Raymond Paul Wilson
Private Raymond P. Wilson served with Mike Company, Third Battalion, 2nd Marines.
He was killed in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 20 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 464335
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
April 15, 1925
at Elmira, NY
Parents
Alvin Jasper Wilson
(divorced)
Cora (Foulkrod) Wilson (d. 1942)
Education
Southside High School
(enlisted during junior year)
Occupation & Employer
Mark Twain Hotel
* Note: Alvin Wilson abandoned the family before Raymond’s birth. He lived with his great aunt, Fannie Kerstetter, from the age of five.
Service Life
Entered Service
November 4, 1942
at Elmira, NY
Home Of Record
217 Maple Avenue
Elmira, NY
Next Of Kin
Guardian, Mrs. Fannie Kerstetter
Military Specialty
Machine Gunner
Primary Unit
M/3/2nd Marines
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Private Wilson had previous service in the New York National Guard.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Private Raymond Wilson served with Mike Company, the heavy weapons unit of the Third Battalion, 2nd Marines. During training, he qualified with the Browning machine gun and was likely a crewman for a water-cooled .30-caliber gun while in combat.
On 20 November 1943, Wilson’s battalion was assigned the task of spearheading the assault on Betio’s Beach Red One – a curved stretch of sand running several hundred yards from the “bird’s beak” in the west to Red Two in the east. The natural shape of the beach created a crossfire for the defenders, and the area became known as “the Pocket.” Slow-moving landing craft were quickly targeted from multiple angles, and many were knocked out as they approached the shore. Hundreds of men were killed or wounded before stepping foot on dry land. Those who survived faced a network of obstacles manned by determined Japanese defenders, and the fighting was close-in and savage.
Private Wilson was reported as killed in action on 20 November, either during the landing or shortly after coming ashore. No specific details of his death are known.
Burial Information or Disposition
None reported; identifiable remains not recovered.
A memorial marker was erected in Cemetery 33, Plot 2, Row 3, Grave 5.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of guardian, Mrs. Fannie Kerstetter.
Location Of Loss
Private Wilson’s battalion was engaged in the vicinity of Beach Red One.
