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The Diary of a Naval Aviator
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Author: 1271941

August 1, 1942 (Saturday)

August 1, 2017 1271941

Johnston Island “Moaning” birds provided a symphony throughout the nite — they sound exactly like moaning, crying babies. The early…

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Posted in: August, 1942

July 31, 1942 (Friday)

July 31, 2017 1271941

Johnston Island Got here about ten minutes ahead of Jackson this morning. McKenzie’s navigator navigating hit it right on the…

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Posted in: July, 1942

July 30, 1942 (Thursday)

July 30, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor Was scheduled this morning for a hop to Johnston Island tomorrow — two planes on a week or…

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Posted in: July, 1942

July 29, 1942 (Wednesday)

July 29, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor Worked around squadron. We only have four planes left, two of which are in A&R, so there’s not…

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Posted in: July, 1942

July 28, 1942 (Tuesday)

July 28, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor Worked around squadron. Supervised and instructed a couple of co-pilots in a night hop. Lathrop was good. Pojonus…

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Posted in: July, 1942

July 27, 1942 (Monday)

July 27, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor Have suspected it for the past few days I cannot say for sure that there is something big…

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Posted in: July, 1942

July 26, 1942 (Sunday)

July 26, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor Worked around squadron. Forgot to mention that the squadron got word a few days ago of the loss…

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Posted in: July, 1942

July 25, 1942 (Saturday)

July 25, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor Sent in application this morning. Worked around squadron most of the day. Put another “flamer” in the model…

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Posted in: July, 1942

July 24, 1942 (Friday)

July 24, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor Day off. Stayed in bed all morning and read Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s “Flight to Arras” — a magnificent…

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Posted in: July, 1942

July 23, 1942 (Thursday)

July 23, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor Had patrol standby this morning and was just settling down to an easy day with no hops, when…

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Posted in: July, 1942

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A secret for 75 years

Kailua resident James Claire Nolan kept a secret most of his life. A Navy pilot during World War II, he kept a detailed diary and drew pictures throughout the conflict, a practice frowned upon by security-minded authorities. When he died in the early 1990s, he entrusted the pages to his friend and military historian Burl Burlingame of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Burlingame is now Historian at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

Trained as a navy bomber pilot, Nolan was rushed to the Dutch East Indies as war broke out and returned to Pearl Harbor, where he was pressed into service flying PBY “Catalina” flying boats on patrol.

Later, Nolan served with distinction at the battle of Midway, on Guadalcanal and became the personal pilot for Vice Adm. Aubrey Fitch. Nolan said his proudest moment came when in the summer of ’43 he discovered the slowly sinking bow of USS Helena, sheared off by a Japanese torpedo several days before and covered with desperate survivors. He stuck with the ship until help arrived.

After the war, Nolan joined the US Air Force and continued to fly. In civilian life, he was a historian at Hickam Air Force Base.

We are publishing these diary entries exactly 75 years to the day after these pages were written. Except for very minor spelling and grammatical updates, they are as written — including observations that may seem not “politically correct” these days. It is a look into the mindset of a young man fighting a war across a vast ocean.

This site will remain active for five years. It is sponsored by historical-interpretation company Pacific Monograph.

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