Walter John Lazaroe
Private Walter J. Lazaroe served with Able Company, First Battalion, 7th Marines.
He was killed in action at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 27 September 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 369817
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
April 8, 1921
at New Orleans, LA
Parents
Walter Joseph Lazaroe
Clare Ada (Finnin) Lazaroe (d. 1943)
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Usher
Saenger Theater
Service Life
Entered Service
March 11, 1942
at New Orleans, LA
Home Of Record
3819 D’Hemecourt Street
New Orleans, LA
Next Of Kin
Parents, Walter & Clare Lazaroe
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
A/1/7th Marines
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 27 September 1942, a detachment of the First Battalion, 7th Marines under the command of Major Otho L. Rogers made an amphibious landing on the beach just west of Point Cruz, Guadalcanal. This complicated maneuver was a bold attempt to flank Japanese defensive positions along the Matanikau River, establish a foothold in enemy territory, and allow other Marines to force their way across – possibly turning the tide of battle along Guadalcanal’s northern coast.
Rogers’ men landed without incident and advanced inland to a grassy ridge designated “Hill 84.” The plan quickly fell apart: fast-moving Japanese troops counterattacked, and a mortar shell killed Rogers as he tried to establish a perimeter. With few heavy weapons and no radio, the Marines fought their way back to the beach, suffering heavy casualties all the while. Brave Coast Guardsmen arrived in landing craft to extract the battalion. The ignominy of withdrawal was not lost on the Marines, who bitterly nicknamed the battle “Little Dunkirk.”
Private Walter Lazaroe was one of thirteen Marines from A/1/7 to lose his life on 27 September. He was last seen alive on the retreat route, in heavy jungle near the beach.
Burial Information or Disposition
The Marines, hard-pressed to evacuate their wounded, were forced to leave the bodies of the fallen on the field. “Not recovered due to battle conditions” was entered on the muster roll. At a later date, the notation “Buried in common grave with 16 others on west bank, mouth of Matanikau River” was added to the casualty cards of fourteen men. Lazaroe was among them.
In 1944, sailor William Lazaroe visited the Guadalcanal cemetery and was surprised to find a grave marked with the name “Private Walter Lazro.” He wrote to his cousin Rita – Walter’s sister – telling of his discovery, but cautioning her “not to put too much faith in what I saw, as the name was not the same as ours.” Lazaroe returned later that year and saw the grave again, but was unable to learn any more about the man buried there. Unfortunately, no records of a “Lazro” buried in the Guadalcanal cemetery are known to survive.
At around the same time – August 1944 – a skeleton was found in a gas dump near Point Cruz. He had no means of identification, and was buried as “X-104.” In the years after the war, X-104 was considered as a potential match for Walter Lazaroe based on overall physicality and where he was found. For several months in the early 1950s, the Lazaroe family corresponded with the office of the Quartermaster General in hopes of providing enough information to identify the remains. Unfortunately, the dental work was a poor match, and X-104 showed evidence of a healed collarbone fracture not present on Walter’s records.
Ultimately, X-104 was declared unidentifiable, and Walter Lazaroe permanently non-recoverable.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of parents, Walter & Clare Lazaroe
Location Of Loss
Private Lazaroe was last seen in the vicinity of Hill 84, Guadalcanal.
