Service members return to Tarawa for memorial service

Photo By Sgt. Aaron Hostutler | Children wave to members of the III Marine Expeditionary Force band during a parade through the streets of Betio. The band joined the Betio Police Department and cadets from the Kiribati Maritime Training Center in a procession that began near Red Beach One and ended at the site of the Tarawa Memorial Nov. 20.  

12.05.2008

Courtesy Story

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

By III Marine Expeditionary Force Public Affairs

BETIO, Republic of Kiribati - More than six decades have passed since Pfc. Roy Robinson first set foot on the sandy beaches of Betio, in the Republic of Kiribati, part of the Tarawa Atoll. Today Betio bares little resemblance to what it used to be, or what it was to Robinson 65 years ago.

Just past his 18th birthday, Robinson, a rifleman assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, was on one of many Higgins Boats that landed on Red Beach Two in 1943. All Robinson remembers about Betio's landscape are the Japanese fortifications that once lined the coast.

"I can't believe this is Tarawa," Robinson said with a grin. "We've got to be on the wrong island. Because the only thing here last time was sand, trees and pill boxes."

Robinson's memory, along with his hearing, has faded a bit over the last 65 years, but the former Marine's thoughts drifted back to a place described by him in three simple words.

"It was hell!" he said. "All we could think about was what the hell are we doing here and how do we get off this place."

Thinking back, Robinson said there were a few things he knows helped him through the battle.

"Brotherhood and camaraderie helped to get us through it," Robinson said. "We had to pay attention to our left, right and front, but I knew they had my back," Robinson said, referring to the Marines charging forward from the rear.

Robinson was one of 35,000 Marines, Sailors and Soldiers who stormed the shores of Betio Nov. 20, 1943. Exactly 65 years later, the Marines once again landed on Betio.

More than 30 Marines and sailors from the III Marine Expeditionary Force traveled to Betio to pay tribute to the service members who battled there many years ago.

A ceremony commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Tarawa was held Nov. 20 at a small memorial standing in a nondescript field near the shores of Betio.

Nearly 1,000 local villagers, mainly children, flocked to see what all the pomp and circumstance was about as more than 100 distinguished visitors attended the ceremony.

Republic of Tarawa President Anote Tong; Adm. Timothy Keating, commander, U.S. Pacific Command; and Lt. Gen. Richard C. Zilmer, commanding general for III MEF and Marine Corps Bases Japan, were among the guests in attendance.

"What began on that morning only 65 years ago and lasting for a terrifying 76 hours is what brings us here today," said Zilmer. "Today we meet here to commemorate the lives, the sacrifices and the losses of those gallant young men who braved the horrors and savagery of modern day combat to overcome an enemy equally committed to victory."

Near the end of the ceremony, wreaths were placed at the memorial and Tong concluded by thanking the veterans who fought for his people.

"I salute those courageous young men who served during that time," he said. "We are indeed honored to be a part of this commemoration to honor the memories of those brave men and to pay our respect to their courage and personal sacrifice for the people of Kiribati and humanity."

After the ceremony, Robinson departed to walk along the same sandy shores of Betio he landed on 65 years before. But it was different now. The crackle of machine gun fire was replaced with the sound of waves breaking along the shore line. There were no more working weapons of war there, and nature had reclaimed the land once dominated by pillboxes.

• Date Taken: 12.05.2008
• Date Posted: 12.08.2008 02:35
• Story ID: 27301