Henry Powless
Sergeant Henry Powless served with Able Company, Second Amphibian Tractor Battalion.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 20 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 302825
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
May 27, 1917
at Onondaga Indian Reservation, NY
Parents
Charles & Lydia Powless
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Soldier, US Army
Service Life
Entered Service
December 16, 1940
at Syracuse, NY
Home Of Record
35 7th Avenue SE
Largo, FL
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Vivian L. Powless
Military Specialty
Amphibian Tractor Crewman
Primary Unit
A/2nd Amphtrac Bn.
Campaigns Served
Guadalcanal
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Powless served in the US Army (Company C, 108th Infantry) from 1936 – 1940.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Sergeant Henry Powless served as an amphibian tractor crewman during the assault on Betio, Tarawa atoll. His vehicle, a LVT-1 “Alligator,” carried troops of 3/2nd Marines from the USS Middleton to land on Beach Red 2.
The slow-moving, lightly-armored LVT units suffered tremendous losses during the landings – both in vehicles and men. Sergeant Powless’ LVT was hit and set on fire during the operation; he perished in the inferno. His remains could not be recovered from the LVT.
Burial Information or Disposition
Burial information not known – remains not recovered.
In 1974, a wrecked LVT-2 was unearthed by a construction crew laying a pipeline on Betio. Numerous human remains were found in the vicinity. Thirty-one of these were determined to be of Japanese or Korean ancestry; one set was segregated as American. Identification tags for Private Henry C. Verhaalen were found in the vicinity.
Sergeant Powless was one of five Marines whose records were compared against these remains, but without conclusive results.
A memorial marker was erected in Cemetery 11, Grave 2, Row 2, Plot 5.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Vivian Powless
Location Of Loss
Sergeant Powless’ vehicle was assigned to land troops on Beach Red 1.
