Figure 2, Red Beach, then and now.
Figure 3, how it looks today!
Figure 4, Lunga Pier, 1943 (insert) and 2006.
Figure 5, Marines leaving Lunga Beach (insert) and Lunga Beach 2009.
Flying into Guadalcanal – August 3, 2012.
From Guadalcanal 70th Anniversary.
Young Solomon Islander making a quick buck at Edson's Ridge – $10 each or 10 for $50!
My greatest wish is for the islanders to find the peace and prosperity they really deserve. I know Guadalcanal has had its share of political turmoil over the years following the war, but my father always had a great respect and love for the indigenous people of the Pacific, especially the people of the Solomon Islands, and I feel the same. They suffered as much or more than anyone else having the war take place in their home, something for which they did not ask.
Lastly, I want always to remember my father Michael John Bonagura (pictured below). He never spoke much about the war, but he always spoke about his love for the Marine Corps. Although he died almost twenty years ago, there is not a day that passes without my thinking of him and all the wisdom he left me. Our relationship has only grown the more I learn about what he and his fellow marines went through during the war. Thank you, dad!
Figure 6, Michael J. Bonagura before the war.
Click here to read one marine’s Memorial Day wish.
I want to send out a special thanks and gratitude to Lorraine Mazza for designing the site and maintaining it all these years.
