"William, it looks like you are wearing an army uniform," said Grandpa.

"Grandpa, Mom told me you were in World War 2. Is that true? We are studying it in history class." 

"Yes, William, your mom is right. I fought in WW2 and I was part of the Battle of Guadalcanal." 

"Gaudal what? I've never heard of this place" proclaimed William. 

"It's Guadalcanal and it was a turning point in the war. I was one of the first Marine's who landed on the island. 

"Dude! I didn't know I had a famous grandpa! shouted William.

"First off, William, let's get this straight. My name is not Dude. It's Grandpa to you! Please show me the respect I earned."

"Ok. Sorry Grandpa. So, can you explain why the Battle of Guadalcanal was so important?"

"Thanks, William, I'm glad you asked. Honestly, it was a battle that changed WW2. The US finally got ahead of the Japanese." Grandpa explained.

"Huh? I don't understand. Can you explain it to me?

It all started after the bombing of Pearl Harbor when the Japanese took Pearl Harbor by surprise and wiped out thousands of US military people in Hawaii. The US military knew the power of the Japanese military. They also knew they needed to take action.   

On  August 7, 1942, the U.S. Marines attacked the Japanese held  island of Guadalcanal. This was the first time the US was on the offensive against the Japanese. The US had a codename for the attack. They called it Operation Watchtower. Additionally, the US had a strategy. First they took over the islands of Florida and Tulagi. After that, they landed on Guadalcanal surprising the Japanese and took control of their air base.

The Japanese fought back fiercely.  They won a naval battle off of Savo island sinking four Allied cruisers and isolated the US Marines. Also, the Japanese used boats to bring in more soldiers to get control of the island.