The Cost of Guadalcanal

The colors correspond to branches of service and burial status. Bright red indicates Marines and Navy medical personnel who were identified at their time of death and burial. Brick red indicates those who were identified later in the war, or in the immediate post-war recovery era. Blue indicates burials at sea – while the remains of these men never came home, they are still considered “accounted for.” And black are the ones still unaccounted for.

The few scattered candles denote those men recovered and identified since 1970.

This information was accumulated and mapped over six months, using a database of USMC Casualty Cards and Individual Deceased Personnel Files. Every pin reveals more information about a serviceman – his dates of birth, enlistment, and death; how he met his end, and where he is currently buried. Over six hundred entries have photographs. There are neighbors, school pals, and lifelong friends represented here; there are also two pairs of brothers, and even a father and son.

Note: In some cases, the original addresses no longer exist – buildings have been torn down, rural communities have been abandoned, small towns have expanded, villages have been incorporated into larger cities. Some Marines listed a Post Office box, a main route, or a “General Delivery” notification instead of a street address. In these instances, markers have been placed as close to the modern equivalent as possible.