UPDATED @ 12:04 AM. The Time Has Come For Us To Pay Our Respects

Rickey Stokes

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Posted by: RStokes
Date: Apr 11 2017 9:41 AM

Look on Rickey Stokes FACEBOOK for live video

UPDATED @ 12:05 PM  

The family and funeral coach along with Commissioner Sinquefield, Mayor Greco and law enforcement escorts are leaving Tallahassee  with Mr. Whitehurst enroute to Dothan.

UPDATED @ 11:18 AM

Houston County Commissioner Doug Singfield traveled to Tallahassee to show honor and respect to Mr. Whitehurst. Also traveling to Tallahassee Houston County Sheriff Lt Ivey and Deputy Blissett escorted the family and funeral coach to Tallahassee.

They are there and awaiting to begin

DOTHAN - HOUSTON COUNTY:    The time has come for the people of Dothan and Houston County to get out in force to pay their respects to a person who sacrificed their life for our freedom.

On November 20, 1943 a 20 year old young man by the name of James O. Whitehurst of Ashford Alabama was a United States Marine. He was killed and unaccounted for in World War II.

In June 2015 a nongovernmental organization, History Flight, Inc. discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of 35 United States Marines who fought in the battle of November 1943. Through scientific measures, dental records and other analysis, the body of James Whitehurst was identified.

TODAY the family of Mr. Whitehurst and Glover Funeral Home, Ashford Police Chief Quinton Vann and Ashford Mayor Jonathon Grecu are traveling ( right now ) to the airport in Tallahassee Florida.

Mr. Whitehurst body is being flown into the airport. Before anyone is allowed to deplane the body of Mr. Whitehurst will be removed from the plane with Military honors.

Matt Boster is with them to capture on video and possibly LIVESTREAM on RSN Facebook.

They will leave the airport and travel back to Dothan. As they enter Alabama Alabama State Troopers, Houston County Sheriff Department and Dothan Police Department will begin a blue light and siren escort to Glover Funeral Home on Hartford Highway.

THE TIME AND PLACE TO PAY RESPECTS

On Wednesday at 12:30 PM a law enforcement escort will leave Glover Funeral Home. It will leave on time at 12:30 PM. They will travel from Glover Funeral Home inside the Ross Clark Circle to Highway 52 West ( Lowe's ), where they will turn left on Ross Clark Circle. They will travel on Ross Clark Circle through South Park, Highway 231 South, Hodgesville Road, Third Avenue, Cottonwood Road, Prevatt Road and to Highway 84 East.

Once at Ross Clark Circle and Highway 84 East, they will turn right and travel out Highway 84 East to Glenn Lawrence Road where they will turn left and travel to Cowarts Baptist Church Cemetery. Graveside services will be held.

A United States Marine will accompany the body of Mr. Whitehurst as he is flown into Tallahassee and will remain until buried in Cowarts. The United States Marine will remain with the body 24/7 until burial.

The people of Dothan - Houston County and surrounding area is encouraged to line the roadway and be in place at 12:30 PM Wednesday as the escort makes it way from Glover Funeral Home  to Cowarts.

This young man gave his life for you and I to enjoy freedom. And since 1943 has remained in a grave unidentified. He made the ultimate sacrifice for you and I. We need to take time, the business community needs to allow your employees to take the time, to line the highway and pay the respect.

The escort is expected to arrive at the Alabama TODAY at 2:30 PM. You can pay respects as they travel north on Highway 231 South from the Alabama - Florida line to the intersection of Highway 231 South and Ross Clark Circle, they will turn left on the circle and travel to Hartford Highway, and turning inside the Ross Clark Circle to Glover Funeral Home.

MR.WHITEHURST LIFE AND FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM

In November 1943 Mr.  James Whitehurst, age 20, of Ashford Alabama was assigned to Company E, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, which landed against stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, in an attempt to secure the island.

Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded. But the Japanese were virtually annihilated.

Mr. James O. Whitehurst, age 20, was killed on the first day of the battle, November 20, 1943.

Despite the heavy casualties suffered by U.S. forces, military success in the battle of Tarawa was a huge victory for the United States Military because the Gilbert Islands provided the United States Pacific Fleet a platform form which to launch assaults on the Marshall and Caroline Islands to advance their Central Pacific Campaign against Japan.

In the immediate aftermath of the fighting on Tarawa, United States Service Members who died in the battle were buried in a number of battlefield cemeteries on the island.

In 1946 and 1947 the 604th Quatermaster Graves Registration Company conducted remains recovery operations on Betio, but Whitehurst's remains were not recovered.

In June 2015, a nongovernmental organization, History Flight, Inc.,notified DPAA that they discovered a burial site on Betio Island and recovered the remains of what they believed were 35 United States Marines who fought during the battle in November 1943. The remains were turned over to DPAA in July 2015.

To identify James O. Whitehurst remains, scientists from DPAA used dental and anthropolgical analysis, which matched his records, as well as circumstances and material evidence.

DPAA is appreciative to History Flight, Inc. and their partnership for this recovery mission.

Of the 16 million Americans who served World War II, more than 400,000 died during the war. Currently there are 73,070 service members still unaccounted for from World War II. 

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