1 March 1944 during crizzling rain at Camp Tarawa, "Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, shown as he address men of the 2nd Mar Div, 171 of whom recieved awards, ranging from the Navy Cross to letter of commendation, for thier heroic action during the recent battle for Tarawa Atoll in the Glberts. In speaking to the Marines, Admiral Nimitz said: "The whole world knows of the gallant performance and achievements of the men who fought at Tarawa."
The following were awarded for action on the Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands:
| Medal of Honor | 4 (3 posthumous) |
| Navy Cross | 46 (22 posthumous) |
| Distinguished Service Medal | 4 |
| Silver Star | 248 |
| Legion of Merit | 21 |
| Total Medals | 323 |
| CinC Letter of Commendation | 80 |
| CG Letter of Commendation | 96 |
| Total Commendations | 176 |
| Total Awards | 499 1 |
Other decorations awarded for action on Tarawa:
Notes
1. Alexander, p. 239. However the numbers of Legion of Merit and Distinguished
Service Medals cited by Alexander differs from Blakeney.
2. While the Bronze Star was not created untill well after November 1943,
some were awarded retroactively.
3. The Gilbert Islands had been under the British Crown until the Japaneses
invaded in 1942.
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copyright 1999 T.O.T.W.
Created October 1999 - Updated 11 May 2021
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