What it costs to take a beach – U.S. Marines on Tarawa, November 1943
The battle for Tarawa, November 1943, was unlike anything the U.S. Marines had encountered before. The image before you captures a beach stained with sacrifice. These were not faceless soldiers—each of them was a son, a brother, a husband, a friend. Yet, when they landed on the shores of this tiny island, none of those connections mattered in the chaos of battle. What mattered was survival, and for many, that chance ended the moment they stepped off their landing craft.










