Haig Sarafian was born on 23 September 1925 to Puzant Sarafian and Elizabeth Kistorian Sarafian in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Haig’s parents were Armenian immigrants from Turkey who had escaped the Armenian genocide. Puzant had arrived in the United States in 1916. Elizabeth arrived in 1921 to marry Puzant; she was just 17 years old.

By 1930, Puzant was a wallpaper hanger and Elizabeth was employed as a picker in a silk mill. Haig was an only child. At some point in the 1930s, Elizabeth left Puzant. By 1940 Haig was no longer living in Philadelphia with either parent, but was an “inmate” at the Luzerne County Industrial School for Boys in Butler Township, just outside of Hazleton, about 100 miles north of Philadelphia in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania. Known locally as “Kis-Lyn,” the school was founded to rehabilitate nonviolent juvenile offenders and provide a home for boys with unstable living arrangements. It’s unclear why Haig was attending this school, but it was clear he did not want to stay there: Haig, along with several other boys, escaped from the school in October of 1940 and again in January of 1941. At some point that year, he was able to return to Philadelphia to attend Overbrook High School. However, Haig did not graduate. With his mother’s permission, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps in Philadelphia on 12 January 1943 at the age of 17.

The Wilkes Barre Record, 12 Oct 1940

The Hazleton Standard Sentinel, 13 Jan 1941

The Wilkes Barre Record 16 Jan 1941

After completing boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, Haig received additional training and departed from San Diego aboard the S.S. Lurline on 18 April 1943. After stays in American Samoa, New Caledonia, and New Zealand, Haig was ultimately assigned to the Third Defense Battalion as part of the Special Weapons Group. He arrived on Guadalcanal, no longer on the front lines, on 5 October 1943. After participating in amphibious landing exercises, Haig departed Guadalcanal on 30 October 1943 for the invasion of Bougainville in the Northern Solomons. The Third Defense Battalion came ashore on D-Day, 1 November 1943, at Cape Torokina after the first waves of troops and had their heavy machine guns and light antiaircraft guns in place by that evening to defend the new beachhead. They continued their defense until 1 February 1944 and then moved to defend the airstrip at Torokina. The Third Defense Battalion remained on Bougainville for longer than any other unit. They finally departed on 12 June 1944 and returned to Guadalcanal.

The Third Defense Battalion was destined to remain on Guadalcanal, now very far from the fighting, until the end of December 1944 when it was ultimately disbanded. However, despite the many opportunities for recreation now available on the island, boredom must have set in. PFC Haig Sarafian repeated his escape trick from Kis-Lyn and went AWOL.

When Marines of the 1st Division arrived for practice landings prior to their next invasion, Haig and his friend Pvt. Charles W. Wartell of Chicago, Illinois, stowed away aboard a troopship heading to the battle. They boarded the attack transport U.S.S. Warren (APA-53) on 6 September 1944 at Tetere on Guadalcanal. The ship got underway on 8 September for their destination: Peleliu in the Palau Group of the Caroline Islands. On the 11th, now safely en route with no means to return to Guadalcanal, Haig and Charles came out of hiding or were discovered. They were assigned to Company C of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division (C-1-1).

1st Marines Ledger, 11 Sep 1944 - 14 Sep 1944. Note Pfc. Sarafian and Pvt. Wartell were found aboard the USS Warren on 11 Sept.; http://olharry.blogspot.com/2015/07/administrative-ledger-of-1st-battalion.html

Under the command of Capt. Everett P. Pope, Haig and Charles landed at White Beach 2 on D-Day, 15 September 1944. Although the resistance was much more fierce than what they experienced at Bougainville, both men made it safely ashore. Peleliu was expected to be a 2 to 3 day battle. Fighting their way off the beach and toward the coral ridges dotted with caves, pillboxes, and gun emplacements, it soon became clear it was going to be a much longer fight as heavy casualties mounted quickly.

White Beach 1 & 2 on Peleliu, looking North from the Promontory to the Point, Photo by Donna Esposito, 14 Sept 2019

White Beach 1 & 2 on Peleliu, looking South from the Point to the Promontory, Photo by Donna Esposito, 14 Sept 2019

By the morning of the 5th day on Peleliu, 19 September 1944, C Company was reduced to just 90 men from its initial strength of 235. Haig and Charles were still among them. The remains of C-1-1 were given the task of crossing a swamp to attack a high coral ridge called Hill 100. By then end of the day, Hill 100 was occupied by what was left of the company. Haig and Charles were not there, however. A small group of men under the command of Capt. Pope spent a harrowing night trying to hold the ridge, which they soon realized was a plateau; the Japanese were firing on them from three sides. Their ammunition depleted, they resorted to throwing rocks to mimic grenades and engaged in hand-to-hand combat throughout the night. In the morning, they were permitted to retreat. C-1-1 now consisted of about a dozen men. For this action, Capt. Pope was awarded the Medal of Honor.

C-1-1 Assaults Hill 100 on 19 Sep 1944, USMC photo

Aerial View of Hill 100, USMC photo

At some point during the assault on Hill 100 on the 19th, both Haig and Charles were wounded. Charles suffered a blast concussion and was evacuated to the USS Leedstown for medical treatment. He was returned to duty the next day and managed to survive for the next few days until the depleted unit was evacuated. Haig, however, was seriously wounded after attacking an enemy pillbox and putting it out of action with a grenade. Capt. Pope believed Haig was evacuated to one of the ships treating the wounded and nominated him for a Silver Star for his gallantry (scroll to bottom for transcript of citation). He also wrote to Haig’s commanding officer asking that he be transferred to C-1-1 and not punished for going AWOL.

Original Silver Star Citation for PFC Haig Sarafian

However, the Marine Corps lost track of Haig Sarafian. He was not recorded as a casualty or recorded as being treated on any ship. He was not even added to the C-1-1 muster rolls to account for his time while AWOL. While the chaos of the battle can explain some of the lapses in recordkeeping, another factor was that Haig had lost (or discarded) at least one of his dog tags on Guadalcanal. So Haig’s family was not notified that he was a casualty. It was not until January 1945 when Haig’s mother began writing to the Marine Corps because she had not heard from her son since August 1944 that they even suspected he was missing. Initially they dismissed Elizabeth’s concerns, telling her they would tell him to write home. It was only later that they began to search the records for him and realized he was missing.

Eventually, in September 1945, the month the war ended, the Marine Corps finally admitted to Elizabeth that her son was missing in action and they didn’t know what had happened to him. He was officially declared dead on 22 January 1946. PFC Haig Sarafian’s Silver Star citation was updated to be a posthumous award (scroll to bottom for transcript of citation). Haig’s parents could never have known what happened to him since the Marine Corps didn’t even know.

Revised Posthumous Silver Star Citation for PFC Haig Sarafian

Haig’s mother eventually remarried and left Philadelphia for Worcester, Massachusetts. She erected a memorial marker for her son at the Massachusetts National Cemetery. PFC Haig Sarafian is also memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Haig’s story only came to light because a local man found his lost dog tag in the Tetere area of Guadalcanal. Hoping to return the tag to a relative, I was astonished to uncover his tragic story. I have not been able to locate a living relative and the tag remains with the family who found it. They have chosen to honor its original owner by naming their son Haig.

Despite having no relatives to remember him, or perhaps because of this, I made it my mission to attempt to find out what happened to Haig and how he was lost. While his remains could still be missing on the island of Peleliu or they could have been buried as an unknown, the fact that people from C-1-1 believed Haig was evacuated and made the effort to request he be allowed to join their company suggests to me he was indeed evacuated. All casualties were being treated aboard ships at that point. The most plausible explanation for Haig’s fate was that he was evacuated alive, though probably unconscious, to a ship where he later died and was buried at sea as an unknown. He would not have been with people who knew him and he was missing at least one dog tag. Indeed, two people who were wounded on 19 September 1944 died aboard the U.S.S. Crescent City on 21 September 1944 and were buried at sea as unknowns. Other C-1-1 casualties were treated aboard the ship that same day, so it is possible that PFC Haig Sarafian was one of those two unknowns or an unknown buried at sea on another ship.

Donna Esposito pays tribute to PFC Sarafian and Pvt. Wartell at the Promontory, White Beach, Peleliu on 15 Sep 2019

Honoring MIA PFC Haig Sarafian on White Beach, Peleliu, where he came ashore 75 years before. Photo by Donna Esposito, 15 Sep 2019

Although we will probably never know exactly what happened to Haig Sarafian, he will not be forgotten. In September 2019, I travelled to Peleliu for the 75th anniversary of the battle. It was an honor to stand on White Beach where Haig and so many others came ashore under heavy fire and tell his story. It was an incredibly special experience to climb to the top of Hill 100, now peaceful and covered in lush vegetation, and pay tribute to PFC Haig Sarafian, Pvt. Charles Wartell, Capt. Everett Pope, and all the men of C-1-1, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice 75 years before.

Hill 100 today. The coral face of the hill has been removed for use in road construction. Photo by Donna Esposito, 16 Sep. 2019.

Capt. Pope, PFC Sarafian, and Pvt. Wartell at the top of Hill 100. Only Capt. Pope made it to the top of the hill. Photo by Donna Esposito.

Acknowledgements: A very special thanks to Bill Francis, Anderson Giles, Tim Gray, the late Tangie Hesus, Anthony Hewitt, David McQuillen, the late Ambassador Laurence Pope, and Tomomi Takemoto.

Story by Donna Esposito

https://www.donnaesposito.com

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see ++www.storiesbehindthestars.org++). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

If you noticed anything missing in this profile, you may contact the author. Click on the author’s name located at the bottom of the story page next to the words “added by.”

References:

1930 U.S. Federal Census at Ancestry

1940 U.S. Federal Census at Ancestry

History of Kis-Lyn School: “County school for boys educated, rehabilitated juveniles”

William Kashatus for The Citizen’s Voice

Pennsylvania, Veteran Compensation Application Files, WWII, 1950-1966

U.S.M.C. Muster Rolls, 1943-1946, via Ancestry.com

U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945

Haig Sarafian at Find-A-Grave (memorial at Massachusetts National Cemetery)

Haig Sarafian at Find-A-Grave (memorial at Manila American Cemetery)

PFC Haig Sarafian USMC Service Record

PFC Haig Sarafian Individual Deceased Personnel File

Administrative Ledger Of 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st First Marine Division - Pavuvu, Peleliu, And Okinawa (Harry Thetford)

CONDITION RED: Marine Defense Battalions in World War II

Bougainville and the Northern Solomons, Major John N. Rentz, USMCR, 1946

The Assault on Peleliu, Major F. O. Hough, USMC, 1950

Among Heroes: A Marine Rifle Company on Peleliu, First Sergeant Jack R. Ainsworth USMC, ed. Ambassador Laurence Pope, 2011

“Eight Days in Hell”, Col. Richard D. Camp, USMC (Ret.), Naval History Magazine, Vol 33, No. 5, October 2019

USS Crescent City (APA-21) Peleliu Casualty and Casualty Evacuation Report; RG 181-58A-3405 box 75600; U. S. National Archives, San Bruno, CA

Longer and Longer Shadows: My Search For a Missing Marine by Donna Esposito

"Today on Peleliu" - 75th Anniversary video by Bill Francis

75th Anniversary Tribute to PFC Haig Sarafian at White Beach by Donna Esposito (filmed by Bill Francis)

Original Silver Star Citation for PFC Haig Sarafian:

Private First Class Haig Serafian [sic]

United States Marine Corps

“For Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy on PELELIU ISLAND, PALAU GROUP, on 19 September, 1944. Private First Class SERAFIAN [sic], while attached to a Marine rifle company as a rifleman, was advancing with the point of the company through a swamp, when the leading elements were hit hard by heavy fire from enemy machine guns well concealed and emplaced to the right front. Casualties were heavy, and the leading elements of the company were unable to advance or to maneuver and heavy enemy mortar fire was falling on the exposed positions. Private First Class SERAFIAN [sic], acting on his own initiative, without orders, and with complete disregard for his own safety, advanced through the barrage to the largest of the enemy pillboxes, and despite the heavy fire from it and from the enemy deployed around it, threw in a grenade which exploded ammunition inside, putting the emplacement out of action. His actions enabled his platoon to move into position with a minimum of casualties. Private First Class SERAFIAN [sic] was seriously wounded in the fire fight which ensued. His unselfish devotion to duty, and his courageous actions in the face of devastation enemy machine gun, rifle, and mortar fire, were an inspiration to all who witnessed them, and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Unites States Naval Service.”

H.M. Smith, Lieutenant General, U.S. Marine Corps.

Revised Posthumous Silver Star Citation for PFC Haig Sarafian:

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Silver Star Medal posthumously to:

Private First Class Haig Sarafian, United States Marine Corps,

For service as set forth in the following citation:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving as a Rifleman of Company C, First Battalion, First Marines, First Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Peleliu, Palau Islands, 19 September 1944. When the leading elements of his company received heavy casualties and were pinned down by heavy fire from well-concealed enemy machine guns during an advance through a swamp, Private First Class Sarafian, seeing the precarious position of the men who were unable to maneuver or advance under the heavy fire, instantly moved out alone toward the largest hostile pillbox. Despite the heavy fire from the position and the troops deployed around it, he charged forward and hurled a grenade in the strong point, exploding ammunition inside and putting the emplacement out of action. By his courageous efforts, Private First Class Haig Sarafian enabled his platoon to move into position with a minimum of casualties, although he, himself, was seriously wounded in the ensuing fire fight. His intrepid fighting spirit and gallant devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United Stated Naval Service.”

For the President,

John L. Sullivan, Secretary of the Navy.