Raymond Arthur Pickering
PFC Raymond A. Pickering served with Able Company, First Battalion, 6th Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 22 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 494249
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
September 30, 1925
at St. Louis, MO
Parents
Charles Arthur Pickering
Emma C. (Bentlage) Pickering
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Student
Service Life
Entered Service
December 9, 1942
at St. Louis, MO
Home Of Record
1934 East Warne Street
St. Louis, MO
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Emma Pickering
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
A/1/6th Marines
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Raymond A. Pickering served with Company A, 6th Marines during the battle of Tarawa.
Pickering’s company landed on 21 November 1943 and crossed Beach Green under the cover of darkness. Early the next morning, they began attacking eastward along the southern coast of Betio, working their way through tangled brush and craters and fighting for countless Japanese bunkers and pillboxes. When darkness fell on 22 November, A/1/6 dug in for defense and helped repelled a concentrated banzai attack. They lost heavily, but extracted a worse toll on their attackers, and the battle largely ended on 23 November.
One of those who fell was PFC Pickering. At some time during the fighting on 22 November, he was struck in the head and chest by shrapnel from an exploding shell or grenade. He was just eighteen years old when he lost his life in action.
Burial Information or Disposition
The day after he died, PFC Pickering was reportedly buried in “Gilbert Islands Cemetery” along with dozens of Marines from his battalion. He was one of eight Marines with a set of coordinates appended to his burial information: “Betio (KH 283072 D-2 Map 14Oct43).” Unfortunately, this burial site was destroyed shortly after the battle, and although a memorial with PFC Pickering’s name appeared in Cemetery 11 (Plot 3, Row 1, Grave 5), it bore no relation to his actual resting place.
In 2019, the non-profit organization History Flight located a previously lost burial feature known as Row D. This site was known to be the grave of most of the 1/6th Marines battle casualties, and more than thirty remains were subsequently recovered and identified. Among them were two Marines with map coordinates identical to the ones recorded for PFC Pickering.
Although this discovery is a strong indication that Pickering may have been buried in the same vicinity, his remains have not yet been recovered or identified.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of parents, Charles & Emma Pickering.
Location Of Loss
PFC Pickering was killed in action at an unspecified location along Betio’s southern shore.
