Staff Sgt. Norman Hatch poses for a picture in his early years as a Marine and later retired as a major. Hatch was a combat cameraman and documented the harsh war fighting during the Pacific campaign of Word War II. He is most recognized for his film, With the Marines at Tarawa, which won the 1944 Academy Award for Best Short Documentary.
Courtesy Photo from Lou Reda Productions, Inc., 8/11/2011 |
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (MCN - 8/12/2011) — With
Marines grossly outnumbered, a Japanese general touted there was no
way the Pacific island would be overrun. When it comes to the battle
of Tarawa, the numbers speak for themselves.
Within 76
hours, more than 1000 Marines and sailors gave their lives while
taking the island. The Marines may have taken a heavy toll, but it
was small in comparison to the more than 4000 Japanese soldiers who
lost their lives. One of the first American victories in the Pacific
during World War II; the island had been secured.
Storming
the beach with his fellow Marines, Staff Sgt. Norman Hatch captured
the events as they unfolded in front of him. The images he filmed
would forever change the way Americans looked at war.
Marine
Corps Base Camp Lejeune, has scheduled a military educational event
Aug. 19, at the Marston Pavillion, where Hatch will answer questions
and tell his wartime stories. The event is open to anyone with a
valid Department of Defense identification card starting from 10—11
a.m.
From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., a book signing with Hatch
and Charles Jones, the author of War Shots, the book documenting
Hatch's photos and experiences, will be held at the Marine Corps
Exchange Annex, building 84.
Now a retired major, Hatch has
relived that day on Tarawa in several videotaped interviews provided
by the U.S. Naval institute.
With bullets whizzing by his
head, he became completely focused on what he was |
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filming, practically blocking out the reality of what was happening. |
“When I was looking through the view finder, I was living
in the movie,” said Hatch. “I was disassociated with what
was going on around me.”
The combat cameraman trudged
through the water with his comrades. He was completely in
the open. Unlike modern-day camera equipment, even the
slightest bit of water would destroy everything he had
filmed.
“I was [standing straight up] while
everybody was down at helmet level in the water,” said
Hatch. “It looked like a herd of turtles going in at feeding
time—just nothing but helmets going along the water. You
would see one guy get hit and another guy get hit, and just
kept moving.”
“Being a cameraman is like being
someone with a target on his back,” he said.
David
Brown, executive director of the 2nd Marine Division
Association, is a long time friend of Hatch. Pointing to one
of the images captured by Hatch, the retired lieutenant
colonel said he is still amazed by what Hatch did.
“I mean look at this,” said Brown as he tapped his finger on
the computer monitor. “He is standing right there where all
of the bullets are flying by. It's unbelievable!”
The photo Brown was gesturing toward showed Hatch literally
standing straight up in the middle of a firefight.
Capturing everything on film Brown said Hatch was one of the
first to cinematically document Marines in direct fire.
Hatch described that day in detail.
“I heard one
of the Marines yell, ‘Here come the [Japanese]!' so I just
swiveled my body,” said Hatch.
Twelve Japanese
soldiers were mowed down, when a machine gunner positioned
right next to him, let loose, he said.
“That's the
only time, to the best of my knowledge, in the Pacific War
the enemy was in the same frame as us in a fighting stance,”
said Hatch.
He went on to compile all of his footage
into a short documentary. The images were so astounding that
the commandant of the Marine Corps at the time arranged a
meeting for Hatch to meet directly with the president, said
Brown.
"That footage that was shown of the bodies
floating in the water bothered President Roosevelt quite a
bit. He was afraid it would scare the people," Hatch said.
With some persuasion from one of Roosevelt's
journalist friends, he agreed to release the film, said
Hatch.
The film ‘With the Marines at Tarawa' hit the
theaters in 1944 and immediately gave Americans a look in to
the harsh realties of war. It went on to win an Academy
Award for Best Short Documentary.
“The film shot on
Tarawa was a first because it showed what combat was really
like,” said Hatch. “It showed it up close and dirty!”
Hatch didn't know what type of impact his filming would
have on Americans. His productions and photographs will
forever tell the long lasting history of the Corps for many
generations to come, said Brown.
“At the start of
World War II a small group of individuals knew how important
it would be to capture history in the making; Hatch was one
of them,” said Brown. “Now it's people's opportunity to hear
this man in person. He is the best story teller that I have
ever known.”
By USMC Cpl. Andrew D. Johnston
2nd Marine Division
Marine Corps News
Copyright 2011
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