Most Americans know June 6, 1944, as D-Day.
August 7, 1942, was D-Day in the Pacific.
After spending years researching and writing Old Breed General, every August my thoughts return to the summer of 1942.
While June 6, 1944, is forever linked with incredible feats at Normandy.
August 7, 1942, marked another D-Day—one that began the long Allied march across the Pacific.
Operation Watchtower
On that day, the U.S. Navy carried the 1st Marine Division across the Pacific to the Solomon Islands, where Marines stormed the beaches of Guadalcanal, Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tanambogo in the first major Allied amphibious offensive against Japan.
This Allied offensive in the Pacific theatre would continue until Japan’s surrender in September 1945.
The Navy’s role cannot be overstated.
Sailors transported the Marines thousands of miles from home, protected the invasion force, landed them under fire, and fought the bitter naval battles that followed around Guadalcanal, and throughout the Pacific.
Without their courage and sacrifice, the campaigns could never have succeeded.
The anniversary is especially meaningful to me. My grandfather, Marine Major General William H. Rupertus, helped lead the Marines ashore at Tulagi, where they secured one of the first Allied victories in the Pacific. He also led the Marines on Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucestershire and Pelelui (1944).
Sadly I never got to talk with him. He died March 1945.
Thankfully, he left clues behind which my family saved.
Taking the time to research his story and write Old Breed General gave me a deep appreciation for the extraordinary courage, sacrifice, and determination of my grandfather – and all those who made this campaign in the Pacific possible.
Their victory came at a tremendous cost.
Their stories remind us that freedom is never free—and that history is best preserved when we continue to tell it.
As we approach the 84th anniversary of Operation Watchtower, let us remember the Marines, sailors, soldiers, airmen, and Coast Guardsmen of the Greatest Generation.
Their service and sacrifice changed the course of history.
This history and their stories are worth remembering.
