WASHINGTON D.C. , WASHINGTON D.C. –
It’s been called the “Forgotten Hell,” but thanks to the government of Japan, one Marine is returning home after 80 years from the battle with one of the highest casualty rates in the Pacific- the Battle of Peleliu.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced March 28 that Private First Class John Henry Newstrom had been accounted for.
Newstrom, who entered the U.S. Marine Corps from Minnesota, served with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. On Sept. 28, 1944, Newstrom was killed by enemy gunfire as he attempted to rout a sniper from a cave during action on the northwestern tip of Peleliu during Operation STALEMATE II. Battle conditions prevented the recovery of his body at the time. Attempts to locate his remains after the war were unsuccessful.
In 2018, a team of experts on Peleliu, sponsored by the Government of Japan, recovered remains believed to be those of World War II casualties.
“Because U.S. Marines and U.S. Army soldiers fought across this terrain against the Japanese, combatants from both countries were lost in the same places,” said Dr. John Byrd, DPAA Scientific Analysis director.
DPAA works cooperatively with the Government of Japan Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare and Japan Association for Recovery and Repatriation of War Casualties (JARRWC) to ensure that remains of American and Japanese servicemembers are recovered and repatriated to their respective nations, Byrd added.
“We enjoy an excellent relationship with JARWC teams, often accompanying them in their field endeavors,” Byrd said.
Experts from the DPAA and Japan completed a Joint Forensic Review (JFR) of recovered remains, after which some were recommended for further scientific analysis at the DPAA Laboratory in Honolulu. Permission to transfer the remains was received in 2024, after extensive coordination between DPAA, the Palau Historical Preservation Office (HPO), the Japanese team, and the Japanese government.
The Japanese suffered more than 10,000 troops killed during this battle.
According to the National World War II Museum’s website, “conversely, the Americans suffered some 9,600 casualties, with 1,600 killed in action in a protracted struggle that lasted months.”
DPAA is tracking 125 unaccounted-for ground loss casualties from Peleliu in addition to three prisoners of war (POWs) lost during pre-battle reconnaissance. Additionally, the agency believes 79 Unknowns from Peleliu are interred at other official U.S. military cemeteries and is working to disinter Unknown remains for analysis and possible identification.
Editor’s Note: The family has not received their full briefing on this case currently. More information on the circumstances of this identification will be made available at that time.