HILLSIDE, Ill. — The remains of a Marine who died fighting in the Pacific Theater during World War II were buried with honors in Hillside Tuesday.
The return home for Sgt. Robert Van Heck, who died taking part in the Battle of Tarawa over the Gilbert Islands in November of 1943, comes after scientists were able to identify his previously discovered remains.
“My grandmother never got over this, and today she can rest,” said Van Heck’s niece, Nancy Mazzochetti.
More than one-quarter of the 12,000 Marines in the battle were killed or wounded, many were never found. Van Heck’s remains were recovered and sent to Hawaii but for years remained unidentified.
“She received a letter from the military saying that his remains would never be uncovered,” Mazzochetti said of her grandmother.
The remains were disinterred in 2017 and were identified using DNA several years later. For Van Heck’s family, the discovery and Tuesday’s ceremony bring closure to a sad but proud chapter in their family history.