My uncle George, who I was named after, was killed at the Battle of Tarawa during WW2 (1943). According to my late mother, he was in a foxhole with a bunch of other Marines. The Japanese threw a grenade into the foxhole, he jumped on the grenade, and saved the others. There is a project underway to recover and identify Marine remains lost at Tarawa. They are comparing lost Marine remains' DNA with known relatives' DNA. I was contacted by people in that project at Marine Headquarters at Quantico, VA. yesterday and today. They knew my full name, as well as the full names of my mother and two sisters, as well as my home address and phone number. They are sending me a swab kit to collect swab DNA samples from my inside cheeks. If my DNA matches that of a Marine's remains, it will be presumed to be my uncle George's remains. I will then have the privilege of burying my Marine hero uncle's remains after 72 years. I'm kind of excited! Here's an article about the project:

http://www.nydailyne...ticle-1.2286447

 

 

Wow! That's pretty amazing!!! Please keep us updated.

 

Nice.

How many Georges are there in your family?

 

Just My uncle George Hannigan and I, as far as I know, Jack. I have a cousin, Greg Hannigan, who I've never met, who's currently researching the family genealogy. He's sent me several emails and lots of old pictures. I'm going to contact him.

 

Cool stuff.

 

Interesting RB

 

Wow! What an honor too if the link is proven!

 

How long does it take to get results back? And I hope you aren't pregnant.

 

Beats the shit out of me.