Remains of WWII Marine killed on Betio to be buried in Oklahoma hometown

HOBART, Okla. — A Marine who went missing during a World War II battle on a remote Pacific island will be buried next month in his Oklahoma hometown after his remains were identified last year.

Military officials announced Tuesday that the remains of 21-year-old Marine Cpl. Claire E. Goldtrap of Hobart, Oklahoma, are scheduled for burial April 10.

Goldtrap was part of an amphibian tractor battalion that landed against strong Japanese resistance on Betio, part of the Gilbert Islands, in November 1943.

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Officials believe remains of nearly half of the 83,000 unidentified service members killed in World War II and more recent wars could be identified and returned to relatives.

U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried on the island and then later interred in Honolulu. DNA analysis, dental records and other evidence were used to identify Goldtrap after his remains were examined in 2016.

There are nearly 73,000 service members still unaccounted for from WWII.

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