World War II Veteran's Final Battle
For one Navy veteran, the war won't end until he's able to bring every one of his fallen comrades home. We first reported on his efforts more than two years ago, and a lot has changed since then. CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker updates this story of determination and "The American Spirit."
At 91, World War II veteran Leon Cooper is still fighting battles in the South Pacific.
"I sometimes have asked myself whether or not this is survivor's guilt," Cooper said.
He survived the bloody battle of Tarawa in 1943.
"It was the first time I've ever seen so many guys being killed," he said.
One thousand and one Marines and sailors died - almost 2,300 wounded. 4,600 Japanese were killed in the first major battle of the Pacific. Cooper, a landing craft officer, ferried waves of Marines ashore.
"I saw fear in their eyes," he said. "All I could think of was - could they see the fear in mine?"
Now, he's fighting so America never forgets.
"There are maybe hundred of guys who lie in Tarawa in unmarked graves," he said.
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We first met him at his home in Malibu two years ago.
He said he was angry at finding Red Beach - where so many Marines died - was the island's dump. Neither the Pentagon nor politicians seemed to care.
Following our storyand a documentaryCooper helped make, the Pentagon was prodded into action.
Recently, a forensics team was sent to Tarawa to search for remains of fallen fighters. They mapped, and dug and sifted. Two sets of remains, believed to be American, were recovered.
Now, Cooper is a hero to the families of Tarawa's fallen.
Marjorie Coakley's uncle Frank was killed in the bloody battle of Tarawa. His body was never recovered.
"I wanted to tell him thank you for caring after all these years, and keeping the story alive," she said.
The recovered remains were flown to the military forensics lab in Honolulu for identification. That will take months.
As for Leon Cooper? He's "not going to give up." He plans to keep fighting to make sure the sacrifice he witnessed is remembered and honored.
