Don Gardner

China Jeep Patrol / Guadalcanal Diary Don Gardner

Arthur Donald Gardner wrote "Guadalcanal Diary," published in "The Rand McNally Almanac of Adventure" and "Soldier of Fortune" magazine. Days after the infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Gardner stood in a blocks-long line to join the Marine Corps. During his basic training, he volunteered for Carlson's Raiders. He participated in amphibious landings on Guadalcanal and Bougainville. He was medically evacuated off Bougainville due to malaria. While recovering in a San Diego Hospital, he was assigned to a Marine Military Police unit. He then served on Okinawa until the war ended. He was then sent to Tangku, China where he engaged in a Jeep Patrol. "China Jeep Patrol" is based on Gardner's experiences in the Tangku area in 1945. Gardner entered the Marine Corps with an 8th grade education. After his discharge from the Marines, he earned an Associate Degree at Boise Junior College. He progressed to Denver University and finally Colorado State University. Gardner's participation as a combat Marine and a Military Police Officer in Tangku, China provided him a unique perspective of the dangerous and desperate conditions in post WWII China. Includes diaries for Makin Island and Bouganville Raids.