Rolland Earl Kimball
Corporal Rolland E. Kimball served with King Company, Third Battalion, 8th Marines.
He was reported missing in action at Betio, Tarawa atoll, on 20 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 478256
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
December 27, 1919
at Sonora, CA
Parents
James Earle Kimball (d. 1926)
Stella May (Condron) Kimball
Education
Summerville Union High School (1937)
College (details unknown)
Occupation & Employer
Underwriter
California Western State Life Insurance Company
Service Life
Entered Service
October 6, 1942
at San Francisco, CA
Home Of Record
233 Dolores Street
San Francisco, CA
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Florence (Blackburne) Kimball
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
K/3/8th Marines
Campaigns Served
Tarawa
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Corporal Rolland Kimball served with King Company, 8th Marines in the battle of Tarawa.
The amphibious assault on Betio, Tarawa atoll – Operation GALVANIC – commenced on 20 November 1943. The Third Battalion, 8th Marines were in reserve for the landing operation, but were ordered to stand by in their LCVPs and were afloat by 1015. At 1200, the battalion’s first wave (which included King Company) began heading towards Beach Red 3 to support the heavily-engaged BLT 2-8.
Several hundred yards from the beach, the LCVPs slammed into a coral reef and stopped. Ramps went down, and Marines gamely jumped out into water over their heads. Some drowned, while the rest faced “heavy 40mm, machine gun, and mortar fire” that shredded their ranks. Only about a hundred disorganized, demoralized men – less than a company – made it to shore. The King Company survivors were sent to hold the left flank of the Marine line, and endured heavy machine gun and sniper fire for the rest of the day.
Corporal Kimball was last seen alive during the landing operation. He was reported as missing in action after the battle; nothing more was ever learned of his whereabouts, and he was later declared dead as of 20 November 1943.
Burial Information or Disposition
None recorded; missing in action.
A memorial marker was erected in Cemetery 33, Plot 5, Row 2, Grave 5.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Florence Kimball.
Location Of Loss
Kimball’s battalion landed at various locations between Beach Red 2 and Red 3.
