Hello and welcome to another episode of the World War II podcast I'm Angus Wallace.

Well it must have been months ago I got an email from Claire Bonneman Evans

wondering if I'd like to have a chat about his grandfather who had won the

Medal of Honor on Tarawa in November 1943. Claire had just had his book

published,

Bones of my grandfather,

reclaiming a lost hero of World War II.

It sounded like a good story, but for some reason

things kept getting in the way, and I kept kicking it down the road.

When I remembered and finally got around to looking at it,

I can't believe how foolish I've been.

Every Medal of Honor comes with a great story, but for Clay, looking into his grandfather's past, the story didn't stop there.

But before we get to that, I'd like to take a moment to welcome all the new patrons who came

on board in October. Your support not only spiritually helps me keep the podcast going but also in a practical way.

You can find out more at Patreon.com slash W.W.2 podcast.

So what is this Patreon I keep talking about?

Well it's a way of allowing you to help fund me making the podcast by becoming a patron. I don't ask you to give me $50 or $100. What I ask is if you enjoy the

podcast to agree to give just a dollar or two or whatever you want to give each month.

You can find out more at patreon.com slash W.W.2 Podcasts. So clear thanks for joining me and your grandfather is Alexander Sandy Bonaman why Why Sandy? Sandy, sunny head?

Well, at some point in the book, I make the crack that my dad, so this is my mother's family.

My dad used to joke that the Bonneman's lost the baby name book because they're

very traditional and as he put it there's only about five or six allowable names in the family. His father was Alexander and there had been

...