Marine Corps CPL Vincent Richard Condelario, 23, killed in World War II, remains unaccounted-for.
Born June 8, 1920, in Martin, South Dakota, Vincent Richard Condelario was the youngest of ten children blessed to the union of proud Oglala Lakota Peter Joseph and Josephine "Nancy" (nee Moran) Condelario.
Vincent’s sister, Mrs Alberta Pourier wrote, “He was handsome, well spoken, and had many friends. He was a good student and enjoyed sports.” The valedictorian of St Francis Mission High School, in St Francis, South Dakota, set his sights on higher education and moved to Denver, Colorado to attend college.
Just 10 days after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the 67", 131 lb, brown-eyed brunette withdrew from university and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Soonafter, he took a long train ride west to complete training in San Diego. Private Condelario's unit was later shipped out into the Pacific Theater. By the time his unit landed on Guadalcanal, he'd been promoted to Private First Class.
Following the "Battle of Guadalcanal", the guys enjoyed the sights, scenes and hospitality of Wellington, New Zealand. There, many received medical treatment for tropical ailments, such as malaria; while some continued to suffer wounds - of all kinds - dealt by their Japanese foes. Marines coming fresh from the United States would fill in the ranks. Corporal Condelario's promotion meant that some of these kids were his responsibility. Before they shipped out, Vincent and his fellow veterans also explained carefully all that the Japanese - and the Solomons - had just taught the Battalion.
Corporal Condelario was with his brothers in Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion of the 8th Marines (HQ-1/8) when they landed on Betio as part of Operation: GALVANIC. The mission of the 2nd Marine Division was to secure the island in order to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll; thereby preventing the Japanese Imperial forces from getting closer to the United States, and enabling US forces to get closer to mainland Japan. It would become one of the bloodiest battles in the Corps history.
It was November 21, 1943 (D+1 for the “Battle of Tarawa”), when young Sonny - just 23 years old - perished. He'd reportedly been wounded in the landing on Tarawa and died of wounds the following day and soon buried on Betio Island - a temporary location chosen by his fellow Marines, the survivors of the battle, until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families.
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having a son off fighting in the war left the whole family on edge. The fact that this battle took place just before Thanksgiving meant that most of the families, who had unknowingly earned their Gold Star, would receive their heart-wrenching telegrams on Christmas Eve – some Christmas Day or even New Years Day.
For his service and sacrifice, Vincent's parents accepted his awards and decorations, including:
- Purple Heart
- Combat Action Ribbon
- World War II Victory Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater Campaign Medal
- Marine Corp Expeditionary Medal, and
- Gold Star Lapel Button.
Vincent’s sister, Alberta, said, “Vincent was a very serious young man and had many dreams and ambitions for his future.”
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but CPL Condelario’s remains were not recovered. On October 7, 1949, a military review board declared Sonny “non-recoverable”.
On August 8, 2013, Jennifer Morrison, an independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of CPL Condelario and put them in contact with the Marine Corps (Repatriation) POW/MIA Section. This (re)established lines of communication with Vincent’s family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered his niece the opportunity to provide a Family Reference DNA Sample, should it be necessary for her Uncle Sonny's identification.
Marine Corps Corporal Vincent Richard Condelario is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. His name is permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing".
SOURCE
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
American Battle Monuments Commission
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Personnel Profile
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
Born June 8, 1920, in Martin, South Dakota, Vincent Richard Condelario was the youngest of ten children blessed to the union of proud Oglala Lakota Peter Joseph and Josephine "Nancy" (nee Moran) Condelario.
Vincent’s sister, Mrs Alberta Pourier wrote, “He was handsome, well spoken, and had many friends. He was a good student and enjoyed sports.” The valedictorian of St Francis Mission High School, in St Francis, South Dakota, set his sights on higher education and moved to Denver, Colorado to attend college.
Just 10 days after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the 67", 131 lb, brown-eyed brunette withdrew from university and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Soonafter, he took a long train ride west to complete training in San Diego. Private Condelario's unit was later shipped out into the Pacific Theater. By the time his unit landed on Guadalcanal, he'd been promoted to Private First Class.
Following the "Battle of Guadalcanal", the guys enjoyed the sights, scenes and hospitality of Wellington, New Zealand. There, many received medical treatment for tropical ailments, such as malaria; while some continued to suffer wounds - of all kinds - dealt by their Japanese foes. Marines coming fresh from the United States would fill in the ranks. Corporal Condelario's promotion meant that some of these kids were his responsibility. Before they shipped out, Vincent and his fellow veterans also explained carefully all that the Japanese - and the Solomons - had just taught the Battalion.
Corporal Condelario was with his brothers in Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion of the 8th Marines (HQ-1/8) when they landed on Betio as part of Operation: GALVANIC. The mission of the 2nd Marine Division was to secure the island in order to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll; thereby preventing the Japanese Imperial forces from getting closer to the United States, and enabling US forces to get closer to mainland Japan. It would become one of the bloodiest battles in the Corps history.
It was November 21, 1943 (D+1 for the “Battle of Tarawa”), when young Sonny - just 23 years old - perished. He'd reportedly been wounded in the landing on Tarawa and died of wounds the following day and soon buried on Betio Island - a temporary location chosen by his fellow Marines, the survivors of the battle, until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families.
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having a son off fighting in the war left the whole family on edge. The fact that this battle took place just before Thanksgiving meant that most of the families, who had unknowingly earned their Gold Star, would receive their heart-wrenching telegrams on Christmas Eve – some Christmas Day or even New Years Day.
For his service and sacrifice, Vincent's parents accepted his awards and decorations, including:
- Purple Heart
- Combat Action Ribbon
- World War II Victory Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater Campaign Medal
- Marine Corp Expeditionary Medal, and
- Gold Star Lapel Button.
Vincent’s sister, Alberta, said, “Vincent was a very serious young man and had many dreams and ambitions for his future.”
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but CPL Condelario’s remains were not recovered. On October 7, 1949, a military review board declared Sonny “non-recoverable”.
On August 8, 2013, Jennifer Morrison, an independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of CPL Condelario and put them in contact with the Marine Corps (Repatriation) POW/MIA Section. This (re)established lines of communication with Vincent’s family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered his niece the opportunity to provide a Family Reference DNA Sample, should it be necessary for her Uncle Sonny's identification.
Marine Corps Corporal Vincent Richard Condelario is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. His name is permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing".
SOURCE
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
American Battle Monuments Commission
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Personnel Profile
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
Marine Corps CPL Vincent Richard Condelario, 23, killed in World War II, remains unaccounted-for.
Born June 8, 1920, in Martin, South Dakota, Vincent Richard Condelario was the youngest of ten children blessed to the union of proud Oglala Lakota Peter Joseph and Josephine "Nancy" (nee Moran) Condelario.
Vincent’s sister, Mrs Alberta Pourier wrote, “He was handsome, well spoken, and had many friends. He was a good student and enjoyed sports.” The valedictorian of St Francis Mission High School, in St Francis, South Dakota, set his sights on higher education and moved to Denver, Colorado to attend college.
Just 10 days after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the 67", 131 lb, brown-eyed brunette withdrew from university and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Soonafter, he took a long train ride west to complete training in San Diego. Private Condelario's unit was later shipped out into the Pacific Theater. By the time his unit landed on Guadalcanal, he'd been promoted to Private First Class.
Following the "Battle of Guadalcanal", the guys enjoyed the sights, scenes and hospitality of Wellington, New Zealand. There, many received medical treatment for tropical ailments, such as malaria; while some continued to suffer wounds - of all kinds - dealt by their Japanese foes. Marines coming fresh from the United States would fill in the ranks. Corporal Condelario's promotion meant that some of these kids were his responsibility. Before they shipped out, Vincent and his fellow veterans also explained carefully all that the Japanese - and the Solomons - had just taught the Battalion.
Corporal Condelario was with his brothers in Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion of the 8th Marines (HQ-1/8) when they landed on Betio as part of Operation: GALVANIC. The mission of the 2nd Marine Division was to secure the island in order to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll; thereby preventing the Japanese Imperial forces from getting closer to the United States, and enabling US forces to get closer to mainland Japan. It would become one of the bloodiest battles in the Corps history.
It was November 21, 1943 (D+1 for the “Battle of Tarawa”), when young Sonny - just 23 years old - perished. He'd reportedly been wounded in the landing on Tarawa and died of wounds the following day and soon buried on Betio Island - a temporary location chosen by his fellow Marines, the survivors of the battle, until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families.
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having a son off fighting in the war left the whole family on edge. The fact that this battle took place just before Thanksgiving meant that most of the families, who had unknowingly earned their Gold Star, would receive their heart-wrenching telegrams on Christmas Eve – some Christmas Day or even New Years Day.
For his service and sacrifice, Vincent's parents accepted his awards and decorations, including:
- Purple Heart
- Combat Action Ribbon
- World War II Victory Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater Campaign Medal
- Marine Corp Expeditionary Medal, and
- Gold Star Lapel Button.
Vincent’s sister, Alberta, said, “Vincent was a very serious young man and had many dreams and ambitions for his future.”
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but CPL Condelario’s remains were not recovered. On October 7, 1949, a military review board declared Sonny “non-recoverable”.
On August 8, 2013, Jennifer Morrison, an independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of CPL Condelario and put them in contact with the Marine Corps (Repatriation) POW/MIA Section. This (re)established lines of communication with Vincent’s family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered his niece the opportunity to provide a Family Reference DNA Sample, should it be necessary for her Uncle Sonny's identification.
Marine Corps Corporal Vincent Richard Condelario is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. His name is permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing".
SOURCE
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
American Battle Monuments Commission
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Personnel Profile
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
Born June 8, 1920, in Martin, South Dakota, Vincent Richard Condelario was the youngest of ten children blessed to the union of proud Oglala Lakota Peter Joseph and Josephine "Nancy" (nee Moran) Condelario.
Vincent’s sister, Mrs Alberta Pourier wrote, “He was handsome, well spoken, and had many friends. He was a good student and enjoyed sports.” The valedictorian of St Francis Mission High School, in St Francis, South Dakota, set his sights on higher education and moved to Denver, Colorado to attend college.
Just 10 days after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the 67", 131 lb, brown-eyed brunette withdrew from university and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Soonafter, he took a long train ride west to complete training in San Diego. Private Condelario's unit was later shipped out into the Pacific Theater. By the time his unit landed on Guadalcanal, he'd been promoted to Private First Class.
Following the "Battle of Guadalcanal", the guys enjoyed the sights, scenes and hospitality of Wellington, New Zealand. There, many received medical treatment for tropical ailments, such as malaria; while some continued to suffer wounds - of all kinds - dealt by their Japanese foes. Marines coming fresh from the United States would fill in the ranks. Corporal Condelario's promotion meant that some of these kids were his responsibility. Before they shipped out, Vincent and his fellow veterans also explained carefully all that the Japanese - and the Solomons - had just taught the Battalion.
Corporal Condelario was with his brothers in Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion of the 8th Marines (HQ-1/8) when they landed on Betio as part of Operation: GALVANIC. The mission of the 2nd Marine Division was to secure the island in order to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll; thereby preventing the Japanese Imperial forces from getting closer to the United States, and enabling US forces to get closer to mainland Japan. It would become one of the bloodiest battles in the Corps history.
It was November 21, 1943 (D+1 for the “Battle of Tarawa”), when young Sonny - just 23 years old - perished. He'd reportedly been wounded in the landing on Tarawa and died of wounds the following day and soon buried on Betio Island - a temporary location chosen by his fellow Marines, the survivors of the battle, until the Fallen could be recovered and returned to their families.
Having a loved one away from home during the holidays is always trying; however, having a son off fighting in the war left the whole family on edge. The fact that this battle took place just before Thanksgiving meant that most of the families, who had unknowingly earned their Gold Star, would receive their heart-wrenching telegrams on Christmas Eve – some Christmas Day or even New Years Day.
For his service and sacrifice, Vincent's parents accepted his awards and decorations, including:
- Purple Heart
- Combat Action Ribbon
- World War II Victory Medal
- American Campaign Medal
- Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
- Asiatic-Pacific Theater Campaign Medal
- Marine Corp Expeditionary Medal, and
- Gold Star Lapel Button.
Vincent’s sister, Alberta, said, “Vincent was a very serious young man and had many dreams and ambitions for his future.”
Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the U.S. military because the Gilbert Islands provided the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet a platform from which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.
In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, U.S. service members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island. In 1946 and 1947, the 604th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but CPL Condelario’s remains were not recovered. On October 7, 1949, a military review board declared Sonny “non-recoverable”.
On August 8, 2013, Jennifer Morrison, an independent volunteer forensic genealogist, found the family of CPL Condelario and put them in contact with the Marine Corps (Repatriation) POW/MIA Section. This (re)established lines of communication with Vincent’s family regarding the ongoing recovery and repatriation efforts, and offered his niece the opportunity to provide a Family Reference DNA Sample, should it be necessary for her Uncle Sonny's identification.
Marine Corps Corporal Vincent Richard Condelario is memorialized among the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific's Honolulu Memorial. His name is permanently inscribed within Court 2 of the "Courts of the Missing".
SOURCE
Marine Corps POW/MIA Section
American Battle Monuments Commission
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Personnel Profile
Jennifer Morrison, independent volunteer forensic genealogist
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CONDELARIO VINCENT R
CORPORAL • USMC • MISSOURI
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