MARINE CORPS LEAGUE
Lt. Alexander Bonnyman
Detachment 924

Monthly Officer/Committee meetings are held the 2nd Monday of each month at 17:00. All detachment members are welcome to attend. 2651 Hobbs Rd, Louisville, TN

Detachment meeting is held the last Tuesday of each month at the VFW post 5154 w/ Social Hour from 17:30-18:15 and meeting from 18:15-19:30, all welcome. 2651 Hobbs Rd. Louisville, TN 

On May the 4th, the detachment will be hosting the 2025 Annual Jack McGivney Memorial Pistol Match. For more information and to register today, click here 

We will be raising funds at three locations on May 25th with the  Marine Rose Program. All volunteers have signed up and all three locations are full. Thank you everyone for your support, If someone drops out prior, we will alert the detachment.

The Marine Corps League Honor Guard is available to support funerals for Marine Corps League Members and upon request can also support non-members. Click here for details

We recently added a new menu item to the Gallery Menu above called Video Gallery and this is where we will post videos from events or other fun video content. The February Swearing In Ceremony is posted along with other videos. Under the Gallery menu, you can also view photos from previous detachment meetings or click here.

Mark your calendars for the 2025 Annual Mud Run to be held at Montvale Springs Retreat. It consists roughly of 3 miles of off-road running, which entails some obstacles, hills, and of course, mud pits. Click here to add the placeholder to your calendar. Click here to become a sponsor or register for the event.

Monday, April 14, 2025. 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. EDT at Bridgewater Place, 205 Bridgewater Road, Knoxville, TN 37923. Includes Mobile online and live auctions. Event attire is Business casual.  Click Here to add to your calendar

Detachment 924 honors the Knoxville native and Medal of Honor recipient First Lieutenant Alexander Bonnyman Jr. who gallantly gave his life in battle for Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll and Gilbert Islands on November 22, 1943 with the namesake of our detachment.

In October 1942, Bonnyman sailed for the South Pacific aboard the SS Matsonia. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Guadalcanal as part of a Marine pioneer unit (lightly equipped combat engineers).

Bonnyman’s civilian background, temperament and skills would come to play an important role at Tarawa in November 1943, where he was assigned to a shore party handling beachhead logistics. When the assault troops were pinned down by heavy enemy artillery fire at the seaward end of the long Betio Pier, on his own initiative Bonnyman organized and led five men over the open pier to the beach. There he voluntarily obtained flame throwers nd demolitions and directed the blowing up of several hostile installations.

On the second day of the struggle, Bonnyman, determined to breach the enemy’s strong defensive line, led a demolition team of 21 Marines in an assault on the entrance to a huge bombproof shelter which contained approximately 150 Japanese soldiers. Bonnyman advanced his team to the mouth of the position and killed many of the defenders. Bonnyman again pressed his attack and gained the top of the structure, thereby flushing more than one hundred of its occupants into the open where they were cut down by Marine infantry and a supporting tank. When the Japanese returned fire, Bonnyman stood on the forward edge of the position and killed three of the attackers, but was himself killed as he ordered more charges brought forward. Of Bonnyman’s original assault party of 21 Marines, 13 had survived. Betio Island was declared secured on the same day.