Return to Tarawa

A Documentary Narrating the Return Of Leon Cooper, A Veteran of the Battle of “Bloody Tarawa,” a Pacific War Battle Fought in November, 1943. Leon Returned to Tarawa in February, 2008 In Order To Learn More About Reports He Had Read About Garbage On “Red Beach.” It Was On That Beach That Leon, A US Navy Landing Craft Officer, Had Landed Marines In the First Major Amphibious Assault On A Central Pacific Japanese Stronghold. Where Leon Saw Thousands of His Countrymen Fall Dead or Wounded On Red Beach From Murderous Japanese Gunfire in 1943 Garbage Now And For Years Has Littered This Hallowed Ground. He Is Resolved To Make Sure That Red Beach is Cleaned Up Permanently Along With A Garbage Control Program For the Rest of Tarawa. Steve Barber, Producer, and Matthew Hausle, Camera Man/Editor, Accompanied Him. The Film of His “Return” Will Be Available Later In 2008. SHAME OF OUR NATION. n Garbage is piled high on the entire, miles-long, stretch of Red Beach…It keeps getting higher with the passing of time; n Skeletal remains–in plain sight or just below the surface– of American and Japanese dead are everywhere on Betio, the island where the principal fighting took place in Tarawa. n I met an Aussie resident of Tarawa whose specialty is gathering war relics on Betio, including unexploded ordnance. During his years on Tarawa, in his search for relics, he has personally dug up human bones on Betio or has had Tarawa citizens do this for him. n Tarawa citizens have built shacks, lean-to’s and other dwellings all along Red Beach. n There are 100,000 plus citizens crowded together on the string of tiny islands that constitute the Tarawa archipelago. According to one report, Tarawa’s population density exceeds that of Hong Kong. This density is most evident on Betio, where seemingly every square foot along the beaches is occupied by some type of structure. No doubt, the remains of many of the 6,000 + Americans and Japanese who died during those three days of savagery lie under these structures. n Citizens living along Red Beach routinely use the lagoon as a bathroom. This is the lagoon traversed by U.S. LVTs and Higgins Boats during the invasion. Photographs taken after the battle show corpses of US Marines floating in the same lagoon. n Early in 1946, the US Army Quartermaster Corps sent a group of specialists, including several experts in dentistry, to Tarawa. Their mission: to identify the remains of several hundred US Marines found at several burial sites on Betio. According to their report, “only about 58% were identified.” n Ordnance relics of the battle can be seen virtually everywhere on Betio. Australia has sent a contingent of divers to scour the lagoon and other nearby sites in order to recover, and then to dispose of, live ammunition. I asked, but was told there were no reports of death or injury to the citizenry who had chanced to contact or handle ordnance. Given the natural curiosity of children and there are many–about “toys” it seems obvious that there have been some, if not a significant number of deaths or injuries, even though not reported. e Saw Thousand n I saw firsthand the active/involved presence of representatives of the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and Japan (the causeway built by Japan that connects Betio to other islands is called the “Nippon Causeway.”) These dedicated representatives, for years, have been helping the Kiribati governments in matters dealing with the environment, health and disease control, sanitation, nutrition, education, bomb disposal, etc. The United States sole presence is the Peace Corp’s Regional Director and his relatively few staff members. n And then, there’s SAVING PRIVATE SOAMES. I met Louie, “The biggest man on Tarawa,” a 6’7″ tall Aussie. Some years ago a Tarawa citizen had told Louie that he had found the complete skeleton of a US Marine. The Marine, while dying, had fallen into a deep hole below the water level, hence preserving his full skeletal remains. His remains were found, along with his boots, watch and helmet liner. The name, “Soames, Pfc” was stenciled on the liner. Louie gathered up Soames’ bones from the citizen, putting them in a cloth bag, then taking them back to his office. He kept Soames’ remains for some time, while trying to find out from inquiries in the US what he should do about Soames’ bones. (I’m not sure who he wrote to). Louie was told emphatically that Soames was buried in a cemetery in his hometown, in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The bones that Louie had, he was assured, could not have been those of Soames. What to do about Arthur Soames? There’s a beautiful monument to the “Coastwatchers” of Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain near Red Beach. It was on that location that fifteen Coastwatchers had been beheaded by the Japanese invaders of Tarawa. The monument marks the site of the beheadings. Louie marked an “X” on a restaurant napkin for me, indicating where he had buried Soames, just six feet from the monument. I visited Soames’ burial site afterwards. He lies in an unmarked grave. It was difficult for me to keep from sobbing as I stood over his grave. Others besides Louie remember Soames. Every year, on “Anzac Day,” the Australian/New Zealanders include a prayer about Soames. CONCLUSION Attached is my memo, “An Action Program for Tarawa,” a memo I had prepared before my visit to Kiribati to guide me in gathering the information I needed. I gave copies to the President of Kiribati and his key Ministers during my meetings with each. I was greeted warmly by these officials and by many others in that country. Thanks to the help I received from the US Fiji Ambassador, Larry Dinger and his Deputy Chief of Mission, Ted Mann, all of these meetings were productive. Mr. Mann accompanied me during my almost week-long stay in Kiribati. I continue to marvel at his patience and forbearance in “putting up” with me, someone who was determined to make every moment in Tarawa count in order to achieve his goal. I will soon submit a request for funding to my representatives in Congress, along with a detailed budget showing how the funds will be spent. https://videos.whiteblox.com/gnb/secure/player.aspx?sid=47213