Haere ra Brothers
A memorable 2014 visit from six U.S.World War II veterans now has added poignancy as the Trust has learnt that four of the six men who called themselves “The Band of Brothers” have died over the past year.
Tarawa Veterans Visit - Photo Gallery
The group of Marines, then aged 88-93 all trained in New Zealand as part of the Second Marine Division – prior to fighting in the four-day Battle of Tarawa. They were all stationed in Camps in Kāpiti and Porirua.
In the past year veterans: Arvin J. Bowden, San Antonio, Texas; C.J. Daigle, Cincinnati, Ohio; James Morrow, Sommerville, South Carolina and C.; Dean Woodward, Pittsburg, Texas have all passed. The two remaining members of the group are Dean Ladd, Seattle, Washington; Wendell Perkins, Walnut Grove, California.
Trust Chair Jenny Rowan says: It is incredibly sad to see these remarkable men pass on. They were all fantastic people and their life-long enthusiasm for New Zealand was heart-warming and inspiring. Our loving thoughts are with their families and loved ones.
“Visits like these give us real motivation for the work we do. They keep us inspired to create a place where future generations can come to learn about the lives of over 15,000 young Marines who lived and trained on our land before fighting in the Pacific war.”
The Battle of Tarawa came at a considerable human cost with more than 5,000 Japanese and 1,000 U.S. lives lost.
The Brothers leaving L.A. Airport on their way to New Zealand. Left to right (front row): Dean Woodward, Dean Ladd, A.J.Bowden. (Back Row): Tour leader Mark Noah, Jim Morrow, Wendell Perkins, A.J.Daigle.
C.J.Daigle looks at the U.S.Marines exhibit at the Paekākāriki Station Museum.
Jim Morrow visiting the U.S.Marines Hall in Titahi Bay. He was stationed at this Camp during World War II. Read more about Porirua Camps
The Brothers visiting Tarawa to repatriate the bodies of their brothers killed in World War II
Dean Woodward, Jim Morrow, Wendell Perkins, C.J.Daigle, Dean Ladd and A.J.Bowden (aged 88-93) were all stationed in camps in Kāpiti and Porirua Districts and are veterans of the Battle of Tarawa.
The ‘band of brothers’ left New Zealand to be part of a ceremony to repatriate their fallen brothers to home soil.
Lead by Mark Noah (49), an Airline Pilot who founded Flight History Inc their mission is now accomplished. Noah (49) has made over 30 trips to Tarawa in the past decade to locate the remains and lost graves of American veterans still ‘missing in action’.
Statistics from the Battle of Tarawa are grim; 35,000 U.S. Troops fought in the battle resulting in 1696 American and 4690 Japanese casualties.
According to a 2013 New York Times report 471 Tarawa Marines are buried by name in American cemeteries, 104 are buried in unknown graves at the National Memorial Cemetery in Hawaii and up to 520 were still on or near Tarawa.