The combined amount of Guadalcanal knowledge fielded in two sessions of Veterans Breakfast Club Greatest Generation LIVE was simple massive. With the topic of Guadalcanal being to large to cover in just one session it was decided to hold two sessions.
A panel of experts including former Marine and battlefield tour guide Dave Holland of Guadalcanal – Walking a Battlefield, Geoffrey Roecker of Missing Marines, Military Historian Jeff Ballard and renowned author and Guadalcanal battle field tour guide Joseph Mueller.
TLBP connections to Guadalcanal
The Log Book Project has to date over 130 signatures, among these we have four with a connection to Guadalcanal. This statement should come with a “that we know of today” as we only discovered our 4th signatory when doing this summary.
- USMC Cpl Arthur Pendleton of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 7th marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division took part in the initial landings on the island 7 August 1942.
- US Navy, Rear Gunner AOM Ervin Wendt flew with Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) off USS Saratoga (CV-3) until she was torpedoed and had to leave theater. At this point VT-8 relocated to Henderson Field on Guadalcanal as part of Cactus Air Force.
- US Navy, Flight Engineer Jack Holder flew numerous missions in the Guadalcanal Campaign with Patrol Squadron 23 (VP-23).
- USMC, Plt Sgt Larry Kirby of Company F (later E), 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 7th marine Division landed on Guadalcanal in mid 1943 staging for the Bougainville Campaign.
It was truly a great honor to sit in and participate in this session listening to experts providing in in depth descriptions of the events covered.
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