NOVEMBER 2, 2026 – The Marine Corps Heritage Foundation welcomed members of the 6th Marine Division for a special reunion and advance screening of Netflix’s World War II film The Mosquito Bowl at the National Museum of the Marine Corps on October 14. Director Peter Berg and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger, whose bestselling book inspired the film, joined the gathering to introduce the movie and meet some of the Marines connected to the history portrayed in the story. The film opened in select theaters October 30 and will premiere on Netflix November 25.
Among attendees was WWII veteran Neal McCallum, who served with the 6th Marine Division and witnessed the original Mosquito Bowl football game on Guadalcanal more than 80 years ago. McCallum was the only attendee at the reunion who had witnessed the historic game.
The reunion also brought together relatives of Bob Bauman, one of the Marines whose story is portrayed in the film. The family brought footballs that had belonged to Bauman and had been preserved by his relatives for more than eight decades.
“These Marines are part of a generation whose courage and sacrifice helped shape the course of history,” said MajGen James W. Lukeman, USMC (Ret.), President and CEO of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. “It was a privilege to host their reunion at the National Museum of the Marine Corps and share a film that brings the experiences of World War II Marines to life. Their stories and the bonds they forged will continue to inspire generations to come.”
A True Story of Brotherhood and Sacrifice
Based on Bissinger’s book The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II, the film follows four college football stars who set aside their athletic careers to enlist in the Marine Corps following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
John McLaughry, Bob Bauman, Tony Butkovich and David Schreiner went from college football fields to the battlefields of the Pacific. On Christmas Eve, 1944, they participated in a legendary football game on Guadalcanal known as the Mosquito Bowl, a rare moment of normalcy and joy amid the realities of war.
For many of the Marines who played, it would be their last football game. Of the 64 players who participated, 14 were killed during the Battle of Okinawa just months later.
As part of the screening, Bissinger shared how he discovered the story. “I came across the Mosquito Bowl completely by accident, but what started as research became something much more personal,” said Bissinger. “As I was digging through records, I looked up my father’s service history and found his name in the 4th Regiment — one of the two that played in the game. He probably knew some of these men. He never talked about what he went through … But in doing this reporting, I finally saw it: the blood, the death, the violence.”
Berg also shared the Marine Corps connection he brought to the project. “I stopped at Arlington Cemetery on the way here today to visit my dad, who was a Marine in Korea,” said Berg. “I always talk to him when I’m in Washington, but knowing I was about to come screen this film to Marine families made it a little extra emotional. My love of the Marine Corps is serious and profound, but this is not a rah-rah movie. What attracted me to Buzz’s book is the tragedy – the brutal, heartbreaking loss of these incredible young men – but also the joy of the Mosquito Bowl…it wasn’t a grand moment, but it was a moment where they got to reconnect with who they were, and for some of them experience joy one last time.”
The Mosquito Bowl, starring Nicholas Galitzine, Bill Skarsgård, Ray Nicholson and Tom Francis, is now playing in select theaters and premieres on Netflix November 25.
About the National Museum of the Marine Corps:
The National Museum of the Marine Corps opened in 2006. Its soaring design evokes the WWII image of the flag-raisers on Iwo Jima. Immersive exhibits surround visitors with the artifacts, sights, and sounds of Marines in action. The Museum is a public-private partnership between the U.S. Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. Located at 1775 Semper Fidelis Way, Triangle, VA 22172, the Museum is open daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit www.usmcmuseum.com.
About the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation:
Dedicated to the preservation and promulgation of Marine Corps history, the Foundation was established in 1979 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The Foundation supports the historical programs of the Marine Corps. It provides grants for research and the preservation, restoration, and commissioning of Marine Corps art, artifacts, and landmarks. Having secured funding for the construction of the National Museum of the Marine Corps and Heritage Center, the Foundation’s current mission is to seek support that will strengthen programming at the Museum and beyond its walls. For more information, visit www.MarineHeritage.org.