Return to Tarawa

This site tells of Leon Cooper's visit, during February, 2008, to the battlefield, where the battle of "Bloody Tarawa" took place in November, 1943.

Look here for updates, reporting progress Leon is making in getting the garbage removed from Red Beach, and making a pristine Red Beach serve as a memorial to the 2nd Division US Marines.

Look here also for progress being made on another of Leon's objectives: recovery and identification of American war remains.

Military Channel premieres
 "Return To Tarawa-The Leon Cooper Story" 
SnagFilms and Hulu are also licensed to show the film
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I've retained the right to sell the DVDs
list price $20.00 +shipping
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Order your own copy!
Click HERE
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"Bravo...Strong and clear and moving...May it move our forgetful government..."
                                - Ed Harris, Oscar- nominated actor, narrator. 
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See the trailer for "Return to Tarawa" here 
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The Nominated
Best Documentary Film Award  at Milan International Film Festival
                                                                 
            Winner,  Best Documentary award at Staten Island Film Festival a
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Leon Cooper revisits Red Beach, February 2008.
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 In The News...
House Resolution Passed
 Congress gets off its ass--finally!  Read the Resolution here.
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Results, Finally!!
Our documentary has forced the "usual suspects" in Washington to take long overdue action in honoring the memory of those who died during the Pacific War.   Click here for some examples
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Leon Cooper Remembers
A recent article in  L.A. Times refers to Leon Cooper as one of those few who are interested in restoring America's "legacy" in the Pacific. Read the article here.
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Rep. Henry Waxman pays TributeZa
My Congressman,  Rep. Henry Waxman, has paid tribute -- in the May 30, 2009 Congressional Record-- to my continuing efforts
Read it here.
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For more news articles, see our news archive here.
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Correspondence 
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Wallace Rogers is a consultant for New Zealand. He has a contract with that country to provide needed services for Kiribati, including the Tarawa archipelago. He has just sent me the following email replying to my inquiry regarding the incinerator and other programs needed, as spelled out in my "Action Program for Tarawa":
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03/15/09
               Mr. Cooper,
         I'm just home from Kiribati.  (1) incinerator -- three weeks ago we put
 money in my program's 2009 budget to do a feasibility study; the Betio Town Council,         
through an amendment to its Town Development Strategy, needs to endorse the project.      
That will likely happen during my next trip -- late April/early May.   (2) beach clean-up:       
the mayor organized a program while I was there in February that accomplished a clean-up 
on the beach and other places in the village.  He's looking for funds to sustain his program. 
Have you any sources that can provide him some money?      (3) bomb disposal -- the issue   
never came up on any governmental level while I was in Tarawa.  If it's a big issue, we need
to make somebody aware of it locally who'll champion it.  Any candidates?                            
--Wallace Rogers  
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5/10/09
                   Mr. Cooper,

 Your Red Beach and waste-to-energy projects were put into the Betio Town Council's town
development strategy last Friday by its TDS task force.  This means that the way is paved
 to include an analysis of the waste-to-energy option in a feasibility study my project will    
commission and begin in two months.  We'll see if it makes sense economically -- that is,   
 if South Tarawa can generate and regularly pick up enough garbage to make enough energy
 to make the project sustainable.                                                                                
 
Concerning Red Beach, the council will likely designate a part of it as a park and maintain it
as such, if we from the United States can raise money enough to put a memorial there. I   
            thought you might be interested in the (development strategy)document I've attached to this note.
--Wallace Rogers  
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Readers should note the irony here: New Zealand is doing what America should have started years ago, namely the cleanup of Red Beach, including the installation of an incinerator system that will prevent garbage from being washed out to sea, polluting the Pacific Ocean. And Australia has dispatched a bomb demolition group to remove or deactivate live ammunition  (ours) that lies everywhere in this tiny, densely populated island.
Click HERE to read the Betio Town Council's TDS document
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06/15/08
Dear Mr Cooper,                                                                                       
I reviewed the documents and links you recently sent to us at History    
regarding your documentary Return To Tarawa...   You are a true hero.
Andy Weissberg
Dir Acquisitions
History
235 E45th St
New York, NY 10017
zFor other correspondence, go here
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New Videos

Leon was interviewed recently by Bill Whittle on "A Soldier's Story" program on PajamaTV. 

 Battle of Tarawa: Click for Part 1.   Tarawa Continued: Click for Part 2.   Iwo Jima: Click for Part 3. 

Fox' Recent Story on Morning News.  Click here.

ABC's story on World News Tonight
Click Here
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 aClick here to see premiere showing.
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I was interviewed by a Fiji TV reporter during my  trip to Tarawa.
Click here.

Click HERE to read the file

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