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When I first caught sight of Wake Island in November 2011 I felt a powerful sense of déjà vu: I had spent so much time poring over maps and letters, seeing Wake through the eyes of my father and grandfather and all of the other men who sacrificed so much to build a base on that tiny atoll. It was my privilege and honor to... -
A few miles away from the memorials that commemorate the war dead on Wake, the “POW Rock” stands on the lagoon shore of Wilkes, mute testimony to the ninety-eight Americans massacred in 1943. It was deeply moving to trace the chiseled marks with my own fingers, and I felt my Wake family with me in spirit. Among the first sites... -
Morning glory vine creeps over several concrete bunkers built by the civilian contractors in 1941 as explosives magazines. Standing inside this one, I could almost hear the groans of the wounded men who filled this makeshift hospital during the two-week siege in December 1941. Three of the concrete magazines built by the... -
The bridge to Peale burned down a decade ago, so the only way to reach this part of the atoll – once bustling with activity but now a silent jungle – is by water. We sailed on a Hobie Cat across the turquoise lagoon to explore the beaches and ruins. When I walked into the brush alone, snow white fairy terns hovered overhead,... -
At the completion of the COMPACAF tour of Wake Island, we paid our respects at the U.S. Marine Corps memorial and posed for a group shot. Several of us took a few more minutes to pause at the three other memorials that commemorate the war dead: the American contractors, Guamanian Pan Am employees, and the Japanese, whose...
The sea water is the wonderful part. It is warm, 80 degrees, limpid, clear and incredibly blue. Each degree of sunlight gives it another shade of blue and it is so clear one can see bottom plainly at 60 ft. depth. And full of fish of all colors and shapes.
Harry to Katherine, Wake Island, January 10, 1941
Building for War
The Epic Saga of the Civilian Contractors and Marines of Wake Island in World War II
By Bonita Gilbert
Published by:
Casemate Publishers
Available from: Amazon
and Barnes & Noble
About
History opens new doors all the time if you go knocking. I chose history as my academic focus years ago, have an MA in history, and taught college history courses for years, knocking on those doors all along the way.
My M.O. is: open your eyes and mind to the past, recognize new perspectives in history, and reconsider the present in new light. History does matter.
Read MoreRecent Blog Posts
December 16, 2025 |
Guam on the Front Line
Pan American Airways had a strong connection to several of the Pacific islands where the U.S. Navy was building...
August 29, 2025 |
Updates: Wake Rosters and Oregon memorial
My recent work on the Wake Island rosters for Oregon and Idaho revealed several minor errors and missing...
May 18, 2025 |
VMFA-211 to Japan
A fabulous photograph in the news caught my attention last week: two F-35Bs in flight over Wake Island. These...
April 27, 2025 |
State of Oregon Honors Wake Island Civilians
The Oregon Legislature has passed a resolution honoring the Oregon civilian contractors on Wake Island in World...