Tarawa Talk

Wonderfull Jon, yep im sure that was them, As long as one of us has them, and we back up all our TOTW files photos and maps for future family members, good thing is if any body outside our group trys using any of our hard work, for money or fame we know where they got them. Any thing i can do here in NZ ( at moment ) for you Jon, Sempa Fi Mac
Kim

Hi Jon
I hope somebody did. The NARA file he sent is still there, just the above folder has been moved or deleted by owner, is all it says. Hey ive lost a folder years ago, which contained photos of Shibazaki's bunker, pre battle, got to be honest a tear fell.
Well thank you, much love and respect to you all
K Harrison

Hi all from Betio/New Zealand
Just going through my google drive looking at some old folders people shared with me. One was deleted by owner folder was named
D-Day photos second batch
and was mostly photos from the air, from gottfreudtr@gmail.com
I truelly cant remember which member sent to me lol.
Would love to get them again was trying to do a now vs then photo collection for us all here.
Any help please
K Harrison

I want to say that the Second Marine Division Association published that directory once a year, but I could be wrong.  For me, our family was getting bigger, I was the sole breadwinner as my wife stayed home with the children, I was trying to build my CPA practice, and all that caused me to focus less on contacting guys who served with my dad, and following up with them.  I truly regret that I didn't work harder at doing so.  Guess it is the age-old thing we tell ourselves "I will get around to doing that."  Until you can't.

After my dad died in 1989, my mother found a typed listing of his platoon.  It was the 2nd platoon, L/3/2.  It had name, rank, and service number.  She got to looking into things, got in touch with someone with the Second Marine Division Association.  One thing led to another, and I wound up subscribing to "Follow Me."  In the back of each issue, it would list members, their service years, and what unit they served with.

I sent probably 50 or 60 letters and got many wonderful replies.  Met one of the Marines in person, spoke on the phone with several, sent pictures my dad had to many of them.  Even got a reply from Maj. Michael Ryan (his rank at the time of the landing), his company commander.  One asked to borrow a book I had on Tarawa and when he sent it back, he had written comments on some of the pages, indicated where they were on the various days of the battle.  One sent me a 10 yen note that my dad and others had signed, and one sent me a map of the island, with red and blue map pencil markings of various things.

Unfortunately, I probably could have been in contact with several more, but I did not realize he had landed with K/3/2 and shortly after Tarawa went to L/3/2.  I regret I did not spend more time on this project.  I am writing a book of stories about my parents, to be given to their grandchildren, great grandchildren, and so on, stories about various things and his time in the Marines will be part of it of course.