| Service # | 507756 |
|---|---|
| Rank | Field Musician First Class U.S. Marine Corps |
| Entered Service From | Minnesota |
| Date of Death | November 20 1943 |
| Status | Recovered |
| Memorialized |
Courts of the Missing
Court
4
Honolulu Memorial |
In November 1943, Nelson was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, which landed a stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several day of intense fighting, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded. Nelson died on the first day of battle, Nov. 20, 1943.
In June 2015, a nongovernmental organization, History Flight, Inc., notified DPAA that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 U.S. Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015.
Lab analysis, in conjunction with the totality of circumstantial evidence available, established Nelson's remains were included.
For more information on DPAA please visit www.DPAA.mil and/or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dodpaa/.
