Patriots stretching from Kansas City, Mo., to Independence greeted Patriot Guard riders escorting the remains of World War II veteran and Independence native Sam Kourkos on Friday. Kourkos, a Marine Corps reservist, died Nov. 21, 1943, while battling the Japanese on the small island of Betio in the South Pacific as part of the Battle of Tarawa. More than 1,000 Marines and sailors died in the battle. Kourkos wasn’t identified until the U.S. Army exhumed the remains of several unknown soldiers in October 2016 from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. Through advanced forensic science, Kourkos was positively identified. Above, the caravan stopped briefly at Iola’s Jump Start Travel Center. Below, several riders signed a flag in honor of Kourkos, whose funeral service is today in Independence. REGISTER/RICK DANLEY
A somber tribute
