Ernest Perez Peralta
PFC Ernest P. Peralta served with Item Company, Third Battalion, 2nd Marines.
He was killed n action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 20 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 337414
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
January 29, 1921
at Los Angeles, CA
Parents
Frank P. Peralta
(Mother’s name unknown)
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
December 21, 1941
at Los Angeles, CA
Home Of Record
4420 Hammel Street
Los Angeles, CA
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Frank Peralta
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
I/3/2nd Marines
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Ernest Peralta served with Item Company, 2nd Marines in the Solomon Islands and the Tarawa campaign.
On 20 November 1943, Peralta’s battalion was assigned the task of spearheading the assault on Betio’s Beach Red One – a curved stretch of sand running several hundred yards from the “bird’s beak” in the west to Red Two in the east. The natural shape of the beach created a crossfire for the defenders, and the area became known as “the Pocket.” Slow-moving landing craft were quickly targeted from multiple angles, and many were knocked out as they approached the shore. Hundreds of men were killed or wounded before stepping foot on dry land. Those who survived faced a network of obstacles manned by determined Japanese defenders, and the fighting was close-in and savage.
PFC Peralta was killed in action on the first day of the battle. The specifics surrounding his death are not known.
Burial Information or Disposition
Peralta’s burial location was not immediately known to his battalion after the battle; they reported his death, but did not include any information about a grave site.
At some point in early 1944, a marker with Peralta’s name was placed in a small burial plot designated as “Cemetery 7” by the Navy garrison. Peralta and Corporal Clay O. Adams, another Item Company Marine, were the only two men believed buried here. However, this may have been a memorial cemetery as the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company did not report finding any remains under the markers.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Frank Peralta.
Location Of Loss
PFC Peralta’s battalion was engaged in the vicinity of Beach Red One.
