Canal
( Panama ? 
Guadalcanal was America's first ground victory in the Pacific against the Japanese in WW2. Guadalcanal, by the way, was a british possession at the time. )
Yes, since it is word association, and the word ended in 'canal' first thing I thought of was 'Panama'. Well, actually the first thing I thought of was that dreadfully boring movie 'The Thin Red Line' THEN I thought of Panama!
Word: Heckles