Thomas Jesse Murphy
Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class Thomas J. Murphy served with the Third Battalion, 8th Marines.
He was killed in action at the battle of Tarawa on 20 November 1943.
Branch
Navy Reserve
Service Number 626 38 04
Current Status
Accounted For
as of 12 October 2017
Recovery Organization
History Flight 2017 Expedition
Read DPAA Press Release
History
[Biography coming soon]
Decorations
Purple Heart
For wounds resulting in his death in action, 20 November 1943.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Anna Vanlandingham.
Location Of Loss
Murphy’s battalion landed at various locations between Beach Red 2 and Red 3.
Gallery
Tommy Murphy at Greencastle High School, 1940.
Murphy's Selective Service registration, 1942.
Murphy's first assignment was the USS Edward Rutledge (AP-52), a transport ship assigned to the North African campaign. On 12 November 1942, she was torpedoed by U-130 at Fedala Bay, Morocco. US Navy photo.
20 November 1943: reinforcing waves of Marines watch the smoke-shrouded shore of Betio from their Higgins boat.
The remnants of an ammunition storehouse became a waypoint for many BLT 3-8 Marines on 20 November 1943.
The Indianapolis Star, 26 December 1943.
The Greencastle Daily Banner, 3 March 1944.
Anna Vanlandingham wrote memorial poems to her son every year on the anniversary of his death. This one appeared in the Daily Banner in 1944...
...and this one in 1952. She kept up the tradition for many more years.
Betio Casualties From This Company
(Recently accounted for or still non-recovered)
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