August 7, 2012 marks the 70th Anniversary of the beginning of the Battle for Guadalcanal. It was on August 7, 1942 that the 1st Marine Division began landing on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands. It was the first major offensive by American ground forces against the Empire of Japan taking place exactly eight months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In honor of the Marines' heroic actions on Guadalcanal, last Saturday I arranged a little photo shoot in the rather tropical backyard of our friends, Michael and Angie Schalbrack. Dressed in my best 1942 Marine Corps impression, I took some great photos of what an early-war Marine would typically look like. The only inaccuracies with my impression are that I should be wearing a Hawley helmet liner with an open buckle leather chin strap, and I should probably be carrying a M1903 Springfield instead of my M-1 Garand. But since I have neither, I did the best with what I had available. Enjoy the photos and Semper Fi, Marines!!!
