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Casualty Info
Home Town Coatesville, PA
Last Address 744 Merchant St Coatesville, PA
Casualty Date Apr 02, 1944
Cause KIA-Died of Wounds
Reason Gun, Small Arms Fire
Location Pacific
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (VA) - Honolulu, Hawaii
World War II/Asiatic-Pacific Theater/Northern Solomon Islands Campaign (1943-44)
From Month/Year
February / 1943
To Month/Year
November / 1944
Description The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign began with Japanese landings and occupation of several areas in the British Solomon Islands and Bougainville, in the Territory of New Guinea, during the first six months of 1942. The Japanese occupied these locations and began the construction of several naval and air bases with the goals of protecting the flank of the Japanese offensive in New Guinea, establishing a security barrier for the major Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain, and providing bases for interdicting supply lines between the Allied powers of the United States and Australia and New Zealand.
The Allies, in order to defend their communication and supply lines in the South Pacific, supported a counteroffensive in New Guinea, isolated the Japanese base at Rabaul, and counterattacked the Japanese in the Solomons with landings on Guadalcanal (see Guadalcanal Campaign) and small neighboring islands on 7 August 1942. These landings initiated a series of combined-arms battles between the two adversaries, beginning with the Guadalcanal landing and continuing with several battles in the central and northern Solomons, on and around New Georgia Island, and Bougainville Island.
In a campaign of attrition fought on land, on sea, and in the air, the Allies wore the Japanese down, inflicting irreplaceable losses on Japanese military assets. The Allies retook some of the Solomon Islands (although resistance continued until the end of the war), and they also isolated and neutralized some Japanese positions, which were then bypassed. The Solomon Islands campaign then converged with the New Guinea campaign.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
February / 1943
To Month/Year
November / 1944
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories After graduation Thomas obtained employment with the Pennsylvania Rail Road, as a laborer. He was called to service and entered the U.S. Navy on June 8, 1943. He was sent to Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois. After completing boot camp, Thomas was sent to the South Pacific and stationed on New Hebrides, a group of Islands in the Coral Sea, West of Australia and South of the Solomon Islands. Two days before his 19th birthday, Seaman 2nd Class Thomas Boyd Jr, was killed by a Japanese sniper.