The Marine Raider Association actively facilitates memorial visitations for our members and supports the development of memorial sites associated with Marine Raider’s heroic actions and significant historical accomplishments.
Memorial Visitations
Many of these memorials could not come to fruition without the dedicated support from our members, supporters, and partners. We salute their generous actions!
Battle of Bloody Ridge
Bloody Ridge Memorial
The most recent Association memorial project was the Bloody Ridge Memorial. This memorial placed on Guadalcanal was a long-time effort that was dedicated on August 7, 2017 (See The Raider Patch, Q1 2017 pages 19-24).
THE BATTLE OF BLOODY RIDGE
12 – 14 SEPTEMBER 1942
This monument is dedicated to all the U.S. Marine Raiders who served on Guadalcanal and in the Solomon Islands.
Lt. Col. Merritt A. Edson commanded some-840 marines of his 1st Raider Battalion and the 1st parachute battalion who fought here, successfully defending this ridge, for two consecutive nights, from 12 Sep to 14 Sep 1942.
Edson’s marines were supplemented, on the first night of fighting, by units of the 1st marine pioneer battalion and the 1st marine engineer battalion.
On the second night and final morning of fighting, the marines on the ridge were assisted by VMF 224 and the 67th Army Fighter Squadron, the artillery of 11th Marines, and early morning reinforcements by the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. Read about the battle here.
Further, this marker is placed to remember these Americans and to memorialize
THEIR DEVOTION TO DUTY
Our hard-fought, but-narrow victory here was pivotal to the ultimate outcome of the campaign. If the ridge had fallen, Henderson field and fighter one airstrip would have been lost, and with them,
GUADALCANAL
The 1st Raider Battalion lost 40 dead and 123 wounded; the 1st parachute battalion lost 17 dead and 109 wounded. Two Medals of Honor and nineteen Navy Crosses were earned by marines for their valor on this ridge; five of these were posthumous. The Japanese suffered at least 1,214 casualties. This memorial is also dedicated to all the brave and reliable Solomon scouts and coastwatchers who actively served alongside the marines.