Fred Eugene Kathan
Pharmacist’s Mate First Class Fred E. Kathan served with the medical section of First Battalion, 6th Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 21 November 1943.
Branch
Navy Regular
Service Number 375 97 38
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
August 28, 1920
at Denver, CO
Parents
Fred Eugene Kathan
Anna (George) Kathan (d. 1928)
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Entered Service
October 10, 1939
at San Francisco, CA
Home Of Record
4659 Bancroft Street
San Diego, CA
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Martha Ellen Kathan
Military Specialty
Corpsman
Primary Unit
Medical Detachment
HQ/1/6th Marines
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Pharmacist’s Mate Kathan served with the 18th Marines prior to joining 1/6 in April, 1943.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Pharmacist’s Mate Henry Coburn was a senior enlisted corpsman attached to the First Battalion, 6th Marines during the battle of Tarawa.
On the night of 21 November 1943, Kathan’s battalion was ordered to land on the island of Betio. They approached Green Beach in a flotilla of rubber boats, accompanied by a pair of amphibian tractors. Several boats struggled on the way in; one, carrying corpsmen and headquarters personnel, began to sink. Corporal Howard L. Bryant brought his LVT alongside and took on seven passengers, including PhM1c Kathan.
Before the battle, the Japanese garrison laid a network of powerful anti-boat mines in the water near Green Beach. Bryant’s LVT struck one of these mines; the force of the explosion flipped the heavy vehicle over and killed everyone aboard except for one man. Kathan was among the dead, along with three other corpsmen.
For more information on this event, read Jim Hildebrand’s essay “The Green Beach LVT Mystery.”
Burial Information or Disposition
None recorded; identifiable remains not recovered.
A memorial marker was erected in Cemetery 33, Plot 1, Row 3, Grave 13.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Martha Ellen Kathan.
Location Of Loss
Pharmacist’s Mate Kathan was killed when his LVT struck a mine near Betio’s Green Beach.
