My wife and I leave tomorrow for LA then the next day we are off to Fiji and then Tarawa for the 75th anniversary of that battle. We will head up to Butaritari (Makin) on the 21st for a day trip. History Flight is still finding remains of our Marines on Betio and doing a wonderful job in their work. I think there are still over 300 Marines thought to be on the island to be recovered.
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75th anniversary of Tarawa
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Last: 5 yr ago by aggiejim70
Awesome trip!
This sounds amazing. Please post a few pics here once you get back.
Skinner98 said:
This sounds amazing. Please post a few pics here once you get back.
Yes. Pictures please.
We have a family friend that fought in Tarawa when he was 17.
Today's primary article for Texas Day by Day:
Texas heroes at Tarawa
Texas heroes at Tarawa
Quote:
November 20th, 1943
On this day in 1943, two marines from Texas earned the Medal of Honor for their heroic actions in the desperate battle for the Pacific island of Tarawa. Staff Sgt. William James Bordelon of San Antonio landed under enemy fire that killed all but four men in his tractor and remained in action even after he was hit. He provided cover fire for a group scaling a seawall and, disregarding his own injuries, went to the aid of two wounded men in the water. He was killed while singelhandedly attacking a Japanese machine-gun position. First Lt. William Dean Hawkins of El Paso, commanding a scout-sniper platoon, moved forward under heavy enemy fire and neutralized the enemy troops assaulting the main beach positions. During that day and night he repeatedly risked his life to direct and lead attacks on pillboxes and enemy installations. At dawn on the twenty-first he resumed the dangerous task of clearing the beachhead of enemy resistance. Though seriously wounded in the chest, he refused to withdraw and continued to carry the fight to the enemy until mortally wounded by a burst of enemy shell fire. After the island was secured, the airstrip was named Hawkins Field in his honor. Yet another notable Texan, Cpl. Criss Cole of Avery, was also in the battle, and was blinded by a Japanese grenade. He returned to Texas and became a state legislator, judge, and advocate for the blind. In 1969 the legislature voted to name Austin's rehabilitation center for the blind in his honor.
If you haven't seen it I recommend watching the 1944 short film called "With the Marines at Tarawa". It contains some of the most intense combat footage shot by Americans during WWII. Included are scenes of Marines firing on Japanese troops as they emerge from a bunker no more than 15-20 yards away and all in the same camera shot. Also the rare glimpse of a MOH recipient ( 1LT Alexander Bonneyman) leading an assault on a strongpoint he would later receive the medal for posthumously. The film was personally approved by FDR to be shown despite showing USMC dead as he was told the Marines and all fighting men wanted the US to see what it was really like. The film on an ACademy award and is only about 29 minutes long and on YouTube.
Our tour leader for the trip to Tarawa and Butaritari was Clay Bonnyman Evans, the grandson of Alexander Bonnyman, Jr. He has stated the famous picture that has the arrow pointing to a Marine that someone felt was Sandy Bonnyman is incorrect. That at the time he was killed, there were far fewer Marines on the bunker than in that famous photo. As in the film clip. He was pretty sure that his grandfather was already dead by the time the swarm of Marines is on top of, and part of the way up the side, of the bunker.
Sandy Bonnyman was thought to have been buried at sea, thought to have been shot in the head, and many other "thoughts" some of which came from eyewitnesses who now are known to have been wrong. He was not shot in the head. History Flight found his remains in cemetery 27 in May of 2015 and the "shot in the head" and "buried at sea" both flew out the window.
Clay has written a book called "Bones of My Grandfather" that tells the story of his grandfather and the search for his remains. It is a good read. Very interesting guy and quite a story about one of the four who received the MOH in a 76 hour fight on around 370 acres of so of sand.
I was pleasantly surprised that at the turnout for the celebration this year. With it being the 75th, I was hopeful there would be more than just our tour group. There was some diplomat (didn't catch his name nor did he matter much to me), the Marines sent a delegation, the president of the Republic of Kiribati was there, as was a small delegation from Japan.
The work of History Flight goes on. The best estimate is that there are still 432 Marines buried on Betio and they are working to find them all.
Sandy Bonnyman was thought to have been buried at sea, thought to have been shot in the head, and many other "thoughts" some of which came from eyewitnesses who now are known to have been wrong. He was not shot in the head. History Flight found his remains in cemetery 27 in May of 2015 and the "shot in the head" and "buried at sea" both flew out the window.
Clay has written a book called "Bones of My Grandfather" that tells the story of his grandfather and the search for his remains. It is a good read. Very interesting guy and quite a story about one of the four who received the MOH in a 76 hour fight on around 370 acres of so of sand.
I was pleasantly surprised that at the turnout for the celebration this year. With it being the 75th, I was hopeful there would be more than just our tour group. There was some diplomat (didn't catch his name nor did he matter much to me), the Marines sent a delegation, the president of the Republic of Kiribati was there, as was a small delegation from Japan.
The work of History Flight goes on. The best estimate is that there are still 432 Marines buried on Betio and they are working to find them all.
Do you know what company he was with?dcAg said:
We have a family friend that fought in Tarawa when he was 17.
One of the few remaining steel pillboxes (I think there are three) of the 500 or so when the Marines attacked in November, 1943. I have read that nearly all of the Japanese witnessed, fought, and died looking through a gun slit or other opening. You can see the mount for the machine gun in the bottom picture.
One of the four 8" coastal defense guns that didn't accomplish much for Shibasaki and his men. They were on the wrong side of the island (they expected an attack from the ocean (south) side but we attacked from the lagoon (north) side. Our air bombardment didn't go well but the battleships did a remarkable job in knocking out these guns and destroyed two of their magazines.
Our schedule got somewhat messed up due to this being the 75th anniversary. We had hoped that there would be a recognition ceremony for this one, hoped that the Marines would send some folks and our wish came true. Not only was there a Marine presence, there was a delegation from Japan, and the president of the Republic of Kiribati (of which Betio and Tarawa are part) was there, along with many of the residents of Tarawa. Around 200 folks I'd guess. So the dignitaries caused our schedule to get shuffled. Lots of early days, including one that began at 2am. One thing not on our itinerary that happened to coincide with our visit was a repatriation ceremony (the beginning of it I suppose) where the remains of yet to be officially identified Marines were being taken to Hawaii for the DNA and other analysis. It was a very moving and somber ceremony. I continue to be quite impressed that we are trying to get all our boys back home. I think, at last count, they estimate there are 432 yet to be recovered. History Flight continues to find remains and has done a remarkable job when the prior efforts did not.
well hell, can't edit my posts but the pics that should be with them I will post again
My boss for 10 years turned 18 on Tarawa. For the rest of his life, he hated the Japanese.30wedge said:Do you know what company he was with?dcAg said:
We have a family friend that fought in Tarawa when he was 17.
The person that is not willing to fight and die, if need be, for his country has no right to life.
James Earl Rudder '32
January 31, 1945
James Earl Rudder '32
January 31, 1945
rca21978
ATM Softball - the lady dancing in the stands and the backstory
in Billy Liucci's TexAgs Premium
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