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The Diary of a Naval Aviator
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Category: June, 1942

June 10, 1942 (Wednesday)

June 10, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor Verified today that Mosley was shot down in his PBY and — killed  — with his whole crew…

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Posted in: June, 1942

June 9, 1942 (Tuesday)

June 9, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor Patrol southwest — nothing.

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Posted in: June, 1942

June 8, 1942 (Monday)

June 8, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor Hoisted out of bed at 4:30 on a false alarm patrol. Hung around squadron most of the day.…

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Posted in: June, 1942

June 7, 1942 (Sunday)

June 7, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor War started out here six months ago today. When into town with Joe Adkinson and Shaw. Trader Vic’s…

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Posted in: June, 1942

June 6, 1942 (Saturday)

June 6, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor The newspapers are all howling over “our great victory at Midway.” Seems as though the Japs got a…

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Posted in: June, 1942

June 5, 1942 (Friday)

June 5, 2017 1271941

Midway My God — the last three days have really been something! This evening’s dinner here at the new BOQ…

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Posted in: June, 1942

June 4, 1942 (Thursday)

June 4, 2017 1271941

No entry.

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June 3, 1942 (Wednesday)

June 3, 2017 1271941

No Entry.

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Posted in: June, 1942

June 2, 1942 (Tuesday)

June 2, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor On alert almost all day today. Had my monthly allotment to my bank changed from $105 to $160…

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Posted in: June, 1942

June 1, 1942 (Monday)

June 1, 2017 1271941

Pearl Harbor Juni – my God – Dutch! Another long patrol to the Southwest – nothing. Practice a little gunnery…

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Posted in: June, 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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