Claude W. Dobson
Date of Birth: November 22, 1923
Place of Birth: Kansas
Father and Mother’s Names: Claude E. and Emma Dobson
Date Entered Service: TBD
Service Branch: Marines
Service Number: TBD
Rank: Private First Class
Division/Company/Unit info: TBD
Riley Connection: The 1930 U.S. Census shows the Dobson family as farming in Ogden Township. The 1940 U.S. Census shows Claude and his parents as living in Arkansas. WWII casualty list shows his mother as living at 500 Laramie St. in Manhattan.
Date of Death (and Age): November 21, 1943 (age 20 - 1 day). MIA/KIA, body never found.
Place of Death: Tarawa, Gilbert Islands
Grave Location: Listed as “missing” from the Battle of Tarawa. Findagrave.com says extensive research was done to locate the missing from the battle.
Bio: When Claude was a boy, his family farmed in Ogden Township. He enlisted in the Marines, where he was a Private, first class. He served in the Pacific Theatre and participated in the U.S. invasion of the Gilbert Islands. The Battle of Tarawa was the first U.S. offensive in the region, and U.S. forces faced heavy opposition from the Japanese. Claude was killed during the Battle of Tarawa on Nov. 21, 1943, a day shy of his 20th birthday. The WWII casualty list shows his mother living on Laramie St. in Manhattan.
