The body of a US marine who died over 70 years ago in a battle on Kiribati has been laid to rest in his home state of Tennessee.
Lead archaeologist Kristen N. Baker of History Flight, Inc., carefully exposes the remains of Medal of Honor recipient, First Lt. Alexander Bonnyman, Jr. Photo: Photo by Clay Bonnyman Evans/History Flight, Inc.
Thirty-one-year-old First Lieutenant Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman Jr was one of almost 1700 US marines who died in the three-day Battle of Tarawa against Japan in the Second World War.
Lt. Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman had a distinctive pattern of gold dental work. Photo: Supplied: Clay Bonnyman Evans
Hundreds of bodies were recovered in 1946 but at least 40 men buried on the island of Betio could not be found and were later declared unrecoverable.
But a charity organisation, History Flight, has been working in the Pacific to repatriate the bodies of missing marines and in June, its team discovered the body of Lieutenant Bonnyman who had distinctive gold dental work.
Bonnyman's body lay in honour at the East Tennessee Veteran's Memorial over the weekend before being buried with full military honours today in his family's plot in Knoxville.
