A RECOGNITION OF SAIPAN BRAVERY.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: CAROL DeMARE Staff writer -

Vets are coming together tonight, to raise money for the World War II Memorial and pay tribute to brave local soldiers who fiercely fought the Japanese on Saipan 56 years ago, often in hand-to-hand combat, only to be wrongly labeled as cowards.

Paul Elisha of Niskayuna, a World War II Army veteran of the South Pacific, researched the battle and interviewed soldiers. He wrote poetry based on the experiences of the 27th Infantry Division, a New York National Guard Unit activated during the war.

``This will tell the story and the least I want to see is that the record is corrected, and in the Congressional Record, they acknowledge these guys who fought so bravely, and people thought …