Faris Gilbert Byrd
Private Faris G. Byrd served with Able Company, First Battalion, 2nd Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 20 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 409549
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
January 17, 1925
at Eupora, MS
Parents
William & Vera Lee Byrd
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
July 28, 1942
at Jackson, MS
Home Of Record
Bellefountaine, MS
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Vera L. Byrd
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
A/1/2nd Marines
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Private Byrd joined Company A on 9 October 1943.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Private Byrd served with Company A, First Battalion, 2nd Marines during the invasion of Tarawa. He was shot in the head and killed on 20 November 1943, the first day of the battle. No eyewitness accounts of his death are known to exist.
Burial Information or Disposition
No information recorded, “disposition unknown.”
A memorial marker was erected in Cemetery 11, Grave 7, Row 3, Plot 2.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Vera L. Byrd.
Location Of Loss
Private Byrd was killed in action at an unspecified location on Betio.
