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.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 422739
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.
