MARINE CORPS LEAGUE
Lt. Alexander Bonnyman
Detachment 924

Detachment pistol match on 02 NOV 2024 at 0900. A fun filled day with camaraderie, tall tales and calming sound of gunfire and pleasant smell of gun oil and bullet propellant. Click here for more details.

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 

Hosted by Marine Corps League Detachment 924 is set for Sunday, 10 November 2024, at Rothchild’s Catering and Conference Center located at 8807 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37923. Click here for details & to register and pay

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

On 11 NOV 24, we will be fundraising & giving away Marine Roses at the Ingles & Kroger in Farragut & Food City in Seymour. Will need 8 Marines at each location, 4 from 0900 – 1200 and 4 from 1200 – 1500. Click Here to Signup Today or live at a detachment meeting.

There are a limited number of Mud Run T-Shirts available for purchase. Shirts are $10 each and are first come, first serve. Contact Keith Kregel today to secure yours!

Only large, medium, small and a few youth sizes remain.

Be sure to come find a local collection box to support Toys for Tots Knoxville. To find a collection box near you, click here. For an overview of the Toys for Tots Knoxville program, see the video here at  Living East TN.

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.