Henry Carl Coburn
Pharmacist’s Mate First Class Henry C. Coburn 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 342 12 98
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
June 2, 1915
in Colorado
Parents
James Van Osterham Coburn (d. 1929)
Daisy Agnes (Bodey) Coburn
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Driver
Gardner Coal & Ice Company
Entered Service
September 8, 1939
at Wichita, KS
Home Of Record
512 West B Street
Hutchinson, KS
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Daisy A. Coburn
Military Specialty
Corpsman
Primary Unit
Medical Detachment
HQ/1/6th Marines
Campaigns Served
Guadalcanal
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
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Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Pharmacist’s Mate Henry Coburn was a senior enlisted corpsman attached to the First Battalion, 6th Marines. He served during the Iceland deployment, and in combat in the Guadalcanal campaign.
On the night of 21 November 1943, during the battle of Tarawa, Coburn’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 Coburn.
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. Coburn 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 13, Row 1, Grave 15.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Daisy Coburn.
Location Of Loss
Pharmacist’s Mate Coburn was killed when his LVT struck a mine near Betio’s Green Beach.
