WASHINGTON — An Indiana Marine has been identified as one of the troops who died during an attack on the island of Betio during World War II.
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Charles D. Miller, 19, was from Albany, Indiana. He was fighting the Japanese in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert
Islands when he died on Nov. 22, 1943. Approximately 1,000 Marines and soldiers were killed in the battle, and more than 2,000 others were injured.
Miller was reportedly buried in the East Division Cemetery, later renamed Cemetery 33. In 1946, all American remains were relocated and centralized so they could be returned to the U.S., but nearly half of those remains — including Miller's — were never found. In 1949, Miller was declared "non-recoverable."
In 2009, a nonprofit organization called History Flight found a burial site believed to be the cemetery where Miller was initially buried. Miller's remains were found in excavations near the site 10 years later. The remains were sent to a lab at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii to identify them. Miller's remains were confirmed using dental records, mitochondrial DNA and other evidence.
Miller will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. His family has not yet set a date. Miller's name is listed in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. A rosette will be placed next to his name on the memorial, signifying he is now accounted for.
Learn more about Miller's life and service here.
