La Habra Heights, California is where I lived when I joined the Marines at age 18. From New Zealand to Tarawa, I was on the attack transport USS J. Franklin Bell (APA-16). I was 20 when the landings occurred at Tarawa; my unit was Hq Company, 2^nd Battalion, 6^th Marine Regiment of the 2^nd Marine Division.

USS J. Franklin Bell (APA-16)

A PHOTO LINK TO THE USS J. Franklin Bell COMES HERE SOON.

The night before the battle began, I remember waiting in our bunking quarters to move out to the deck and to load aboard landing craft. Equipment I took with me was the usual: rifle, ammo, grenades, water AND the hope to get through the day.

My unit was intended to go in on Green Beach, on the far west side of Betio; instead, we were sent on D+1 in the 1^st wave to Bairiki, the small island immediately to the east of Betio, where we had been sent to serve as reserves. Even there, the sound of machine gun bullets hitting the metal of the ramp and wondering if they were going to come through the metal preoccupied my thoughts. I still remember that!

The concern was that Japanese soldiers were escaping the action on Betio and were going at low tide to Bairiki. On D+2, they sent us to Betio. We left the landing craft close to the pier on the north side of Betio and fought our way to Black Beach on the south side of Betio with the 2-6 battalion commander and set up a line south-to-north behind 1-6 and 3-6 to reinforce for the expected counterattack by the Japs that night. All told, I was on Betio for about 24 hours. Well, the Japs did counterattack, and they were annihilated. On our way to Black Beach and after the counterattack, utter destruction was all the eye could see; the terrible “ripe” smell of dead bodies was everywhere.

On D+3 they took our 2/6 battalion to Buota, the fourth island up the atoll from Betio. From that point for the next four days, we chased the Japs to the north end of the atoll. The Japs had no place to go, and they fought and retreated all the way to the last island at the atoll, Buariki, where on D+7 there was an intense firefight. All the Japs were killed, at the expense of 32 dead Marines and 59 wounded. Once again, I used up a few more of my lucky points: I survived!

MAP OF TARAWA ATOLL

A PHOTO LINK TO A MAP OF TARAWA ATOLL COMES HERE SOON.

On D+9, our 2-6 battalion returned to the southern area of Tarawa Atoll and set up camp on Etia, the third island to the east of Betio. In case the Japs decided to come back, we stayed there from 29 November 1943 to 01 February 1944, when the Liberty Ship USS Prince Georges (AP-165) took us back to Pearl Harbor.

USS Prince Georges (AP-165)

A PHOTO LINK TO THE USS Prince Georges COMES HERE SOON.

By the time the war was over, I had served at Guadalcanal; Tarawa; Saipan; and Tinian.

Beside these memories, I received the Presidential Unit Citation; Asiatic-Pacific, with 3 stars; American Defense Service; the American Campaign; and the World War II Victory medals. For this 87-year old Marine, I have to say it’s amazing how many of these memories seem just like yesterday. I still have the picture in my mind of all the Marine bodies floating in the lagoon as I made my way ashore on the pier.

What I remember of Camp Tarawa was how cold it was, with the wind blowing down off the snow on Mauna Kea. We were issued an extra blanket! And I got two liberties to Hilo!

Herb, we thank you for your service. We are indebted to you and your fellow Marines. We will remember.

SEMPER FI, HERB !

Received 13 November 2010

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