVICES
For people who want to pay their respects, a procession for George Murray will take place on Friday, August 18, 2017 starting at 10 a.m. It will start at at the Marshall-Spoo Funeral Home in Oceano and will go through the city.
HOMECOMING
Aug 17 - Murray's remains made their way from LAX back to Oceano with a first-class Marine escort.
REINTERMENT
Aug 18 - At 11 a.m., Murray were laid to rest in a full military ceremony at the Arroyo Grande Cemetery, near his mother (Section M).
Marine Corps Private First Class George Bernard Murray is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although PFC Murray has now been recovered and identified, his name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing" (56126570, a cenotaph). A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that George is no longer missing.
NEWS ARTICLES
"For decades his body was missing. Now WWII Marine's remains are coming home to Oceano" (14.Jul.2017)
"Family waiting for WWII soldier's return from Tarawa" (28.May2011)
SOURCES
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Release No: 17-088 (Aug. 11, 2017)
American Battle Monuments Commission
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
Private First Class Murray was with his brothers in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion of the 2nd Marines (B-1/2) 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 George - just 20 years old - perished. He was reportedly buried on Betio Island - a temporary location 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, George's parents accepted the Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation.
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in 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. The 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio between 1946 and 1947, but PFC Murray's remains were not identified. All of the remains found on Tarawa were sent to the Schofield Barracks Central Identification Laboratory for identification in 1947. By 1949, the remains that had not been identified were interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP, also known as "The Punchbowl") in Honolulu.
In August and September 2010, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC, now the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) recovery team conducted an archaeological mission on Betio Island. During the mission, the team received a unilateral turnover of possible human remains from the Kiribati Police. The remains were sent to the laboratory for analysis.
To identify Murray's remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis, which matched a maternal family member, dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, which matched his records, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.
HOMECOMING & SERVICES
For people who want to pay their respects, a procession for George Murray will take place on Friday, August 18, 2017 starting at 10 a.m. It will start at at the Marshall-Spoo Funeral Home in Oceano and will go through the city.
HOMECOMING
Aug 17 - Murray's remains made their way from LAX back to Oceano with a first-class Marine escort.
REINTERMENT
Aug 18 - At 11 a.m., Murray were laid to rest in a full military ceremony at the Arroyo Grande Cemetery, near his mother (Section M).
Marine Corps Private First Class George Bernard Murray is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although PFC Murray has now been recovered and identified, his name shall remain permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing" (56126570, a cenotaph). A rosette has been placed next to his name to verify that George is no longer missing.
NEWS ARTICLES
"For decades his body was missing. Now WWII Marine's remains are coming home to Oceano" (14.Jul.2017)
"Family waiting for WWII soldier's return from Tarawa" (28.May2011)
SOURCES
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
DPAA Release No: 17-088 (Aug. 11, 2017)
American Battle Monuments Commission
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
