77 Years After This Soldier Went MIA, His Remains Made An Emotional Return
It’s November 20, 1943, and waves of U.S. Marines are being sent into one of the most intense missions of World War II. For the next three days, these men will be embroiled in the grueling Battle of Tarawa against the Japanese. Too many will lose their lives outright or be declared “Missing In Action” (MIA) — including one soldier going by the name of Thomas Johnson. Thomas won’t be seen again for a long, long time, until — more than 75 years after his disappearance — the most unlikely thing will happen: he’ll finally make it home.
Bravo Company
Johnson had been fighting alongside his comrades in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion of the 6th Marines. They’d been sent to the island of Betio, which is a part of the Tarawa Atoll in modern-day Kiribati. The Japanese were in control of this Pacific isle at the time, but the Americans were determined to take it for themselves.
Strong defenses
Some 18,000 Marines had been deployed to take Betio, though they weren’t expected to run into much trouble. That, unfortunately, turned out to be optimism bordering on naivete. Pretty soon the Battle of Tarawa descended into absolute chaos: the defenses the Japanese had set up on the island were robust and extensive.
Wading to shore
Plus, some other factors disrupted the American assault on the island. The tides were low, for one thing, which meant boats struggled to maneuver through the water. This, in turn, forced soldiers to hop into the sea themselves to try and get to the shore. All of this, of course, was happening amid a barrage of enemy bullets.
Stuck in limbo
A huge number of Marines were classified as MIA in the wake of this horrific battle, a designation always harrowing for family members back home. Without any solid news of what had happened to their loved ones, these people were essentially left in limbo. They were denied any basic sense of closure.
