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A South Carolina man believes he may have discovered the plane Amelia Earhart was flying when she vanished over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. Former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer Tony Romeo turned his fascination with the legendary pilot into an adventure when he embarked on an ambitious search for Earhart's lost plane. Romeo, who sold his commercial property investments to fund his search, managed to take a sonar image of an aircraft-shaped object on the ocean floor in December. Earhart and her Earhart's Lockheed 10-E Electra vanished at the height of her fame, a mystery that has spawned decades...

The Solomon Islands has informed U.S. authorities that all naval visits have been suspended until further notice following an earlier incident on Aug. 23 when a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, the Oliver Henry, was denied permission for a scheduled port call. The incident comes amid mounting concerns about Beijing’s influence in the region and Solomons Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s moves to deepen ties with the Chinese regime while solidifying his hold on power. According to the U.S. Embassy in Canberra: “On Aug. 29, the United States received formal notification from the Government of the Solomon Islands regarding a moratorium on...

China expanded into the South China Sea as we know, building islands and arming them. They are now expanding into the South Pacific. They have already taken over the Solomon Islands. While Joe Biden pushes proper pronoun usage, the Solomon Islands made a deal with China. The Solomon Islands denies that China will be able to establish a military base on its territory. But the accord appears to allow for military police deployments from the People’s Liberation Army and possible naval access, The South China Morning Post reports. The deal with China, judging from a leaked draft, spells out a...

A Utah Marine who died during World War II was accounted for in September, the U.S. Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Wednesday, almost 76 years after he was killed in battle. Pfc. Robert J. Hatch, of Woods Cross, was 21 years old when he was killed on Nov. 22, 1943, fighting the Japanese on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands, according to a news release. It was the third day of the battle for the island. About 1,000 Marines and sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded in the...

The newly-identified remains of a Texas marine killed in World War II are now headed to San Antonio for a proper burial. Marine Corp Reserve 2nd Lt. Ernest A. Matthews Jr., 34, of Dallas, died while fighting Imperial Japanese Forces on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands on November 20, 1943. "Over several days of intense fighting at Tarawa, approximately 1,000 Marines and Sailors were killed and more than 2,000 were wounded, while the Japanese were virtually annihilated," according to a statement from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Unfortunately, no recovered remains...

Don’t Let Anyone Tell You that We Never Leave a Fallen Comrade Behind, There’s Too Much Proof Otherwise July 15, 2018 Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman, USMC - (left) a painting (not included) not long after being commissioned as a 2LT - (right) Bonnyman's remains approximately 75 years later found on Tarawa Atoll in the South Pacific The Battle of Tarawa was a battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II fought on 20–23 November 1943. It took place at the Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, and was part of Operation Galvanic, the U.S. invasion of the Gilberts. It’s estimated...

On Nov. 22, 1943, Marine 1st Lt. Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman Jr. led a desperate assault to take a massive, sand-covered bunker holding scores of Japanese troops who had Marines pinned on the northern shore of Betio in the central Pacific atoll of Tarawa. Bonnyman planned the assault, and his team of 21 engineers and riflemen -- dubbed "Forlorn Hope" due to the hopelessness of their mission -- charged the bunker and killed a machine gunner perched on top with satchel charge demo devices and flamethrowers. On the summit, they dropped explosive charges down the ventilator openings and sprayed inside the...

The remains of a World War II Marine who was killed in the South Pacific arrived at San Jose International Airport Friday to be returned to his family in Gilroy. The Masoni family has waited since 1943 for Frank Masoni to return home. Masoni was a Marine cook in the South Pacific but was sent into action and killed in the battle of Tarawa. His family thought his body was never recovered until the military conducted a DNA test matching it to an unknown Marine buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. Turns out, it was...

Marvin Strombo, who had taken the calligraphy-covered Japanese flag from a dead soldier at World War II island battlefield 73 years ago, returned it Tuesday to the family of Sadao Yasue. They had never gotten his body or — until that moment — anything else of his. Yasue and Tatsuya’s sister Sayoko Furuta, 93...covered her face with both hands and wept silently as Tatsuya placed the flag on her lap. ... The flag’s white background is filled with signatures of 180 friends and neighbors in this tea-growing mountain village of Higashishirakawa, wishing Yasue’s safe return. The signatures helped Strombo find...

The remains of what are believed to be 24 American servicemen killed on a Pacific island during World War II have been returned to the U.S. for identification. The Pentagon says a U.S. military aircraft carrying flag-draped coffins arrived this week at Hawaii's Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

A young Marine killed in the bloody World War II Battle of Tarawa has finally been brought home and has been laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. Pfc. Wilbur C. Mattern was 23 years old when he was killed on November 21, 1943, the second day of the three-day battle to take the atoll back from the Japanese. He was found earlier this year by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), whose function is to search for missing American servicemembers around the world, identify them and return them home for proper burial with honors. Mattern was buried on the...

The military and a private organization have brought home the remains of 36 Marines killed in one of World War II's bloodiest battles. A group called History Flight recovered the remains from the remote Pacific atoll of Tarawa, the U.S. Marine Corps said. A ceremony was held Sunday in Pearl Harbor to mark their return.

The remains of 36 U.S. Marine heroes of a bloody World War II battle were found on an isolated island in the Pacific more than 70 years after they died, various news outlets report. He added that the remains, although they nave not been officially identified, almost indubitably include those of 1st Lt. Alexander Bonnyman, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, America’s highest military accolade, for conspicuous gallantry.

The bodies of 36 US Marines have been found on a remote Pacific island more than 70 years after they died in a bloody World War II battle [Tarawa], a member of the recovery team said...

In 1943, during World War II, US forces seized control of Tarawa and Makin atolls from the Japanese

Expedition could lead to largest identification of war dead in U.S. history

TARAWA, Kiribati — Master Sgt. James M. Fawcett got on his knees and gently mixed his father’s ashes with sand on the Pacific beach where the elder Fawcett fought his way ashore 65 years ago. Maj. James L. Fawcett died in September at the age of 89. He wanted his ashes taken to the spot where half of the men in his 50-man platoon were killed during the first two hours of the Battle of Tarawa, one of World War II’s most brutal battles. "What a great way to end a great life," the younger Fawcett said Thursday after he...

Ralph Peters this morning on Marine Corps humor compels me to share my own bit of the same, which I was actually saving for a forthcoming piece. He beats me to the punch on writing a piece on Marine humor, so here is one from the vault.

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

Sixty-three years ago this month, the 2nd Marine Division landed in the Gilbert Islands on a tiny islet smaller than New York City's Central Park. In doing so, it precipitated one of the most vicious battles in the history of a Corps that has become famous for tough fights. Betio was the name of the island, but the battle has become known by the name of the atoll in which Betio formed the centerpiece of the Japanese defense: Tarawa. As much as any battle of World War II, Tarawa illustrates the profound difference between how the American news media regarded...