An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | May 31, 2023

Decorated American Officer’s Last Remains to Head Home After 58 Years

U.S. Consulate General Kolkata

U.S. Embassy & Consulates in India -- The last remains of one of America’s most decorated officers, Major General Harry Kleinbeck Pickett, who fought in both World War I and World War II, is being returned home to the United States for re-burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

Major General Pickett died in 1965 visiting Darjeeling in West Bengal and was buried in a cemetery in Darjeeling. Major General Pickett’s family and the U.S. Government have been closely coordinating with Indian counterparts to return his remains to the United States.

“Our first priority as U.S. government public servants is protecting and supporting American citizens,” said Melinda Pavek, U.S. Consul General in Kolkata. “Helping reunite Major General Pickett with his beloved family in the United States, the country he defended in both World War I and II, is a privilege and honor for us. My team and I are grateful for the support we received from the Government of India and state of West Bengal which made his return possible.”

Major General Pickett was commissioned into the United States Marine Corps in 1913, going on to become one of the few Americans who served with distinction in both world wars. During World War I, he participated in the capture of the German cruiser SMS Cormoran in Guam in April 1917. Twenty-four years later, as the Commanding Officer of the Marine Barracks at Pearl Harbor, he and his fellow Marines fired on Japanese warplanes during the surprise attack on December 7, 1941.

The American Citizens Services (ACS) Unit of the U.S. Consulate General Kolkata worked closely with S. Ponnambalam, the District Magistrate of Darjeeling, and John Pinto International, funeral services, to locate Pickett’s grave site in Darjeeling. After locating it in the Singtom Cemetary, Special Secretary, Home & Hills Department, West Bengal, worked to get the approvals for the exhumation.

Finally, B.P. Gopalika, the Under Secretary, Government of West Bengal, gave the approval, which now allows Major General Pickett’s remains to be sent to the U.S. this month.

The United States government extends its gratitude to those who helped during the long process. Other officers who were involved in the process are Arunima De (Special Secretary to the Government of West Bengal), S. Ponnambalam (District Magistrate, Darjeeling), the Superintendent of Police, Darjeeling, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Darjeeling, the Executive Office, Darjeeling Municipality, the Executive Health Officer, Rev. Fr. Patrick Pradhan of the Cemetery, Darjeeling, and Father Paul D’Souza, who provided invaluable assistance that allowed the exhumation to proceed.

“We are grateful to amplify this as a success story under our strategic partnership, because the United States and India are better together when we support our citizens,” said Pavek.
CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM
Facebook

Like Us
X
363,179
Follow Us

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
The Pentagon Transfers Authority to the Navy to Ensure the Safe Closure of Red Hill
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 28, 2024 - The Department of Defense announced today that the Joint Task Force-Red Hill has completed its defueling mission at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawai’i and shifted command and control of the facility to the...

U.S. Marines, Sailors arrive in Darwin for 13th iteration of MRF-D
U.S. Marine Corps Col. Brian Mulvihill, right, the commanding officer of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3, shakes hands with Royal Australian Navy Capt. Mitchell Livingstone, the commanding officer of Headquarters Northern Command at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin, NT, Australia, March 24, 2024. MRF-D 24.3 is part of an annual six-month rotational deployment to enhance interoperability with the Australian Defence Force and Allies and partners and provide a forward-postured crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific. Mulvihill is a native of New York. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Cristian L. Bestul)
March 28, 2024 - A new group of Marines and Sailors arrived in the Northern Territory to begin the 13th annual iteration of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin...

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 27, 2024 - Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout...

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey Ford Concludes Visit to Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 27, 2024 - Department of Defense spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners provided the following readout...

DIU Partners With AUKUS Pillar II for International Prize Challenge
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 26, 2024 - The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is launching the first trilateral prize challenge through AUKUS Pillar II— a defense and security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (U.S.)— to...