DALLAS — The remains of a Marine missing in action in the Pacific in 1943 have been identified as a Detroit teenager who died during intense fighting against the Japanese that claimed the lives of thousands in just three days.
Army officials say Pfc. Arnold J. Harrison was identified using dental and other analysis.
The 19-year-old died Nov. 20, 1943, on the island of Betio on the first day of the Battle of Tarawa. Betio is part of the Tarawa atoll south of the Marshall Islands.
The dead were buried in battlefield cemeteries on the island. The remains were then interred by 1949 in Honolulu.
Harrison’s remains were disinterred in January 2017 for analysis and positively identified in October.
He’s scheduled to be buried March 2 at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Dallas.
