Sgt. Moore

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Fae Verlin Moore, 23, of Chadron, Nebr. was killed in action Nov. 20, 1943, on the island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands during World War ll"s Battle of Tarawa.

He was buried on Betio and later classified as Missing in Action. The burial site was discovered in March 2015. His remains were then positively identified using DNA analysis and his dental records. More than 72 years after his death, he will be buried Thursday October 6, next to his parents in the Beaver Valley Cemetery, Sheridan County, Nebraska.

Fae Verlin Moore was born May 16, 1920, in Chadron, Nebr., the youngest child of Alonzo Montgomery and Mary (Potter) Moore. His siblings were Alonzo (Myrtle) Moore of Rushville, Nebr.: Glen (Winfred) Moore of Manhattan, Kansas: William Sheridan (Goldie) Moore of Denver, Colo.: Nancy Ellen (George) Herman, of Muscatine, Iowa: Helen (Luther) Denton of Chadron, Nebr.: Hazel (Alfred) Moss of Denver, Colo.: Ester Evelyn (Charles) Davis of Muscatine, Iowa: Matthew Morton (Angie) Moore of Arvada, Colo.: and Clifford (Mary) Moore of Petaluma, Calif. Jill Hudson his fiancée in New Zealand.

Fae Moore attended Sheridan County Schools, District 69, Beaver Valley School. He and his family moved to Shannon County, South Dakota on a ranch.

He worked on a ranch for five plus years. He also worked in construction as a general carpenter in and near Rushville, Nebraska.

Moore traveled to Minneapolis, Minn., on Aug. 18, 1941, and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Sgt. Moore completed basic training in San Diego, Calif. He was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division in August 1941. In November of 1942 his unit was actively involved in the Battle of Guadalcanal. In March of 1943 his unit was in New Zealand to train for the Battle of Tarawa.

The family was notified that he was killed in the assault of Red Beach on Nov. 20, 1943.
Sgt. Moore received the Purple Heart Medal, Good Conduct Medal, U.S. Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, U.S. Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon, and U.S. Marine Corps Expert Rifle and Pistol Marksmanship Badges.

A dedicated team from History Flight Inc., a non-profit organization based in Marathon, Fla., discovered the remains of Moore and 35 other Marines in 2015. Moore started his journey back home in June 2015 when the Marines' remains were flown to Hawaii to be positively identified. His remains were positively identified using his dental records and DNA analysis involving a nephews' DNA.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be given in Fae's memory to History Flight Inc., The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Va. or the American Legion Post #12 in Chadron, Nebr.

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