My Journey

About the Book

This journey is an accumulation of a diary I began in high school 1942. A prediction of my destiny by my artist sister; my enlistment in the United States Marine Corps, my training as a Marine Air Gunner on a torpedo bomber, and my tours of combat in the Solomon and Palau Islands of the South Pacific.

In the Solomon Islands we flew against the five aerodromes of "Fortress Rabaul." We operated from the island of Bougainville in the northern Solomons.

Rabaul was Japan's Pearl Harbor of their South Pacific empire; with enough anchorage for their entire imperial fleet and five aerodromes located around the city. From this base, the Japanese had complete domination, both air and sea of the Solomon Islands.

In our strikes against Rabaul we encountered heavy enemy oposition, both by enemy Zero fighters and very heavy and concentrated anti-air-craft fire. The Zero's usually out numbered our fighter plane escort.

My second tour was the Palau Island campaign. With the code name of Operation "Stalemate", we joined the First Marine Division for the invasion of the island of "Peleliu" in the Palau chain.

Admiral Chester Nimitz made the decision "Not" to bypass the Palau Islands, in spite of the recommendations of his senior staff. This decision was fatal, as it would lead to the "Forgotten Battle" of the Pacific War with 8, 500 casualties from the First Marine Division and 13, 000 Japanese Imperial Marines.

We were aboard a troop transport with units of the First Marine Division for 31 days on our way to the invasion of the island of "Pelelui"!

About the Author

Graduated from Michigan State University, 1950.
Recalled to active duty for Korean War, Sept. 1950
Worked for the lumber business in the Detroit area.
Retired to Cape Coral, Florida, 1988