Jack Marvin Redman

Jack Redman was born in Detroit, Michigan on 17 November 1923. He was the oldest of four boys raised by Guy Edgar and Hazel (Martin) Redman, and spent most of his youth in Watseka, Illinois. The family quickly gained recognition throughout Iroquois County – Guy Redman was the hard-working county sheriff – but the boys made names for themselves, too. Jack, in particular, was a notable football player at Watseka High School; his talents led to a scholarship from the University of Illinois.

This should have been the start of a promising career for the young fullback. However, the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred during Jack’s senior year at Watseka High. He graduated with the class of 1942 and enrolled at U of I, where he pledged Delta Sigma Phi, joined the basketball team, and attended ROTC drills. At the end of his first semester, Jack decided to put college on hold and join the service.

Jack enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve at Chicago on 30 January 1943. Within a few days, he was sweating out his introduction to Marine life at MCRD San Diego.

The first half of 1943 was a turbulent time for the Redman family. Guy and Hazel split, ending their twenty-year marriage with a divorce. In April, a string of burglaries at U of I ended with the arrest of five students – including two Redman brothers, Hobert and Eugene, who were attending the state high school basketball finals in Champaign. Eighteen-year-old “Hobe” joined the Marines shortly thereafter, and met up with his big brother in California.

Jack, meanwhile, was at Camp Pendleton training with an engineer battalion. He was enrolled in bridge-building school during the summer of 1943, but the training failed to take hold and he was reassigned to the 26th Replacement Draft for deployment overseas. He departed the United States in September 1943 and arrived at Wellington, New Zealand the following month. On 10 October 1943, Private Redman joined Headquarters Company, Third Battalion, 6th Marines at Camp Russell.

The 6th Marines had no engineering capabilities, so Jack’s exact role with HQ-3-6 is not known. He had precious little time to adapt: on 24 October, his new battalion boarded the USS Harris for an elaborate series of amphibious training maneuvers. Eight days later the Harris put to sea, bound for the Gilbert Islands.

Private Redman’s regiment was designated as a reserve unit for Operation GALVANIC – the invasion of Betio in the Tarawa atoll. They arrived at the island on 20 November 1943 and passed two days of anxious anticipation waiting for orders to land. They finally got moving on the evening of 21 November – but due to confusion on the beaches and poor communication afloat, had to stay in their landing craft overnight. Much to their relief, the battalion was finally instructed to land on the morning of 22 November. The tide was low, and the battalion waded to shore without opposition.

Redman survived his first day ashore, which was spent following the advance of BLT 1-6 and hunting down bypassed Japanese snipers. His life ended at 1000 on the morning of 23 November 1943 – just a few days after his twentieth birthday – when a Japanese sniper’s bullet punched through his helmet. While primary sources do not record the circumstances, Jack’s comrades later told his family that he was either in the act of throwing a grenade, or attempting to rescue a fallen Marine, when he was killed.


Jack Redman was buried in the field later that day. His grave was well marked with his name and shattered helmet; it drew the attention of correspondent Robert Sherrod, and subsequently earned a mention in Sherrod’s best-selling book Tarawa: The Story Of A Battle. 

For reasons unknown, the location of Redman’s isolated grave was not reported to his battalion, his regiment, or the 2nd Marine Division Graves Registration Company. Casualty reports indicated only that he was “buried at Tarawa” with “[the] exact location of grave unknown.” The marker was familiar to the Navy garrison troops on the island, who replaced the original rough cross with a regulation white one, and landscaped the surrounding area into “Cemetery 38.”

When the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company arrived at Betio in 1946, they were unable to locate Jack Redman’s body. “Cemetery 38” may have been a memorial grave – a marker placed above an empty space – or perhaps the marker itself was gone. The Army was forced to conclude that Jack was not recoverable.

The Redman family fought for years to have Jack’s remains brought back home, but were not successful. By 2013, only the youngest brother Merrill remained to hold out hope. “I always knew in my heart of hearts it would happen,” he said, “but I didn’t know if I would live.”

In 2014, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency sent a team to Betio to investigate reports of the accidental discovery of possible American remains. They began searching near the estimated site of Cemetery 38, but shifted their efforts after speaking with local residents. The excavation turned up additional remains, a belt buckle, and a badly corroded dog tag with the barely legible letters “RED.”

Jack Redman was officially accounted for on 21 November 2014. On 16 May 2015, he was finally laid to rest in Watseka.

“I feel like I’ve spent my whole life looking for my brother,” said Merrill. “And now he’s finally coming home.”

CENOTAPHS
Honolulu Memorial, Tablets of the Missing

FINAL BURIAL
GAR Cemetery, Watseka, Illinois