By Beth Christian Broschart
The Parsons Advocate
GRAFTON – PFC Emmett L. Kines U.S. Marine Corp finally made it home after 73 years. Local resident Kathy Kines Arnold said her Uncle Emmett Kines was her father’s brother. Kines was killed in WWII on Nov. 20, 1943 while fighting on the front lines in the battle of Tarawa Atoll in the Pacific.
Kines was buried on the battle site along with about 1,000 fallen Americans. Following the war, attempts were made to recover the fallen, but Kines was not among those found.
In 2015, Mark Noah and his History Flight Team discovered Cemetery 27 in Tarawa which held the bodies of 36 Americans. The remains were sent to the DPA West in Hawaii for final identification and the family learned early this year Kines would be returning home.
“There were two people alive during his funeral that knew him – his sister, my Aunt Betty Huffman and a gentleman that he stayed with,” Arnold said. “My dad was 13 when Uncle Emmett died. My grandmother gave my dad the medals Uncle Emmett had which included a Purple Heart and the Asian Pacific Award he had.”
Arnold said she and her sister, Karen Kines Hockman, attended the funeral. Their mother is Prema Kines also of Tucker County.
“We are glad he is back home,” Arnold said. “I had goose bumps at the funeral thinking about a family member that had finally been found and brought back to where he belongs. If it wasn’t for DNA, we never would have found him.”
Arnold said Kines was buried at the West Virginia National Cemetery on Sept. 19, just days after the MIA-POW Remembrance Day. She said Kines was listed as killed in action.
Kines was born June 27, 1919 in Grafton to Jocia ‘Cuby’ and Jacob Howard Kines of Grafton. Siblings include Dakota, Claudis (Betty), Mary Preston (Ray), Howard ‘Pete’ (Kate), Betty Huffman (Eugene), Walter ‘Tuney’ (Prema) Kines and Hazel Bennett (Harold). He is survived by one sister Betty Huffman of Grafton and many nieces and nephews including Kathy (Pat) Kines Arnold and Karen (Scott) Kines Hockman of Tucker County.
Graveside services were conducted by the Taylor County Honor Guard and the Company B of the 4th Law Enforcement Battalion of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with Chaplin Cary Shinn officiating.
