A new book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger brings to light a most unusual football game on the Pacific island of Guadalcanal during the second world war
The handshake: Dave Schreiner and Tony Butkovich at the Mosquito Bowl.n the Pacific island of Guadalcanal, two Marine Corps regiments enjoyed a rare respite from second world war in December 1944. On Christmas Eve, the 4th and 29th regiments squared off in a football game nicknamed the Mosquito Bowl. This was no pick-up game. The teams included some of the top college football talent in the US, their rosters featuring All-Americans, captains from big-name schools and futureplayers or draftees.
“I was very moved by Dave Schreiner,” Bissinger says. “A two-time All-American from a small farm town in Wisconsin … He was personally self-effacing. [I was struck by] how hard he was on himself, his love for his family, the love his family had for him.” “The Navy believed American football seemed like the best source of training for combat,” Bissinger says. “Many of the things learned on the football field, you’ll need on the battlefield: discipline, playing through pain, getting used to violence, teamwork. All those different things, they felt, were invaluable.”
The book also contrasts the opposing military commanders on Okinawa – American general Simon B Buckner Jr and Japanese general Mitsuru Ushijima.
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