Ebook189 pages3 hours
Cornerstones of Courage: The Story of Ssgt. William J. Bordelon, Usmc
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
About this ebook
The Republic of Kiribati (formerly the Gilbert Islands) straddles the equator in the temperate waters of the Central Pacific like a handful of emeralds cast upon a counterpane of brilliant blue. Located 2,400 miles southwest of Hawaii, Kiribati is comprised of sixteen small, flat, palm-covered coral atolls and inhabited by gentle people, many of whom live, as they have for centuries, in villages of thatched huts, where they subsist on a simple fare of coconuts, breadfruit, and fish.
Despite the encroachment of modernity and the perils of climate change that erode its beaches, Kiribati remains the same dreamy paradise that once inspired the great Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson, who sailed these waters aboard the schooner Equator in the late 1800s. Today, these beaches continue to attract lovers of the sea who eschew the beaten path.
But in the fall of 1943, the serenity of these islands was shattered by a horrific battle. For seventy-six blood-soaked hours, United States Marines and sailors fought elite Japanese troops to gain control of a strategic airstrip on the tiny island of Betio. The conflagration became known as the Battle of Tarawa, named for the atoll where it took place. When it was over, nearly five thousand men lay dead, their bodies putrid and bloated under the blazing equatorial sun.
So ferocious and heroic was the fighting that Time magazine correspondent Robert Sherrod, an eyewitness, compared Tarawa with epic battles such as Concord Bridge, the Alamo, and Belleau Wood. President Franklin D. Roosevelt honored the contribution of every Marine and sailor who was there with the Presidential Unit Citation.
Sadly, the Battle of Tarawa is all but forgotten todaya victim of the unsentimental passage of time and the shameful paucity of history taught to our young. But for the few who still survive, and for all Marinesliving or deadthe sacrifices and horror of Tarawa will never be forgotten. For them, the assault on Betio both defined and forged their mission in World War II and proved them to be an elite and fierce amphibious assault force. In doing so, it created a pantheon of heroes.
This story is about one of those heroes: Marine SSgt. William James Bill Bordelon. Bordelon courageously gave his life at Tarawa, and on June 17, 1944, his parents were presented our nations highest award for valorthe Medal of Honoron behalf of a grateful nation.
As with all heroes, Bill Bordelons life was much more than the few violent moments in combat for which we honor him. He was a loving son, a kind and protective brother, a proud Texan, a fighting Marine, and a patriotic American. The courage and leadership he displayed were a testament to the efficacies of his family, his faith, a disciplined Catholic education, and the transcendent ethos of the Marine Corps. It was these values, these cornerstones of courage, that became the lodestar of his life and led him to immortality.
In Gilbertese folklore, it was the Spider Lord Nareau te Moa-ni-bai, the first of things, who, from the dark embrace, created the world from a mussel shell and filled the heavens over his islands with a billion stars. The Marines who died at Tarawa in 1943 rose to join those stars, and the brightest of them all were men like Bill Bordelon. May his story serve to honor them all.
Despite the encroachment of modernity and the perils of climate change that erode its beaches, Kiribati remains the same dreamy paradise that once inspired the great Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson, who sailed these waters aboard the schooner Equator in the late 1800s. Today, these beaches continue to attract lovers of the sea who eschew the beaten path.
But in the fall of 1943, the serenity of these islands was shattered by a horrific battle. For seventy-six blood-soaked hours, United States Marines and sailors fought elite Japanese troops to gain control of a strategic airstrip on the tiny island of Betio. The conflagration became known as the Battle of Tarawa, named for the atoll where it took place. When it was over, nearly five thousand men lay dead, their bodies putrid and bloated under the blazing equatorial sun.
So ferocious and heroic was the fighting that Time magazine correspondent Robert Sherrod, an eyewitness, compared Tarawa with epic battles such as Concord Bridge, the Alamo, and Belleau Wood. President Franklin D. Roosevelt honored the contribution of every Marine and sailor who was there with the Presidential Unit Citation.
Sadly, the Battle of Tarawa is all but forgotten todaya victim of the unsentimental passage of time and the shameful paucity of history taught to our young. But for the few who still survive, and for all Marinesliving or deadthe sacrifices and horror of Tarawa will never be forgotten. For them, the assault on Betio both defined and forged their mission in World War II and proved them to be an elite and fierce amphibious assault force. In doing so, it created a pantheon of heroes.
This story is about one of those heroes: Marine SSgt. William James Bill Bordelon. Bordelon courageously gave his life at Tarawa, and on June 17, 1944, his parents were presented our nations highest award for valorthe Medal of Honoron behalf of a grateful nation.
As with all heroes, Bill Bordelons life was much more than the few violent moments in combat for which we honor him. He was a loving son, a kind and protective brother, a proud Texan, a fighting Marine, and a patriotic American. The courage and leadership he displayed were a testament to the efficacies of his family, his faith, a disciplined Catholic education, and the transcendent ethos of the Marine Corps. It was these values, these cornerstones of courage, that became the lodestar of his life and led him to immortality.
In Gilbertese folklore, it was the Spider Lord Nareau te Moa-ni-bai, the first of things, who, from the dark embrace, created the world from a mussel shell and filled the heavens over his islands with a billion stars. The Marines who died at Tarawa in 1943 rose to join those stars, and the brightest of them all were men like Bill Bordelon. May his story serve to honor them all.
Related to Cornerstones of Courage
Related ebooks
Off to War: A Young G.I. in the South Pacific Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Crucible: The Autobiography of Colonel Yay Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Diary of One Now Dead Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWe Were in the First Waves of Steel Amtracs Who Landed on Iwo Jima Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Devil Dogs: Fighting Marines of World War I Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mission of the Prophets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Axis Alliance and Japanese-American Relations, 1941 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe 4th Marine Division In World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsScars of War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBougainville: A Marine's Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Amphibians Came to Conquer: The Story of Richmond Kelly Turner Vol. I Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLight and Images: Elements of Contemplation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Steel Wedge: U.S. Marine Corps Armor in Pacific Island Combat Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerica's Few: Marine Aces of the South Pacific Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Eugene H. Peterson's Still a PFC Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDispatches from the Pacific: The World War II Reporting of Robert L. Sherrod Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Iwo Jima Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Bitter Trial: Evelyn Waugh and John Cardinal Heenan on the Liturgical Changes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Marine Close Air Support In World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe World of Prayer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Marines in the Marianas: Volume 1 - Saipan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuam: Operations Of The 77th Division - 21 July-10 August 1944 [Illustrated Edition] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWitness to Gettysburg: Inside the Battle That Changed the Course of the Civil War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coral and Brass Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMary in the Redemption Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Edward Preble: A Naval Biography 1761-1807 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCommando Joe: Lt. Joseph Fournier, Marine Raider: Lt. Joseph Fournier, Marine Raider Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Countenance of the Father Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Handmaid of the Lord Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Military Biographies For You
Seven Pillars of Wisdom (Rediscovered Books): A Triumph Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Scars and Stripes: An Unapologetically American Story of Fighting the Taliban, UFC Warriors, and Myself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Rumor of War: The Classic Vietnam Memoir (40th Anniversary Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Personal Memoirs Of U.s. Grant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sun Tzu's The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Daily Creativity Journal Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Unbroken: by Laura Hillenbrand | Includes Analysis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe General and the Genius: Groves and Oppenheimer - The Unlikely Partnership that Built the Atom Bomb Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Right Kind of Crazy: My Life as a Navy SEAL, Covert Operative, and Boy Scout from Hell Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To Hell and Back: The Classic Memoir of World War II by America's Most Decorated Soldier Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Napoleon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alexander the Great Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mein Kampf: The Original, Accurate, and Complete English Translation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Cornerstones of Courage
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Cornerstones of Courage - Douglas R. Pricer
Ra book_preview_excerpt.html ZrIv#1 Ѥ
h""t-*d:'oSK|νYI#:$]9&toOC~<97NX 0j墱UiMXx3mٿyj^?j_D8?:xW=y۲xlyP\߾T>ygGӫ˛w7~u/o^|zs~u(>:]ٮZ&>2f^ÌΜ}ذUtX|ԋq~Z=2}"}
qpkskc!&cK^o11O,"⑁ε͙m\?2R#ZF.=my6?iGLMwl}\lZOկ6\M{2a/.j>3{#}ïoytΙ5
ycԛ_褏.Xq:|z5Ds?:K2
]ě244<JtvM'l?.}lޟ__۫gW>|ٙ?Mmy.snT 7'Ϝjѫ/_O2vLAg@lA ѬxIčf8xin+WwHƮ f(jC~n=a&"x$n7s5o/F䗡ZJ8#ÍP8/ǮEPa˚߇?bI
K,] O,By ;X
ZAk|`0jC1K dLvfݺ̉K Pz5jOYTkVd`>K}"pǒ$Y(7HWitMZoͥ7.KA;9@ȅ_,66y1H47m)\=`<(,4'G4Iv/j_ p'Z:!߈A<}n
]SDQW}+a@)\T,Ȏ)ƶ7D
ƿoO؊)j;2(6ǼwkH4++(NŶe,xpa-o
oj§HgY}oD(?W[炏XI.p2mՐI.PY߁+
Tі%p엺̀iѾ:xwN-n {]>0'iY`EfݘS$NO|Z6ڍ5}QX8h3sٳBt3*`H ӽ gOx>!
Y, @>Hg{+Wk;=O䯪:f{wB~*a/_AdVz1` Bd X+TDđ5"[TQnӖLdCEՆ! aVg !4oIAH4P7%1H5d]B
k5ӈIJ FpF~JSr.̈́p#)P/WXx5Di(hwE*Qz2V8xn NՙKg-W#dPt-*kmWQU&+f"|V8Uean+B`r`X֛2=^`vZa{J rvpLNSy
Hh$?sJ^Xy7Y^+_JjHzo:9+Gq̩~g{ct!4`Z?5k ^EZL 7Xb{{`FbP`v`<}Ͳ-seS1.OhVPwKIJȈ$x;VPAiX UJYY4ęi1F
\0''54-aLGa*
SP<5RE#Xbp
. VNw.j_wrh'_@V
8bq6bh 6#yC+!ݘmXI31˸!tʎOdCbNp;Y&(J-m6F%i8K`W
cJ@P-ӝpV9K2$"n+1jNA\lgV[՚BP\%pÑгZBƎ:=u6%P8Qg2$
.:Ȅtns^\ z˳
(pYJrdcƢ[Ѳ]ZA 4j)^n,TJȰ{zѿe
bFs~.(ԁ
o^8BA %V{c&yk*)
. <,bU&߈F{Atі-)Ot1ҮPB"
.(NbG %{~AG5lrBLF27
bdR "Q"?
~dJᏂI 8NB(Ldo!
mHf{snVPH"|X[m5JJi ?_J2zAژ =2ЗcZ )\W`߲j,gR rSY6䉰PZr(]5bل
b �<
C#!R߀#Vϔo7SR|(
50+N@e^#lE.}yR QG2VF(c44TvoYt/S6'2}qQѣx@(Etbce!W,S2)L^F0!윪-7^(Ǭ*bGjkv %/OCe\"{d%x_{Lo}~ۦ'Y_|'z*9=aKM@nSjݲa -vLɲ\nLk.66AL+PY"NVj.Vbʏ$Z^
! Q B>nҗ~T{xyE7XJeل@lxv8nM7ˡ.;Z9^Y^PoEGp=Uz ><{z]h^˓vF5㲏fV2Y
dw"'x6NHƍxVU(Yv;t IV-v7#4(Ab&`FJ)26Otlh0I ײ**o6gR^zۂ?]fd9 gOgaC gYدu춍@8V5,/,x3@;=߭bh(_DX(8Q8=YDJqr--N)hL|6}S_z$pL:_,j}RVĊfEL G7V饏 HZiTC0= l}LQe:J$/9ڄf1g|EJʲCK X%*iʇu(fmuִ֗2:A-06(q
v]B*w#PFW4 @=f$lh~jQظaA5+|;r);5|eTJJ=pN/ܢB
T Y6g?eHF`g+ssA)ݹ!kQ5=L8"g1n=mGҏg̴Jhծ,f3B0WU=e̙]k$1B2Pu<,=]}T=|d%AACVFJ'!O;lȻ:a1
K)_&!0)}vX@V13} _-RcO8WFN%3PhMQ2aJkp)uaRFJ]}"TsxdN롗>2d$GCUݑo5rQU5M2%.BWۜB+ ߅ M6
4R " 8TC6Q/h滩eO|o!'ݼ1'ێ_ON̠}ס$$%kF ؐ?{`f_5TjWbȅlL]JQ
E>q7FAzf+$=at_iPNܡ4#e/s2}
d "'eDK1fʥa*}Ԉ؋ߘ`CR!S=ˣ6QP"s ƅRAmF<U;{.^ۼJ^X#?u匭|,s^}k_Zd-굖(X[/}m(ה`fGZlm!b#:,Ұ3lR1Wd b6Wvca3'Qti:YZW\Ꮮ`>rq\M:)zA@$3&Oior5A