Missing Marines Laid to Rest-- Part 1

From the Oct. 28, 2013, Marine Corps Times by Andrew deGrandpre.

The remains of two Marines missing since World War II were laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on Oct. 18th. Captain Henry White and Staff Sgt. Thomas Meek were in a SBD-4 Dauntless dive bomber that crashed July 21, 1943, on Mavea Island in the South Pacific about 1,100 miles from Australia's east coast. It is part of the Vanuata Chain.

The two Marines had taken off from Turtle Bay Airfield on the Espiritu Santo Island, a staging point for Allied operations against the Solomon Islands.. They were on a nighttime training mission when they went down about three minutes after takeoff.

The pilot, Henry White, 23, of Kansas City, Mo., and his gunner Meek, 19, of Lisbon, La., were assigned to a Marine scout bomber squadron. White had been commissioned a Marine officer in 1942, having come up through the Naval Reserve. Meek was the great grandson of noted American explorer Kit Carson.

Always Glad to Find Them. --GreGen