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Show The Price of Freedom is Not Free 4 f I '' - J by Geri Taylor The tragedy of 91 1 brought the realities of war to our shores for the first time since Pearl Harbor. Har-bor. We came together as a nation, na-tion, awakened by our own false security of safety and peace, and for a time our precious freedoms were not only valued but took precedence in our thoughts. As is the nature of man, when prosperity flourishes, it is our inclination to take our liberties liber-ties for granted, with forgetful-ness forgetful-ness that someone must tend the gates of freedom. And while the blood of patriots pa-triots continues to be spilt on foreign soil, it is easier to expect our independence than learn how it came to be and how to keep it. Supreme Court Justice Felix Fe-lix Frankfurter said it succinctly, "We have enjoyed so much freedom free-dom for so long that we are per haps in danger of forgetting how much blood it cost to establish the Bill of Rights." Have we also forgotten the sacrifices made to maintain the sovereignty which ensures our peace and safety and protects pro-tects these "rights". Those who gave their lives have received the love and respect of family, friends and the nation, but what of the men and women who lived? From the beaches of Normandy, Nor-mandy, the jungles of Viet Nam, or the deserts of Iraq , the brave and courageous have served their country then returned to the seeming normalcy of daily life. While it is easy for we, who benefited from their sacrifice, to forget their remarkable contribution, contri-bution, the experiences of war are indelibly ingrained in their memories and their lives. These are the men and women we revere and honor on this day of remembrance. Their service and example must never be forgotten lest "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it." As the "greatest generation" genera-tion" slowly fades into history, only their stories and deeds are left to remind America that freedom comes at a price. For one Pleasant Grove Veteran, that price included the loss of friends and comrades on a small atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Tarawa was considered the first American offensive in the critical central Pacific region. The Marianas Islands were needed need-ed to set up air bases capable of supporting operations across the mid-Pacific, but the heavily defended islands could only be secured by land-based bombers. The Marshall Islands, northeast of Guadalcanal, was the nearest area that could be used as a garrison, gar-rison, but these islands were also heavily entrenched by an elite Japanese force. To secure this area, in order to launch the offensive on the Marianas, the battle would have to start far to the east at Tarawa. The Japanese Admiral, who commanded the garrison on Be-tio, Be-tio, boasted, "it would take one million men and one hundred years" to conquer Tarawa. He spoke from experience since his rikusentai or Imperial Impe-rial Japanese Marines had been "thoroughly trained and admirably admi-rably proficient with their entire en-tire range of weaponry. (They were) skilled in camouflage and concealment and imbued with a fierce fighting spirit." (Col Joseph Jo-seph H. Alexander) They also had the advantage of trenches that connected all points of the island, allowing troops to move where needed under cover. What the Japanese Admiral Admi-ral failed to recognize was the "identical combat qualities in the ranks of the amphibious force rumbling toward them." This mistake cost not only thousands thou-sands of lives, but the loss of the Marshall Islands to the American Ameri-can Forces. The 2nd Marine Division had left New Zealand with Amphibious Assault Vehicles which they later found didn't have enough armor to protect them from even the smallest artillery, machine gun bullets. This left the soldiers open to enemy fire when they got stuck on the reef, after misjudging the tide. Cliff Wadley was in the second wave that came ashore, and was responsible for firing 60 mm mortars into the hills under un-der the direction of his captain. These are the men the Japanese Cliff Wadley served in the Pacific Theater during WWII. would pick off first, and so they became walking targets for the enemy. Being tall put Wadley even closer to death's door. Leiutenant W.D. Hawkins was his platoon leader for a short time, but he chose to lead a scout-sniper platoon during the two-day assault on Tarawa. He led attacks on pill boxes and installations and even after being be-ing seriously wounded twice, he continued his advances until he was finally killed. He was instrumental in-strumental in knocking out one the Japanese strongholds which helped turn the tide of the battle. Another hit that confused the Imperial Japanese Marines came from a Naval ship during the first assault on the island. A shell hit the bunker where the Japanese Admiral, who boasted they could not be defeated, was stationed. He and all his men were killed and the command was then disrupted. During the mop-up operation, opera-tion, soldiers made a line across "Freedom" continued on Page 3 "Freedom" continued from Page 1 memories of war and the atrocities associated with it can only be dealt with on level that few will ever know. They do not see themselves as heroes nor extraordinary, but to those who love freedom, these men and women are not only the backbone of our country, coun-try, but the marrow which is the core of our strength. With reverence we honor hon-or those who have answered the call of their country to defend our liberties and the freedoms of all who are oppressed. op-pressed. Thank you for your service and for keeping keep-ing the lamp of freedom lit. As Dwight D. Eisenhower said: "Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of man and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower flow-er cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die." the island, ferreting out the few remaining Japanese warriors who refused to surrender. sur-render. At one point they came upon a soldier with an automatic rifle who began firing on the Americans. Before he could be taken out more soldiers had been killed, one only a few feet from Wadley. After three days, the E Company was sent back to Hawaii then on to New Zealand Zea-land to rebuild. Of the 140 soldiers in Wadley's company, com-pany, only 46 survived the three-day Battle of Tarawa. While he went on to see fighting in other Pacific theatres, the-atres, this was the bloodiest and most costly in terms of life. The islands were finally final-ly secured and less than a year later he was sent home on furlough. For years Wadley would not talk about his war-time experiences, not unlike so many other veterans. The |