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True story of the recovery of 19 US Marines Killed in Action on Makin Island in WWII and their return home to Arlington National Cemetery 58 years later. Story: Pat Mendoza. Music arranged by Pat Mendoza Trumpet: Steve Wiest. Singers: the Islanders and Pat Mendoza
For information on the one hour video contact patmendoza.com
A true story about 19 marines killed on an island (defending against the Japanese). We had to retreat and the islanders buried them for us. In 1999, we returned to recover their bodies after finding a man who was 19 at the time and who remembered where they were buried. A C130 and an honor guard sent to retrieve them found that all 19 had been buried with their helmets on, their rifles in their hands, and in perfect condition. The islanders had taken great care. As they were loading the bodies, a voice from out of nowhere started singing "The Marine Hymn" and it gave everyone goose bumps. The voice was from a man who spoke no English but remembered a song the Marines taught him when they landed. Photos of the heros appear at the end of this video. This is a truly remarkable story and the video does it justice.