Paul Richard Garrity
PFC Paul R. Garrity served with Able Company, First Battalion, 8th Marines.
He was reported missing in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 20 November 1943.
*This is an official date of death. Garrity's battalion did not land until 21 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 819167
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
November 21, 1924
at Indianapolis, IN
Parents
Claude Orville Garrity
Ethel Mae (Laughlin) Garrity
Education
Arsenal Tech High School (1943)
Occupation & Employer
Thomas & Skinner Incorporated
Service Life
Entered Service
February 20, 1943
at Indianapolis, IN
Home Of Record
2405 Roosevelt Avenue
Indianapolis, IN
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Ethel M. Garrity
Military Specialty
Machine Gunner
Primary Unit
A/1/8th Marines
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Paul R. Garrity served with Company A, First Battalion, 8th Marines in 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 – Paul Garrity’s nineteenth birthday – the battalion was 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.”
PFC Garrity was last seen alive during the landing operation. When the battle ended, he was officially noted as “missing in action” – a status that was soon amended to “killed in action.” Although his battalion did not land until D+1, Garrity’s official date of death is given as 20 November 1943.
Burial Information or Disposition
None recorded; reported as missing in action.
A memorial marker was erected in Cemetery 33, Plot 5, Row 1, Grave 14.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Ethel Garrity.
Location Of Loss
PFC Garrity’s battalion landed in the vicinity of Beach Red 2, Betio.
Private Paul R. Garrity is a distant cousin of my husband .