Perley Watson Sargent
PFC Perley W. Sargent served with Baker 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. Creech's battalion did not land until 21 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 322015
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
September 23, 1920
at Windsor, VT
Parents
Leon Horton Sargent
Dorothy Edith (Watson) Sargent
Education
High school graduate
Occupation & Employer
Delivery boy
Postal Telegraph Company
Service Life
Entered Service
August 26, 1941
at Savannah, GA
Home Of Record
3050 Union Street North
St. Petersburg, FL
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Leon Sargent
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
B/1/8th Marines
Second Platoon
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
PFC Sargent joined B/1/8th Marines as a replacement in the spring of 1943.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Perley Sargent served with Company B, First Battalion, 8th Marines 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.”
I gesture at them and shout, "C'mon, you guys, let's go! Get moving! Move out!"
They obey me: they get moving. They're good men, the best. They charge down the ramp, jump feet first into the water, start wading toward shore. And that's when the slaughter really begins."
Perley Sargent 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, Sargent’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 14, Row 2, Grave 13.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Leon Sargent.
Location Of Loss
PFC Sargent’s battalion landed in the vicinity of Beach Red 2, Betio.
