Otto Reeder
PFC Otto Reeder served with Baker Company, First Battalion, 2nd Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 22 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 486887
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
January 5, 1921
at Evansville, IN
Parents
William Isaac Reeder
Nancy (Fox) Reeder
Education
Roosevelt High School
(St. Louis, MO)
Occupation & Employer
Wayne Service Station
Service Life
Entered Service
November 10, 1942
at Baltimore, MD
Home Of Record
939 Russell Street
Nashville, TN
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Mary Reeder
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
B/1/2nd Marines
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Prior to enlisting in the Marine Corps, Reeder served with the Merchant Marine.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Reeder served with Company B, First Battalion, 2nd Marines during the invasion of Tarawa. His battalion constituted the regimental reserve, and was ordered to land against heavy opposition at Beach Red 2 on the morning of 20 November 1943.
Reeder survived the initial landings, followed by two days of intense combat on the western end of Betio. On 22 November, however, he suffered fatal gunshot wounds to the head. No further details of his death are known.
Burial Information or Disposition
PFC Reeder’s body was recovered from the battlefield and buried in a trench near Green Beach. This location – known as “2nd Marines Cemetery #1” or “Cemetery C” – contains the bodies of at least thirteen individuals, and perhaps more. However, the cemetery was not found by the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company, and it is still undiscovered to this day.
If casualty reports are correct, when Cemetery C is found, the remains of PFC Otto Reeder should be located in Grave #3.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Nancy Reeder.
At the time of his enlistment, Otto Reeder resided in Baltimore.
Location Of Loss
PFC Reeder was killed in action and buried in the vicinity of Green Beach.
