PFC. Charles Oetjen - At last, Blue Island Marine killed in WWII home

After 73 years and nearly 7,000 miles, Charles Oetjen is finally home.

On Saturday, the Blue Island native, a U.S. Marine killed in the South Pacific Battle of Tarawa during World War II, was laid to rest alongside his parents in First Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery in Alsip.

"I think he would have been happy with this," said Ken Oetjen, a second cousin, following the funeral service that began the day before with a military salute at O'Hare International Airport and concluded with a 21-gun salute, "Taps" and a motorcycle escort by the Illinois Patriot Guard Riders.

After they learned about a year ago that the private first class's remains had been discovered by History Flight Inc., an Atlanta-based nonprofit dedicated to finding and retrieving remains of the estimated 88,000 soldiers buried or missing on foreign soil, Ken and his sisters, Margaret Oetjen and Joanne Hoeksema, arranged to have the long-lost relative who died before they were born returned and reburied in the south suburbs where he'd grown up.

Clutching the folded American flag that was presented to him by Marines during the ceremony, Ken said, "I wish there would have been a family member closer to him who could have been able to receive this but it feels like I've come to know Charles, gotten a little bit closer to him, through all this."

A show of respect

Among the more than 100 people who attended the graveside service were Palos Heights police Officer Jim Nix and JROTC members Allison Lively and Matthew Reinhart, both seniors at Richards High School, along with Cmdr. (Ret.) Doug Groters.

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