The pivotal Battles of Tarawa and Makin (Butaritari) in 1943: Allied forces fought courageously against overwhelming odds to secure these islands. Photo: Twitter.com/@KiribatiInfo
American marines, alongside the Kiribati government and the US ambassador to Kiribati co-hosted the 80th annual commemoration of the Battle of Tarawa at the Betio Sports Complex on Tarawa Atoll on Wednesday.
"Kiribati and the United States share an enduring commitment to freedom, democracy, rule of law, human rights, and regional peace and stability in the Blue Pacific," US Ambassador Marie Damour said.
"We commemorate standing side by side in World War II to secure our collective freedom, as we continue to work together to promote security and prosperity," she said.
Marines from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines also participated in the ceremony, highlighting 2nd Marine Division's historical role as one of the first units ashore during the capture of Betio in 1943.
The Battle of Tarawa was a pivotal engagement in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
The battle led to significant innovations in amphibious warfare, including improvements to landing craft and intelligence-gathering procedures, marking it as a crucial turning point in the island-hopping campaign of WWII.
Over 6,000 Japanese, Koreans and Americans died on Betio in the 76 hours of fighting.
A portion of the ceremony honoured the repatriation of unidentified remains discovered on Tarawa.
Those remains will now be transported back to Hawaii for possible identification.
