Marvin Thomas Reynolds
PFC Marvin T. Reynolds served with Baker Company, First Battalion, 8th Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 21 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 321889
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
October 27, 1923
at Gardendale, AL
Parents
William Oscar Reynolds (d. 1931)
Johnnie McEwen (Sandlen) Reynolds
Education
Gardendale Junior High School
Occupation & Employer
Student
Service Life
Entered Service
October 6, 1941
at Birmingham, AL
Home Of Record
907 North 52nd Place
Birmingham, AL
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Johnnie Reynolds
Military Specialty
60mm mortar crewman
Primary Unit
B/1/8th Marines
Campaigns Served
Guadalcanal
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Marvin Reynolds served with Company B, First Battalion, 8th Marines in the Guadalcanal campaign and during the battle for Tarawa.
At midday on 20 November 1943, BLT 1-8 climbed over the sides of their transport ships and boarded LCVPs in Tarawa lagoon. They anticipated imminent landing orders, but due to the desperate situation on the beach were held offshore in their little boats, bobbing in the waves for the rest of the day and a very long night. Early on 21 November, they were ordered to land on Betio’s Beach Red 2.
At 0615, the first waves of 1-8 rushed down the ramps and into the breaking surf on a coral reef some 500 yards from shore. Although friendly troops held the water’s edge, they “immediately came under heavy machine gun fire from both flanks.” The battalion was decimated on the long walk to shore. An action report penned by the 8th Marines noted that “many of the casualties resulted from drowning, due to the heavy packs and equipment men attempted to take across the submerged fringing reef.”
Marvin Reynolds was one of those who fell during the landing operation. Although his death was confirmed by company officers after the battle, no specifics are currently known.
Burial Information or Disposition
“In Division Cemetery, grave unknown.” Also listed as “body not recovered.”
A memorial marker was erected in Cemetery 11, Plot 3, Row 3, Grave 6
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Johnnie Reynolds.
Location Of Loss
PFC Reynolds’ battalion landed in the vicinity of Beach Red 2, Betio.
