American Valor Quarterly Issue 10 - Summer 2013 | Page 35

"Major, where
the hell is your
rifle?"
"I gave it to
one of the kids
who lost theirs
in the landing," he said.
"Well where's
your pistol?" I
asked.
Marine Major Norman T. Hatch at the
United States Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

lent on the battlefield, with nobody
firing a shot.
Major Chamberlain got up and waved
his arm forward and yelled to the
troops, "Follow me!" So we ran up
the hill, climbing one foot up and sliding back two feet. Still, we reached
the top quite quickly, my camera still
in my hand. We ran across to the other
side, and looking down, we saw eight
or nine Japanese soldiers looking
straight at us.
I frantically looked at him and asked,

"It
doesn't
work," he said.

"We better get the hell out of here!"
I replied. It all happened in nanoseconds. I looked around and there
wasn't a Marine in sight. Where were
the rest of the Marines?
We were all by ourselves. The two of
us were on top of the world on
Tarawa. We could see all over the
island from there, as we ran back
down again.
As you might imagine, at the next
meeting there was some strong language dished out toward those guys

who did not come along. I never did
understand why they stayed back, but
I was able to photograph the resulting attack.
Of course, I am often asked about
winning the Academy Award for With
the Marines in Tarawa. And each
time I reply, “I didn’t win it. The
Marine Corps won it.” And they did.
Today the men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq have a different
fight. But what really bothers me
more than anything else is that I don't
see much of what they're doing. And
that bothers me because we had it set
up very well in World War II, Korea,
and in Vietnam. There is little video
shot by the military that is seen by
the public, despite the fact that with
new equipment, movies can be shot
from a small camera kept in your
pocket. In World War II, about 92%
of the film the public saw was shot
by the military. Today, I see very little
film shot by the military, and that is a
shame, because the public needs to
be informed about what our service
personnel are doing today, just as they
did on Tarawa.
AVQ

Watch the 15th Annual Conference
on C-SPAN!
Throughout the 15th Annual Conference, C-SPAN’s American
History TV was on hand to capture each and every discussion.

Stay tuned to television listings for broadcast dates and times.
Many of the panels are also available for viewing online. Visit
www.c-span.org, click on “Advanced Search” and search for
“American Veterans Center” to hear these heroes’ stories, first hand!
AMERICAN VALOR QUARTERLY - Spring 2013 - 35

Top: Matt McClain/Washington Post Bottom: C-SPAN

From The Pacific War to The Medal of Honor to a discussion with
the “nurse and sailor” from the legendary “VJ Day in Times
Square” kiss photo, television’s premier public affairs network
filmed these veterans’ stories for broadcast throughout the year.