3 Marine Uncles
I had 3 Uncles in the PCific WW2. 1 died on Iwo Jima ND one was wounded there recuperate and landed again on Saipan
Survived the war
The 3rd drowned at Tarawa LGoon:
Reg the Eddie Albert stiry:
My Uncle was one of those Tarawa Marines. Unfortunately he drowned due to the weight of his own gear and the base plate for a mortar tube. Tarawa had bad coral reefs, and the Navy frogmen didn't get them all marked or demolish enough paths through them. The landing was off time and did not catch the lagoon at full high tide. (Same screw up as Truk Lagoon.)
The landing craft got hung up on the coral reefs and the Japanese had every square meter targeted. Their shore guns cut the landing craft to bits. So some LC coxwajns dropped their men off in water over head deep & on others the Marines abandoned the LC's after they got hit. Hundreds of good Marines drowned the same way my Uncle did. They couldn't get their equipment off fast enough, or got caught up in the coral and seaweed.
Eddie was one brave LC cox'n to even attempt those rescues