Lendell Lee
Sergeant Lendell Lee served with Mike Company, Third Battalion, 2nd Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 20 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 247789
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
December 18, 1914
at Wilmer, AL
Parents
Toxey Lee
Nora (Miller) Lee)
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
April 10, 1935
at unknown location
Home Of Record
Wilmer, AL
Next Of Kin
Parents, Toxey & Nora Lee
Military Specialty
Heavy Weapons NCO
Primary Unit
M/3/2nd Marines
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
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Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Sergeant Lendell Lee served with Mike Company, the heavy weapons unit of the Third Battalion, 2nd Marines. His outfit was armed with 81mm mortars and water-cooled .30 caliber machine guns.
On 20 November 1943, Lee’s battalion was assigned the task of spearheading the assault on Betio’s Beach Red One – a curved stretch of sand running several hundred yards from the “bird’s beak” in the west to Red Two in the east. The natural shape of the beach created a crossfire for the defenders, and the area became known as “the Pocket.” Slow-moving landing craft were quickly targeted from multiple angles, and many were knocked out as they approached the shore. Hundreds of men were killed or wounded before stepping foot on dry land. Those who survived faced a network of obstacles manned by determined Japanese defenders, and the fighting was close-in and savage.
Sergeant Lee was reported as killed in action on 20 November, either during the landing or shortly after coming ashore. No specific details of his death are known.
Burial Information or Disposition
None reported; identifiable remains not recovered.
A memorial marker was erected in Cemetery 11, Plot 2, Row 1, Grave 9.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of parents, Toxey and Nora Lee.
Location Of Loss
Sergeant Lee’s battalion was engaged in the vicinity of Beach Red One.
