The American Battle Monuments Commission Commemorates the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal
ARLINGTON, Va. (August 5, 2022) — The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) will mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal during a ceremony Aug. 7, 2022 at the Guadalcanal American Memorial in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
The Battle of Guadalcanal was the first major land offensive launched by Allied forces against Japan during World War II, lasting from Aug.7, 1942, to Feb. 9, 1943. It is estimated that 1,600 American troops were killed in action during the campaign, with more than 4,000 wounded and several thousand more succumbing to disease. The battle was a decisive victory for the Allied forces, marking the turning point of the war in the Pacific.
The ABMC's Guadalcanal American Memorial was dedicated on Aug. 7, 1992, marking the 50th anniversary of the beach landings of the Guadalcanal campaign. The memorial was constructed as a joint effort between the ABMC and the Guadalcanal-Solomon Islands Memorial Commission, honoring those American and Allied service members who lost their lives during the offensive.
ABMC Commissioner and Marine Corps veteran Bud Pettigrew will attend the ceremony on behalf of the organization, honoring the legacy of the U.S. and Allied forces who lost their lives throughout this campaign in World War II.
“ABMC cemeteries and memorials are more than commemorative sites,” said Pettigrew. “They are the stories of our free nation, the legacies of our families, representing the diversity and values of who we are as a people. We remain committed to ensuring that the stories of their sacrifice are imparted to future generations, so that in some small way we can uphold General Pershing’s promise, ‘That time will not dim the Glory of their Deeds.’”
More information on the American Guadalcanal Memorial can be found here: The World War II Guadalcanal American Memorial.
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For more information or if there are further questions on ABMC, please contact:
Ashleigh Byrnes
Cell: 1-248-342-2562
Email: byrnesa@abmc.gov
About American Battle Monuments Commission:
The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) operates and maintains 26 cemeteries and 32 federal memorials, monuments, and commemorative plaques in 17 countries throughout the world, including the United States. The four memorials in the United States are: the World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C.; the Honolulu memorial located within the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii; the West Coast Memorial located within the Presidio National Park in San Francisco, Calif; and the East Coast Memorial located within Battery City Park in New York, N.Y. Since March 4, 1923, ABMC’s sacred mission remains to honor the service, achievements, and sacrifice of more than 200,000 U.S. service members buried and memorialized at our sites.