FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Alexander Bonnyman, Jr ~ 29 April 2024

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Alexander Bonnyman, Jr.
Story from this website.

           

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Bonnyman (May 2, 1910 - November 22, 1943) grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee and attended Princeton University where he studied engineering and established himself as a football star in his sophomore year, in part for his ferocity on the field. Dropping out of college, he worked first in the coal industry then later moved to New Mexico, where he started a copper mining business.

At the outbreak of the war, Bonnyman was exempt from any military obligation due to his age and role in running a company producing strategically vital material for the war effort. Nevertheless, he signed up for Army Air Corps flight training; he was reportedly washed out "for buzzing too many control towers". Determined to fight, he then enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as a private at Phoenix, Arizona. Bonnyman received his recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California.
Bonnyman and his assault party storming Japanese stronghold
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In October 1942, Bonnyman sailed for the South Pacific aboard the SS Matsonia. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Guadalcanal as part of a Marine pioneer unit (akin to a lightly equipped version of an Army combat engineer group). In February 1943, he received a battlefield commission to the rank of second lieutenant in recognition of what his superiors described as exceptional leadership skills.

Bonnyman's civilian background, temperament and skills would come to play an important role at Tarawa in November 1943, where he was assigned to a shore party handling beachhead logistics. When the assault troops were pinned down by heavy enemy artillery fire at the seaward end of the long Betio Pier, on his own initiative Bonnyman organized and led five men over the open pier to the beach. There he voluntarily obtained flame throwers and demolitions and directed the blowing up of several hostile installations.

On the second day of the struggle, Bonnyman, determined to effect an opening in the enemy's strongly defended defense line, led his demolitions teams in an assault on the entrance to a huge bombproof shelter which contained approximately 150 Japanese soldiers. The enemy position was about forty yards forward of the Marine lines. Bonnyman advanced his team to the mouth of the position and killed many of the defenders. His team was forced to withdraw to replenish its supply of ammunition and grenades. Bonnyman again pressed his attack and gained the top of the structure, thereby flushing more than one hundred of its occupants into the open where they were shot down. When the Japanese fought back, the lieutenant stood at the forward edge of the position and killed several attackers before he fell mortally wounded. Betio Island was declared secured on the same day.

Bonnyman was listed as buried at sea by the Navy, but the Missing Personnel Office maintains that his body was "non-recovered"

USNS 1st LT Alex Bonnyman (T-AK-3003), 1985-2009, is named in honor of First Lieutenant Alexander Bonnyman, Jr.

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to

FIRST LIEUTENANT ALEXANDER BONNYMAN, JR.
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Executive Officer of the Second Battalion Shore Party, Eighth Marines, Second Marine Division, during the assault against enemy Japanese-held Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands, from 20 to November 22, 1943. Acting on his own initiative when assault troops were pinned down at the far end of Betio Pier by the overwhelming fire of Japanese shore batteries, First Lieutenant Bonnyman repeatedly defied the blasting fury of the enemy bombardment to organize and lead the besieged men over the long, open pier to the beach and then, voluntarily obtaining flame throwers and demolitions, organized his pioneer shore party into assault demolitions and directed the blowing of several hostile installations before the close of D-Day. Determined to effect an opening in the enemy's strongly organized defense line the following day, he voluntarily crawled approximately forty yards forward of our lines and placed demolitions in the entrance of a large Japanese emplacement as the initial move in his planned attack against the heavily garrisoned, bombproof installation which was stubbornly resisting despite the destruction early in the action of a large number of Japanese who had been inflicting heavy casualties on our forces and holding up our advance. Withdrawing only to replenish his ammunition, he led his men in a renewed assault, fearlessly exposing himself to the merciless slash of hostile fire as he stormed the formidable bastion, directed the placement of demolition charges in both entrances and sized the top of the bombproof position, flushing more than one hundred of the enemy who were instantly cut down and effecting the annihilation of approximately one hundred and fifty troops inside the emplacement. Assailed by additional Japanese after he had gained his objective, he made a heroic stand on the edge of the structure, defending his strategic position with indomitable determination in the face of the desperate charge and killing three of the enemy before he fell, mortally wounded. By his dauntless fighting spirit, unrelenting aggressiveness and forceful leadership throughout three days of unremitting, violent battle, First Lieutenant Bonnyman had inspired his men to heroic effort, enabling them to beat off the counterattack and break the back of hostile resistance in the sector for an immediate gain of four hundred yards with no further casualties to our forces in this zone. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

/S/HARRY S. TRUMAN

Thank you sir, for your service and sacrifice for our country!

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

[radu]

There you are, luvie. I wondered if you would show up tonight.

I imagine the kids are wishing they could have shared some of their rain with you tonight. It’s been crazy over there with the storms “training” for hours.

[luvie]

Hey there, radu!

I don’t imagine they even thought of us. LOL! But I wouldn’t have minded having some of the rain.

How were things over your way?

We were having our monthly live Zoom chat with Steve tonight, so I was running late. There were quite a few of us there. Fun to see the people that I know from the channel. :)

[radu]

From the look of things, they had plenty to share.
Poor Groverton had more than plenty to share with everyone tonight. The town is flooded, though the water is finally starting to drop. A very severe storm hit, then stalled for over two hours. It was intense.
Thank goodness that system will calm down by the time it comes through here tomorrow - - so they say anyway.

Cloudy and windy - again - but warm. I still got out to mow along the driveway, knowing I’d be a chia pet when finished.
Other than that, not much going on.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Glad you got a little time without wind. Hope you don’t have too much rain coming.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl...

[radu]

It was just a short time. It hit me that I could finally rake the leaves out of the carport at the old house and burn them at last but nope. I stepped out to do it and the wind had cranked up again. Drat! I need to get the leaves out of there so I can move the big potted plants out of the garage.

The system that’s been wreaking havoc in the Plains is coming through TN tomorrow but they SAY it’ll calm down by then. They haven’t said how much rain we can expect. Rain chances go through the week.

[luvie]

LOL! I don’t even know where Groverton is. Is it near you or somewhere here? I haven’t had a chance to watch or listen to any weather stuff today.

You a chia pet? Say it isn’t so! :) But by golly, you got that driveway done, and that’s a good thing. Not much going on here either. Just Sunday stuff. We lead very boring lives around here.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening/morning, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.

Hope you had a relaxing weekend, and you’ve got your ducks in a row for the coming week.

[E.G.C.]

A very pleasant good Monday morning and ((HUGS)) to everyone at the Canteen and to all our military at home and abroad. Thanks for your service to our country.

We slept really good last night. No storms except for one near El Reno right before bedtime. Ardmore, which had 5 tornadoes from the storms late Saturday and early Sunday, had power go out to the entire city from the storms. The whole entire city is still without power this morning.

There was also a lot of damage from the storms in Sulphur and in Love County as well. Schools in Sulphur, Ardmore, Plainview and Marietta are all cancelled today. We also had some damage in Duncan. As I was heading up to get our KFC supper, I drove by and saw that the roof of a convivence store's gas station pump was blown down. Also the first couple of traffic lights coming into Duncan on Highway 81 were flashing red in both directions.

Here is a picture of the KFC supper I got yesterday.

Yesterday at Comanche Lake:

And oh, BTW, we did have more severe weather in Oklahoma yesterday. There was a tornado out by Lake Eufaula. Also our storm alarm went off last evening for a storm out by El Reno with 60 MPH wind gusts and quarter sized hail.

What a crazy weekend this has been.

How's everyone doing this morning?

[radu]

Groveton (I mistakenly added an extra “r”) is in TX - - NE of Bryan. The southern end of the storm line begins around Bryan and runs up into IL. Storms keep blowing up down there and there’s one over them now. They’re under flood warnings. I hope none of their storms had the high winds that one in Groveton did.

I really didn’t want to mow today but the grass is thick along the driveway due to overspray of fertilizer when they spray the front fields. The yards aren’t so bad so they won’t kill poor little Champ after waiting another week. Waiting another week to do the driveway, with the rain we’ll get this week, one of the guys would have to mow it with the tractor and big mower. They do a lot to help out already and I don’t want to ask them to do more.

Can’t say life’s all that exciting here either. LOL The fun is on weekends at the museum.

[radu]

Howdy, E.G.C. ((HUGZ))

I’m glad you and Gizmo had a quiet night, and VERY glad you missed out on all the havoc the night before.
You and Gizmo sure had a pretty day for your outing yesterday.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, luvie...he sure was a hero. He had a goal, and went after it.

[luvie]

Aaahhh....I guess I’ve never been through Groveton. Our drive down there is on Highway 6, which luckily, I suppose, missed out on the tornadoes this go-round. Reed was in the area near Waco a while ago because of bad storms. Allegra told us at that time that they missed her area. Thank goodness. Hope Bryan doesn’t get flooded. Thank goodness, the kids’ house is on high ground.

Well, we sure don’t need Champ to break down, do we. Good thinking, getting that driveway done. Now you don’t have to worry about it for a while anyway. I’ll bet your back is killin’ ya.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good morning, E...((HUGS))...Gizmo sure did have a lot of adventures yesterday at Comanche Lake. I bet he’s glad the thunder and lightning is over.

Glad the storms pretty much passed you by without damage.

You guys have a great Monday.

[luvie]

Are you watching Live Storm Chasers? That is SOME rain all right! Wow!

[Kathy in Alaska]

I am off to my chair...my knees started having a fit a couple hours ago as I folded laundry, and I am going to have to resort to ibuprofen. And my calves are starting to cramp up. Too much unusual activity and they are screaming....I’m falling apart. LOL!!!

[E.G.C.]

We sure did. Gizmo enjoyed himself out there especially.

[radu]

You’d go way out of your way if you went through Groveton to visit the kids. LOL

I hung out with Brandon Clement through that storm that wouldn’t stop at Groveton earlier tonight but his stream ended a little while ago. Now riding along with another storm chaser who’s somewhere between Trinity and Huntsville and it’s nasty there. Heavy rain and strobe light lightning. Just a nasty night on that side of TX.

I know you’re happy to have missed out on the action, Allegra! Not been a good weekend.

Yes, the ol’ bum back is cranky and tomorrow will be the do-nothing day today should have been. :-)

[radu]

I’m watching Garrett Thompson on YT.

[radu]

Sounds like we both did too much unusual activity this weekend. LOL You with that bush and me with that small tree in back of the old house yesterday.
I hope the ibuprofen does the trick so you can get some sleep tonight.