Marine Corps Reserve PFC Thomas Frank Johnson, killed in World War II, has finally been returned to his family and, on November, 23, 2020, laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
Born on New Years Eve, 1924, in Hollister, California, Thomas Frank Johnson was the 3rd of four children blessed to the union of Thomas William and Muriel Johnson.
On July 20, 1942, the 68", 128 lb, blue-eyed brunette walked into a San Francisco-area Marine Corps recruiting station and enlisted in the Reserves.
Private First Class Johnson was with his brothers in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion of the 6th Marines (B-1/6) 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 23, 1943 (D+3 for the "Battle of Tarawa"), when young Frank - just 18 years old - perished. He was reportedly buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33 - a temporary location until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families. (His older brother, Hugh, had given his life in the same battlefield just two days prior to Frank. He remains unaccounted for.)
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having two sons 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.
Among the awards that Mr Johnson accepted posthumously on behalf of his two sons was Frank's Silver Star:
CITATION
"The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Private First Class Thomas F. Johnson (MCSN: 418629), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with Company B, First Battalion, Sixth Marines, SECOND Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces at Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, on 22 November 1943. With his squad's ammunition exhausted during a bitter engagement with a fanatic enemy, Private First Class Johnson voluntarily crawled through a concentrated barrage of machine-gun and rifle fire for a distance of forty yards in an effort to replenish the supply and, despite mortal wounds received during the perilous advance, succeeded in returning to his unit with the vital ammunition. By his daring initiative, dauntless perseverance and cool courage in the face of grave danger, Private First Class Johnson contributed materially to the success of the engagement, and his unwavering devotion to duty throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country."
Also left to mourn their passing were siblings; Marjorie Mae (Mrs Foy Russell Swinson) and Kenneth William Johnson.
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. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but PFC Johnson's remains were not recovered. On October 18, 1949, a military review board declared Frank "non-recoverable".
In August of 2013, Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of Thomas and Hugh Johnson and put them in contact with the Marine Corps POW/MIA (Repatriation) Section. This (re)established lines of communication with the Johnson family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered them the opportunity to provide the Family Reference DNA Samples ultimately necessary for Frank's identification.
In March 2019, History Flight excavations west of Cemetery 33 revealed a previously undiscovered burial site that has since been identified as Row D. The remains recovered at this site were transferred to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii for analysis.
On May 6, 2020, the DPAA officially identified PFC Johnson, and his family soon received "The Call" from the Marines with the good news. To identify Johnson's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome (Y-STR) analysis.
Frank will soon be returned to his family and laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
SERVICES
November 23, 2020, Monday
2:00 P.M. PST
Northern California Veterans Cemetery
11800 Gas Point Road, Igo CA 96047
Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class Thomas Frank Johnson is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although his has now been recovered and identified, PFC Johnson's name shall remain permanently inscribed within the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette shall be placed next to his name indicating that Frank has finally been found (56112177, cenotaph).
SOURCES
DPAA Release No: 20-065
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
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 Laboratory, History Flight and the DPAA for their efforts in bringing my Marine home. "It takes a village!"
Born on New Years Eve, 1924, in Hollister, California, Thomas Frank Johnson was the 3rd of four children blessed to the union of Thomas William and Muriel Johnson.
On July 20, 1942, the 68", 128 lb, blue-eyed brunette walked into a San Francisco-area Marine Corps recruiting station and enlisted in the Reserves.
Private First Class Johnson was with his brothers in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion of the 6th Marines (B-1/6) 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 23, 1943 (D+3 for the "Battle of Tarawa"), when young Frank - just 18 years old - perished. He was reportedly buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33 - a temporary location until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families. (His older brother, Hugh, had given his life in the same battlefield just two days prior to Frank. He remains unaccounted for.)
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having two sons 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.
Among the awards that Mr Johnson accepted posthumously on behalf of his two sons was Frank's Silver Star:
CITATION
"The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Private First Class Thomas F. Johnson (MCSN: 418629), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with Company B, First Battalion, Sixth Marines, SECOND Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces at Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, on 22 November 1943. With his squad's ammunition exhausted during a bitter engagement with a fanatic enemy, Private First Class Johnson voluntarily crawled through a concentrated barrage of machine-gun and rifle fire for a distance of forty yards in an effort to replenish the supply and, despite mortal wounds received during the perilous advance, succeeded in returning to his unit with the vital ammunition. By his daring initiative, dauntless perseverance and cool courage in the face of grave danger, Private First Class Johnson contributed materially to the success of the engagement, and his unwavering devotion to duty throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country."
Also left to mourn their passing were siblings; Marjorie Mae (Mrs Foy Russell Swinson) and Kenneth William Johnson.
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. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but PFC Johnson's remains were not recovered. On October 18, 1949, a military review board declared Frank "non-recoverable".
In August of 2013, Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of Thomas and Hugh Johnson and put them in contact with the Marine Corps POW/MIA (Repatriation) Section. This (re)established lines of communication with the Johnson family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered them the opportunity to provide the Family Reference DNA Samples ultimately necessary for Frank's identification.
In March 2019, History Flight excavations west of Cemetery 33 revealed a previously undiscovered burial site that has since been identified as Row D. The remains recovered at this site were transferred to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii for analysis.
On May 6, 2020, the DPAA officially identified PFC Johnson, and his family soon received "The Call" from the Marines with the good news. To identify Johnson's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome (Y-STR) analysis.
Frank will soon be returned to his family and laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
SERVICES
November 23, 2020, Monday
2:00 P.M. PST
Northern California Veterans Cemetery
11800 Gas Point Road, Igo CA 96047
Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class Thomas Frank Johnson is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although his has now been recovered and identified, PFC Johnson's name shall remain permanently inscribed within the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette shall be placed next to his name indicating that Frank has finally been found (56112177, cenotaph).
SOURCES
DPAA Release No: 20-065
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
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 Laboratory, History Flight and the DPAA for their efforts in bringing my Marine home. "It takes a village!"
Marine Corps Reserve PFC Thomas Frank Johnson, killed in World War II, has finally been returned to his family and, on November, 23, 2020, laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
Born on New Years Eve, 1924, in Hollister, California, Thomas Frank Johnson was the 3rd of four children blessed to the union of Thomas William and Muriel Johnson.
On July 20, 1942, the 68", 128 lb, blue-eyed brunette walked into a San Francisco-area Marine Corps recruiting station and enlisted in the Reserves.
Private First Class Johnson was with his brothers in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion of the 6th Marines (B-1/6) 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 23, 1943 (D+3 for the "Battle of Tarawa"), when young Frank - just 18 years old - perished. He was reportedly buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33 - a temporary location until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families. (His older brother, Hugh, had given his life in the same battlefield just two days prior to Frank. He remains unaccounted for.)
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having two sons 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.
Among the awards that Mr Johnson accepted posthumously on behalf of his two sons was Frank's Silver Star:
CITATION
"The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Private First Class Thomas F. Johnson (MCSN: 418629), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with Company B, First Battalion, Sixth Marines, SECOND Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces at Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, on 22 November 1943. With his squad's ammunition exhausted during a bitter engagement with a fanatic enemy, Private First Class Johnson voluntarily crawled through a concentrated barrage of machine-gun and rifle fire for a distance of forty yards in an effort to replenish the supply and, despite mortal wounds received during the perilous advance, succeeded in returning to his unit with the vital ammunition. By his daring initiative, dauntless perseverance and cool courage in the face of grave danger, Private First Class Johnson contributed materially to the success of the engagement, and his unwavering devotion to duty throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country."
Also left to mourn their passing were siblings; Marjorie Mae (Mrs Foy Russell Swinson) and Kenneth William Johnson.
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. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but PFC Johnson's remains were not recovered. On October 18, 1949, a military review board declared Frank "non-recoverable".
In August of 2013, Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of Thomas and Hugh Johnson and put them in contact with the Marine Corps POW/MIA (Repatriation) Section. This (re)established lines of communication with the Johnson family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered them the opportunity to provide the Family Reference DNA Samples ultimately necessary for Frank's identification.
In March 2019, History Flight excavations west of Cemetery 33 revealed a previously undiscovered burial site that has since been identified as Row D. The remains recovered at this site were transferred to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii for analysis.
On May 6, 2020, the DPAA officially identified PFC Johnson, and his family soon received "The Call" from the Marines with the good news. To identify Johnson's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome (Y-STR) analysis.
Frank will soon be returned to his family and laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
SERVICES
November 23, 2020, Monday
2:00 P.M. PST
Northern California Veterans Cemetery
11800 Gas Point Road, Igo CA 96047
Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class Thomas Frank Johnson is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although his has now been recovered and identified, PFC Johnson's name shall remain permanently inscribed within the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette shall be placed next to his name indicating that Frank has finally been found (56112177, cenotaph).
SOURCES
DPAA Release No: 20-065
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
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 Laboratory, History Flight and the DPAA for their efforts in bringing my Marine home. "It takes a village!"
Born on New Years Eve, 1924, in Hollister, California, Thomas Frank Johnson was the 3rd of four children blessed to the union of Thomas William and Muriel Johnson.
On July 20, 1942, the 68", 128 lb, blue-eyed brunette walked into a San Francisco-area Marine Corps recruiting station and enlisted in the Reserves.
Private First Class Johnson was with his brothers in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion of the 6th Marines (B-1/6) 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 23, 1943 (D+3 for the "Battle of Tarawa"), when young Frank - just 18 years old - perished. He was reportedly buried in Row D of the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33 - a temporary location until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families. (His older brother, Hugh, had given his life in the same battlefield just two days prior to Frank. He remains unaccounted for.)
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having two sons 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.
Among the awards that Mr Johnson accepted posthumously on behalf of his two sons was Frank's Silver Star:
CITATION
"The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Private First Class Thomas F. Johnson (MCSN: 418629), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with Company B, First Battalion, Sixth Marines, SECOND Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces at Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, on 22 November 1943. With his squad's ammunition exhausted during a bitter engagement with a fanatic enemy, Private First Class Johnson voluntarily crawled through a concentrated barrage of machine-gun and rifle fire for a distance of forty yards in an effort to replenish the supply and, despite mortal wounds received during the perilous advance, succeeded in returning to his unit with the vital ammunition. By his daring initiative, dauntless perseverance and cool courage in the face of grave danger, Private First Class Johnson contributed materially to the success of the engagement, and his unwavering devotion to duty throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country."
Also left to mourn their passing were siblings; Marjorie Mae (Mrs Foy Russell Swinson) and Kenneth William Johnson.
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. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but PFC Johnson's remains were not recovered. On October 18, 1949, a military review board declared Frank "non-recoverable".
In August of 2013, Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of Thomas and Hugh Johnson and put them in contact with the Marine Corps POW/MIA (Repatriation) Section. This (re)established lines of communication with the Johnson family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered them the opportunity to provide the Family Reference DNA Samples ultimately necessary for Frank's identification.
In March 2019, History Flight excavations west of Cemetery 33 revealed a previously undiscovered burial site that has since been identified as Row D. The remains recovered at this site were transferred to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Laboratory at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii for analysis.
On May 6, 2020, the DPAA officially identified PFC Johnson, and his family soon received "The Call" from the Marines with the good news. To identify Johnson's remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropological analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome (Y-STR) analysis.
Frank will soon be returned to his family and laid to rest - in American soil - with full military honors.
SERVICES
November 23, 2020, Monday
2:00 P.M. PST
Northern California Veterans Cemetery
11800 Gas Point Road, Igo CA 96047
Marine Corps Reserve Private First Class Thomas Frank Johnson is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. Although his has now been recovered and identified, PFC Johnson's name shall remain permanently inscribed within the "Courts of the Missing". A rosette shall be placed next to his name indicating that Frank has finally been found (56112177, cenotaph).
SOURCES
DPAA Release No: 20-065
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
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 Laboratory, History Flight and the DPAA for their efforts in bringing my Marine home. "It takes a village!"
Inscription
THOMAS FRANK / JOHNSON /
PFC USMC WWII /
DEC 30 1924 / NOV 22 1943 /
SILVER STAR / PURPLE HEART / KIA MIA /
BELOVED SON / BROTHER & UNCLE
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