Another Three Are Accounted For

10 thoughts on “Another Three Are Accounted For”

1. Welcome Home Warriors. We Salute your Service and pay Honors to your Sacrifice. #accountforevery1

   Thanks Hondo.

2. Welcome Home elder brothers.

   I learned something from this as well and I look forward to whatever human interest stories the TAH data miners find as well.

   The 2nd Marine Division had always been 2, 6, 8 Marines with 10th Marines as DivArty to me. I didn’t realize that it had been reinforced with 18th marines on Tarawa and 29th on Saipan until this post with some followon research

   I did a little search the interweb myself.

   Royal Lawrence Waltz was born in Hanford, California, on 8 February 1923. He was the son of Royal Leander and Maude (Parrish) Waltz; his siblings, Martha and Freeland Waltz, were already teenagers when young Royal arrived. The family made their home on a dairy farm in rural Kings County.

   Little information is known about Royal’s life before the service. According to the 1940 census, he attended high school for one year; this was probably all he completed before enlisting in the Marine Corps on 13 August 1941. After completing boot camp. Private Waltz was immediately assigned to Company “A” of the Second Engineer Battalion, which was then constructing Camp Catlin on the island of Oahu. Waltz came aboard in late October, 1941, and thus had a ringside seat for his country’s entry into World War II. (1)

   In April of 1942, the battalion shipped back to the mainland to join the 2nd Marine Division. The following month, Royal’s Company A was temporarily disbanded and the men attached to combat regiments for deployment overseas. Royal himself traveled to the Solomon Islands on the rolls of the Third Battalion, 2nd Marines; he participated in the battle for Guadalcanal as a carpenter. In September 1942, Royal’s company re-formed, and they served out the rest of the campaign as an organic unit.

   When the Guadalcanal veterans rejoined the rest of their battalion in New Zealand in the spring of 1943, they were re-designated as Company “A,” First Battalion, 18th Marines – the engineer unit of the 2nd Marine Division. The next several months were spent in training new men and preparing for subsequent combat operations. Injuries were common; Royal was temporarily laid up with a lacerated leg, but stuck to his duties and received a promotion to Private First Class.

   Engineer training in New Zealand emphasized destruction more than construction. In combat, platoons of the 18th Marines would be attached to assault companies to destroy bunkers, pillboxes, and other fortifications that threatened the riflemen. PFC Waltz was once again attached to the Third Battalion, 2nd Marines. He would land with them on a stretch of sand designated “Red Beach One” on an island codenamed “HELEN” – Betio, in the Tarawa atoll.

   The Fresno Bee, 10 December 1944.
   Royal Waltz made it to shore on 20 November 1943, but did not get much farther. He was hit in his first few minutes ashore; friends or corpsmen dragged the bleeding engineer to the slight protection of a sea wall and bandaged his wounds. The unit moved on, leaving PFC Waltz behind.

   When it came time to account for the casualties, PFC Waltz’s wound was reported – along with the assumption that he had been evacuated to a hospital ship for additional treatment. His records were even forwarded to the casual battalion of the V Amphibious Corps, with the notation that he was sick in the hospital. It was not until April 1944 that someone realized that PFC Waltz was not in any known hospital – in fact, he had not been seen since 20 November 1943. His status was updated to “missing in action,” and on 21 November 1944, after the traditional year-and-a-day, he was declared dead.

   Royal Lawrence Waltz never left Beach Red One. He died at Betio, and was buried on the island as an unknown.

   1. Thanks for the comment/add on USAFRetired. It is always good to learn more about our fallen heroes. I FIRST came here, years ago, following linkys to Stolen Valor. I hung around for the commaradship and the chance to be a burr under someone’s saddle. We learn a lot here from one another and I look forward to the posts every day. Wonder how many hundreds lurk around and never comment? No doubt a goodly number of them think I’m a nut that needs a life. Well they are half right. I am a nut, but my life is paying Honor to the American Patriots who served this Great Nation. And for that, I offer no apologies.

      Hope Admin doesn’t mind, this is a follow up article to the Pearl Harbor Veteran that I mentioned last Sunday. RIP Mr. Fred Johnson, Ret LCDR USNR

      https://www.macon.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/article240055478.html?fbclid=IwAR1DC5epO6gbvWUQ0O6JCoCoYP8sNIr2n5FJUisBNNpwKKozCTJWKCUfNN4

      1. Thank you as well, USAFRetired, and thank-you TAH for bringing these reports to us. I’m always amazed by those numbers of unaccounted for when I read them. I can’t remember how I linked here the first time 5th/77th FA, but I’ve read here for about 3 years before posting any comments. I just used a computer to read more accurate news. I don’t go to any other blogs. I’m not very good at it yet, but your posts are always informative, and read as very well rounded and thoughtful to me for what it’s worth. I’m always too late to see what the ‘wing guy’ had posted before it’s excised, but it must be pretty bad. Anyone who’d think you’re a nut is probably just a squirrel looking for one.
         Welcome home guys, you have to be a little amazed that your being remembered by strangers on a ‘gizmo’ 75 years after your sacrifice. out.

3. Welcome Home elder brothers.

   I learned something from this as well and I look forward to whatever human interest stories the TAH data miners find as well.

   The 2nd Marine Division had always been 2, 6, 8 Marines with 10th Marines as DivArty to me. I didn’t realize that it had been reinforced with 18th marines on Tarawa and 29th on Saipan until this post with some followon research

   I did a little search the interweb myself.

   Royal Lawrence Waltz was born in Hanford, California, on 8 February 1923. He was the son of Royal Leander and Maude (Parrish) Waltz; his siblings, Martha and Freeland Waltz, were already teenagers when young Royal arrived. The family made their home on a dairy farm in rural Kings County.

   Little information is known about Royal’s life before the service. According to the 1940 census, he attended high school for one year; this was probably all he completed before enlisting in the Marine Corps on 13 August 1941. After completing boot camp. Private Waltz was immediately assigned to Company “A” of the Second Engineer Battalion, which was then constructing Camp Catlin on the island of Oahu. Waltz came aboard in late October, 1941, and thus had a ringside seat for his country’s entry into World War II. (1)

   In April of 1942, the battalion shipped back to the mainland to join the 2nd Marine Division. The following month, Royal’s Company A was temporarily disbanded and the men attached to combat regiments for deployment overseas. Royal himself traveled to the Solomon Islands on the rolls of the Third Battalion, 2nd Marines; he participated in the battle for Guadalcanal as a carpenter. In September 1942, Royal’s company re-formed, and they served out the rest of the campaign as an organic unit.

   When the Guadalcanal veterans rejoined the rest of their battalion in New Zealand in the spring of 1943, they were re-designated as Company “A,” First Battalion, 18th Marines – the engineer unit of the 2nd Marine Division. The next several months were spent in training new men and preparing for subsequent combat operations. Injuries were common; Royal was temporarily laid up with a lacerated leg, but stuck to his duties and received a promotion to Private First Class.

   Engineer training in New Zealand emphasized destruction more than construction. In combat, platoons of the 18th Marines would be attached to assault companies to destroy bunkers, pillboxes, and other fortifications that threatened the riflemen. PFC Waltz was once again attached to the Third Battalion, 2nd Marines. He would land with them on a stretch of sand designated “Red Beach One” on an island codenamed “HELEN” – Betio, in the Tarawa atoll.

   Royal Waltz made it to shore on 20 November 1943, but did not get much farther. He was hit in his first few minutes ashore; friends or corpsmen dragged the bleeding engineer to the slight protection of a sea wall and bandaged his wounds. The unit moved on, leaving PFC Waltz behind.

   When it came time to account for the casualties, PFC Waltz’s wound was reported – along with the assumption that he had been evacuated to a hospital ship for additional treatment. His records were even forwarded to the casual battalion of the V Amphibious Corps, with the notation that he was sick in the hospital. It was not until April 1944 that someone realized that PFC Waltz was not in any known hospital – in fact, he had not been seen since 20 November 1943. His status was updated to “missing in action,” and on 21 November 1944, after the traditional year-and-a-day, he was declared dead.

   Royal Lawrence Waltz never left Beach Red One. He died at Betio, and was buried on the island as an unknown.

   1. My apologies for the duplication.

      I can’t imagine the heartache of his family going from WIA to several months later MIA, to months later KIA.

4. Welcome home.

5. As I read the tributes, I think about how much others have done, and how little I have done.

   There but for the grace of God go I.

   I know VOV is an atheist. He will disagree with me, and I don’t care. It is site for all veterans.
   Topic: Worst Bunk buddies/shipmates/tentmates/submates…Pandora’s box is clicking

6. Mea culpa, not the best space for this. If Admin would redirect, I would be appreciative.

7. Welcome home Brothers. Rest in peace in your home soil.

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