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Dero H. Harrell, Jr.

NAME
Dero Henry Harrell, Jr.
NICKNAME
SERVICE NUMBER
287650
UNIT
Marine Detachment
USS Houston
HOME OF RECORD
Grandview, TX
NEXT OF KIN
Father, Mr. Dero H. Harrell, Sr.
DATE OF BIRTH
September 21, 1919
at Grandview, TX
ENTERED SERVICE
July 9, 1940
at Dallas, TX
DATE OF LOSS
March 1, 1942
alt. February 28, 1942
REGION
Java Sea
CAMPAIGN / AREA
Sunda Strait
CASUALTY TYPE
Missing In Action
Declared Dead December 15, 1945
CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS
PFC Dero H. Harrell, Jr. was a member of the Marine detachment aboard the cruiser USS Houston. He was last seen aboard his ship on 1 March 1942, when she was sunk in the battle of Sunda Strait.

Harrell’s body was never found, and he was officially declared dead on 15 December 1945.

INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS
Purple Heart
LAST KNOWN RANK
Private First Class
STATUS OF REMAINS
Lost at sea
MEMORIALS
Grandview Cemetery, Grandview, TX
Manila American Cemetery

Biography:
Contact the webmaster for more information about this Marine.


Gallery:

0 thoughts on “Dero H. Harrell, Jr.”

  1. Comment from John Harrell
    15 September 2012

    Thank you for this posting. This is the only picture I have ever seen of my father’s brother, Dero. He looks very much like my father, Louis J. Harrell. I believe that my dad was deeply affected by the loss of his brother. He rarely spoke of him, except in reference to his having died early in the war. My father also served in the south Pacific, in the Second Marine Division. I understand that Dero Henry Harrell’s name does not appear at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (the Punchbowl), and can only surmise that it is because he was initially listed as missing in action. Interestingly, we named our son Henry Harrell without knowing that Henry was the middle name of my paternal grandfather or my father’s brother. One minor note: the reference to Richard Fritzsching in the Date of Loss section appears to be in error. Thank you again for this posting.

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