Richard Wilson Courtleigh

PFC Richard W. Courtleigh served with Company B, 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, 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.”

PFC Courtleigh was one of those who fell in action on 21 November 1943, either during the landing itself or shortly after coming ashore. While no specific cause of death was recorded, the battalion’s muster roll indicated he “died of wounds received in action” – while most of his comrades were “killed in action” – which may indicate that Courtleigh received medical treatment or was evacuated prior to expiring.