United States Marine Private First-Class Orville Allen Hutchison, from Brookfield, Mo., was killed in action during World War II at Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands, on Sunday, November 21, 1943, at the age of 20.
At 1 p.m. on Monday, September 9, 2024, United States Marine Private First-Class Orville Allen Hutchison will be laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery, Brookfield, Mo., with full United States Marine military funeral honors conducted by the United States Marines. Services are under the direction of the Rhodes Funeral Home, Brookfield, Mo.
Orville Allen Hutchison was born to Jarvis Detmer and Emma Florence (Mallet) Hutchison on April 10, 1923, in Chillicothe, Mo. He was raised in Brookfield, Mo., along with his three siblings, Carl Edward Hutchison, Alice Irene Hutchison Pipes, and Florence Hutchison Ensor.
Orville entered the United States Marine Corps on June 14, 1941, in St. Louis, Mo. He served with King Company, Third Battalion, 8th Marines, in the Guadalcanal campaign and the Battle of Tarawa.
During the Battle of Tarawa, operation GALVANIC commenced on Saturday, November 20, 1943. The Third Battalion, including King Company, began heading towards Beach Red 3 to support the heavily engaged Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 2-8. The amphibious LCVPs (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel, also known as Higgins Boats) carrying the Marines slammed into a coral reef and stopped. The ramps were lowered, and the Marines jumped into deep water. Some drowned, while others faced heavy machine gun and mortar fire. Only about a hundred made it to shore. The King Company survivors, including PFC Orville Hutchison, were sent to hold the left flank of the Marine line, where they endured heavy machine gun and sniper fire for the rest of the day.
PFC Orville Hutchison survived the first day of the battle but was not as fortunate on the second day. He succumbed to gunshot wounds on Sunday, November 21, 1943. PFC Hutchison was declared a casualty of World War II and was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart. His remains were unidentified for over 80 years until the Department of Defense and Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency matched his DNA with that of his family members, leading to his identification.
