UPDATES
|
CURRENT MISSION: Finding Lost Patrol on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands
LOS ANGELES, California – December 18, 2020 NFOVF, in cooperation with the daughter of a U.S. Marine killed in an ambush during the Battle of Guadalcanal, is planning a mission to locate and recover his remains, as well as those of eight others in his patrol who were hastily buried and left behind. Tragically, this daughter never knew her father, and he never held her in his arms. To date, no formal effort has been made to locate these men and bring closure to their families. NFOVF is confident in the location of these missing Americans. We have assembled an experienced team of MIA search and recovery specialists to capitalize on previously established relationships with government officials, residents, and critical resource providers on the island. Our goal is to mobilize to Guadalcanal once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and it is safe and sensible for our people to travel internationally. |
Above: The Battle of Guadalcanal was fought during WWII between August 7, 1942, and February 9, 1943, on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. It was the first major land offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan.
Photo courtesy of the United States Marine Corps.
|
|
Our hopes for carrying out this mission in 2021 are high, but we need more support to give the families of these fallen heroes the all-out effort they deserve!
To support this mission, please DONATE HERE. |
|
Cemeteries for Guadalcanal and Tarawa MIAs
LOS ANGELES, California – November 1, 2019 NFOVF's Managing Director, Kurt Hiete, spent the better part of 2019 traveling to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands and Tarawa in the Republic of Kiribati, and working with local authorities in both countries to develop plans for cemeteries to appropriately honor the hundreds of Americans listed as Missing in Action who lie unrecognized in unmarked graves, on the battlefields where they fell, and even beneath trash pits. To learn more, please click Guadalcanal and Tarawa: A Prologue From Our Managing Director. To support our causes, please DONATE HERE. |
|
|
Guadalcanal and Tarawa: A Prologue
From Our Managing Director LOS ANGELES, California – July 23, 2018 NFOVF's Managing Director, Kurt Hiete, on why Guadalcanal and Tarawa still matter today. Click here to download a PDF version suitable for reading, printing, and sharing with others. |
Above: Men of the 1st Marine Division – “The Old Breed” – on patrol on Guadalcanal in 1942.
Photo courtesy of the United States Marine Corps.
|
A Tarawa Brief From Our Managing Director
LOS ANGELES, California – March 1, 2018
NFOVF's Managing Director, Kurt Hiete, has prepared a few thoughts on why we must act in Tarawa.
Click here to download a PDF version suitable for reading, printing, and sharing with others.
LOS ANGELES, California – March 1, 2018
NFOVF's Managing Director, Kurt Hiete, has prepared a few thoughts on why we must act in Tarawa.
Click here to download a PDF version suitable for reading, printing, and sharing with others.
|
NFOVF Managing Director Kurt Hiete Attends Burial of Tarawa Marine at Arlington National Cemetery
ARLINGTON, Virginia – March 28, 2017 NFOVF's Managing Director and American Legion Representative, Kurt Hiete, recently attended the final homecoming of Pvt Harry K. Tye, a Marine killed in action during the Battle of Tarawa in November 1943. Pvt Tye was Missing in Action for more than seven decades until his remains were discovered in early 2015 by History Flight, a non-governmental organization dedicated to finding, recovering, and repatriating America's war dead to American soil. NFOVF and American Legion Post #283 in Pacific Palisades, CA, have worked with and provided support to History Flight for the last seven years. Hiete was also influential in inviting U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly, two retired Marine Corps Generals. Their attendance brought much needed attention to the situation with the Tarawa MIAs and the public-private partnerships that are getting results and bringing home the remains of missing Americans from the Republic of Kiribati. Read more about Pvt Harry K. Tye's life, sacrifice, and final interment at Arlington National Cemetery here. |
Above (top): NFOVF Managing Director and American Legion Representative Kurt Hiete thanks Secretary of Defense James Mattis for attending the final interment of Pvt. Harry K. Tye at Arlington National Cemetery on March 28, 2017. Next to Secretary Mattis is David Tincher, a great-nephew of Pvt Tye.
Above (bottom): NFOVF Managing Director and American Legion Representative Kurt Hiete shares a reflective moment with a family member at the funeral of Pvt. Harry K. Tye at Arlington National Cemetery on Mar. 28, 2017. Photos by Cpl Dana Beesley, U.S. Marine Corps.
|
Follow us on social media!
|
|