On October 16, 1942, on Kwajalein Atoll, at the fringe of the Japanese Empire, members of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Sixth Base Unit ceremonially beheaded nine marines from the Second Raider Battalion. The captives held no hopes for pardon or for rescue as they walked blindfolded one by one to the spot of execution, which also became their burial site. The Marine Corps and the Raiders’ families thought they were already dead the men knew. This work is the account of how these volunteer patriots, unbeknownst to their command, were inadvertently left behind after the Marines’ raid on Makin Island on August 1942. The raid, which was a morale boost for the navy department and the American public, was hailed at home as a great success even as the condemned Raiders knelt to await their fate. The heroism of the Raiders - under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Evans F. Carlson, who later received the Navy Cross - has been well documented by the press, in books, and in Hollywood. In a country craving good news and heroes, Carlson and the Navy delivered. The detail of the raid's shaky beginnings and tragic end, would not be known until many years later After a summary of the dramatic raid, Wiles focuses on the Raiders’ withdrawal from Makin and on Carlson's decisions that directly affected the men who were left behind. Wiles also examines the actions, inactions, and conditions that led to the nine Raiders unintentional abandonment. Finally, he reviews the Navy's private reactions and, using new documents and interviews, the Raiders’ fate, bringing a measure of closure to the disappearance and execution of the forgotten Raiders. -- From the book jacket.

The raiders -- The raid -- Conflicting reports -- The left behind -- Victors' justice -- Pacific heroes -- Carlson and Roosevelt after the raid -- The search for the forgotten raiders -- A search through history -- The interpreters -- Good news.