Guadalcanal American Memorial and its Allies) that were lost during the operations are inscribed on marble plaques. The plaques give a brief description of the five battles fought – Bloody Ridge ("Edson’s Ridge"), Tassafaronga at Ironbottom Sound, New Georgia Island (which was the Solomon Island campaign), Cape Esparance and Mount Austen. The memorial inscription reads: "This memorial has been erected by the<br> United States of America<br> in humble tribute to its sons and its allies<br> who paid the ultimate sacrifice<br> for the liberation of the Solomon Islands<br> 1942–1943" Guadalcanal American Memorial The Guadalcanal American Memorial is a World War II monument on Guadalcanal
Choiseul Province capital of the province. When the natives first arrived and discovered the big island, they called it Lauru. Then, in 1568, the Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira rediscovered the island and named it San Marcos ('Saint Mark'). Mendana himself never set foot on Lauru. He called it San Marcos, because he saw the island from Santa Isabel on the Day of Saint Mark. 200 years later in 1768, the French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville saw the island again and named it Choiseul after the Minister of foreign affairs and statesman Choiseul. Today, the two most common names