William Everett Pallesen
PFC William E. Pallesen served with Baker Company, 2nd Raider Battalion (Carlson’s Raiders).
He was captured on Makin Island and executed at Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, on 16 October 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 336074
Current Status
Remains not recovered.
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
March 25, 1917
at Manila, UT
Parents
Niels Pallesen (d. 1941)
Dora (Pearson) Pallesen
Education
Manila High School
Occupation & Employer
Farm laborer
Pallesen married Laura Gertrude Kazas in 1939; the marriage appears to have ended prior to his enlistment.
Service Life
Entered Service
December 28, 1941
at Salt Lake City, UT
Home Of Record
Manila, UT
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Dora Pallesen
Military Specialty
Raider
Campaigns Served
Makin Island Raid
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Prisoner of War Medal
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Before dawn on 17 August 1942, two companies of the 2nd Raider Battalion disembarked from a pair of submarines, boarded rubber boats, and paddled ashore on Makin Island. The specially-trained Marines and their commander, Lt. Col. Evans Carlson, expected a rapid sweep along the island and a quick rout of the 65-man Japanese garrison. Unfortunately, the Americans landed in disorder and a clumsy Raider accidentally fired his weapon, alerting the defenders to the danger. Short but sharp firefights developed, with the Japanese alternately attacking head-on or allowing Raiders to walk into ambushes.
Although the Raiders inflicted serious harm on the defenders, the unexpectedly difficult fighting and the arrival of Japanese aircraft convinced Carlson to break contact and attempt to withdraw to his submarines. This complicated feat took until the evening of 18 August, and meant that the Raiders were unable to evacuate or bury their dead. After the battle, they reported eighteen men confirmed killed in action, and an additional twelve missing. One of those missing was PFC William E. Pallesen, a farmer and mine worker from rural Utah.
Two Raiders mention Pallesen in their accounts of the withdrawal. Dean Winters jumped into the surf with a second Marine he thought was Pallesen; the two men were attempting to tow a boat through the rough breakers. Winters’ companion screamed “Shark!” and was heard no more. (Oscar Peatross, a Baker Company officer who compiled a history of the raid, said that Pallesen was “known to be a non-swimmer” and felt that Winters was mistaken. Corporal James W. Beecher may have been the shark victim instead.)
Kenneth “Mudhole” Merrill was more specific with his anecdote:
Pallesen was in the rubber boat with us, and I knew he couldn't swim. I saved his life. He was drowning and I grabbed him and pushed him back on the rubber boat. I don't know what happened to him after that.
This was the last known sighting of William Pallesen; he was ultimately declared dead on 18 August 1943.
In fact, nine surviving Raiders –including Pallesen – were left behind. They held out until late August and even tried to sail from Makin in a native canoe, but were captured by a Japanese destroyer and shipped to Kwajalein atoll – the headquarters of the Japanese Sixth Base Unit. The Raiders were held in captivity for forty days, ostensibly awaiting suitable transport to Japan. Captain Yoshiro Obara testified that “our men [were] on good terms with these prisoners… giving their candies and cigarettes to them, and the prisoners [were] expecting to see Tokyo as soon as possible and talking about Japanese women.” This companionable picture was almost certainly false, as other prisoners who survived Kwajalein described atrocious and cruel conditions.
On 16 October 1942, the Raiders were led from their cells to a clearing in the coconut groves. One by one they were blindfolded, made to kneel on a mat, and beheaded. The slaughter lasted thirty minutes; historian Tripp Wiles notes that Obara himself reportedly took the first swing.
After the war, Obara and Abe were among those tried for war crimes. Obara received ten years imprisonment and served five; Abe, who insisted that his hands were tied by orders from others, was sentenced to death. He was hanged on Guam on 19 June 1947.
Burial Information or Disposition
The bodies were unceremoniously dumped in an unmarked mass grave somewhere on Kwajalein. The exact site has never been located.
Decorations
Purple Heart
For wounds resulting in his death at enemy hands, 16 October 1942
Prisoner Of War Medal
In captivity from 18 August 1942 – 16 October 1942
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Dora Pallesen.
Location Of Loss
The Raiders were imprisoned and executed on the island of Kwajalein.
