Tour of Guadalcanal Providence

Today we took a tour of the Eastern Providence of Guadalcanal known as the Eastern Battlefield. This area was infamous during WWII and stories of the battles fought here still evoke passion in the Solomon Islanders. The locals recall from their grandparents the sudden invasion and then destruction of their country. Many Solomon Islanders fought in this war and many were heroes.

We had read and studied about the battles that had taken place here but until we walked the grounds we did not appreciate how difficult it must have been.

When we arrived in Guadalcanal we landed at Henderson field, which was one of the big objectives of the war. The side that controlled the airfield controlled the fate of the battles on Guadalcanal. We went to the site of one of the amphibious landing where there are still a large number of amphibious assault vehicles that were left sitting on the beach and now have trees growing through some of them. We traveled to Bloody Ridge and then to Red Beach. One can just picture the

challenges the men faced with the hilly terrain, the dense jungle growth, the heat and insects. When you add to that the fact that many people are trying to kill you, it could be overwhelming.

When we took our hike to Mataniko falls we took a break on Hill 54 and then climbed to Hill 57 where the Allied forces finally put a large gun, after many battles to own the hill. On the ridge where the trail goes, we had to be very careful because the foxholes were right beside the trail, now filled with grass.

A step off into one of them would have been disastrous. The trail to the falls takes a 1000 foot almost vertical decent down a slippery slope where you literally have to hold onto vines and roots to keep from sliding to fast. The falls were beautiful and we swam in them to cool off. At the falls we thought about the men

from Hills 54 and 57 who would come there to get water and a dip in the pool. We went in with a camera and a bottle of water; they carried full packs and weapons. What an effort to have a cool drink, fill you canteen, and maybe a quick swim and then to ascend that hill to go back to your post. You would return hot, sweaty and dirty just like you left but you would have had those few minutes of "pleasure".

When you walk around here, you can see what it took to fight in this area and it is easy to see why the men who returned from WWII were and are so resilient and hard working as a generation. We felt it an honor to walk these grounds and pay homage to those who were here before us.