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Bernard Reilly, crouching at left, is shown in this wartime photo after his Marine unit returned stateside after 34 months of combat in the Pacific. Reilly, now 92, of Ledyard was among the first U.S. Marines engaged in battle against the Japanese in World War II in the Battle of Tulagi, August 1942. Reilly and his unit, fought the Japanese for almost three years across the Pacific from Tulagi to Iwo Jima. Because his unit was not customarily called home after 24 months, it became known as the "Forgotten Battalion." (Photo courtesy Bernard Reilly) -- des.m1111vets - shot by Christopher Gannon/The Register on 10/24/12 in Ledyard, IA
