A magnificent story.  We know so little about those to whom we owe so much; not only in that war and previous wars but also in this present war.  Men and women do so much for us and never even mention it.  Thanks for a great story about one man who sacrificed and then sacrifices more to honor the others who sacrificed and said little or nothing.

Marine 1st Lt. Jerome Beau ...... HERO!!!!!

John, thanks for covering this important part of Marine Corp history.  To the both of you, John and Jerry, thanks your for your service to our country.
Semper Fi
2326347

This is great stuff and should be made avalabele to everyone. These guys did some amazing things during second world war. I have a very keen interest in Second World War History. I salute you and all those men who lived & died to make this world a better place.

I met and interviewed several of the Makin Raiders/Marine Raiders who foughtin WWII and have since kept in contact with several of the Marine Raiders. A plaque was placed on Kwajalien, Marshall Islands several years back honoring the fallen Makin Raiders who died on Makin Island and Kwajalien. These men both alive and since passed are true heros and it has been an honor to even shake their hands. Many of their stories are published on the Marine wedsite and Dan Marsh's Website
Semper Fi

Great story and phenomenal work. Maybe a movie could be made based on the stories in those files.

He needs to be the subject of Stephen Ambrose's next book!!

I encourage anyone and everyone to go to the Marine Corps Heritage Museum in Quantico Va. As the son of one of "THE CHOSIN FEW " a 30 year vet of WW2, Korea and Viet-Nam, I had the honor to take my father there on his 82nd birthday a year ago. It was one of the most rewarding days of my life. To see and learn what these Marines of our "Greatest Generation" did for our country, but even more , FOR EACH OTHER, will stay with me forever. The Museum is so interactive in it's depiction of the conditions from the Hell in the South Pacific, the Cold of Korea and the Helicopter War in Viet-Nam, you come away with a experience second to none. Of all the quotes, high on the walls of the main entrance, one states, "SOME PEOPLE LIVE THEIR ENTIRE LIVES WONDERING IF THEY MADE A DIFFERANCE, THE MARINES DON'T HAVE THAT PROBLEM". That says it all!    Capt. M. Koenig, USMM

it would be nice if the records of the all black units could be published. especially with the names of the men. if possible people could buy these from the government. a lot of black historians would like to have them. i have the black units from the civil war, but not from the first world war,not the second world war. thanks

I'm sure he is upstanding guy. Why do people say they owe soldiers? I was a soldier until I wisened up, had two birthdays, one in the Stan and the other in Iraq, and not once did I feel that american freedom was in danger, or that my action did anything more then entertain locals and possibly create in the hearts of children the motivation to terrorize my home land. I did what I was trained to do, and when someone a civilian tells me thank you we owe you so much, i just want to punch them in the mouth. It's like they feel if the thank you, they get to feel patriotic or something

WWII, Korean and Vietnam Vet all in one. Amazing story about people that keep these records alive. Dedication,commitment,integrity and patriotism. Just words? No, along with his valor, he epitomizes every meaning of thier content.

What a story.  Marine 1st Lt. Jerome Beau  is what this country is all about.  We could use a few  more just like him.  Good Bless YOU!!!

You want to punch a civilian in the mouth for thanking you? Your comment is as out of place here as you were in the Armed Forces.

I am an old Vietnam Vet, my son is serving in Iraq. I have watched as dozens of World War II vets that were good friends died. What shocks me is the number of young people today who belive that war is never necessary. One young woman who works in my office recently said she would never date a military veteran because she can't "relate" to them. She couldn't relate to "the whole military thing and especially wars." Military veterans have changed the world many times.

Retired from active service for over 40 years, and this man still exemplifies Honor and Duty, always remaining faithful to his colleagues and his country.

Thank You Sir!

To lskjdf;ljsdf
First, I want to thank you for your service.  Secondly, I am sorry for you that you feel your time and efforts were wasted.  I am a Vietnam veteran and I am very proud of my country, and of my service to my country; even though, at the time, some in this country were not proud of me!  I did what I felt was right and was previleged to experience the thanks and gratitude of the locals, not their amusement.

STEPHEN AMBROSE IS DEAD KEEP UP

Thank you, lskjdf;ljsdf for reminding us all that attitude is everything.

My Dad and Uncle both joined the Marines in Feb 1941 from Kansas. My Father told of being in the landings on Guadalcanal with his rifle company and within the first few nights having a Sargent come down the lines asking for men that were mechanics and who could drive tractors, my dad raised his hand and went to Henderson Field to get the japanese equipment working and get the air strip in operation. Well, that started 30 years of Marine Corp Air wing for my dad. He ran into his brother Jack Lund at the strip just befor the Radier group he was with went out and circled the japanese forces and flanked them to attack and to give Marines on the beach and at Henderson breathing room. My dad, Leo Lund saw him twice after that on the island and said that it was a touch and go type of fight because the Navy had pulled out under fire befor even giving them half their supplies.

If only our leaders were made of this stuff.

My father was a Raider during WWII and so very very proud of it.  Once a Marine always a Marine and no one stayed with that saying more than my Dad.  He attended several of the Association conventions before he passed in '83 and so enjoyed them.  Your article is great thank you so much Daughter of Thomas Trader McDonald, proud Marine Raider

Will you accept the commendation of an Infantryman who served in Europe?  What you are doing is wonderful and I wish someone had done it for the army. I joined an "Omaha Beach" Regiment as a Johnny come lately in Normandy and went the rest of the way in a 30 cal, water-cooled machine gun squad.  I hope we served with the valor you and your fellow Marines did.  I have good friends who were (and in spirit still are)Marines.

lskjdf;ljsdf,
I think I understand what you mean.  Sometimes it's hard to see what you could have possibly contributed to our nation's security with your service over there.  You've probably heard it all before, but it's true.  That you helped to keep them over there, fighting our forces over there, rather than doing suicide bombings of schools and malls over here, is one thing (and worthy of great appreciation in its own right).  But in a larger sense, you helped (maybe just in some infinitesimal way) to bring down two extremely tyrannical governments, that of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein.  While it's true that the Taliban are trying to come back, Saddam is definitely not going to be around to order tortures and mass executions, or have his enemies fed into tree chipper/shredders feet first.  It's impossible to say how many Iraqis would have suffered and died had we not gone into Iraq, or how much longer would Saddam and his cronies stayed in power (just as it's impossible to say how many have died in the bombings and killings in the past 5+ years), but it certainly seems as if things have turned around in a good portion of the country.  How many Iraqis now have hope for a future, a far better future, than they would have had, had not you and your fellow soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen not gone in there and removed Hussein from power, and then spent 5 years keeping the country from tearing itself apart.  

Then there is the matter of the fact that you did your duty--and that's usually not an easy thing to do.  We can debate endlessly the merits of going into Iraq, and the reasons the Bush administration wanted to invade, but the fact remains that, regardless of why our country's leaders sent you into harm's way, you answered the call.  

You mentioned spending birthdays in Afghanistan and Iraq; I figure you probably spent several holidays over there, too, when you would have much, much rather have been over here, with your family and friends, celebrating them here in comfort.  That's a sacrifice, too, just on a lesser scale than those who died over there; while you survived to come back and have many more birthdays and holidays to look forward to, you'll never get those times you missed back.  I don't have a clue what job you did over there, whether you might have been an infantryman out on patrol, a supply specialist or mechanic operating out of a fixed base somewhere, or maybe an admin type, keeping the paperwork flowing.  But regardless, by taking the oath and putting on that uniform, and doing your duty, you did sacrifice some of your life, and while I do believe it takes a fellow veteran to truly appreciate this, I also believe that more people have at least some understanding of this than you might believe.  

And another thing--you still represent the service, even today.  In saying that we owe you so much, those people are paying respect not just to you, but to everyone else who served over there--those who came back whole, those who lost arms or legs, those who came back with the emotional scars of having lost buddies over there, and all those who came back in flag-draped aluminum boxes.  You can see it in the comments to this article; they're not just paying respect to Jerry Beau--they're paying respect to all his fellow Marines, in his unit, those who fought in the Pacific, and in wars since then.  It is no different for you.  It's not just about your service; it's about the service and sacrifice and dedication of all those who have served, over there in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and everywhere else.

I can understand your bitterness, at least in some ways.  It would probably do you some good to talk to others who were over there--and maybe to some of the Vietnam vets who also fought in an extremely unpopular war, even more so than the war in Iraq.  There's a lot of guys (and some gals, too) who have been there, and know what you're going through.  I do hope that in time you will be able to come to terms with your service, and see that not everything was in vain, that there was some good to come from it, and to accept the appreciation of a grateful nation.

A most sincere thank you for your actions, long ago and since, from the deepest place in my heart. Long live and spread, the Democracies you fought for.

John, Do you know how I can contact Mr.Beau? I am the youngest son of a recently departed possible Marine Raider, James Walter Smith. He was assigned to the 1st Marine Division possibly in G-2.He was at Guadalcanal area. He recently died at age 93. He was Native American Apache.He spoke multi languages, i.e. Chinese,Japanese and German including Navajo.He was born in Arizona and raised there and Oklahoma(Indian Reservation).

To the individual who doesn't liked to be thanked for his/her service. So be it. I would like to thank all the peacekeepers who stood watch in subzero, blizzard weather guarding aircraft and those who responded in such weather or extreme heat. Also those who stayed awake shift after shift doing whatever it took (to include self risk) to maintain our nation's safety or interests.  It takes many to maintain and quard the fabric of democracy. The wall in Berlin came down without a fight.  It came down after years of standing watch. It took you too whether you understand the importance of your part or not.  It took those before you and those after you.  We as a nation stand together in all shades of disagreement, yet, we still stand.  We did not conquer Irag we are helping them self determine and decide their own destiny.  Will Irag make mistakes or falter? Yes, just as we have and will again. The bottom line is we have the freedom and free will to direct our own life.
Ask all the small countries surrounding Russia if they want to give up their sovernty.  They are all calling for the U.S. for support.  They as we cannot stand alone to maintain our sovernty.  Neither can Irag.  Freedom can be taken away in a heartbeat, unless someone is standing strong and ready.

Bless your heart!

lskjdf;ljsdf, I feel you, and the man has a point.  Funny, with how closed minded americans are, americans as a whole don't seem to see the direction this country is headed.  Its nice to label every person that does something out of common decency a hero, but real heros aren't handing out candy to children in the country they are trying to subdue.  The term has been over used lately, most notably after 9/11, as is the 'We owe you' phrase being blindly handed out.  This is not a republican or democrat problem, this is people letting themselves be blindly led and just not thinking because it takes to much effort to think.  No one in our current wars is doing one thing to secure america, we were never insecure, nor did the countries we attacked attack us.  They may have made poor choices in the company they kept and in how they ran their mouths, but its really funny how many lies were spun to get us into Iraq.  Now we have Russia make a move on one of its neighbors after that neighbor blatantly attacked their positions and we scream bloody murder over that.  What a joke USA has become!  We will no longer have the ability to put a man into space after 2010, and our government keeps trying to tell us Russia is doing something wrong and are this broken and beligerant state, hell, we'll be paying them whatever the asking price is until our next launch vehicle can fly, if ever, to get people into the space station.  Were's the national pride of those who SERVE US in DC?!  We the public get continually raped by these idiots every election, and the sad thing is everyone rallies around a presidential election like it was a football game then sticks their heads in the sand as corporate gansters vote themselves vast wealth from the treasury in properous times, then get to make sure the tax payers bail them out due to their physcal irresponsibility.  Does this piss anyone off as much as it does me, does anyone out there give enough of a crap to stand up and object?  Next time you want to tell a young soldier you owe him so much, don't.  Tell him your happy he made it home and hope he won't rotate back in.  Save the owe it lines to those who served in WWII.

lskjdf;ljsdf:  We thank you because you have done what we have not, because you have done so much more than we could ask of you. True, you go where you are sent, by the Commander in Chief, by the Army, Navy Air Force or Marines. It's not by your choice. But you go. Granted, you--or we--may not agree with the decisions to send you in. But you go. Owe you? You're damned right we owe you. And you're free to punch me in the mouth any time.

Jerry Beau is performing a labor of love. Generations from now, people will be as grateful to him for his work, as we would be if we could find the records of our relatives who fought in the Civil War or the American Revolution or the French and Indian Wars.

Outstanding ! Our Corps history is great to study. Thanks

lskjdf;ljsdf, I think I know where you're coming from.  In Vietnam we felt betrayed by the politicians, and some of the people back home.  We tried to do our jobs, but were held back.  It resulted in even more American's and  Vietnamise people dying, and no one cared.  People are trying to do better this time, that's why they tell you thank you.   We could have won in Vietnam, but for the politicians.  The same people are trying to do the same thing this time.  During WWII the people knew how to fight and win a war, that is to pull together, and win.  The sooner you win, the sooner the killing stops. The men in this article knew how to win a war.

Ok, lskjdf;ljsdf, as a Vietnam Vet (two tours) and the scars to prove it, seems to me like you need to knock that chip off your shoulder and give yourself an attitude adjustment. The people who say that to you know of no other way to express their inner feelings about what you did, in spite of how you feel about it. You are an unreal case man!! If you had a rough time of it man, get some help. We all had it real easy, right??? Right, sure thing!! To me, their saying that is my thanks for doing what I did and all the thanks I need cause that is why I went to do what I did man. You got it all turned around man, you are reading it all wrong. They look at you as something special and yes, they are sharing their patriotic feelings with you, they want to feel a part of what you did and they are tryinng to connect with what they see as a respected American Warrior. Don't take that away from them. Allow them to share your exprience in that one small way. It makes them feel proud to be American. When we came home from Nam, they spit on us and called us baby killers, we got no thanks. So which way you want it, man?? Would you have liked that kind of treatment? Shake their hand, smile,  and thank them, man! You will be more  at peace with yourself if you do that! I know from my own experience, so you are listening to someone who knows where you are coming from! Ease up, get it out somehow, but don't take it out on those who want to thank you instead of spitting in your face and screaming "Baby Killer" at you. That wound was the worst wound of all..................

"lskjdf;ljsdf" you haven't "wisened up" and you certainly haven't grown up.

I very much doubt you've ever served a day in the US armed forces.  You sound like just another whining liberal coward.

So no need to worry about any grateful citizens thanking you for what you never did.  If you want their gratitude, take a bath and get a job.

People please do not give knucle heads (probably didn't serve just stirring the pot) recognition for stupid comments and detracting from such a great story. These records and the stories that go with them need to be in a book so they live on.

Thank you Jerry Beau and God bless you and the Marines, Army and Navy who served in World War II;
My spirit is in eternal gratitude to Jerry, the Marine Raiders and my Uncle Joe Polk, U.S. Navy on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 and all the Major Pacific Battles, Midway, Guadacanal; my Uncle Francis and Sam Polk, Fighting SeaBees in the Pacific and my Uncle Alex Szczygiel who had half of his face blown off in the Battle of the Bulge in Europe; Note: I served in the U.S. Army during 1953 to 1955.

Jerry has done a wonderful job..in keepingthe records of the MARINE RAIDERS OF WW=11.. He has helped me many times in in locating Marine Raiders...with serial numbers..Deaths et al..

lskjdf;ljsdf Please stop posting your lies as in another post you were a vietnam vet and were ordered to kill woman and children by your superior officers Earnan Maguire was the only one who had you figured out as A Nancy Peloski liberal who lies to try and make his point, please you and Nancy catch the next plane out of America so you do not embarrass the greater United States of America.

Great Story,Great American. Oh and DEAN GEORGEADIS, Nashville, TN, Steven Ambrose has been dead for some time now. But he would have been the one to write the book right.

To: Capt. Michael J. Koenig, Ft. Lauderdale, Fl

I think your dad may have been the commandant of OCS at MCDEC in Quantico when I was in OCS in 1976.

Colonel Koenig performed the last inspection for our platoon before we graduated. I will never forget what he said to me while rating my bearing.

"Nice boots" he said.

As a former Vietnam vet, one that made it back with a few wounds and one heck of a mental problem (PTSDS), I was bitter for years, not from serving in combat so much, but at the way we were treated in the airport terminals in California and other places, by hippie looking individuals and then later on, by the general public as a whole.  We volunteered to serve in our arm forces to protect the American way of life, not to be treated as less than human, by those that spat as us, and tried the best they could to degrad us because we served.  Later the American public learned that they were wrong and they were ashamed of their actions.  As a result, when this war came along, most decided not to make the same mistake again.  

Our soldiers serving in the wars presently, are all volunteers.  As volunteers, we do owe them a great deal, especially those Americans that are of the military age group presently.  Were it not for those volunteers, then there would be a draft and if there were a draft reinstated, many would be called for duty, those that show their true colors by running off to Canada and such places, excluded (who would want to fight beside a coward anyway?).

Yes, we do owe our soldiers our thanks.  They are not asking for anything but your respect.  Thanks is not even necessary.  However,, your thanks is appreciated a great deal.  When you thank a soldier, you're only showing respect.  Not just respect for the individual soldier, but thanks to all the soldiers, past and present, that have sacrificed so much, for so little, for the so unworthy.

Our young soldiers are Americas's finest.  Get to know him and you will understand why.  Stick by him and he will give his life, if necessary, to protect you and yours.  He owns nothing, probably will never own much, but what he does own, is his honor.  Isn't it sad, that so many young Americans do not understand the meaning of that word, what it stands for, and what it means to be one of those that have it.  Without honor, you are less than nothing in a soldier's eyes.  What is honor?  Nothing more than a feeling deep inside...PRICELESS!

JUST SOME THOUGHTS FROM AN OLD WARRIOR, THAT STOOD UP TO BE COUNTED BACK IN TIME!

You Sir,are a great person.  Thoughful and in complete understanding of the GREATEST GENERATION this world has ever known.  You not only kept these records, you kept alive a piece of this, your Greatest Generation.  I started my 23 year NAVY experience in Nam and ended it with desert Shield & Storm.  Anything I have done, or anyone since ww2 was nothing in comparison.  not just the war but the way your generation lived your lives.  You had the morals, standards and values.  Your generation had beliefs and traditions that were the very fabric this country survived on.  I've looked high and low and your way of life is gone, except for you and your records and all the other hero's still around from your time.  Thank you Sir. PS no more Marine jokes.

WONDERFUL STORY OF A TRUE HERO, HERE IN JAMAICA WE TOO HAVE WORLD WAR 11 VETERANS THAT ARE STILL LIVING TO THIS DAY AND WE SAY HATS OFF TO ALL THE WORLD WAR VETERANS ALL OVER THE WORLD, THEIR LIVES WERE USED TO MAKE US WHO WE ARE TODAY AND THE WORLD WE LIVE IN......AND TO THE FAMILIES WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL.

Do you have records of 840 Engineer AVN BN World 11 ?A book was written for the members and I would like to know if anyone has A copy.

Do you have records of 840 Engineer AVN BN World 11 ?A book was written for the members and I would like to know if anyone has A copy.

yep, Jerry deserves a medal. More soldiers do, for their courage, loyalty. patriotism and service.

I only wish that our politicians -- who mostly lack those virtues --  appreciated them more, and didn't send them on bad missions, or missions where our country wasn't actually threatened. I think its very bad to throw away the lives of so many great heroes because of such stupid politicians.

I hope the Corps takes good care and preserves
JB's records - he and they are indeed a national treasure.

Outstanding stuff. I myself served in the Marines, I agree with so many of you out there. this is amazing. thank you all and give this man a medal.

Semper Fi

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