Vandenberg, John Eugene

1918 - 1942  (24 years)    Has 32 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.

• Name	Vandenberg, John Eugene
  Born	5 Jan 1918	Kenosha, Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA
  Gender	Male
  1920 Census	1920	Kenosha, Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA
  Ed 10 Page 18b
  Listed living with parents age 1 11/12
  Military Service	Bef 17 Aug 1942
  WWII
  Died in service WWII in the Makin Islands.Briefly, he was killed in a raid on Butartari Atoll in the Makin Island s, now known as Kirabati. CILHI goes all over the world searching for t he bodies of missing military personnel from all wars. With the he lp of a native islander who recalled where the mass temporary grave was f or these 19 men, and the efforts of their fellow former Marine Raiders, CI LHI located the grave in 1998 or 1999. We heard about this in Decemb er of 1999. That is when the remains were returned to Hickam Air Force Ba se and the identification process began. It turns out that Eugene's dog t ags were found and his remains could be identified from dental record s. He was buried with 13 of the other Marines in Arlington National Cemete ry on August 17, 2001. The Marine Raiders held their annual conventi on in D.C. at that time and it was really interesting to be there and ta lk to some of these men and the archeologists from CILHI.
  Occupation	Bef 17 Aug 1942
  Unknown
  Unknown
  Died	17 Aug 1942	Butaritari, , Kiribati
  Cause: War - KIA - WWII
  Obituary	Aft 17 Aug 1942
  Missing text or image.
  Buried	17 Aug 2001	Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, USA
  2001 - His body has finally been found, returned to the USA and buri ed at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C.
  News Mention	8 Jul 2003
  United States Department of Defense - News Release- No. 714-00 -IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 29, 2000 WWII MARINE RAIDERS IDENTIFIED, RETURNING HOME The remains of 19 World War II Marine Raiders killed in action on Butaritari Island (Makin Atoll) and listed as missing in action since August 1942 were recently identified, and will be returned to their families for burial. The remains are those of: Capt. Gerald P. Holtom, Palo Alto, Calif. Sgt. Clyde Thomason, Atlanta, Ga. FM1C. Vernon L. Castle, Stillwater, Okla. Cpl. I.B. Earles, Tulare, Calif. Cpl. Daniel A. Gaston, Galveston, Tex. Cpl. Harris J. Johnson, Little Rock, Iowa Cpl. Kenneth K. Kunkle, Mountain Home, Ark. Cpl. Edward Maciejewski, Chicago, Ill. Cpl. Robert B. Pearson, Lafayette, Calif. Cpl. Mason O. Yarbrough, Sikeston, Mo. Pfc. William A. Gallagher, Wyandotte, Mich. Pfc. Ashley W. Hicks, Waterford, Calif. Pfc. Kenneth M. Montgomery, Eden, Wis. Pfc. Norman W. Mortensen, Camp Douglas, Wis. Pfc. John E. Vandenberg, Kenosha, Wis. Pvt. Carlyle O. Larson, Glenwood, Minn. Pvt. Robert B. Maulding, Vista, Calif. Pvt. Franklin M. Nodland, Marshalltown, Iowa Pvt. Charles A. Selby, Ontonagon, Mich.The Marines were members of the Marine Corps' 2nd Raider Battalion, killed during the August 17-18, 1942, raid on Japanese-held Butaritari Island, during which an estimated 83 Japanese soldiers were killed.Lt. Col. Evans F. Carlson commanded the Raiders during the operation, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's son, Capt. James Roosevelt, was the operation's second-in-command. Ferried to the island by submarine and landing on and departing Butaritari by rubber boats, the Marines were unable to evacuate the bodies of their fallen comrades.With the assistance of island inhabitants, including a man who assisted in the burial of the Marines in 1942, a recovery team from the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI) uncovered a mass grave and excavated the remains in November and December 1999. That operation was preceded by an initial investigation in August 1998 and an unsucces sful recovery effort in May 1999. The U.S. Marine Raider Association provided invaluable assistance with firsthand information and documentation about their combat on Butaritari. In late 1999, the CILHI began an exhaustive forensic identification process, including the use of mitochondrial DNA, to confirm the identities of the Marines. Marine Corps officials, using historical military records and more modern search techniques, located the next of kin of each of the Marines. Arrangements for the transportation and burial of the Marines are underway, in consultation with the families. The first burial is expected to be that of Cpl. Yarbrough in Sikeston, Mo. in December. Among the remains recovered are those of Sgt. Clyde Thomason, the first enlisted Marine awarded the Medal of Honor during World War II.The identification of these Marines contributes to the ongoing effort by the Department of Defense to locate and identify more than 88,000 American service members who remain missing in action from World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. United States Department of Defense - Press Advisory No. 157-P August 1 4, 2001 Makin Island Raiders to be Honored at Arlington The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James L. Jones, will speak at a memorial service for Marines of the 2nd Raider Battalion who were killed during a raid on Butaritari Island in 1942. The service and subsequent burial will take place at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, Aug. 17 at 11 a.m. EDT.The remains are those of Capt. Gerald P. Holtom, Palo Alto, Calif.; Sgt. Clyde Thomason Atlanta, Ga.; FM1 Vernon L. Castle, Stillwater, Okla.; Cpl. Daniel A. Gaston, Galveston, Texas; Cpl. Edward Maciejewski, Chicago, Ill.; Cpl. Robert B. Pearson, Lafayette, Calif.; Pfc. William A. Gallagher, Wyandotte, Mich.; Pfc. Kenneth M. Montgomery, Eden, Wis.; Pfc. John E. Vandenberg, Kenosha, Wis.; Pvt. Carlyle O. Larson, Glenwood, Minn .; Pvt. Robert B. Maulding, Vista, Calif.; Pvt. Franklin M. Nodland, Marshalltown, Iowa; and Pvt. Charles A. Selby, Ontonagon, Mich.The families of six other Marines killed during the raid elected to have private burials. A casket containing co-mingled remains will be interred during the ceremony in addition to the 13 individual caskets.The 19 Marines were killed during a raid on Butaritari Island, in the Makin Atoll, Aug. 17-18, 1942. They were members of the 2nd Raider Bn., a Marine unit organized and trained to conduct commando and guerrilla-style attacks behind enemy lines. The unit was led by then-Lt. Col. Evans Carlson and his second-in-command, Maj. James Roosevelt, son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Sgt. Clyde Thomason, whose remains will be among those interred Friday, was the first enlisted Marine to earn the Medal of Honor in World War II.During the two-day battle, the Raiders killed an estimated 83 Japanese soldiers, but their attempts to leave the island were bedeviled by a high and crashing surf and they were unable to evacuate the bodies of their fallen comrades.In November 1999, a recovery team from the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CILHI), uncovered a mass grave on Butaritari Island and excavated the remains. The remains were transported to CILHI where an exhaustive process led to the identification of the Marines and the subsequent notification of their families.The remains will arrive at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Thursday at 9: 30 a.m. An arrival ceremony will be conducted by Marines from Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. and the President's Own, United States Marine Band. For media access to the arrival at Andrews or the ceremony at Arlington, contact Marine Capt. Joseph Kloppel at (703) 614-4309. See this website for more stories and photos http://www.usmcraiders.com/return.htm
  	Vandenberg, John News Body to be returned home from WWII
  Marriage Status	Never Married
  Person ID	I3217	1FamilyTree | JaysRelated, CraigDiekvoss4020, JeanneS, HaleyKleckner37946, DavidSchlickbernd6337, TomTurriff28815, AnnSchwarzHeiman85709
  Last Modified	22 Feb 2017

  
  

  Father	Vandenberg, John J.,   b. 14 Feb 1880, Holland, Brown, Wisconsin, USA ,   d. 4 Oct 1922, Kenosha, Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA  (Age 42 years)
  Mother	Powers, Catharine Elisabeth "Elsie",   b. 15 Feb 1890, Buchanan, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA ,   d. 15 Aug 1967, Kenosha, Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA  (Age 77 years)
  Family ID	F1964	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map	Load the map	Born - 5 Jan 1918 - Kenosha, Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA 1920 Census - Ed 10 Page 18b - 1920 - Kenosha, Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA Died - Cause: War - KIA - WWII - 17 Aug 1942 - Butaritari, , Kiribati Buried - 17 Aug 2001 - Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set