World War II Marine Killed In 1943 Returned To Arlington Heights

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — The remains of a U.S. Marine sergeant killed in action in the Pacific theater in World War II was returned Wednesday to Arlington Heights. Sgt. Harry "Bud" Carlsen, 31, died in 1943 at the Battle of Tarawa, but his remains weren't identified until June, 75 years after his death.

A motorcade that included law enforcement and motorcyclists from the Patriot Guard Riders and the Rolling Thunder Honor Guard escorted Carlsen's body from O'Hare International Airport to Glueckert Funeral Home. His family will hold a memorial service Friday at the funeral home, and Carlsen will be buried Saturday at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, according to his obituary.

Residents stood along the procession's route to honor Carlsen, including students from Saint James School. A flag line was created on Arlington Heights Road, and Carlsen's casket was met by a Marine Corps Honor Guard. (Subscribe to get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest Arlington Heights news. And Android and iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Carlsen was born Jan. 4, 1912, in Brookfield, worked as an auto mechanic in Cicero in the 1930s. He enlisted in the Marine Reserves in 1941 and participated in South Pacific landing assaults throughout 1942, his obituary stated. On Nov. 20, 1943, Carlsen was killed in the first assault waves on the island of Betio in the Battle of Tarawa, according to the U.S. Department of Defense's POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the agency that helped identify Carlsen. Around 1,000 marines and sailors died in the conflict, and Carlsen was one of 550 casualties who remained unidentified for decades.

In 2013, the U.S. government began analyzing unidentified military remains from Betio. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and Armed Forces Medical Examiner System scientists identified Carlsen using DNA, dental, anthropological and chest radiograph comparison analysis, as well as circumstantial and material evidence.

"It means everything for me and my family," Carlsen's great-nephew Ed Spellman told the Daily Herald.

Spellman — who along with a niece helped scientists ID Carlsen — traveled from his home in St. Charles to Arlington Heights where he grew up. He was one of the many relatives who was present for the return of Carlsen's body.

"I feel that 71 years later a promise has been fulfilled," Spellman added. "This day has finally come, and we are very grateful."

Visitation for Carlsen will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, at Glueckert Funeral Home, 1520 N. Arlington Heights Road, according to the mortuary. A committal service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery.

U.S. Marine Sgt. Harry "Bud" Carlsen, who died at the Battle of Tarawa in 1943. (Photo via Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency | U.S. Department of Defense)