American servicemen and Marshallese attending a funeral, Kwajalein Atoll, 1944

Gift of the Scanlan Family
Description: 

Photograph. American servicemen and Marshallese standing at the edge of a mass grave; a Chaplin reads from a Bible over a corpse. Caption on reverse: "3311. From: Public Relations Division / U.S. Coast Guard / Washington, D.C. / Credit Line Must Read 'Official Coast Guard Photo.' AMERICAN CHAPLAIN OFFICIATES AT NATIVE FUNERAL. With Coast Guardsmen and soldiers joining native mourners, a Marshall Islander is buried near the cemetery for American fighting men after the fury of battle had subsided on Kwajalein atoll. Army Chaplain Capt. William S. Gardner of Richmond, Virginia is reading the service which was translated by the native preacher. Stamped caption in blue ink: "In rewriting captions please mention 'Coast Guard.'" Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. 1944

Image Information

Donor: 
Mrs. Kathleen M. Scanlan
Accession Number: 
2015.063.060
Date: 
1944
Location: 
Hometown: 
Branch: 
Theater of Service: 
Unit: 
Campaign / Event: 
POW / KIA: 
Topical Subjects: 
Death & burial--Kwajalein
Cemeteries--American--Kwajalein
Collection Level: 
Items from the service of John J. Scanlan Jr., who served in the United States Coast Guard. Born in Quincy, Massachusetts, Scanlan worked for a newspaper prior to joining the Coast Guard. During the war, he acquired photographs published by the Public Relations Division of the United States Coast Guard. The collection consists of photographs from most of the theaters of operations and depict life in the field and aboard a ship for Coast Guardsmen and Marines. Also included is a satirical piece of military correspondence. See collection 2012.321 for more items from the collection subject.
Geography: 
Kwajalein
Latitude: 
9.250
Longitude: 
167.500
Thesaurus for Graphic Materials: 
Death & burial--Kwajalein
Cemeteries--American--Kwajalein