Alexander Bonnyman, Jr.
First Lieutenant Alexander “Sandy” Bonnyman served with Fox Company, Second Battalion, 18th Marines.
He was killed in action at the battle of Tarawa on 22 November 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-17525
Current Status
Accounted For
as of 10 August 2015
Recovery Organization
History Flight 2015 Expedition
Read DPAA Press Release
History
[Biography Coming Soon]
Bones Of My Grandfather
The definitive story of Bonnyman's life, death, and return from Betio – as told by Clay Bonnyman Evans.
Decorations
Purple Heart
For wounds resulting in his death in action, 20 November 1943.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Josephine Bonnyman.
Before the war, Bonnyman lived and worked in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Location Of Loss
Bonnyman was killed attacking a Japanese bunker at the eastern edge of Beach Red 3.
Gallery
"Sandy" Bonnyman on the Princeton football squad. He graduated in 1932.
Bonnyman's Selective Service registration, 1940.
The Clovis (NM) News-Journal, 10 March 1941.
The Knoxville Journal, 11 July 1942.
Bonnyman's service record photograph. Date unknown, but before his commission in 1943 – note enlisted service number.
The Knoxville Journal, 4 March 1943.
Red Beach 3, 20 November 1943. Marines retrieve ammunition and supplies from the dead. Official USMC photo.
A plane from the USS Chenango snapped this photograph of Betio's Beach Red 3 area, 22 November 1943. The battle is raging 100 feet below. US Navy photo.
Led by Lt. Alexander Bonnyman (possibly indicated by the arrow), 2/8 and elements of the 18th Marines swarm the bunker on the flank of Red 3.
The Knoxville Journal, 31 December 1943.
The Knoxville Journal, 1 April 1944.
The Knoxville Journal, 29 March 1944.
A memorial cross emplaced at Cemetery 27 after the individual markers were removed. US Navy photo.
Detail of the plaque in front of the memorial cross. US Navy photo.
Betio Casualties From This Company
(Recently accounted for or still non-recovered)
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