| Original caption: “Grim humor on Tarawa.” A Japanese skull, which has been boiled and then buried on the beach for crabs to pick clean, adorns a sardonic sign “Tarawa Recruitin’ Office,” erected by the 2nd Marine Division before they left Tarawa. Such signs reflected the release of tension of the extreme combat of the Betio landings. Note a destroyer and cargo ship in the extreme distance. Photo by Lieutenant Charles E. Kerlee (March 28, 1907 – January 23, 1981), United States Naval Reserve. Kerlee was already well-known as a professional, award-winning commercial photographer. As such, he was approached by a United States Navy Reservist, Lieutenant Commander Edward Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973), himself a famous commercial photographer from New York. Steichen had a simple proposal – that Kerlee consider joining the United States Navy, not as a sailor or soldier, but as a cameraman. The top brass within the United States Navy, realizing that Steichen’s talents could help foster public support, had tasked him to assemble into a special naval unit the world’s best photographers and videographers to document the war effort. Steichen, in turn, called on his circle of friends, associates, and competitors, including Kerlee. Within a few months, Charles Kerlee found himself on board the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) and headed out to sea and into battle. His camera remained at work until the last days of the war, when he documented the flight crews and actions of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12) in the South China Sea, not far from the coast of Japan. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1607.jpg |
| Image Size | 861.05 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2364 x 2442 |
| Photographer | Charles E. Kerlee |
| Photographer Title | United States Navy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | January 1, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Betio |
| State or Province | Tarawa |
| Country | Gilberts |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-80-G-476259 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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