Uncle Lou enlisted in the Marines just a few months following the attack on Pearl Harbor. From his letters to his surrogate mother (Irene Bahe), you see a cheery 21-year old transform and toughen under difficult training and Pacific-theater invasions in Bouganville and Guam.  One also gets a glimpse of 1940’s American culture, a Northerner traveling to the South for the 1st time and being shocked at certain cultural aspects of race and media (see Letter #1), as well as food. The letters show Uncle Lou’s concern over the family, the war effort, his paychecks which he sent to Irene Bahe, and reveal his homesickness, emotional fatigue, and yearning for letters. The upbeat, boyish tone from the 1st letters changes noticeably over time and especially after combat.

Uncle Lou began training in the Pacific in friendly New Zealand. He made friends there and had Grammy correspond with them, which she did for many years after the war. From there, he was stationed for more training at Guadalcanal.  Months later, he deployed to combat support in the invasions of Bouganville and then several months later, Guam.

Lou was finally sent to Hawaii and then home to recover from intestinal issues at the end of 1944. Fortunately for him, this was prior to his 3rd Marine Division participating in the battle for Okinawa (bloodiest battle of the Pacific) near the end of WWII.

**************************** INVASION OF GUAM*************************

Invasion of Guam:  July 21-August 10, 1944

On July 21, 1944, in Operation Stevedore, Task Force 53, commanded by Rear Admiral Richard L. Connolly, USN, landed the Third Marine Division and the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, along with the U.S. Army 77th Infantry Division on Guam.        Landing troops were commanded by Major General Roy S. Geiger, USMC.  In December 1941, the Japanese captured the island, which had been in United States possession since the Spanish-American War.   Of note, the use of both naval gunfire and aerial bombardment in the same coastal area first utilized in the Pacific area during this operation.   The island was declared secure on August 10 though bands of enemy Japanese were long encountered after V-J Day.