Today I'm visiting the Solomon Islands War Memorial Museum in Honiara (the capital city on Guadalcanal). This is a private museum run by two brothers on the island, and it is filled to the brim with artifacts recovered from the jungles and battlefields, both American and Japanese. From Coke bottles to 20mm cannons, everything conceivable off a battlefield is represented here, including some really interesting items you might not expect. A few things that stuck out to me include:
- WW1 V-B type rifle grenades used by the US Marines
- Dutch small arms, including KNIL Madsen LMGs used by the Japanese
- Field-modified M1918 American trench knives
VIDEO HERE (13 minutes)
Semper Fi!
ReplyDeleteMy dad went to Guadalcanal as a US Marine when he was seventeen years old. During the fighting there he was wounded. It was the first of three wounding events that would put him in the hospital over the course of the island hopping campaign before Japan finally surrendered. He spent his 18th birthday on a hospital ship anchored off of New Zealand. When I look at the youth of today I can't even imagine them being able to cope with that kind of situation.
ReplyDeletemy uncle Jack went there with Chesty Puller. served with him until after Pelieui (?) after that blood bath (his words) he got sent back to the states to train the guys who ended up going in on Iwo. he words where, we didn't know anything when we got there, but we did learn fast.
ReplyDeletestarted at the "canal" as a E-4 and made gunny before going back to the states.
I asked how did he make rank so fast ? "everyone else was either dead or wounded"
I only learned that part after a few beers he had with my dad. dad was a navy vet with a
navy cross for doing "something stupid" I miss those guys a lot. dave in pa.
My Grandfather was a Marine PFC and served, to the best of our ability to find out, on Guadalcanal. He was injured, shot in the hip with a wooden bullet, and evacuated back to the states. He suffered from the injury for the rest of his life, and the effects of the injury killed him at the age of 63.
ReplyDeleteThose were some tough ol birds. They are my hero's.
ReplyDelete