Hero’s homecoming
U.S. MARINE CORPS Pvt. Joseph Carbone finally made it back home to Brooklyn.
The World War II hero, killed in combat in November 1943, returned to the borough of his birth Saturday for a long-delayed funeral after DNA from his niece led to his identification.
“I’m very, very happy,” said Nancy Lewis, 72, whose genetic sample proved a match. “It has been a journey. As a child, I always felt so sorry and I wondered what relief I could bring. And I did.”
Lewis was joined by more than 100 Marines, relatives and local residents inside the Basilica of Regina Pacis for a funeral Mass that felt more homecoming than farewell.
A state police escort brought Carbone’s American flagdraped casket from a local funeral home to the church, accompanied by dozens of bikers with military backgrounds. Six uniformed Marines carried Carbone’s remains as fellow service members shouted “Semper Fi!” and “Hoorah!” to honor the war casualty. Blue and white floral arrangements flanked the casket.
“It’s an honor to be here to honor this boy who sacrificed his life, as we were all willing to do,” said Tom Scarpaci, 85, a fellow Marine and Brooklynite. “We knew what we were getting into. And that was that. He made the final sacrifice. And I thought it was very wonderful that the niece persevered, that she got him back here to be buried with his mother.”
The 20-year-old Carbone died on Nov. 20, 1943, the first day of the ferocious 76-hour Battle of Tarawa — where the Marines suffered more than 1,000 fatalities.
The death toll was higher in three days than the number of Marines killed in six months at Guadalcanal. An additional 541 Marines were listed as MIA when the bloody battle ended.
One year later, Carbone’s family received notification that their son was missing in action. It was the last news his relatives would hear of Carbone for the next 71 years.
In 2015, a mass grave with the remains of Carbone and 35 other U.S. fighters was uncovered on the tiny Tarawa atoll by former Marine Ted Darcy and pilot Mark Noah of the nonprofit History Flight.
“My DNA was perfect for the testing,” said Lewis, whose mom was Carbone’s sister. “The Marines handled everything. It was so important to us to make this happen for my grandmother.”
Sheila Tierney, 62, of Brooklyn, didn’t know the family but came to the service with mixed emotions.
“I felt very sad and happy at the same time because he’s on American soil for the first time in years,” Tierney said. “He was only 18 years old when he left. And now, all these years later, we have an opportunity to welcome him home.”