90 Day Wonder

Return to Tarawa Redux

The battle of "Bloody Tarawa" was fought sixty-five years ago, yet the remains if hunrdeds of Americans still lie in Betio, the tiny South Pacific island where the battle was fought--forgotten and ignored by our nation. Their relatives know only that these dead,who gave their lives in defense of America's freedom, are classified as "MIA."

THe Military Channel's documentary "Return to Tarawa-the Leon Cooper Story" has served to expose this shameful chapter of America's history, causing the question to be raised: How many more Tarawas are there?

The answer: there are 45,120 WWII dead Americans in the Pacific Theatre, still there, a tally as of September 6, 2006, according to the Department of Defense. The Pacific War MIAs account for more than 55% of all of the 73,291 MIAs of WWII.

These shocking numbers stem from the Defense Department's policy: "Most recent wars first." In other words, the Department gives first priority to the recovery and repatriation of the dead from the current Iraq and Afghanistan wars. All of our nation's wars prior to Viet Nam are classified as "Ancient Wars," thereby putting WWII veterans in the same group, for example, as the Greek warriors of he BC era who fought in the Pelopponesian war.

It is particularly contemptuous to treat WWII MIAs as if they were fossilized remains. The Defense Department's recovery rate of 0.2% per year of WWII MIA "returns" simply emphasizes the Department's contempt. One study has estimated that, at the Department's recovery rate, it will take more than 300 years to recover all of the Pacific War's MIAs that are "recoverable." Will the thousands of Americans who still lie where they fell in Papua New Guinea, in the Solomons, in the Marianas, in the Philippines and in the many minor land skirmishes ever be returned  to their homes?

William Gladstone, England's 19th Century Prime Minister said, "One can judge the conscience of a nation by the recognition it gives to those who died for it."

What is the state of our nation's conscience?

Discovery Channel

Just In...

Discovery Channel tells me they will soon make an offer for my new documentary,"Return to Tarawa-The Leon Cooper Story."

Documentary

My documentary has just been completed--"Return to Tarawa-The Leon Cooper Story."

With Ed Harris, movie great as my narrator, it has already begun to generate interest. History and Discovery TV Channels are reviewing the DVD. American Heritage magazine has asked for a copy for review purposes. A Japanese distributor, who thinks highly of it, has sent the DVD to Japan for further review.

The Washington Merry-Go-Round

Have just returned from a week- long visit to Washington, having met with the Chiefs of Staff of three Senators and two Representatives--my purpose to gain commitments from them, on behalf of their bosses, to:

Repatriate the remains of the dead Americans who still lie in Tarawa,in unmarked graves, sixty-five years after they were killed in the battle-139 and counting;

Remove the live ammo, ours, scattered everywhere on the tiny, densely populated island of Betio, where the principle fighting took place;

Remove the garbage--tons and tons of it--that desecrates the hallowed ground, Red Beach, where so many Americans were killed or wounded by Japanese gunfire.

Promises. Promises. Promises.

I've heard this before. It's only with exposure of the now completed documentary, "Return to Tarawa-The Leon Cooper Story" plus media coverage that will result in the needed action, as above...I had three TV interviews while there,  giving me more opportunity to spread the word.

Remember Me

I continue on my quest--

To recover and repatriate the remains of American dead still lying where they fell during the battle of "Bloody Tarawa"--now sixty-five ago,in Novermber, 1943.

I have other objectives, e.g., removing the tons and tons of garbage on Red Beach where so many Americans died under murderous Japanese gunfire; also removing live ammunition, mainly ours, everywhere on that tiny,  densely, populated island.

Repatriation is first...

It's because of something that happened in the waning days of that savage battle.

My job as a Navy landng craft officer was to land Marines on to Red Beach. I made a number of trips in  my Higgins Boat, each time watching my countrymen being cut to pieces on the beach by enfilading Japanese gunfire. The battle almost over, it was my sad duty to transport the wounded in my Higgins Boat back to my ship for medical treatment.

During these several trips I kept a close watch over my precious cargo, concerned that some might die during the long trip back to my ship.

On one trip my attention was drawn to a young Marine--sixteen or seventeen years old at the most. He kept crying and moaning, "It hurts." I crawled on the deck boards over to him and asked if he had had a shot? I meant morphine. "No," he said. I took a morphine syrette out of my first aid kit and injected the drug into his leg, first making sure he had not been wounded there. I then dutifully pinned a tag to his uniform marking the date and time of the shot, ensuring that another shot wouldn't be administered too soon afterwards by someone else.

The morphine had taken effect almost immediately--he had stopped moaning. He seemed to be asleep. I wanted to make sure that he was asleep indeed, so I sat by his side watching him. Presently, he opened his eyes and by their motion signalled for me to come closer. He was trying to say something to me, but I couldn't make out what it was through his throaty whisper. I leaned closer, my ear an inch from his lips. I still wasn't  sure--and maybe I imagined it; your mind plays tricks on you, you know--but I felt sure he said, "Remember me." A few minutes later he was dead.

Regardless of whether he said it or not--I want to believe that it happened.That's why I'm determined to see to it that the two, three hundred American dead in Tarawa are returned home.

America's Shame

Mr Cooper Goes to Washington...

Everywhere on the hallowed ground of a WWII battle site there's garbage, dead Americans, live ammunition...

I'm REALLY going to Washington to arrive on December 7, 2008 (Pearl Harbor Day) at Reagan National Airport because  I'm tired of sending letters, emails and faxes (more than a hundred) to the "usual suspects," these past three years about the desecration that has taken place in Tarawa, a WWII battle site that came to be known as "Bloody Tarawa." My many letters, emails, etc.have been met with callous indifference; nearly all of my emails were simply ignored. I'm going to Washington because I'm now convinced that only face-to-face meetings with high government officials will result in the prompt action  needed to honor the memory of  those Americans who gave their lives in defense of our country in our first major amphibious assault  againt a Japanese stronghold in the Central Pacific.

My job, as a Navy landing craft officer,  was to bring Marines of the 2nd Division on to Red Beach, in Tarawa starting on the first day of the battle on November 20, 1943. I made a number of landings on  that day and later, each time watching scores of my countrymen being cut down by Japanese gun fire.

Aferwards, it was my sad duty to transport the wounded back to my ship for medical treatment. Unlike later invasions, there was no Navy hospital ship standing by to render expert medical care. Garbage, including soiled baby diapers lie all over ed Beach, the same beach where more than 1,000
arines were killed.

More more than 6,000--Americans and Japanese died--during those three days of savagery.

Far more disturbing than the garbage: hundreds of Americans still lie where they fell in that faraway place sixty-five years ago--forgotten and dishonored. One is a Congressional Honor winner, Lt Sandy Bonnyman. Backed by veterans groups, History Flight (Marathon, FL) and WFI Research Group (Fall River, MA) have just completed an exhaustive survey of the basttle sites on Tarawa, using sophisticated scientific devices, and have located the remains of 139 Marines. More are yet to be found.

The last organized effort by our Government to identify and repatriate the remains of American dead in Tarawa was a six months investigation of various sites on the island starting in January, 1946, ending in May, 1946.A report by the Army Quartermaster Section, Memorial Branch, dated July 3, 1946 states that "About fifty percent of the bodies previously reported buried on Tarawa were found, and of that number, only 58% were identified." There has been no effort by the government to follow up on the 1946 investigation.

Live ammunition, mainly ours, lies everywhere on this tiny, densely  populated island. Australia has sent a bomb demotion group, now at work removing these dangerous devices. America is not participating.

It is a sad commentary about our nation that private organizations have assumed the responsbility of locating the remains of American dead in Tarawa.They're  doing this because our nation  has failed to do so. These private organizations believe that those who died in defense of our country deserve to be repatriated and to be remembered with dignity and respect. Their relatives are entitled to closure. It is our nation's shame that we have allowed these honored dead to lie in  un marked graves in that fasr off land all these years.

According to the  Department of Defense, 72,766 America Armed Forces personnel of WWII are still listed as MIA. At least fifty percent lie in various Pacific islands, including Tarawa.

Gladstone, the 19th century English PM said, "One can judge the heart and soul of a nation by the care and reverence it demonsrates toward the remains of those who died in its defense."

I made a trip to Tarawa this past February, returning with still painful memories of my battle experience, taking a camera crew with me to film the garbage on Red Beach and to find out more about our American dead there. The record of that visit has been captured on film in a documentary "Return to Tarawa-The Leon Cooper Story. Narration is by movie great, Ed Harris. Major TV channels have expressed interest. A major national magazine wants to review the film.

Remembering Private Somes

"On the beach at 'Bloody Tarawa,' where US Marines died by the hundreds, the broken bottles,  crushed boxes, soiled baby diapers and plastic bags are now piling up by the millions," so reads an Associated Press dispatch I chanced upon while doing research for my book, "The War in the Pacific-A Retrospective." The AP reporter was describing the garbage on Red Beach, in Tarawa, a beach I knew very well. It was the same beach where I had landed Marines of the 2nd Division during the first major amphibious assault, in November, 1943, upon a Japanese island stronghold. I was a Navy landing craft officer, bringing Marines into the beach with my "wave groups" of Higgins Boats.

During those three days of savagery more than 6000 men died. 1,113 were US Marines. An additional 2500 were wounded. Only 117 Japanese soldiers survived.

I sent many letters and emails to Washington, urging officials to take action, to remove this insult to the memory of all who fought and died for our country in the battle of "Bloody Tarawa."

Lacking any response, I finally decided to go there myself to get something done. I brought a camera crew with me to film a documentary, "Return to Tarawa." It's being edited by Emmy-award winner Jay Miracle, Narration will be done by movie great, Ed Harris. The documentary is scheduled for release this summer of 2008.

Upon my arrival, I found the garbage piles much worse than I had anticipated. Also, live ammunition lies everywhere among the relics of that long ago battle. But worst of all, there are remains of American dead on that tiny island, still there after all these years. 66 years after the battle. I have one report claiming evidence of the skeletal remains of more than 200.

Our government has done nothing about any of these shameful failings--all the while garbage continues to pile up on Red Beach, as citizens persist in treating this hallowed ground as a dump. And, as citizens continue to use the lagoon as a toilet, the same lagoon where American corpses floated during the battle.

Following meetings with officials of the Tarawa government, I prepared an "Action Program for Tarawa"" to be funded by our government which, among other things, will make Red Beach pristine once again, a permanent memorial.

During my week in Tarawa I had many meetings. One stands out: my meeting with "Big Louis," the "biggest man in Tarawa," I was told, a 6 foot seven inch Australian doing business in Tarawa. While at lunch with Louis, he told me that he had acquired the skeletal remains of a US Marine named Somes. Louis showed me a photograph of the plastic liner of Somes' helmet. On it was stencilled clearly his name and rank, "Somes, pfc."

Louis had kept the Marine's remains in his office for some time, while awaiting replies from his many  letters to Washington authorities, asking where Somes' remains should be sent. Louis was always told that it couldn't be Somes that Louis was asking about, as "Somes long ago had been returned to his home cemetery."

Louis finally decided to bury Somes in a beautiful memorial to the "Coastwatchers," near Red Beach.The memorial was located on the spot where the Japanese had beheaded 12 Australian, New Zealanders and Englishmen--who had been reporting Japanese ship movements to their Australian headquarters

Louis marked an "x" on a dinner napkin, showing me where he had buried Somes. I visited the Memorial the next day, marking several feet from the Memorial's center, where I guessed Somes was lying, as the "x" on the napkin indicated. I stood for a time over the unmarked grave, feeling my throat tighten as I said a silent prayer to Somes.

Every year, on "Anzac Day," Louis told me, on each April 25, Australians and New Zealanders "Remember Private Somes." Australians and New Zealanders understandably "remember" Somes. Somes and his fellow Americans helped prevent the Japanese from taking over Australian and New Zealand.

Do we in the United States have any less reason to remember Somes and his comrades-in-arms who gave their lives in defense of our country?

New Video Added

New Video Added-
I was interviewed by a Fiji TV reporter during my recent trip to Tarawa.
Click Here.

Washington Times Article of November 4, 2007 about "Garbage Tarawa".

Washington Times Article of November 4, 2007 about "Garbage Tarawa". Click HERE.

Veterans Day

Two important dates coming up--Veterans Day, November 11, and November 20, the 64th anniversary of the Battle for Tarawa.

Comes November 11, with the usual lipservice about "honoring our veterans"--beginning to ring hollow even more considering the shabby treatment given the wounded coming back from Iraq/Afghan...and also the veterans of the Battle for Tarawa--where readers of my blog will note the many letters, faxes, emails I've sent to the "usual suspects" in Washington, still without even acknowledgements from most.

Ken Burns' great documentary about WWII would seem to stir up some interest, but still no response from Washington, despite my recent efforts to get something going about the garbage on Red Beach, higher than ever.

Recently, I've tried to get the attention of news commentators--also the morning shows. So far, nada. Maybe readers here can lend a hand.

I'm still planning on a trip, my "Return to Tarawa," if I can keep the demons in my mind at bay when i return to that hellhole.

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