Im oliver north and welcome to war stories. Were here at the National Museum in texas. This exhibit memorializes one of the bloodiest campaigns of world war ii. Guadalcanal. He saw guadalcanal as a crucial stepping stone on the road to tokyo from august 1942 until february 1943, guadalcanal became better known as the gettysburg of the pacific. As youll see, mistakes were made on both sides, and what became the Longest Campaign of the second world war. The bloody fighting cost the lives of some 7,000 americans and over 30,000 japanese. Tonight youll hear from the heroes who fought from the air, on the ground, and the seas around this sweltering green hell. Joe was the farm boy from sioux falls, iowa, who dreamed of becoming the next charles lindburg. I want to go to war. I said ill do anything. I want to do anything to get in a fighter. John was a long way from columbus, ohio, and hiss fathers saloon. It was hell, and it was spotted with screams, hollering, both japanese and marines. Mi