More than 70 years ago, 1st Lt. Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman Jr. was one of about 1,100 Marines killed in World War II's Battle of Tarawa. Though his remains were never found, he was awarded a Medal of Honor after his death. He was long presumed to be lost at sea, sparking a mystery that, up until recently, left an unsettling mark on his family for generations to come.
With the help of cadaver dogs, radar scans, and interviews with surviving veteran, a nonprofit History Flight recently found the mass grave where Bonnyman was buried.
Clay Bonnyman Evans said his grandfather played a major role in his life, even though he'd never met the man. The 53-year-old journalist from Colorado made it his mission to find his grandpa's remains, going so far as to travel 6,000 miles to Betio for two weeks during the excavation of the grave site. Betio is an island in the central Pacific southeast of the Marshall Islands.
Clay helped with the dig, documenting his epic journey with his video camera. As soon as the archaeologists noticed the skeleton's gold fillings, they knew exactly whose remains they were. Finally, Lt. Bonnyman was discovered along with the remains of 35 other U.S. Marines.
Lt. Bonnyman is finally coming home. This long-lost hero will soon be returned to his family, who has closure for the first time ever.
Watch the incredible excavation below, and please SHARE this story with your friends on Facebook.
