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Category: June, 1943

June 30, 1943 (Wednesday)

June 30, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal All landings came off as planned this morning. Stiff opposition was encountered from a coast gun…

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Posted in: June, 1943

June 29, 1943 (Tuesday)

June 29, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal Patrolled 800 miles toward Ponape in the Marshalls. Results negative. Weather bad throughout area south of…

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Posted in: June, 1943

28 June 1943 (Monday)

June 28, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal Over 600 planes in this area (Henderson, Carney, #1 and #2 fighter strips and the Russell…

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Posted in: June, 1943

June 27, 1943 (Sunday)

June 27, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal Sent three of our planes (along with three of 102’s) out on the night strike last…

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Posted in: June, 1943

June 26, 1943 (Saturday)

June 26, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal Patrolled 800 miles over the equator to point north of Nauru. Clark in the next sector…

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Posted in: June, 1943

June 25, 1943 (Friday)

June 25, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal Forgot to mention that yesterday morning we had an earthquake of about 30 seconds duration. Dishbreaking…

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June 24, 1943 (Thursday)

June 24, 2018 1271941

“Button,” Espiritu Santo Cactus trip postponed due to bad weather.

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June 23, 1943 (Wednesday)

June 23, 2018 1271941

“Button,” Espiritu Santo We’re going to Cactus tomorrow.

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June 22, 1943 (Tuesday)

June 22, 2018 1271941

“Button,” Espiritu Santo Patrolled 800 miles on 016–022° toward the Gilberts. Nothing sighted.

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June 21, 1943 (Monday)

June 21, 2018 1271941

“Button,” Espiritu Santo Had a bit of luck in an accident this afternoon. I was taking Glanz’ 101-B-4 out on…

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Posted in: June, 1943

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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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