Procession honors California WWII Marine killed in battle 77 years ago
LOS ANGELES – A Marine from Los Angeles who was killed during a 1943 battle in World War II was honored Tuesday with a procession after his remains were returned to the United States.
Jacob Cruz was 18 when he was killed in action on Nov. 22, 1943, during a battle in the Gilbert Islands, KNBC reported. Cruz, a Marine, died on the third day of a battle on the island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert chain, the television station reported. Nearly 1,000 Marines and sailors died during the campaign, and more than 2,000 soldiers were wounded.
Cruz, a private, was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and a Silver Star, according to U.S. military records. He served in Company D, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, according to KNBC.
For years his status was listed as “unknown” and Cruz’s name was part of an inscription at the Court of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, KNBC reported. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been found, the television station reported.
Cruz’s remains had reportedly been buried with the bodies of other fallen Marines in the Tarawa Atoll in Row D of what became known as Cemetery 33, KCBS reported. In 2019, archaeologists identified several of the remains in the cemetery, including Cruz, the television station reported.
Private Cruz’s only surviving sibling, his 88-year-old sister, and other relatives were present Tuesday as Cruz’s body was transported from Los Angeles International Airport to Guerra Gutierrez Mortuary, KABC reported.
You never think you’re gonna see this day, and we as a family, we always prayed that my mom would make it and thank God she did,” Cruz’s nephew, Mike Mahan-Soto, told the television station. “When I was a child, my grandmother and I would go to Five Points in Boyle Heights for the memorial ceremonies that they had. She always kept his memory alive in us.”
