The history of military cemeteries in the Tarawa atoll is a little-studied aspect of the Pacific Theater – and yet its impact affects hundreds of families to this day. More than a thousand American servicemen fell in the brutal battles of Operation GALVANIC; dozens more died on occupation duty. Over forty cemeteries popped up on the atoll’s islands, ranging from simple single crosses to elaborate landscaped memorials. And yet, when Graves Registration troops arrived after the war to retrieve the bodies, they could find only half of the men they sought – and identified barely half of that number. Searches were suspended in 1949; families already grieving at least one loss had their sorrow compounded by the knowledge that a loved one’s body was non-recoverable.

Recriminations swirled. The Marine Corps was blamed for the human cost of the battle, for poor planning and preparation, and not having adequate supplies or trained personnel to handle the dead. The Navy took heat for the “beautification and reconstruction” project headed by a well-meaning island commander, who stripped away original grave markers in favor of memorials. And the Army’s Graves Registration troops were labaled inefficient, ignorant, and uncaring. In truth, there was no single entity, individual, or shortcoming to blame. As Naval Inspector General Charles A. Lockwood wrote, “a series of errors…. and a series of unavoidable circumstances,” led to the unusually tragic situation. This, of course, brought no comfort to the families of the dead.

In recent years, interest in the Tarawa cemeteries – particularly Betio, where most of the non-recovered men fell – has increased considerably. Thanks to the efforts of the Defense POW/ MIA Accounting Agency and non-governmental organizations (particularly History Flight) more than 100 remains have been identified and returned home. Archaeologists have unearthed two of Betio’s three “lost” cemeteries, revealing rows of Marines lying just as they were buried in 1943. There is a sense of urgency, too, as the fallen fade from living memory and rising tides threaten the island of Betio itself.

This chapter of history can be extremely challenging even for experienced researchers. It is hoped that the information presented here will be of use to families seeking details about relatives, to organizations working to return the missing, and to all wishing to understand the scale of sacrifice required to secure one small corner of the Pacific during the conflagration of World War II.