.
Even though things like the Battle of the Kokoda Trail arguably over-qualify for sheer badassery. Add in that Guadalcanal IOTL was an indisputable US victory in a prolonged engagement and it became very easy for US historians in particular to forget New Guinea,
Snake,
I suspect that this was not helped in US memory by the fact that certain fat had to pulled out of the fire by a certain ally on the north coast - just to upset Mac.