Anniversary of WWII battle noted

[thedrifter]

Anniversary of WWII battle noted

By AUDREY McAVOY

The Associated Press

TARAWA, Kiribati — Master Sgt. James M. Fawcett got on his knees and gently mixed his father's ashes with sand on the same Pacific beach where the elder Fawcett fought his way ashore 65 years ago.

Maj. James L. Fawcett died in September at the age of 89. He wanted his ashes taken to the spot where half of his 50-man platoon was killed during the Battle of Tarawa, one of World War II's most brutal battles.

"What a great way to end a great life," the younger Fawcett said Thursday after he fulfilled his father's wish.

Fawcett later joined a ceremony observing the 65th anniversary of the Nov. 20, 1943, start of the three-day battle. The U.S. aimed to take Tarawa from Japan, which had controlled the island since Tokyo ousted the British three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The fight for the tiny atoll halfway between Hawaii and Australia was the U.S. military's first major amphibious assault in World War II.

Victory gave the U.S. control of a critical airfield it used to launch planes to bomb new Japanese targets and spy on Japanese positions.

But the gain came at great cost.

More than 990 U.S. Marines and some 680 sailors died, while almost 2,300 were wounded. Only 17 of the 3,500 Japanese troops — and 129 of the 1,200 Korean laborers forcibly brought to Tarawa by Japan — survived.

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Tarawa’s brutality remembered
Nearly 1,700 U.S. troops died in battle

By Audrey McAvoy, The Associated Press

TARAWA, Kiribati — Master Sgt. James M. Fawcett got on his knees and gently mixed his father’s ashes with sand on the Pacific beach where the elder Fawcett fought his way ashore 65 years ago.

Maj. James L. Fawcett died in September at the age of 89. He wanted his ashes taken to the spot where half of the men in his 50-man platoon were killed during the first two hours of the Battle of Tarawa, one of World War II’s most brutal battles.

"What a great way to end a great life," the younger Fawcett said Thursday after he fulfilled his father’s wish. He was "a guy that was just an incredible hero and an incredible father," he said.

Fawcett later joined a ceremony observing the 65th anniversary of the Nov. 20, 1943, start of the three-day battle. The United States aimed to take Tarawa from Japan, which had controlled the island since Tokyo ousted the British three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The fight for the tiny atoll halfway between Hawaii and Australia was the U.S. military’s first major amphibious assault in World War II.

Victory gave the U.S. control of a critical airfield it used to launch planes to bomb new Japanese targets and spy on Japanese positions. It also taught the Navy and Marine Corps crucial lessons in amphibious warfare that would help the U.S. take island after island as it pushed west across the Pacific to defeat Japan and end the war.

But the gains came at great cost.

More than 990 U.S. Marines and some 680 sailors died, while almost 2,300 were wounded. Only 17 of the 3,500 Japanese troops — and 129 of the 1,200 Korean laborers forcibly brought to Tarawa by Japan — survived.

"The battle that unfolded here was one of staggering sacrifice, almost inconceivable challenge," Adm. Timothy J. Keating, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, said at the ceremony marking the anniversary. "Their courage and commitment and sense of honor inspired a nation."

Four Medals of Honor — the nation’s highest award for combat valor — were earned at Tarawa, one of them posthumously. Thirty-four Navy Crosses, the Navy’s second-highest award for valor, were issued along with some 250 Silver Stars.

The U.S. had expected to significantly weaken the Japanese position before the Marines landed by assaulting the island with long-range bombers and sorties launched from aircraft carriers. Battleships and cruisers lobbed shells.

The Americans planned to have 3,000 Marines on the beach in 30 minutes and 6,000 more in the hours that followed. Instead, the Marines took hours getting ashore, and lost hundreds of men doing so.

The U.S. made two especially costly mistakes.

One was dramatically underestimating how many Japanese would survive their aerial bombardments. The other was misreading the ocean tides, causing U.S. transport boats to get stuck on the reef. Many Marines were mowed down by Japanese machine-gun fire when they were forced to abandon the boats and wade ashore.

After assessing the results of Tarawa, U.S. commanders decided they would need more amphibious troops to invade Kwajalein and nearby islands. They also determined they would need to drop precision bombs over long periods to take out the concrete bunkers that had protected Japanese troops on Tarawa from aerial attack.

Keating, who commands 300,000 U.S. troops in the Asia-Pacific region, urged those working for him to learn from World War II veterans while they are still living.

"Pay attention to the survivors while we can," he said.

And though the region is largely at peace, Keating cautioned against getting complacent.

"Don’t take what we have today for granted," he said. "We must not be overconfident."

On Red Beach, Fawcett stood up and saluted his father’s ashes after mixing them with the sand. A fellow Marine who had been observing silently walked up and joined in the salute for several minutes.

"It was simple, and he would have really liked that," said Fawcett, 56. "I’m sure he’s very gratified right now."

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Tarawa Day: A Day of Remembrance

11/21/2008 By Lance Cpl. Casey Jones , 2nd Marine Division

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. —During the autumn of 1943, Marines and sailors from 2nd Marine Division Reinforced, stormed the shores of an island named Tarawa.

Located in the central Pacific Ocean, the tiny island became the battle site were 1,020 Marines made the ultimate sacrifice and more than 2,200 were wounded in a span of 76 hours.
Those three bloody days became known as “The Battle of Tarawa,” one of the fiercest and most vicious battles of World War II.

On Nov. 20, veterans of the Battle of Tarawa, active duty service members and families, gathered here to commemorate and pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the battle.
The veterans attended a memorial service, viewed a non-lethal weapons demonstration and fired pistols and rifles.

“Shooting the rifles brought back some memories,” said Henry C. Norman, a native of Springhill, Fla., and veteran of the battle. “We first had the M-1 rifle and then they gave us the carbines, so it was very interesting to shoot the M-16 rifle.”
The veterans were greeted and escorted throughout the day by active duty Marines dressed in the Service Alphas uniform.

The veterans said they were taken back by the amount of attention they were given and the tremendous amount of respect paid to them by the hosting 2nd Marine Regiment.

“The way they treated us here was amazing,” said Bill E. Crumpacker, a native of Fresno, Calif., who fought during the Battle of Tarawa. “I never thought anybody would treat us like that. We only did what we were supposed to do; we did not do anything special, but we’re being treated like kings around here and we aren’t kings—we are just one of the boys.”


Many of the veterans were astonished that 65 years later their sacrifices and efforts were still being recognized.


“It’s amazing that a three-day battle during World War II is still being remembered,” Norman said. “But I think it’s very important for Americans to remember the past and to honor those who have sacrificed for their country.”


Crumpacker took time during the event to recall his thoughts of the battle.


“The fighting lasted only three days and it seemed to be over before it even started,” he said. “But I was so young at that time, only 17 years old, so I didn’t really know any better. I wasn’t really scared or afraid, but when you’re only 17 years old, you have a tough time understanding what’s really going on.”


The event ended with a brief tour of present-day weapons and vehicles used in the Marine Corps. The World War II leathernecks were delighted with the day’s activities, but some in attendance wished veterans of other battles would be able to take part in their “own day.”


“I would hope in the future we can do more to remember some of the other battles,” Appleton said. “It would be nice to see some of those other veterans come and be recognized in the same way.”

Ellie