George Edward Mareina

Pharmacist’s Mate Mareina served as a medical corpsman with First Battalion, 8th Marines during the battle for Tarawa.

At midday on 20 November 1943, BLT 1-8 climbed over the sides of their transport ships and boarded LCVPs in Tarawa lagoon. They anticipated imminent landing orders, but due to the desperate situation on the beach were held offshore in their little boats, bobbing in the waves for the rest of the day and a very long night. Early on 21 November, they were ordered to land on Betio’s Beach Red 2.

At 0615, the first waves of 1-8 rushed down the ramps and into the breaking surf on a coral reef some 500 yards from shore. Although friendly troops held the water’s edge, they “immediately came under heavy machine gun fire from both flanks.” The battalion was decimated on the long walk to shore. An action report penned by the 8th Marines noted that “many of the casualties resulted from drowning, due to the heavy packs and equipment men attempted to take across the submerged fringing reef.”

“Doc” Mareina disappeared during the battle. Like many members of his battalion, he was reported as lost on 20 November 1943 – even though his unit did not land until the following day. Contemporary newspaper articles indicate that he was presumed wounded and evacuated from the combat zone. Unfortunately, he was never seen alive again, and a presumptive declaration of death was issued on 21 November 1944.