Camp Tarawa, Detachment #1255
Norm Stahl, Commandant
Camp Tarawa Photos
Camp Tarawa Foundation Museum Strategic Plan
Commandant
Our Primary mission: to restore and keep up the Camp Tarawa Memorial as well as keeping alive the history of the men of the 2nd and 5th Marine Divisions who trained there from December 1943 until the Camp was finally closed for good in November 1945. The Camp Tarawa website provides an emense wealth of photographic and written history.
Keeping this history alive is important because of the sacrifices they made in defense of our nation during WW II for our generation and generations to come. This is our way of thanking them! One of our first priorities was to get a docent committee started to greet visitors at the Memorial to explain the history of Camp Tarawa and tell some of the stories of the men who trained there.
Of the 55,000 Marines, Navy Corpsmen and Seabees who trained there, a total of 5,145 were killed in action or died of their wounds. 18,029 were wounded in action in the invasions of Saipan-Tinian and Iwo Jima. In December 1943 the 2nd Marine Division arrived in the port of Hilo on the east coast of the Big Island of Hawai’i. They had come from what has been called the battle of Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands. The Gilberts are located in the south central Pacific. The Battle for Tarawa (Betio atoll) lasted three days. The 2nd Division lost 1,001 men killed in action with another 2,296 wounded in action. The Division had dropped off their wounded in Honolulu and the rest of the Division sailed on to the Big Island and Camp Tarawa.
We meet the third Saturday of each month at the Waikoloa Village Golf Course Club House at 1:00 pm. Because we are located in one of the premiere vacation locations in the world we invite you to come to our meetings when you are on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Our dress code is resort casual. For more information email Jim Browne at barefoot.one@hawaiiantel.net.
