Howard Dorus Wilson
PFC Howard D. Wilson served with Able Company, First Battalion, 18th Marines.
He was reported killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 25 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 329411
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
26 February 1920
at Winfield, KS
Parents
Benjamin Franklin “Frank” & Adelia Wilson
Education
Through grade 8
Occupation & Employer
Ranch Foreman
Other
Attended Reisch School of Auctioneering, 1937
Service Life
Entered Service
18 November 1941
at Denver, CO
Home Of Record
Hughes, CO
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Frank Wilson
Military Specialty
Engineer
Primary Unit
18th Marines (A/1)
Campaigns Served
Guadalcanal
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Howard Wilson landed on Betio, Tarawa atoll on 20 November 1943. When the battle ended and his company accounted for their casualties, Wilson was reported as missing in action. The Marine Corps ultimately fixed his date of death as 25 November 1943.
No further details about PFC Wilson’s death are known.
Burial Information or Disposition
No burial information; “body not recovered.”
A memorial marker was placed in Betio Cemetery #33, Grave 9, Row 2, Plot 15.
Next Of Kin Address
Approximate location of Hughes, Yuma County, Colorado.
The community has since been abandoned.
Location Of Loss
PFC Wilson was last seen at an unspecified location on Betio Island.
