After more than 80 years, this Marine returned home from Guadalcanal
By Claire Barrett
Jun 20, 2025, 11:41 AM
A U.S. Marine Corps honor guard carries the casket of Pvt. Charmning W. Rowe, a Marine killed during the battle of Guadalcanal. (Staff Sgt. Ethan M. LeBlanc/Marine Corps)
Following a decade-long recovery and identification mission led by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency — and more than 80 years since he was killed in the hellish Guadalcanal campaign — U.S. Marine Corps Pvt. Charmning Rowe returned home this month.
“Today we close the chapter on a story that began in 1942 and bring home a hero,” said Sgt. Matthew Wedding, the Marine charged with escorting Rowe’s remains. “This mission embodies our commitment to never forget and to fulfill our promise to bring every Marine home.”
A native of Orlovista, Florida, Rowe enlisted in the Marine Corps on Jan. 20, 1942, just six weeks after the United States’ entry into World War II. Following recruit training at Parris Island, South Carolina, Rowe was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Division.
The American campaign to wrest the island of Guadalcanal from the Japanese began on Aug. 7, 1942. The first land campaign of the Pacific, Guadalcanal was to play an outsized roll in turning the Japanese tide in the war.
https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/military-history/2025/06/20/after-more-than-80-years-this-marine-returned-home-from-guadalcanal/
