A true story

[Lee Borgersen]

            God Bless Our Veterans ......................
                                  A true story



A true story  about 19 marines killed on an island during WW II (defending against the Japanese). They had to retreat, so asked the islanders to please bury them for us. Years later, they  checked and found a man who had been a teenager then and remembered where they were buried. They sent a C130 and an honor guard over there and found all 19 had been buried with their helmets on, their rifles in their hands, in  perfect condition. The islanders had really done a wonderful job. As they were  loading the bodies, a voice from out of nowhere started singing The Marine Hymn"..........gave everyone goose bumps. Turns out, the  voice was from a  man who spoke no English but remembered a song the Marines taught him when  they landed. Very touching.                                                         

They got all 19 and their photos  are at the end.                                                                                                                 

VIDEO ..

[Gunner55]

I'm sure it meant a great deal to their families to bring them home.

[mike89]

as Marine vet, this was moving for me, a few tears. one helllla tribute to them!!

thanks Lee, Mike.

once a Marine all ways a Marine!!

[dew2]

as Marine vet, this was moving for me, a few tears. one helllla tribute to them!!

thanks Lee, Mike.

once a Marine all ways a Marine!!

Semper Fi! the true story as I tear up

   World War II

1942
Carlson’s Raiders land on Makin Island
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On this day in 1942, Lt. Col. Evans F. Carlson and a force of Marine raiders come ashore Makin Island, in the west Pacific Ocean, occupied by the Japanese. What began as a diversionary tactic almost ended in disaster for the Americans.

Two American submarines, the Argonaut and the Nautilus, approached Makin Island, an atoll in the Gilbert Islands, which had been seized by the Japanese on December 9, 1941. The subs unloaded 122 Marines, one of two new raider battalions. Their leader was Lt. Col. Evans Carlson, a former lecturer on postrevolutionary China. Their mission was to assault the Japanese-occupied Makin Island as a diversionary tactic, keeping the Japanese troops “busy” so they would not be able to reinforce troops currently under assault by Americans on Guadalcanal Island.

Carlson’s “Raiders” landed quietly, unobserved, coming ashore on inflatable rafts powered by outboard motors. Suddenly, one of the Marines’ rifles went off, alerting the Japanese, who unleashed enormous firepower: grenades, flamethrowers, and machine guns. The subs gave some cover by firing their deck guns, but by night the Marines had to begin withdrawing from the island. Some Marines drowned when their rafts overturned; about 100 made it back to the subs. Carlson and a handful of his men stayed behind to sabotage a Japanese gas dump and to seize documents. They then made for the submarines too. When all was said and done, seven Marines drowned, 14 were killed by Japanese gunfire, and nine were captured and beheaded.

Carlson went on to fight with the U.S. forces on Guadalcanal. He was a source of controversy; having been sent as a U.S. observer with Mao’s Army in 1937, he developed a great respect for the “spiritual strength” of the communist forces and even advocated their guerrilla-style tactics. He remained an avid fan of the Chinese communists even after the war.

[mike89]

Semper Fi! Dew2!! that's a good read too!!  thanks, the stories of these people is some thing!!