Tarawa Talk

I am pretty certain that this photograph was taken on Tinian.  My dad is in front with his BAR.  I have a couple more of some of the guys with his BAR and one of dad by himself.  One thing I never noticed and never asked him about is it doesn't appear he is wearing his dog tags.  I do not know if that is a Saint Christopher medal, but he was not really a very religious guy.

What unit was your dad in? Every line company pic I know of shows the men in camo helmets. Defense Battalion members and other support units not so much but riflemen yes.

As to the camo helmet covers, most of the Marines I have seen in Tarawa videos and photos did have the camo helmet covers, but some did not.  Again, I think this was taken after the surrender, he had enough points that he was in the first group to come home so perhaps the guys in his squad or platoon decided to take the camo covers off since the fighting was done.  One of the guys in his squad told me my Dad often fought just like in this picture, bare chested, at least on Saipan and Tinian.  So many questions I have now but never asked when I had the chance.

Thanks Gunny.  Yeah, he became one of Ryan's Orphans and was wounded on the first day.  After my dad died, we found a roster of the guys in the 2nd platoon, L company, after his transfer to Major Ryan's company.  I still have that roster that is from 1944, I suspect.  Started looking in "Follow Me" for guys in L/3/2 (at the time I did not know he had landed with K/3/2 but I think all of remnants of K/3/2 wound up going to L/3/2 anyway) and wrote them letters to see if they remembered my dad.  I got several phone calls and letters from those who knew him, including one from Major Ryan (as you no doubt know, he retired as a Major General but I have always referred to him at his rank on Tarawa).

One Marine who was actually in my dad's squad (and helped him back to an aid station when my dad was wounded on Saipan) asked if I had a certain book on Tarawa (that I think was out of print) and I had the book.  He asked if I would send it to him so he could read it.  I did, and then about three months later he sent it back, and had made notes in the book, marked on maps where they landed, how far they had advanced on the first day, etc..  As to Major Schoettel, in the margin beside a sentence describing Schottel not landing with his men, this Marine wrote "He did not want to land!"  Another Marine sent me a 10 yen paper note and on it all the guys in their squad had signed it, one of them my dad.  He also sent me a map of the island, with red and blue map colors indicating certain things.

Yes, he was very lucky.  I have often wondered about the odds of any of them making it to shore and, once there, making it through the fight.  I suppose the answer is that they were Marines.

Again, thanks for your kind words.  I appreciate them very much.