What a shame. Haunting documentary that had me totally engrossed. Leon is a true hero in every sense of the word.

My father was on a bomber that crash-landed on Tarawa before the Marines landed.  He and his crew had to avoid the Japanese and American bombing and shelling until the Marines landed.  They then had to make sure that the Marines didn’t kill them when they invaded.  I wonder if the bomber mentioned by Mr. Cooper is the same one.

Thanks to both Mr. Cooper and Mr. Barber for telling this story.  Since I frst saw the trailer a month ago, I have found myself researching, reading and watching all I can find about the battel of Tarawa.  I don’t know why, but I feel deeply connected somehow.
I recommend reading Robert Sherrod’s “Tarawa, the story of a battle” and watching the documentary “With the Marines at Tarawa”.  Both are excellent first hand accounts of the battle.
I would like to help clean up the beaches and erect a proper memorial, let tme know if I can help, and how.
Best
John

Thanks to Leon recognation, it is totally unacceptable to the military service people to give their lifes in the time of war, for our country and be forgotten. This must be corrected immediately

Thanks Leon for sharing your experiences of this important battle. A battle which has always had my interest. Time does march on however - like it or not. It is totally unpracticable to repatriate all war dead form this distance of time - and really what is the point of bring a few bone fragments back? These men ARE NOT forgotten thanks to films and books such as yours and we respect them. You mention the British Prime Minister’s comment but don’t forget Britain has nearly 360,000 missing soldiers lying somewhere in France from WW1 alone. We don’t forget them, but we can’t bring them back; dead or alive.

You guys think that you are some kind of exception to the statements you just made.  They didn’t fight for our freedom.  Who took our freedom away since we got it from the brittish.  Nobody.  We use freedom as an excuse to excuse ourselves from reality.  American and European banks financed the German war machine, so we would have freed ourselves from ourselves.  Sounds stupid doesn’t?  Well it is.  But that doesn’t mean it’s not true. The truth is, WAR as a whole is stupid.  The only answer is peace.  So my condolences to the memory of our lost ones, but i don’t revere those who kill in the name of peace.  But rather, those who die in the name of peace.

p.s.  pay attention people, cause your mommy and daddy aren’t very smart.  Therefore neither are you unless you realize ..............lol, wtf.....4:20 already?  huhah!  Peace Love and Marijuana.

Lets never forget the sacrifice of our BRAVE SOLDIERS who fought and are currently fighting for freedom, safety and liberty! Freedom! a word that means so much to many, in our worn torn world. For many it is taken so loosely! people think that just because we are living in one of the few safest countries in the world (yes, even amid all our internal issues!), living inside our own safe bubble, nothing can’t happen to us! how quickly some people tends to forget that we already have been hit twice by terrorist, just to mention the two terrorist attacks to our world trade center, that today happens to be no more than just another story fading away.  I feel so disgusted with those of you who are only thinking about just your own selfish life; living wherever there is left of life, without even thinking about making the difference or sacrifice, or without thinking about our future generations freedom and safety! yes I am sad for all those brave ones that had lost or will lose their life defending that word FREEDOM! which happens to be more than just a word for many of us in this country and in the entire world. I do salute and take a vow for all those valiant and courageous citizens who are defending our freedom! with humble respect I do give you all my deeply thank you! for defending us in this country so we could live in freedom and safety, and for defending those who can’t do it for themselves around the entire world. God bless you all! Our arm forces are our proudest legacy, because while there is terrorism and oppression anywhere in the world, there is no freedom and safety; and freedom and safety might be at risk for all of us.

Mr. Cooper thank you for that story that has never been told about these brave Marines and others who sacrificed it all to defend this island. I only wish I could be invited to continue your work with others to make sure that most or every Marine that can be found upon that island can come home one day. I use to work with the POW/MIA section in Hawaii and I know with their help that there could be lots done to bring allot of them boys home.  I only wish and pray that someday I could work on this kind of project and be invited to someday work along side others to bring so many men home to their families. God Bless America

Mr. Cooper has to be, without doubt, the epitome of what his generation was and represents. To say he was part of the “Greatest Generation” has to be nothing short of an understatement. Current day Americans can’t even begin to appreciate what we owe to Mr. Cooper and all of his peers, some 10 million American Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen that fought so valiantly and steadfastly over the course of WWII to protect and ensure our continured freedom and very way of life that over the past decades since the end of WWII we have come to take for granted. To coin a popular phrase “Freedom is not free,” Mr. Cooper clearly projects that reality and what we truly owe to him and all Veterans of his era, before and since. God Bless Mr. Cooper, all our Veterans and protect all that serve to preserve this great Nation of ours.

god bless leon cooper he his doing what america should be doing and those brave soldiiers should be brought home

Wonderful film! I need to mention that the third pic of actor/inventor Eddie Albert,is actually Lloyd Bridges. Thank You for reminding us all,of the brave and honorable men who sacrificed their lives for our freedom during World War II

I really wanted to watch the film. but the volume was so low I could barely hear it w/ my speaker all the way up. Real shame too.

I’m calling my congressman and senators tomorrow, Supporting the troops means more than a yellow ribbon magnet on the side of a car. I was saddened, disgusted, and angred at the disgrace of what has happened to the battlefield and the bodies of these brave men, men who have done more than all 535 clowns in DC ever did for our freedom.

My Father Roscoe Hupp was one of the marines aboard the
Harry Lee that Leon Cooper commanded. He was with
the 1/18 Pioneer Engineer Battalion now deceased He was a Great Marine one of the silent that never spoke of Living Hell our American Marines & Soldiers went through.  God Bless
you Leon Cooper.

I have what is suppose to be a Japanese battle flag from Tarawa. A good friend of mine who died a few years ago was a merchant marine. His name was Bill Riff. His story was that he was there, the troops were on the beach and very low on ammunition. He said that he volunteered to take a small boat full of supplies to the men on the beach. After the battle, he was presented with the battle flag. I’m trying to confirm this story in any way. If there is a a place that has any mention of this event, please contact me! I’d like to give the flag to a museum or at least a memorial for this battle, but I want to make sure that it is what it is from and that my friend’s story pans out. If so, he deserves the recognition. Thank you!

Steven,
My grandfather was a Marine and served in that battle. Leon is not the last. Grandpa is still alive.

It has come to out attention that Legislation has been passed in the Congress to bring these 500 plus Missing Marines home!!

Here! Here!! 89 YEAR OLD LEON COOPER is the last WW 2 VET IN THE BATTLE, and with film maker Steven C Barber are getting a HUGE push from Senator Feinstein and Congressman Waxman who have reached out across the isles to embrace RETURN TO TARAWA, THE LEON COOPER STORY!!

My name is misspelled in the end credits. Please fix this ASAP - it’s Peter JOHN Ross, not Peter Jones Ross.

Touching and well made Documentary - Leon has a lot of heart and determination.
I believe it’s important to remember Hero’s as courageous as these who gave there lives willingly.

Touching and well made Documentary - Leon has a lot of heart and determination.
I believe it’s important to remember Hero’s as courageous as these who gave there lives willingly.

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the conquest of it.”

may god help us for the not so brave seem to comand now

Yeah, Leo was USN, his language attributes to it.  History shows our mistakes, but we do what we need to do at the time it needs doing.

Hopefully these actions bring closure to this part of the war.

This is a very insightful documentary.  This is a documentary that honors both the Japanese and the American lives that were lost in the near forgotten part of the war.  Steve Barber and Tamara Henry make brilliant documentaries.

100% accurate film.  I was on Betio November 2008 and I saw the poor condition of the island.  I met John and Molly Brown, walked the (trashy) beaches, went to a very moving ceremony that included Ray Robinson, a Marine of the Battle of Tarawa.  So sad that so many Marines were left behind.  So many people on that small island now that their houses cover the graves of those who freed them from the Japanese.  Congrats to Leon Cooper for this excellent documentary.  Maybe if it could be shown on PBS - Independent Lens - more people could learn about Betio.  Thank you Leon.

Tarawa, was one of those events that those who were not there can’t possibly imagine...how wonderful to have men like Mr. Cooper who doesn’t look at challenges as walls, just looks for a way to climb over them, just as they did on the beaches of Tarawa.  God bless Mr. Cooper and Mr. Barber for stepping up and doing the right thing to correct the dishonor currently on Tarawa.  I hope everyone who watches this will tell 2 more people to watch this great documentary.
WELL DONE Steve keep up the good work you do in film.

Fans of Return to Tarawa: we bring you this film courtesy of Leon Cooper and Steven Barber, but also due to the generosity of Discovery’s Military Channel, which first aired this documentary and continues to bring it to TV viewers. Please show your support for their programming.
Rick Allen, CEO, SnagFilms

So wonderful that this is up for all to see online! Military Channel will be including it in their Memorial Day lineup as well at 8 PM EST on Monday, May 25.

Very impressive and moving.  Congratulations on this project and best of luck to Mr. Cooper as he works for the heroes of Tarawa and their families.  Ed Harris was a perfect narrator.

What a day!! 25 years to the day I landed in Los Angeles, my film, http://WWW.RETURNTOTARAWA.COM can be seen by EVERYONE on the planet earth with a computer!!

What a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!