Sergeant Elden W. Grimm comes home
Hondo told us that the earthly remains of Marine Sergeant Elden Grimm were identified back in October. DPAA reports that he will finally make it home on May 26th;
Marine Corps Sgt. Elden W. Grimm, 26, of Menasha, Wisconsin, accounted for on Sept. 26, 2017, will be buried May 26 in Neenah, Wisconsin. In November 1943, Grimm was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 18th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island. Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, but the Japanese were virtually annihilated. Grimm died on Nov. 25, 1943.
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To identify Grimm’s remains, scientists from DPAA used dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, which matched his records, and circumstantial evidence.
Category: We Remember
RIP
Welcome back home brother.
Welcome home.
Finally able to Rest in Peace..
Welcome home, Marine.
18th Marine Regiment. It was apparently a Combat Engineer Regiment and was disbanded after the war. It’s 1st Battalion became 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion. I thought I knew a lot about WWII history and the Marines, but if I knew about that unit, I didn’t remember it.
16th, 17th, 18th, 19, 20th Marine Regiments were all engineer units in support of Marine Divisions. They were all disbanded and absorbed at various points during the war.
Welcome home Brother. Rest in peace in your home soil.
Rest in Peace.
Welcome home, Brother. Rest in Peace.
Welcome home, SGT Grimm. There’s a cold, frosty mug and a plateful of your favorites waiting for you.
Welcome home, SGT.
Rest well.
I was fortunate to be the captain of the plane that brought Sgt Grimm from Atlanta to Milwaukee along with the wonderful honor guard. It was very much my privilege. I told the passengers about Sgt Grimm and his long journey. They seemed to be very moved. VERY few times in my flying career do I get the chance to do something so meaningful. BTW, I was a Marine Capt, A-6 Intruder pilot from 81-90.