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The Diary of a Naval Aviator
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July 28, 1943 (Wednesday)

July 28, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal Have been down to the beach every afternoon the last few days and have now assumed…

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Posted in: July, 1943

July 27, 1943 (Tuesday)

July 27, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal We have tanks on Munda now. The Jap opposition is still stiff. They have employed the…

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Posted in: July, 1943

July 26, 1943 (Monday)

July 26, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal Another new Jap field under construction at Mabiri on the NE coast of Bougainville a few…

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Posted in: July, 1943

July 25, 1943 (Sunday)

July 25, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal Patrolled 750 miles on the #1 (“Zero”) sector to a point 20 minutes flying time North…

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Posted in: July, 1943

July 24, 1943 (Saturday)

July 24, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal Have had to reinforce Munda attackers as they are taking a beating from the few poor…

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Posted in: July, 1943

July 23, 1943 (Friday)

July 23, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal Charlie hasn’t been over for 3 or 4 nights now. Mus’ve lost his appetite for this…

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Posted in: July, 1943

July 22, 1943 (Thursday)

July 22, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal More wall drawings. Spent the afternoon on the beach. Savio did okay.

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Posted in: July, 1943

July 21, 1943 (Wednesday)

July 21, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal Spent the afternoon on the beach with the usual gang. We rode the small surf and…

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Posted in: July, 1943

July 20, 1943 (Tuesday)

July 20, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal Overcast all day. Charlie was over again last night but didn’t bother us at this field.…

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Posted in: July, 1943

July 19, 1943 (Monday)

July 19, 2018 1271941

“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal Charlie was over last night. The AA was very poor, bursting at times 5 miles away…

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Posted in: July, 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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