Category: No Longer Missing

Mary sends us the news that the remains of Marine 1st Lieutenant Alexander Bonnyman, a Medal of Honor recipient have been found on the island of Tarawa where he was killed along with scores of his Marines, which made the task of locating his remains so difficult. His grandson, Clay Evans, led a team of researchers to the island to search for the hero.

“It just blew me away,” said Evans. He and the team managed to identify Bonnyman through dental records, including gold fillings. They also found a cigarette lighter and what appears to be a portion of his dog tag. DNA records will help erase any remaining doubts but Evans says he is certain the remains belong to his grandfather. A plan is now in the works to return Bonnyman’s remains to East Tennessee where he will be buried in a family plot perhaps sometime in late September.

His Medal of Honor citation tells the story of his actions preceding his death better than i could tell it all;

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Executive Officer of the 2d Battalion Shore Party, 8th Marines, 2d Marine Division, during the assault against enemy Japanese-held Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, 20–22 November 1943. Acting on his own initiative when assault troops were pinned down at the far end of Betio Pier by the overwhelming fire of Japanese shore batteries, 1st Lt. Bonnyman repeatedly defied the blasting fury of the enemy bombardment to organize and lead the besieged men over the long, open pier to the beach and then, voluntarily obtaining flame throwers and demolitions, organized his pioneer shore party into assault demolitionists and directed the blowing of several hostile installations before the close of D-day. Determined to effect an opening in the enemy’s strongly organized defense line the following day, he voluntarily crawled approximately 40 yards forward of our lines and placed demolitions in the entrance of a large Japanese emplacement as the initial move in his planned attack against the heavily garrisoned, bombproof installation which was stubbornly resisting despite the destruction early in the action of a large number of Japanese who had been inflicting heavy casualties on our forces and holding up our advance. Withdrawing only to replenish his ammunition, he led his men in a renewed assault, fearlessly exposing himself to the merciless slash of hostile fire as he stormed the formidable bastion, directed the placement of demolition charges in both entrances and seized the top of the bombproof position, flushing more than 100 of the enemy who were instantly cut down, and effecting the annihilation of approximately 150 troops inside the emplacement. Assailed by additional Japanese after he had gained his objective, he made a heroic stand on the edge of the structure, defending his strategic position with indomitable determination in the face of the desperate charge and killing 3 of the enemy before he fell, mortally wounded. By his dauntless fighting spirit, unrelenting aggressiveness and forceful leadership throughout 3 days of unremitting, violent battle, 1st Lt. Bonnyman had inspired his men to heroic effort, enabling them to beat off the counterattack and break the back of hostile resistance in that sector for an immediate gain of 400 yards with no further casualties to our forces in this zone. He gallantly gave his life for his country.”

The other day, Hondo wrote about Private Eugene Erickson coming home after being Missing in Action as a Prisoner of War since August 1951. His family will inter his remains in Santa Fe National Cemetery on Wednesday afternoon according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.

Pvt. Eugene Erickson enlisted in the Army in September 1950, three months after the Korean War began. He was 20 years old.

Following 14 weeks of basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., Eugene Erickson was sent to Fort Lawton in Seattle for additional training as an infantryman before being shipped overseas in February 1951.

By springtime, he was in the thick of combat in South Korea. In mid-May, he and his Company B mates from the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division became engaged in a two-day battle with Chinese forces.

The odds weren’t good: 10,000 Americans against 180,000 Chinese.

“They were not going to make it out,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Ramsey, a Korean War analyst with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

“It was a straight-up Chinese wave of attack. It didn’t matter how much barbed wire we had out there. It didn’t matter how deep the mine fields were. It didn’t matter how much firepower we had. The Chinese were not going to be denied by the weight of human capital they were willing to expend in that battle.

Private Erickson died of starvation according to witnesses, one of whom was a hometown friend, Sergeant Herbert Floyd. who told of his death to his family and reportedly was with Erickson when he died. Eugene’s 87-year-old brother, Clayton, will also receive the nine awards that Eugene earned posthumously.

Someone sent us a link to an article about Sergeant Wallace Dawson and his long-overdue homecoming – sixty-four years after his capture by enemy troops. Sergeant Dawson died of malnutrition in June of 1951, only a few months after his capture when Company L, 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division was over run by Chinese forces at Sang-sok, South Korea;

The community filed the streets to honor the fallen soldier. The Patriot Guard Riders led the procession along with members of the military. Students from San Marcos High School stood along a fence saluting the fallen soldier.

Wallace’s twin brother Warren said it was a homecoming to remember.

“Driving over here the roads were full of people and I was like holy cow! And then driving by the school all the students were there waving their flags. That was amazing. The turnout and the people that really care it was just tremendous to me.,” said Dawson.

Hondo mentioned last month that Dawson’s remains had been identified and now the 64-year-old story comes to an end.