This is a book of Japanese phrases issued to my great-grandfather who was a Chief Petty Officer in the Seabees in the Pacific during World War II. On the cover, it states that it is Restricted. The classification level is no longer used by the U.S. government but it does fit how much he shared about his war experience very well. He died when his daughter, my grandmother, was eighteen. She does not remember him telling her anything about his time in the Pacific. The book was likely a source of anxiety to him as he crossed the ocean approaching Japanese territory and wondering if he would ever need it. I wonder too how he felt throughout his training in 1943 as he and the other members of the 116th Naval Construction Battalion progressed through it, then left for Hawaii to begin constructing barracks, target ranges, and mess halls the next year. In early 1945, they received jungle training in Oahu then set off on a great new mission. The log in the commemorative book for his unit’s second anniversary does not go into any further detail, leaving us to speculate about where he went and why he was issued the book. The Greatest Generation will forever be remembered for saving the world from fascism but so many of their personal memories are going with them to the grave. This book reminds me of the sacrifices of my great-grandfather and connects me with the man I never met as he journeyed to face death to let me live free.

– Aaron Pauwels

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more