The Mosquito Bowl True Story: How Four College Football Players Went From American Stadiums To The Battlefields Of World War II
Before joining the Marines, John McLaughry, Bob Bauman, Tony Butkovich and Dave Schreiner were talented college football players with promising futures. Their lives revolved around their families, teammates and the sport they loved. However, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 changed everything, prompting the United States to enter World War II. Like millions of young Americans, the four men put their dreams on hold and joined the military. Their journey eventually brought them to Guadalcanal, an island in the Pacific that witnessed some of the fiercest fighting of the war. Amid the harsh realities of military life, a football game brought together Marines who had once played for colleges across the United States. The match, which became known as the Mosquito Bowl, featured an impressive lineup of former college football stars, including three All-Americans and seven former…
