The story on how World War II veteran Frank Wappel’s body returned to East St. Louis
Like millions of other young men, Frank A. Wappel of East St. Louis went off to World War II.
And like hundreds of thousands others, he died in battle. But it would be even more nerve wracking than most sons’ war deaths for Frank and Teresa Wappel of the 2200 block of Gaty Avenue in East St. Louis.
Frankie, as the son was known, joined the Marines late in 1943 and trained at Camp Pendleton in California. He kept up a lively correspondence with his family — his mom and dad and a sister, Theresa, (spelled various ways in various letters as was her mother’s similar name) and brother, Joe.
The family’s ordeal came to light recently when a family member donated a cache of family memorabilia to the St. Clair County Historical Society. The treasure trove included a lot of letters the family received before, during and after the war.
Some of the letters show how cruel the war could be as they detail a saga that went from a missing soldier to a dead soldier to a soldier whose body couldn’t be found and returned to his family for burial.
What is heart rendering is the anguish the family obviously felt from the time Frankie disappeared in November of 1943 right through to his arrival home for burial in 1948.
The ordeal began when the family stopped receiving letters in November of 1943. His sister wrote to what they thought was his company commander to ask if anything had happened. She received a letter telling her Frankie had been transferred to an amphibious tractor unit that was sent across the sea.
That was verified when a postcard dated Nov. 1 arrived.
“I have been transferred across and have safely reached my destination,” the form letter said. “This card was prepared prior to departure, held and mailed in the United States upon receipt of information of the writer’s arrival.”
So they knew he was overseas, in the Pacific Theater, somewhere. Like all the other families they just had to hope that he would be safe.
That hope was shattered Jan. 14 when a Western Union telegram arrived, saying the Marine had been reported missing in action. The telegram asked them not to divulge the name of his ship or station to avoid giving aid to the enemy.
Frankie labeled as missing
They didn’t know any way. All they could do was wait and pray that he would show up.
A letter arrived dated Jan. 19, 1944 from Marine Headquarters in Washington, D.C., explaining that Frankie had been labeled as missing after he participated in the battle of Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands on Nov. 20, 1943.
The action was the first large amphibious operation of the Pacific War and cost the Marines and Army more than 1,000 deaths. The atoll was small, no more than a couple of miles long and narrow. Mistakes were made and many soldiers ended up having to wade a long distance through water under intense Japanese fire.
The island was taken in three days after fierce battles with the Japanese who had fortified the spit of land with bunkers and defensive strongholds.
The letter explained what missing in action meant and frankly, held out little hope.
“It … (is difficult to obtain particulars,” the letter said. “The difficulty arises from the fact that extensive areas are involved, the opposition of the enemy and, in the cases of those who have become prisoners, the necessity that the confirmation of their status be reported by an enemy government. Considerable delay in the receipt of any details or clarification must be expected.”
Death letter arrives to family in February 1944
Clarification, when it came in early February of 1944, was in the form of a death letter.
“It is a source of profound regret to me and to his comrades in the Marine Corps that your son, Private Frank Wappel, U.S Marine Corps, lost his life in action against the enemies of his country and I wish to express my deepest sympathy to you and members of your family in your great loss,” said the letter, signed by Lt Gen. A.A. Vandegrift, commandant of the Marine Corps.
But the commandant had to sign many similar letters and life went on, so by Feb. 1, 1944, the Marines were tending to lot of details surrounding such deaths as Frankie’s. A letter told the family there were no date and place of burial available yet, but promised to furnish such information as soon as possible. It also promised a letter about Frankie’s pay account.
By May, the Marines had sent along $106.96 Frankie had left. Sometime later, it forwarded $378 which was a death benefit of six months pay. The family also would receive $5,000 from a life insurance policy.
But what they really wanted was the return of their son’s body for burial.
“Your request to have the remains of your son returned to this country for interment, upon cessation of hostilities, has been noted and when a probable date of removal can be determined, you will be requested to verify your desire,” said yet another letter in May of 1944.
“I regret that it is not practicable to comply with your request regarding a lock of your son’s hair. However you are assured that any belongings located and identified as his property will be forwarded to you as soon as practicable after arrival at the port of entry.”
Adding to the family’s heartache, in late March of 1944, they received a package of unopened letters they had sent to Frankie which never reached him while he was alive. The letters still are unopened.
The family received all sorts of letter of condolence and offers of help from the Navy Relief Society, the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary and many others. The Marines forwarded his Purple Heart medal. Each piece of mail must have reignited the pain of Frankie’s death.
An vexing note from St. James, Missouri; Frankie finally returns home
And there was an odd note which arrived from a man in St. James, Missouri, advising them since the island was so small and so many were shot up while trying to reach the shore, Frankie’s body probably washed away to sea. Some comfort there.
Actually the Marines thought they had located Frankie under one of the many white crosses in cemeteries on the atoll. He was in Grave C, Row 19, E Division Cemetery. This letter promised to send him home as soon as possible after the war was over.
But the war went on and came the peace. Then it was time to ship bodies back and after all the waiting and anguish, the family was told Frankie’s body was lost.
It was on Feb. 20, 1947 the Marines wrote to say they could not find the body. The cross they thought marked his grave apparently had been erected in memory and they were looking for him.
On Oct. 21, 1948, they wrote to say remains identified as Unknown X-274 had been identified through dental charts as Frankie.
On April 15, 1949, the body returned to East St. Louis and the family buried him in Mt. Carmel cemetery in Belleville.
