Senate Concurrent Resolution 532

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REMEMBERING THE GALLANT SERVICE AND COMMENDING THE LIFE OF UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS SERGEANT HAROLD HAMMETT WHO WAS LOST IN ACTION ON NOVEMBER 20, 1943, AT THE BATTLE OF TARAWA IN WORLD WAR II AND WHOSE REMAINS WERE RETURNED FOR BURIAL IN MISSISSIPPI, AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE.

WHEREAS, a Mississippi Marine lost in World War II will have a final resting place more than 80 years after his death; and

WHEREAS, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency reported the remains of 24-year-old Marine Corps Sergeant Harold Hammett of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, have been accounted for and will be returned to Mississippi for burial. He was buried with full military honors on January 26, 2024, on what would have been his 105th birthday, at Roseland Park Cemetery following a graveside service; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Hammett was the fifth of eight children born to Emry Holmes "E.H." Hammett and Eva Jane Sharp Hammett. He graduated with Petal Consolidated High School's class of 1939 and was a member of the Carterville Baptist Church; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Hammett enlisted in the Marine Corps on August 1, 1940, in San Francisco, California, then was sent to the South Pacific in July 1942. He was in the Battle on Tulagi and in several major battles on Guadalcanal, DPAA reported. After being wounded, he was hospitalized in New Zealand, where he awaited orders for his next mission; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Hammett was in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion of the 2nd Marines (B-1/2) when the team landed on Betio as part of Operation: GALVANIC. The mission of the 2nd Marine Division was to secure the island to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll with the goal of preventing the Japanese Imperial forces from getting closer to the United States; and

WHEREAS, the move also would enable U.S. Forces to get closer to mainland Japan. It would become one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history, according to the DPAA, on November 20, 1943, also known as D-Day for the Battle of Tarawa; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Hammett was killed in action on that day. His body was believed to be buried on Betio Island by survivors of the battle. His remains were only recently recovered. Without a body to bury, Sergeant Hammett's family erected a memorial marker next to where his parents also were buried, DPAA said in a news release; and

WHEREAS, the Patriot Guard Riders escorted Sergeant Hammett's remains from the funeral home to the cemetery, followed by the graveside service, including full military honors; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Hammett was awarded the Purple Heart and Presidential Unit Citation for his service; and

WHEREAS, at the time of his death, Sergeant Hammett's survivors included his seven siblings, including brother, PFC Emry H. Hammett, Jr., who was stationed with the Marines in Honolulu, Hawaii, at the time, and his grandparents: R.L. "Rufus" Sharp and Mrs. Annie Edmonson Sharp, and L.D. "Dad" Hammett; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Harold Hammett was a loving son who is counted among America's heroes, committed to our nation's safety and security. To a country, a fallen soldier means a national loss; to a community, a fallen soldier means a true hero; to a parent, a fallen soldier means a son who won't be coming home. Mississippians understand the costs of conflict, because we have paid them in the past, and it is with great pride and humility that we recognize the heroic action of this great World War II American and Mississippian, who was the guardian of civilization as we know it today:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby remember the gallant service and commend the life of United States Marine Corps Sergeant Harold Hammett who was lost in action on November 20, 1943, at the Battle of Tarawa in World War II and whose remains were returned for burial in Mississippi, and extend the thoughts and prayers of the Legislature to his family and our sorrow on his passing.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Sergeant Harold Hammett and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.