77 Years After This Soldier Went MIA, His Remains Made An Emotional Return

Johnson had been fighting alongside his comrades in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion of the 6th Marines. They’d been sent to the island of Betio, which is a part of the Tarawa Atoll in modern-day Kiribati. The Japanese were in control of this Pacific isle at the time, but the Americans were determined to take it for themselves.

Some 18,000 Marines had been deployed to take Betio, though they weren’t expected to run into much trouble. That, unfortunately, turned out to be optimism bordering on naivete. Pretty soon the Battle of Tarawa descended into absolute chaos: the defenses the Japanese had set up on the island were robust and extensive.

Plus, some other factors disrupted the American assault on the island. The tides were low, for one thing, which meant boats struggled to maneuver through the water. This, in turn, forced soldiers to hop into the sea themselves to try and get to the shore. All of this, of course, was happening amid a barrage of enemy bullets.

A huge number of Marines were classified as MIA in the wake of this horrific battle, a designation always harrowing for family members back home. Without any solid news of what had happened to their loved ones, these people were essentially left in limbo. They were denied any basic sense of closure.

One poor family that suffered this fate were the Johnsons, who hailed from Hollister, California. Thomas W. Johnson and his wife Muriel had brought four kids into the world: Hugh, Marjorie, Thomas, and Kenneth. Thomas, their third arrival, had been born on the last day of 1924.

The family patriarch Thomas Sr. had been a military man himself, serving during World War I. Given his personal connection to the armed forces, then, it’s not much of a surprise that his sons joined up, too. Hugh was the first to do so, enlisting with the Marines in 1940.

When Hugh joined the Marines in 1940, America hadn’t yet entered World War II. But when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in ’41, things changed forever. The country was now at war, and by 1942 Hugh had been deployed abroad for the first time in his military career.

This was around the time the next Johnson boy was ready to begin serving. At just 17 years of age, Thomas Jr. was old enough to join the Marines, but he needed to seek permission from his guardians. He was granted just that, and by the summer of ’42 he, too, was a Marine.

Thomas received his military training in San Diego before being assigned to an anti-tank unit. His spell with this group was short-lived, though, and he was soon sent to join up with the 6th Marine Regiment. The very next day, the unit set sail aboard the SS Matsonia for the South Pacific.

Older brother Hugh, meanwhile, had been in harm’s way around this same time. He’d been fighting the Japanese during the Guadalcanal campaign, where he’d picked up a nasty injury: some shrapnel had cut into his right hand. While obviously unwelcome and sore, the wound wasn’t the most serious of injuries and the soldier was soon back in action.

Towards the end of the Guadalcanal campaign in January 1943, the two Johnson boys actually got to meet up. The pair’s respective units battled alongside each other for a brief time, though Hugh’s group was then sent to New Zealand. Thomas and his comrades stayed on until the end of February before they, too, were shipped to the same destination.

Based in New Zealand, it seems the brothers actually got to hang out again. A newspaper from back home reported on this, claiming that their unplanned meeting had taken place at a military hospital. It’s possible that the pair even got to enjoy some time off in the country together.

We can only hope the brothers enjoyed their meetings in New Zealand, because things were about to become extremely bleak. In November 1943, the two men were sent to the Tarawa Atoll, though they didn’t go with each other. Rather, they set out with their respective units to take part in the Battle of Tarawa — and they never met again.

The Battle of Tarawa can be seen in the wider context of America's effort to gain control of the central Pacific. Japan had been expanding throughout this region, conquering several island groups along the way. The Americans needed to drive them back, before eventually launching an offensive on mainland Japan itself.

A set of isles and atolls known as the Gilbert Islands — now a part of Kiribati — were seen as strategically vital to this end, but they were controlled by the Japanese. So, in November 1943, the U.S. Army initiated Operation Galvanic, a campaign to take the islands. The main target was an island called Betio, which was a part of the Tarawa Atoll.

On November 19, 1943, the Americans made it to the area around Tarawa. The following morning, they planned to unleash a bombing campaign. This aerial assault, it was hoped, would sufficiently impair the Japanese defenses to then allow for a smooth ground invasion. As it turned out, though, the mission went far from smoothly.

The Japanese were ready for the Americans. They’d gone to a great deal of effort to set up defenses on the atoll, with Betio in particular transformed into a real stronghold. Reports claim that one high-ranking Japanese official at the time gloated that a million men could invade the island over a 100-year period and still never take it.

The Japanese defenses on Betio were extensive. They included a series of bunkers known as pillboxes, a vast system of trenches, and some seawalls. Then, on top of that, there were natural features they could use to their advantage, such as coral reefs. On the shores stood roughly 4,500 soldiers, with a vast array of weapons at their disposal.

The Americans, on the other hand, numbered about 18,000 Marines, who in turn were supported by a range of warships. The scene was set, then, for a horribly bloody engagement between the two sides. So, following the aerial bombardment of Betio that had been intended to soften the island’s defenses, the Marines set out to land on the beaches.

Right from the off, the Americans encountered huge difficulties. A huge ocean swell meant it was heavy going for their ships and landing craft. And the aerial bombardment hadn’t gone entirely to plan, either. A delay to one of these attacks threw the whole invasion schedule, which gave the Japanese a better chance to defend themselves.

As previously mentioned, the tide also happened to be lower than the Americans had initially expected. This was hugely problematic, as it meant their landing craft couldn’t actually make it all the way to the island’s shoreline. And that meant soldiers had to jump in the water and make their own way to dry land.

As you might have expected, wading through the water without the protection of landing craft was incredibly hazardous. Many men were picked off by enemy fire as they struggled towards the island, while even the survivors arrived physically spent by the ordeal. Plus, lots of important electronic equipment was left waterlogged and inoperative.

The initial wave of landings was so disastrous that there was a direct knock-on effect for the units next in line. The seas around Betio became jammed and difficult to pass through, meaning the men already on the beach weren’t supported in sufficient numbers. A huge proportion of the battle’s final death toll lost their lives on that first day of the assault.

Day Two of the invasion didn’t start out much better. The tides were still low, so the Marines had no choice but to wade through the water once again. This meant they were subjected to that same fire from the shore, but this time the barrage was perhaps even worse. That’s because the Japanese had reorganized during the previous night.

Hugh Johnson was one of the soldiers who tried to make it to Betio on that second day. He and his comrades had to wade through 800 yards of seawater to reach land, but they were subjected to relentless defensive fire. Suffering a fate similar to so many of his fellow soldiers', Hugh was killed.

Hugh had died in action, right as his brother Thomas was preparing for his own foray onto Betio. Unaware that his sibling had been killed, Thomas set out with his unit early on November 22. These men, too, met fierce resistance, with many of them losing their lives or sustaining horrific injuries.

Thomas made it to shore, though, where he and his comrades were ordered to brace for a counterattack from the enemy. And as night fell, this assault began. Things started to look bad for Thomas’ squadron, as they had already used up a lot of their munitions. They needed to top up at a supply depot close by, but understandably the route to this facility was being relentlessly covered by Japanese fire.

Despite his low odds of survival, Thomas committed himself to retrieving the ammo. With that, he left cover and hurried over to the depot. He made it, grabbed as much ammo as possible, and made his way back. Along the way, though, he was hit by shrapnel. The brave 18-year-old somehow returned to his comrades, before finally passing away.

Like so many others — including his own brother — Thomas Johnson lost his life at the Battle of Tarawa. His remains, then, were laid to rest in a trench, which was then marked with crosses put together out of driftwood. These temporary markers were soon destroyed, though, and with them the location of the grave site was lost. Thomas’ body consequently wasn’t recovered after the battle, and as a result, he was officially declared to be MIA.

After Thomas’ passing, the Marines carried on with their efforts to take control of Betio. They eventually started to gain the upper hand, while the Japanese got desperate. They defended themselves right to the last; in the end, a mere 17 Japanese soldiers were still alive when the battle concluded on November 23.

In just three days, the United States had lost no fewer than 1,000 men at the Battle of Tarawa. Roughly double that number were injured. It was a hard, bloody assault, but its ultimate success was truly significant, representing a major landmark in the U.S. Army’s wider efforts to wrest the islands of the Pacific from Japanese control.

In the end, Operation Galvanic was ultimately a success. But that didn’t take away from the pain suffered by the loved ones of all the men who were lost. The Johnson family was hit particularly hard, as not one but two of their clan had perished. They learned of their terrible loss over the Christmas holidays.

After World War II had ended, efforts were made to recover the remains of the men lost at Tarawa. Neither of the Johnson boys, though, were found. It was a cruel blow for the family, who had been seeking some closure from the return of the remains.

And for many decades, that’s where the sad story ended, with the Johnson brothers remaining lost to history. But in 2009, a new development changed this narrative. An unmarked mass grave was found on Betio that year, which then led to some excavations. Human remains were taken out of the ground and brought to Hawaii for analysis.

Experts then studied the bodies excavated from the grave, paying particular attention to things like the teeth. They also analyzed the DNA and chromosomes of these skeletons — anything that could help them to identify who these people were. And bit by bit, they managed to achieve some significant results.

In 2014, Kathleen Vanatta, the daughter of Thomas and Hugh’s brother, was contacted and asked to provide a sample of her DNA. She agreed, hopeful that a match would be made and her uncles could be returned home after so many decades. Years passed, though, and she never heard anything back. But finally, in 2019, the phone rang.

One of the bodies excavated from the mass grave had matched with Kathleen’s DNA. It was her uncle Thomas, who was now set to finally come home. His remains were transported back to California, where he was buried on November 23, 2020. That date was almost exactly 77 years after his untimely passing, on November 22, 1943.

As Thomas’ remains passed through California, people came out to pay their respects. As reported by the War History Online website, Kathleen remarked, “It was very amazing, and I was very happy. It was very emotional, there [were] people across the overpasses with flags and waving saying, ‘Welcome home, Marine.’”

Thomas’ return is a welcome development that may provide his family with some sense of closure. Sadly, though, to date the remains of his big brother Hugh have yet to be found. But as Thomas’ posthumous homecoming has proven, it’s certainly not impossible that Hugh might one day make it back. There may eventually come a day, then, when these two brothers will both rest on home soil.

If Hugh's remains are one day discovered, he'll no doubt receive the same welcome home his brother did — after all, anyone willing to put their life on the line for their country deserves to be celebrated as a hero. This sentiment was in no short supply following the return of thousands of soldiers after WWII, and the images from this historic homecoming remain some of the most heartwarming ever captured.

The sheer joy of these reunions shone brightly. Once World War II had reached its end, a massive American operation swung into action: the aptly named Operation Magic Carpet. Getting the troops home as quickly and safely as possible was the name of the game. According to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, the stunning 360-day feat of logistics “was the largest combined air and sealift ever organized.” 

Judging by the welcome banner, that’s Hector coming up the garden path. This British soldier’s wife and young son are obviously overjoyed to have him home in their “prefab.” Factories produced prefabricated houses in large numbers to solve the housing crisis caused by German bombing. And the authorities gave returning servicemen priority allocation. 

The combat injuries these soldiers have endured are all too obvious in this shot. But their spirits seem undampened as they wave at the welcome sight of the Manhattan skyline. The ship they’re aboard was the Gripsholm – a Swedish American Line vessel. The U.S. State Department chartered the liner and she ferried troops home under the auspices of the Red Cross. On this occasion, Getty Images notes that Gripsholm was carrying 1,209 Americans released from German prisoner-of-war camps. 

It’s clearly been an emotional and affectionate reunion for this couple out for a stroll. Obviously, the man’s uniform shows that he’s a sailor, and the U.S. Navy had more than played its part in the victory that allowed him to come home in one piece. After years of war and danger, what a blessed relief it must have been to walk down a city street in the sunshine with his sweetheart in tow. 

It almost certainly wasn’t actually the end of the war for these cheering soldiers, but it was at least an extremely welcome temporary escape from mortal danger. These are some of the nearly 340,000 men who were rescued by the Royal Navy and a motley flotilla of civilian craft from the beach at the French port of Dunkirk. In 1940 German forces had encircled Allied troops in northern France and were closing in. Amazingly, they escaped by the skin of their teeth. 

Could you cram any more returning servicemen onto this ship? We think not. The vessel is the General Harry Taylor and she’s engaged in Operation Magic Carpet – the massive mission to repatriate American troops after the war’s end. Seen here arriving in New York City in August 1945, the liner has brought men back from Europe after victory there. And it’s fair to say that they look pleased to be home! 

This ragged but happy Italian soldier has just returned to his homeland after time in a Russian prisoner-of-war camp. We can assume that it wasn’t a barrel of laughs, either. He’s hardly in a fine-dining setting, but his first taste of local food in who knows how long looks to be a dream fulfilled. In fact, the soldier has plenty to be grateful about. Of the 230,000 Italians captured on the Eastern Front by the Soviets, the Central European University notes that only about 100,000 ever made it home. 

These G.I.s from the 1st U.S. Infantry Division are rolling into Fort Sheridan in Illinois after what can only be described as an extremely eventful war. The men had fought in North Africa and participated in the invasion of Sicily. They were some of the first troops ashore in the 1944 D-Day amphibious invasion of France and then battled all the way to Germany and on to Czechoslovakia. It’s no wonder, then, that the troops were known as “The Fighting First.” 

It’s 1945, and these French soldiers have just been demobilized. We don’t know where they’ve been fighting, but we can be sure they’re glad to be back in Paris. They’ve arrived at the Gare d’Austerlitz: the railroad terminus on the banks of the River Seine as it flows through the center of the French capital. For millions of men in Europe, getting out of uniform was their first priority at the close of WWII. 

It’s a British ship – the Queen Mary – but it’s packed to the gunwales with 14,000 American soldiers sailing home across the Atlantic to New York in 1945. The vessel was launched as a luxury liner in 1936 but was pressed into service as a troop ship during WWII. Before ferrying G.I.s back to the U.S. from Europe, she’d taken some 16,000 of them in the opposite direction to fight in the D-Day invasion of France, according to The Charlotte Observer.

For some, homecoming at the end of the war was a far from joyful occasion. This German – returning home after his nation’s utter defeat on the battlefields of Europe – is clearly distraught. On arriving in the city of Frankfurt in 1946, he’s discovered that bombing has obliterated his home and the family he left behind is nowhere to be seen. 

These British soldiers have just flown home after their release from German prisoner-of-war camps. According to Getty Images, over 170,000 Britons were captured by the Axis forces with many of their number taken as France fell in 1940. This meant that some had been in captivity for as long as five years, so homecoming must have been a sweet delight. 

These three are celebrating a momentous day – the surrender of Imperial Japan in the summer of 1945. Combined with Allied victory in Europe earlier that year, that meant the war was well and truly over at last. We can only hope that the sailor in the middle of this jolly threesome didn’t suffer a permanent hearing impairment!

These American troops are homeward bound in 1945 aboard a ship that set off from the city of Calcutta in India. Why here, though? Well, during the war thousands of G.I.s served in what were called the Chinese-Burma-India (CBI) operations and these presumably are some of them. Apparently, shipboard conditions were unbearably hot and cramped. But the knowledge that the men would be heading home meant that complaints were few and far between. 

Interestingly, American canines also traveled overseas to do their bit for the war effort. And, we can surmise, they were probably just as happy to get home as their masters. This particular hound certainly looks to be full of the joys of homecoming. More than 90 dogs – including this pooch – served with the U.S. 5th Army in Italy, according to Getty Images. In fact, the army had 15 canine platoons in total and seven of them served in Europe. 

For most Westerners, it’s fair to say that the Second Sino-Japanese War which lasted from 1937 until the end of WWII is a forgotten episode. But there was bitter fighting as Japan invaded and occupied parts of China during the years of that conflict. It And it was only the former’s defeat that ended the incursion. Hence, we have a celebrating Chinese national held aloft in London’s Piccadilly Circus after the war’s end. 

There’s jubilation in this crowd as a well as a refreshing show of racial harmony. The celebrations have erupted in Newark, New Jersey, with the announcement of Japan’s surrender. That, of course, was precipitated by the dropping of atomic weapons on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So, it’s no wonder that these Americans are in buoyant mood. They know that no more blood will be spilled in fighting WWII. 

On this occasion, the Queen Mary liner is carrying home men from the 82nd Airborne Division to an enthusiastic welcome. The unit had seen action in North Africa, Italy and took part in the D-Day assault – parachuting into German-occupied France. The soldiers had left Southampton on England’s south coast five days earlier and are seen here arriving in New York in January 1946. Just over a week later, the 82nd would take part in a huge victory parade down Manhattan’s 5th Avenue. 

These men returning home to France are not actually soldiers. But their lives were turned upside down by the German invasion of their country. They’d been dragooned into forced labor in Germany – a fate that befell up to 650,000 French citizens, according to the book Tuberculosis and War. Badly fed and ill-housed, the end of the conflict could not have come too soon for these forced workers. 

Able Seaman Leonard Pittman was a British sailor who served aboard HMS Ajax during WWII. As is obvious, his neighbors are totally delighted to see him and have prepared the warmest of welcomes. He’s arrived home to Durban Road – a street in the city of Portsmouth on England’s south coast. Interestingly, it was and still is home to a large naval base. 

Where better to celebrate victory in World War II than Manhattan’s famous Times Square? That certainly seems to be the view of these jubilant servicemen. Specifically, they’re marking the surrender of Japan. Combined with the overwhelming defeat of Germany, that meant the war was over once and for all. And if that wasn’t a good reason to throw a rowdy street party, then what is? 

These smartly uniformed women were welcoming the return of soldiers from the 86th Infantry Division in June 1945. It’s a little more than a month after Germany’s final surrender, so the G.I.s have wasted no time in getting back to the U.S. Since they’d seen hard fighting in Germany during the last months of the war, who could grudge them a rapid homecoming? 

Is there a better way to welcome victory than to seal it with a kiss? This couple in London, England, obviously didn’t think so. After an extremely tough six years of war for civilians as well as soldiers, the British were more than ready to let their hair down once it was all over in 1945. As the original Getty Images caption had it, “... An American soldier kisses a London girl in Piccadilly Circus.” 

These women are greeting returning U.K. soldiers with gifts of cigarettes and fruit. The men are members of the British Expeditionary Force which was sent to France early in WWII to help French and Belgian soldiers fight invading German stormtroopers. Unfortunately, by 1940 the mission had failed and ended in a perilous mass evacuation from the beaches of Dunkirk. 

Of course, the journey home was not one of joy in victory for everyone. These defeated Japanese soldiers are about to board a train that will take them back to their homeland. Imperial Japan had finally conceded defeat in August 1945 and this shot is from soon after. There were to be no celebratory victory parades for these troops. 

Captain Richard I. Bong – a war veteran at the tender age of 23 – regales his neighbors in Poplar, Wisconsin, with tales of his wartime exploits. He actually saw more service after this shot was taken in 1944 – Bong was on leave at the time. In the end, he shot down a total of 40 Japanese planes, HistoryNet notes. The all-American war hero sadly died just days before the conflict ended while test-flying a Lockheed P-80 jet fighter in Ohio. 

Love conquers all, it’s said – apparently even this dangerous looking gap between platform and train. And the young woman has every reason to be pleased to see her man. He’d just returned from France, where the entire British Expeditionary Force almost fell into the hands of the Germans in 1940. Military disaster was narrowly averted by the legendary Dunkirk evacuation. 

The Queen Mary sails into dock at New York Harbor with some 8,800 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division aboard, according to Getty Images. Read the list of place names on their banner and you’ll get an idea of just how much combat these troops had lived through. After all that battle action, every single one of them must have been overjoyed – and more than a little relieved – to see their homeland again. 

Sitting on the car hood is Captain Philip John Gardner back in England after a spell in a German prisoner-of-war camp. The men hauling the automobile are workers from the engineering factory owned by the Captain’s father. Gardner was a bona fide war hero who was awarded Britain’s highest military honor: the Victoria Cross. He won it for his action in rescuing a fellow solder while himself badly wounded and under fire. 

It’s easy to see the mood of jubilation here – and the couple at the center of the image add a note of unbridled romance. The occasion is VJ Day in 1945 when victory over Japan signaled the end of the bitter fighting of World War II. Naturally, celebrations in the Allied nations were spontaneous and ecstatic. 

We’ve all seen pictures of troops returning to cities like London and New York City to ecstatic crowds. But the atmosphere seen here in Naples in 1946 is rather different. These are Italian prisoners of war returning home to be greeted by a somewhat forlorn looking band of musicians. Still, we have no doubt they’re more than glad to be back in their own country. 

Hostilities with Japan effectively ended in August 1945, but formal surrender did not come until September 2. President Truman’s announcement of that huge event was the moment Americans had been waiting for. Yep, the time had come for mass celebration. The scene here is Broadway in Manhattan – thronged by a huge crowd of happy Americans and complete with a model of the Statue of Liberty. 

The mass evacuation of British, French and Belgian troops from the French port of Dunkirk came at the end of May 1940. It was a low point in the war for those fighting against a ruthlessly expansionist Germany. Though most of the British Expeditionary Force escaped back to England to fight another day – including these weary looking soldiers. 

It looks as if just one woman is there to greet these men of the U.S. Army’s 86th as their troopship arrives in New York from Europe. But you can be sure that there were many more people along the dockside to welcome these soldiers home in June 1945. They were the first combat troops to make it back to the U.S. as a full unit after the end of fighting in Europe, Getty Images notes.

Just as in America, in Britain there were wild scenes of celebration when the surrender of Imperial Japan was announced in September 1945 – bringing an end to World War II. Piccadilly Circus in the heart of London was one of the places where euphoric crowds gathered to celebrate the end of the six-year ordeal of WWII. Judging by the uniforms, the British were joined by elated G.I.s stationed in the country. 

These soldiers have made it back to the U.S after serving in the Pacific. For those who had survived the fierce fighting of World War II, homecoming was a time of relief as well as celebration. Yet for many of them, thoughts about their comrades-in-arms who had not made it home must have weighed heavily. 

Private First Class James Velocci of 49 Gold Street, Buffalo, New York, had made it home. His broad smile tells all we need to know about his thoughts about being back on American soil. He’d served with the 82nd Airborne Division – an outfit which had seen action right across North Africa, Italy, France and Germany. So, homecoming must have been sweet indeed. 

These three British soldiers – identified as Privates R. Chase of London, Geoffrey Smith of Yorkshire and Trooper George Hart of Kent – are just back from Europe. They’ve been involved in the 1944 D-Day invasion of France and have paid the price with their wounds. They were now safe in England – receiving treatment at an emergency hospital. 

The American sailors and soldiers seen here have just made it home from Europe in June 1945. According to Getty Images, they’re some of the 4,381 men and women to have arrived back on that particular day, aboard the first convoy to cross the Atlantic and dock on home soil after victory in Europe. Their feelings about being back in the U.S. are plain to see. 

This photograph taken on VJ Day gives us an idea of just how unrestrained the victory festivities in America were. The telltale lipstick marks on the G.I.’s face offer their own story. Someone has certainly been extremely glad to see him. Or perhaps there was more than one handing out the kisses! In any case, the newspaper headline – “Peace” – gives the reason enough for the unbridled celebrations.