Images of Old Hawaiʻi

  • Home
  • About
  • Categories
    • Ali’i / Chiefs / Governance
    • American Protestant Mission
    • Buildings
    • Collections
    • Economy
    • Missionaries / Churches / Religious Buildings
    • General
    • Hawaiian Traditions
    • Other Summaries
    • Mayflower Summaries
    • Mayflower Full Summaries
    • Military
    • Place Names
    • Prominent People
    • Schools
    • Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks
    • Voyage of the Thaddeus
  • Collections
  • Contact
  • Follow
You are here: Home / Military / Camp Tarawa

March 16, 2019 by Peter T Young 1 Comment

Camp Tarawa

Camp Tarawa trained over 50,000 servicemen between 1942 and 1945.

Originally an Army camp named Camp Waimea, when the population in town was about 400, it became the largest Marine training facility in the Pacific following the battle of Tarawa.

There were three ways to get to Camp Tarawa – by narrow-gage sugarcane freight train; by hard-axle truck or on foot.

Many arrived to sleep outdoors on rough lava beds until Seabee construction could catch up with the surge – all were appreciative of the shelter and the respite from war.

Pyramid tent cities and streets of long convoys of jeeps, trucks, half-tracks, tanks, artillery, amphibious ducks made up the formidable, but top secret, Camp Tarawa.

The town warmly received the Marines who:
• Bought all the goods from the farmers and storekeepers
• Brought in Bob Crosby’s (Bing’s brother) Band
• Set up outdoor movie theaters
• Played baseball with the locals
• Ate Thanksgiving dinner in Kohala homes
• Conducted live fire training

Marines and Sailors trained for what has been referred to as the toughest marine offensive of WWII.

1300 miles northeast of Guadalcanal, the Japanese had constructed a centralized stronghold force in a 20-island group called Tarawa.

RADM Shibasaki, the Japanese commander there, proclaimed, “a million men cannot take Tarawa in a hundred years.” Ultimately, the objective took 9,000 marines only four days – but not without a staggering 37% casualties.

The victories at Tarawa, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands marked a turning point in the war. The Marines would reconstitute at the Camp Tarawa camp site.

At Iwo Jima, Lt General Kuribayashi, Japanese ground forces commander, concentrated his forces in the northern two-thirds of the island. The miles of interlocking caves, concrete blockhouses and pillboxes proved to be one of the most impenetrable defenses in the Pacific.

While the 4th Marine Division defeated heavy opposition to take a Japanese strong-point called the quarry, the 28th Marines of 5th Marine Division seized Mount Suribachi.

The 36-day assault on Iwo Jima cost America more than 26,000 casualties, including 6,800 dead. Of the 20,000 Japanese defenders, only 1,083 survived.

Twenty-seven Medals of Honor were awarded to Marines and Sailors, many posthumously – more than for any other single operation during the war.

The camp closed in November 1945 as 5th Marine Division was transferred to Japan for occupation. The Army took over the camp and auctioned off the remaining assets.

Camp Tarawa memorial was erected on July 3rd 1984 – the large rock is symbolic of Mt Suribachi on Iwo Jima; the brass plaque is made from shell casings. The memorial has three panels.

The left panel is dedicated to 2nd Marine Division for the battle of Tarawa and their training here until they departed for Saipan and Tinian.

The center panel honors Richard Smart, Parker Ranch, the community of Waimea and the Big Island.

The right panel commemorates 5th Marine Division through the battle of Iwo Jima and occupation of Japan.

Follow Peter T Young on Facebook 

Follow Peter T Young on Google+ 

Follow Peter T Young on LinkedIn  

Follow Peter T Young on Blogger

© 2019 Hoʻokuleana LLC

Tarawa-waimeagazette-Mar95
Tarawa-waimeagazette-Mar95
Camp_Tarawa-tents
Camp_Tarawa-tents
CampTarawa-waimeagazette-Mar95
CampTarawa-waimeagazette-Mar95
Tarawa7-waimeagazette-Mar95
Tarawa7-waimeagazette-Mar95
CampTarawa4-waimeagazette-Mar95
CampTarawa4-waimeagazette-Mar95
CampTarawa3-waimeagazette-Mar95
CampTarawa3-waimeagazette-Mar95
Camp_Tarawa3
Camp_Tarawa3
Camp_Tarawa1
Camp_Tarawa1
camp_tarawa_baseball
camp_tarawa_baseball
Tarawa-graves
Tarawa-graves
Tarawa_Atoll_Map
Tarawa_Atoll_Map
Gilbert_Island-Tarawa_Atoll_Map
Gilbert_Island-Tarawa_Atoll_Map
Mt. Suribachi, the most prominent geological feature on the island of Iwo Jima
Mt. Suribachi, the most prominent geological feature on the island of Iwo Jima
Mt. Suribachi
Mt. Suribachi
Tarawa_Atoll-Bititu_Island-Map
Tarawa_Atoll-Bititu_Island-Map
Tarawa_Regional_Map
Tarawa_Regional_Map
Iwo Jima map
Iwo Jima map
Parker_Ranch_and_Camp_Tarawa
Parker_Ranch_and_Camp_Tarawa
Marines and Navy Corpsman from Easy Company 2nd Battalion 28th Marines after raising the flags on Mt. Suribachi-Iwo Jima February 23, 1945
Marines and Navy Corpsman from Easy Company 2nd Battalion 28th Marines after raising the flags on Mt. Suribachi-Iwo Jima February 23, 1945
Iwo Jima Memorial
Iwo Jima Memorial
CampTarawa-waimeagazette-Feb95
CampTarawa-waimeagazette-Feb95
Camp_Tarawa_Memorial
Camp_Tarawa_Memorial
Battle of Tarawa Memorial
Battle of Tarawa Memorial

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: Military Tagged With: Marines, Kamuela, Iwo Jima, Tarawa, Hawaii, Waimea, Camp Tarawa

Comments

  1. Matthew Hughes says

    March 16, 2019 at 3:05 am

    My father, Gus Hughes, was a Marine at Camp Tarawa. When he found out that I accepted a job at Hawaii Preparatory Academy in 1980, he and my mother came to visit the following summer. At the time, HPA was hosting summer IES students from Japan and as a friendly gesture, flew a Japanese flag atop the flag pole in front of the science building. My father almost had a heart attack.

    Reply

Leave your comment here:Cancel reply

Images of Old Hawaiʻi

People, places, and events in Hawaiʻi’s past come alive through text and media in “Images of Old Hawaiʻi.” These posts are informal historic summaries presented for personal, non-commercial, and educational purposes.

Info@Hookuleana.com

Connect with Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Concrete No. 5
  • Slavery
  • Queen Kapiʻolani’s Canoe
  • 250 Years Ago … Battle of Bunker Hill
  • 250 Years Ago – George Washington
  • Happy Father’s Day!
  • 250 Years Ago … Continental Army

Categories

  • Ali'i / Chiefs / Governance
  • Buildings
  • Missionaries / Churches / Religious Buildings
  • Hawaiian Traditions
  • Military
  • Place Names
  • Prominent People
  • Schools
  • Sailing, Shipping & Shipwrecks
  • Economy
  • Voyage of the Thaddeus
  • Mayflower Summaries
  • American Revolution
  • General

Tags

Albatross Al Capone Ane Keohokalole Archibald Campbell Bernice Pauahi Bishop Charles Reed Bishop Downtown Honolulu Eruption Founder's Day George Patton Great Wall of Kuakini Green Sea Turtle Hawaii Hawaii Island Hermes Hilo Holoikauaua Honolulu Isaac Davis James Robinson Kamae Kamaeokalani Kamanawa Kameeiamoku Kamehameha Schools Lalani Village Lava Flow Lelia Byrd Liliuokalani Mao Math Mauna Loa Midway Monk Seal Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Oahu Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument Pearl Pualani Mossman Queen Liliuokalani Thomas Jaggar Volcano Waikiki Wake Wisdom

Hoʻokuleana LLC

Hoʻokuleana LLC is a Planning and Consulting firm assisting property owners with Land Use Planning efforts, including Environmental Review, Entitlement Process, Permitting, Community Outreach, etc. We are uniquely positioned to assist you in a variety of needs.

Info@Hookuleana.com

Copyright © 2012-2024 Peter T Young, Hoʻokuleana LLC

 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d