Remember Private Somes

"On the beach of 'Bloody Tarawa," where U. S. Marines deaths of hundreds of boxes, broken bottles, crushed, soiled diapers are now accumulating in the millions, "said a dispatch from the Associated Press that I read by chance while researching my book" War in the Pacific-A Retrospective. " The AP reporter described the garbage on Red Beach in Tarawa, a beach, I knew very well. 'was the same beach where they landed was the second Marine Divisionduring the first major amphibious assault in November 1943 by a Japanese island stronghold. I was an officer of the Navy landing craft, that Marines in my "wave groups" of Higgins boats.

During these three days of barbarism died more than 6,000 people. 1113 were U.S. Marines. Another 2,500 Marines were wounded.

I sent many letters and e-mail to Washington and urged officials to take measures to this insult to the memory of all those who fought and died for our country to eliminate the battle of"Bloody Tarawa."

Without an answer, I finally decided to go there themselves to get something. I brought a camera crew with me to make a documentary "Return to Tarawa." He will be edited by Emmy Award, Jay Miracle. The narrative will be great for the cinema, to do Ed Harris. The documentary is scheduled for release this summer of 2008.

On my arrival I found the garbage piles much worse than I expected. Also, ammo is everywhere among the relics of that longBefore the battle. Worst of all, there are the remains of Americans killed on the island, still there after all these years, 65 years after the battle. I have a report says the evidence for the skeletal remains of more than 200

Our government has done nothing on any of these shameful failures Beach --- all waste time continues to accumulate red, as citizens are dumping in the treatment of this hallowed ground as ugly. And as citizens in the lagoon as a toilet still use the sameLagoon where American corpses had floated for several days during the battle, rotting in the water temperature 80 degrees.

Following discussions with government officials in Tarawa, and our U.S. Ambassador, I have prepared an "Action Program for Tarawa," permanent memorial to be funded by our government to obtain, among other things, the red beach again a virgin.

During my week in Tarawa, I had many meetings. A Features: My meeting with "Big Louis", "the greatest manin Tarawa, "as I was six foot seven inch Australian doing business in Tarawa says. While at lunch with Louis, he told me he had bought the complete skeleton of a SU Marine named Somes. Louis showed me a photos of the plastic covering of the helmet Somes'. The model was Somes "rank and name, Somes PFC.

Louis had taken Somes' remains in his office waiting for some time, the answers to his letters to Washington officials on where to send Somes. Louis was always toldcould not be Somes was on the letter as "Somes had long since returned home to his graveyard."

Louis finally decided to Somes buried in a beautiful monument to the "Coast Watchers". near Red Beach. The monument was the place where the Japanese, the twelve New Zealanders and Australians, the Japanese Coast Watchers had reported the movement of ships, his severed head was removed in Australia.

Louis marked an "x" on a dinner napkin. Show me where he buriedSomes. I visited the memorial in the day, the rate of several meters from the center of the Monument to the position of serious Somes' at the x to score. "I was a bit 'on the unmarked grave, feeling my throat tighten as I said a silent prayer Somes.

Every year, Anzac Day, "Louis told me, for every 25 New Zealanders Austrralians April and also" Remember Private Somes. "Australians and New Zealanders" remember "Somes understandably. Somes and his fellow Americans have helped prevent JapanAcquisition of Australia and New Zealand.

We in the United States under any circumstances but remember Somes and his comrades in arms have given their lives for our country?