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Harris Kent Duff

PFC Harris K. “Buck” Duff served with Baker Company, First Battalion, 6th Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 22 November 1943.

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Branch

Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 422739

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Current Status

Remains Not Recovered

Pursuit Category

This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.

Capsule History

Pre-War Life

Birth

June 2, 1922
at Fairplay, CO

Parents

Raymond Albert Duff
Marie (Guiraud) Duff

Education

Details unknown

Occupation & Employer

Laborer
Alfred & Mae Sherman Ranch

Service Life

Entered Service

August 5, 1942
at Denver, CO

Home Of Record

3637 Alcott Street
Denver, CO

Next Of Kin

Mother, Mrs. Marie L. Duff

Military Specialty

Primary Unit

B/1/6th Marines

Campaigns Served

Tarawa

Individual Decorations

Purple Heart

Additional Service Details

Loss And Burial

Circumstances Of Loss

PFC Harris K. Duff served with Company B, 6th Marines during the battle of Tarawa.

Duff’s company landed on 21 November 1943 and crossed Beach Green under the cover of darkness. Early the next morning, they began attacking eastward along the southern coast of Betio, working their way through tangled brush and craters and fighting for countless Japanese bunkers and pillboxes. When darkness fell on 22 November, B/1/6 dug in for defense and helped repelled a concentrated banzai attack. They lost heavily, but extracted a worse toll on their attackers, and the battle largely ended on 23 November.

“Buck” Duff was killed in action by shrapnel wounds in the chest at some point during the fighting on 22 November. According to a condolence letter written by PFC James N. Porter, Jr., Duff died after saving the life of the company commander. While the accuracy of this anecdote has not been verified by other sources, Porter’s conclusion – “He was a real man, and they never made a better Marine” – was no doubt a valid statement

Burial Information or Disposition

The day after he died, PFC Duff was reportedly buried in “Gilbert Islands Cemetery” along with dozens of Marines from his battalion. He was one of eight Marines with a set of coordinates appended to his burial information: “Betio (KH 283072 D-2 Map 14Oct43).” Unfortunately, this burial site was destroyed shortly after the battle, and although a memorial with Duff’s name appeared in Cemetery 11 (Plot 1, Row 3, Grave 1), it bore no relation to his actual resting place.

In 2019, the non-profit organization History Flight located a previously lost burial feature known as Row D. This site was known to be the grave of most of the 1/6th Marines battle casualties, and more than thirty remains were subsequently recovered and identified. Among them were two Marines with map coordinates identical to the ones recorded for PFC Duff.

Although this discovery is a strong indication that Buck Duff may have been buried in the same vicinity, his remains have not yet been recovered or identified.

Next Of Kin Address

Address of mother, Mrs. Marie L. Duff.

Location Of Loss

PFC Duff was killed in action at an unspecified location along Betio’s southern shore.

 

Betio Casualties From This Company​

(Recently accounted for or still non-recovered)
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