 Approximately five days later, when the battle for Kwajalien was over, more than 8,000 Japanese soldiers of the 61st Naval Guard Force were killed in action.General George C. Marshall, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, later said that the operations on Kwajalien were the most efficient of the war.Once again, the regiment achieved another first, as they were the first National Guard unit to seize and hold territory that Japan held prior to the start of the war.