Tarawa Cemetery 7

A pair of graves belonging to Corporal Clay O. Adams and PFC Ernest P. Peralta, both of Company I, Third Battalion, 2nd Marines. Adams and Peralta were killed in action on 20 November 1943.

It is not known if the beautified Cemetery 7 replaced an original burial site. The Third Battalion, 2nd Marines reported Adams as buried in West Division Cemetery, while Peralta’s burial information was not recorded. At some point during the occupation of Betio, the palm tree pillars were replaced with white metal posts. Peralta’s marker was also replaced.

In 1946, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company established Lone Palm Cemetery a few yards to the north of Cemetery 7. This location was likely one of the first cemeteries they investigated. However, neither Adams nor Peralta were identified from remains found on Betio. Furthermore, there are no active Betio X-cases attributed to Cemetery 7 – meaning remains buried here, if any, did not belong to either of the named men.