World War II Honoree

Palmer Sherman Haraldson

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Glendale, California

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Private. On February 26, 1943, he entered the United States Marine Corps from California, receiving his Marine combat training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California. Served with Company-C as a Rifleman, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, a subordinate unit of the 2nd Marine ‘The Silent Second’ Division in the Central Pacific Theater of Operations. His division participated in the amphibious assault against the Imperial Japanese forces in the Battle of Tarawa, on the Island of Betio, located on the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands (Battle Dates: November 20-23, 1943) Code Name: Operation Galvanic. Reported missing in action, lost at sea Monday, November 22, 1943 on the third day of the invasion, and in remembrance of the brave, his name is recorded in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at the Honolulu National Memorial cemetery of the Pacific ‘Punchbowl’ Hawaii. In June of 2015 the history flight, a private organization, discovered a collective burial grave on Betio Island. The remains were transferred to the defense prisoner of war/missing in action accounting agency in Hawaii where he was identified. The remains of this Marine were interred with Military Honors at the Memorial Park Cemetery June 22, 2016 in Fort Dodge, Iowa. He received the following awards and citation: Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one Bronze Star and the WWII Victory Medal. This Marine, an American Patriot awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, who so gallantly gave his life for his country.