Clyde Clayton Mitchell
Sergeant Clyde C. Mitchell served with Love Company, Third Battalion, 8th Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 20 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 273335
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
September 1, 1916
at Cloud Chief, OK
Parents
Walter Doyle Mitchell (d. 1937)
Elma Christine (Smith) Mitchell
Education
Haileyville High School
Eastern Oklahoma College
Occupation & Employer
Truck driver
Walls Motor Company (Ralston, OK)
Service Life
Entered Service
August 3, 1939
at Cincinnati, OH
Home Of Record
Harthsorne, OK
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Elma C. Mitchell
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
L/3/8th Marines
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Prior to joining the Marine Corps, Mitchell served in the 147th Infantry (Ohio National Guard)
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Sergeant Clyde Mitchell served with Love Company, 8th Marines during the battle of Tarawa.
The amphibious assault on Betio, Tarawa atoll – Operation GALVANIC – commenced on 20 November 1943. The Third Battalion, 8th Marines were in reserve for the landing operation, but were ordered to stand by in their LCVPs and were afloat by 1015. At 1200, the battalion’s first wave began heading towards Beach Red 3 to support the heavily-engaged BLT 2-8.
Several hundred yards from the beach, the LCVPs slammed into a coral reef and stopped. Ramps went down, and Marines gamely jumped out into water over their heads. Some drowned, while the rest faced “heavy 40mm, machine gun, and mortar fire” that shredded their ranks. The following waves fared little better, and were driven off course to the west, landing on the pier or on Beach Red 2. Only about a hundred disorganized, demoralized men – less than a company – made it to shore. Over the next several hours, Captain Osborne “OK” LeBlanc organized enough men from Love and Item Companies to advance inland to the airstrip, where they held positions.
Sergeant Mitchell was one of hundreds of Marines who lost his life on the first day of the battle. His official cause of death was “gunshot wounds received in action” – no further specifics of his death are known.
Burial Information or Disposition
At first, the only known information regarding Sergeant Mitchell’s burial was entered in his battalion’s muster roll: “Interred in 2nd Marine Division Cemetery.” When written without further context – such as a specific cemetery, row, or grave number – it can be assumed that this entry was more optimistic than realistic, and nobody from the 8th Marines really knew where Mitchell’s body lay.
During the 1944 “beautification” process, a single grave marker was placed near the Hawkins Field taxiway close to Beach Red 3. The name “Sgt. C. C. Mitchell” was painted on the lone white cross designated “Cemetery 28.”While it can be assumed that Mitchell’s body – or at least an older marker with his name – was once in the vicinity, it is ultimately unknown what became of any physical remains. The area was heavily built up during the occupation, and it is quite possible that Mitchell’s body was buried by construction work or even the expansion of the airfield itself.
Next Of Kin Address
Wartime address of mother, Mrs. Elma C. Mitchell.
Location Of Loss
Mitchell’s battalion landed at various locations between Beach Red 2 and Red 3.
