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Sevices for Pvt.Palmer Haraldson KIA on Tarawa.

 

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Private Palmer Sherman Haraldson, U.S. Marine Corps

August 12, 1912 – November 22, 1943

 

Palmer Haraldson, son of Lena and Eddie Haraldson, was born August 12, 1912 in Nebraska and grew up in the Fort Dodge area. Palmer’s siblings were Theresa Case, LaVerna Proeschold, Henry, Alvin, and Virginia Moore. Palmer was married to Patricia Savage in 1937 and lived in Glendale, California until Palmer’s enlistment in the Marine Corps in February 1943.

 

Palmer completed basic training in San Diego, California, in April 1943 and in July left for New Zealand where he joined Company C, 1st Battalion, 6th Marines in October in preparation for the invasion of Tarawa. The capture of Betio Island on the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands from the Japanese was considered essential to the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet’s Central Pacific Campaign. Palmer was killed while his unit was attacking a Japanese stronghold on Betio Island on November 22, 1943. The island was secured the following day and the majority of the assault force departed Betio Island on November 24, leaving behind a small number of personnel to care for the dead. The dead were buried in temporary graves until the end of the war, when, in March 1946, the United States began recovery operations. Due to bad record keeping and massive reconstruction on the island, only 532 of the 1,100 graves were found. Palmer was declared non-recoverable.

 

In March 2015, after years of research, Mark Noah, director of History Flight, Inc., a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to finding, recovering and repatriating America’s war dead to American soil, announced the discovery and recovery of the remains of 36 marines on Tarawa, including the remains of Palmer Haraldson. Mr. Noah’s archaeological team consisted of forensic anthropologists, geophysicists, historians, surveyors, forensic odontologists, medics and cadaver dog handlers. The History Flight team has to date recovered 48 marines from the cemetery where Palmer was found and is currently working another site on the island.

 

History Flight works in cooperation with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the federal agency tasked with recovering the remains of missing U.S. service personnel. In June 2015 Palmer’s remains were flown to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii to await official identification and repatriation with family.

 

Palmer was officially identified in December 2015 and will be buried with full military honors at Memorial Park Cemetery in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on June 22, 2016, where his parents and other family members were previously buried. The memorial service for Palmer will be at 1:30 p.m. on June 22, 2016, at Bruce Funeral Home in Fort Dodge followed by the burial. A reception will follow at the V.F.W. in Ft. Dodge.

 

Palmer’s nieces and nephews are Theresa Case Nichols (deceased); Ellen Case Eichhorn (Leslie) Pilotte of Albuquerque, NM; Glen (Ruth) Proeschold of Pueblo, CO; Ron (Joan) Proeschold of Canyon Lake, CA; Peggy Proeschold (Arnie) Ellsbury of Perry, IA; Marlys Proeschold (Jim) Blair of Sun City, AZ; Bruce Proeschold (deceased); Gary Haraldson (deceased); Alan (Virginia) Haraldson of Erie, PA; Dennis Haraldson of Ft. Dodge, IA; Jeana Haraldson (John) Grandors of Ft. Dodge, IA; Henry Haraldson, Jr. (deceased); Richard Haraldson (deceased); Barbara Moore Lippert Mulgrave of Bloomfield, IA; Alan (Sandy) Moore of Laguna Niguel, CA; Gary (Patti) Moore of Gig Harbor, WA; Carolyn Moore (Bill) Redding of San Clemente, CA.

 

To read more about the the recovery and the History Flight please log on to historyflight.com

 

 

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Another article on Pvt.Haraldson

 

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Marine Pvt. Palmer Haraldson will be buried on June 22 in Fort Dodge. His remains were discovered on the island of Betio, where he died during a World War II battle in 1943.

 

(Photo: Carolyn Redding/Special to the Register)

Palmer S. Haraldson's family long ago gave up hope of being able to say goodbye.

Haraldson, a private in the Marines, was killed atage 31 while in combat on the island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands on Nov.22, 1943. He was buried in a mass cemetery with the other 1,000 marines and sailors who were killed fighting the Japanese, according to the Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). He body was declared non-recoverable in February 1949.

For almost 73 years, his family mourned his loss from afar. But his remains have since been located and will return to Iowa for a burial in Fort Dodge with full military honors on June 22.

The Lincoln, Nebraska, native was born in 1912 and moved to Fort Dodge with his family when he was a young boy. He lived there for most of his childhood and finished two years of high school. He married in 1937 and moved to Los Angeles with his wife, Patricia, before enlisting in the Marines in 1943, said his niece, Carolyn Redding.

He was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division and trained in New Zealand before landing on Betio. The DDPA said the Battle of Tarawa was met with fierce resistance from the Japanese but it was a huge victory for the U.S military because it helped the Navy Pacific fleet launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline islands against Japan throughout World War II.

About half of the soldiers buried there were located by the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company and returned to the U.S. but many, like Haraldson, were deemed non-recoverable.

"They tried to put marker on locations and have everything written down and recorded, but things happen," Redding said.

Redding, 70, said her mother Virginia,who was Haraldson's youngest sister, was heartbroken for years.

"My mom, she just talked about him all the time and was just so sad," Redding said.

The family would frequently visit the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at the Punchbowl Crater in Honolulu, Hawaii.

"There is a memorial there that is a bunch of walls with lists and lists of names," Redding said. "Every time we went there, sometimes every year or sometimes every other year, we would search among these thousands of names. When we found his, my mom would put her hand on his name and would just break down crying every time."

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Marine Pvt. Palmer Haraldson and his wife, Patricia, were married in 1937. He will be buried in Fort Dodge on June 22. He died in combat during World War II.

 

(Photo: Carolyn Redding/Special to the Register)

Haraldson's wife eventually remarried and his parents, two brothers and three sisters moved forward, always wondering what happened to Palmer. And this year, they finally got some news.

In June 2015, a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization called History Flight Inc., discovered a burial site. It notified the DPAA it had recovered the remains on Betio Island of 35 U.S. Marines who had fought during the three-day battle.

Redding said the bodies were flown to the Joint Base Pearl Harbor – Hickam for identification. In December, DPAA said their scientists identified the bodies using dental records, anthropological analysis, circumstantial and material evidence. Haraldson's official cause of death was ruled as a projectile wound in the head.

His family agreed to have him buried with his parents, Ed and Nelsena, in his childhood hometown of Fort Dodge. Redding, along with several generations of his nieces, nephews and cousins will be attending the memorial service and burial. His remains will be flown into Des Moines on Tuesday and escorted to Fort Dodge by a patriot guard.

"We're just all amazed that this could happen," Redding said. "My mom, and all of his siblings, never thought he was going to be found. And for this to happen almost 73 years later, it's just incredible — a miracle."

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Marine Pvt. Palmer Haraldson was 31 when he died during the Battle of Tarawa in 1943. He will be buried in Fort Dodge on June 22.

 

(Photo: Carolyn Redding/Special to the Register)

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Kurt Barickman

Great ending to this Tarawa tragedy. Will you be attending the funeral Ron?

 

I might try to drive down for this one.

 

Kurt

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Great ending to this Tarawa tragedy. Will you be attending the funeral Ron?

 

I might try to drive down for this one.

 

Kurt

 

 

I know our Legion Rider Group is involved and I may attend with Post 130.

 

THey have an escort from DM Ai rport set for tuesday.

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Kurt Barickman

Okay, am going to try to make it down to the internment and then to the VFW,

 

Kurt

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Made it to the internment at the cemetery which was a very impressive and solemn event. Met up with Ron "Doyler" at Memorial Park.

 

 

 

Kurt,

 

That is wonderful that both of you were able to attend.

 

...Kat

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Kurt,

 

That is wonderful that both of you were able to attend.

 

...Kat

 

 

Thanks

 

It was really an honor to attend.The Patriot Guard was there and Members from our local Legion Riders Group as well.Many also belong to the Patriot Guard.The Patriot Guard provided flags for a Flag line outside of the funeral home and I was even part of the Flag Line.When the Marine Honor Guaed carried the casket to the hearse The Patriot Guard and Legion Riders Stood in FOrmationb in the street in Front of the Casket loading detail.

 

An unexpected honor was to meet two of the people who were instrumental in identifying Pvt Haraldson.They work for historyflight and came to attend the service.Prior to the service they were answering questions and it was very fascinating to hear them speak of their work and involvement in recovery and identification.They thanked us for being there and in we were not the ones to be thanked and told them they are the ones who need to be thanked and we were there to show our appreciation for them and historyflight as well.

 

You can imagine its not an easy or glamorous job doing what they do and often dont have success stories.

 

The case with Pvt Haraldson was a real win for them(they stated).As they were speaking they showed us photos of a watch found with the remains and this is one item that really sealed the identification as it was engraved P.S.H. C-1-6..........

PALMER SHERMAN HAROLDSON,Company C 1st Bn 6th Marines.THey said it was a pivotal moment in the identification as there was only one Marine on thier list from Tarawa with those initals.They knew then they had "Their Marine".

 

I encourage anyone who can attend one of these ceremonies to do so.Its well worth the time and very rewarding.Take the time off work.You can always make more money,Turn your phone off,put errands on hold,The grass can be mowed another day,and your life wont come to a halt.Thing like this are something eveyone should attend or try to at least once.

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I wasnt able to get many pictures.Im guessing there are more on facebook or other sites.

 

Here is the front of the funeral home.It was such a fitting touch that they have a restored 1938 Hearse they use at times and this was a perfect time.

 

You can see part of the flag line as well in front of the funeral home.The flag line stood there for the entire time during the service held inside.

 

 

 

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Couple pictures of the Patriot Guard and Legion Riders in the procession to the cemetary.Local Law enforcement had all intersections blocked and even two State Troopers were in attendance.

 

 

 

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Kurt Barickman

It was great to be there and would like to echo Ron's comments; people should attend, I was very humbled to be there. Thinking yesterday, It is probably the only time in my life (54) that I would be at the funeral of a WWII KIA. Since it was a Tarawa casualty, I knew for me it was a once in a lifetime event.

 

Kurt

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Kurt & Ron - Great send-off and presentation. Glad that you were able to attend. November 22, 1943 was a long time ago. "Semper Fidelis - Always Faithful". More than just a motto. Welcome home Marine. Rest in Peace........ Bob

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