The Lost Patrol of Guadalcanal
September 6th, 2008
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On the 12th of August 1942, Lt. Col. Frank Goettge and 24 Marines under his command landed in the dark on the wrong beach on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands and came under withering fire from Japanese soldiers, killing Goettge and 21 of his men. Sixty-six years later, Cliff and Donna Boyd (Radford University) and Rhett Herman (Radford University) led a mission to use state of the art techniques to search for the missing in action Americans.
Also featured: Don Cunningham (Radford University) had a job that took him to Japan where he became fascinated with the culture of the Japanese samurais. He recently published Samurai Weapons: Tools of a Warrior, detailing the daily lives of the samurai and the weapons that made up the storied warriors’ arsenal.
My Uncle was Virgil Caltrider was a Sgt. with the Goettge Patrol.
My Mom read all the articles from Leatherneck magazine and wrote to Marines about the patrol. She always hoped that their remains could be fould and returned to their families. she has passed, but there a sisters still living.
Thanks for your effort to find the final resting place of these Mariens.
Bill, I’d love to speak with you about Virgil, thanks!