ww2letterproject

Millions of Americans served in the US Armed forces during WWII.  This is a story about one who served, PFC Bill Nance.  It is a common story about a special generation of people who made sacrifices, sometimes the ultimate sacrifice, to save the world.  They served in combat then returned stateside after the war ended.  They, like Bill Nance, talked little about their WWII experiences, even though those experiences profoundly affected their lives.  For those who served in combat, the war experience never ended.

Bill served in the South Pacific Theater of the war. He fought with the US Army’s 37^th Division.  He traveled more than half-way around the world to defend New Zealand and the Fiji Islands.  Then he faced the Japanese Imperial Army in a series of actions on the Solomon Islands of Guadalcanal, New Georgia and Bougainville.  Bill fought on the island of Luzon and in the streets of Manila.  He was at the war front continuously for over three years.

I met Bill Nance in 1950 several years after the war ended.  Bill Nance was my father.   We shared a daily life for 22 years.  Bill Nance died in 1989.  He and I shared millions of moments.  However, as I look into the past, I can see clearly only a small collection of memories. They are not in any chronological order.  I realize that I must tell these stories or they too will be lost.  I miss him so much.  If I could go back in time, I would capture so many more moments and carefully store them so that years later, when I wanted, I could experience a moment.  He would be there, not just a black and white photo, but Dad, singing, laughing and playing.  In those moments when I feel small and vulnerable, he would hug me, and I would once again feel his strong and protective arms.

PROLOGUE

I first visited Washington DC in 1953.

bill in DC: 1953

carol & steve in DC: 1953

steve & his mother ruth in DC: 1953

In April, 2005, my wife and I decided to travel to Washington D.C. to see the cherry blossoms but we arrived before the bloom.  We rode the Metro (rails) from our suburban hotel to the National Mall.  We stepped off the train and into a driving rain.  Adding to our discomfort were the cold and wind.  We visited the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Then we walked to the recently opened WWII memorial.

The stormy weather seemed to intensify.  We encountered small groups of people huddled under umbrellas. In the center of each group stood a gray haired, elderly man.  The gray sky and rain helped create a sense of sadness and solemnity.

We found a kiosk and I keyed in my dad’s name and found a short bio about him and his service in WWII.  My son and daughter had supplied that information when they made a contribution in my dad’s name to the construction of the WWII War Memorial.

I was thinking about my dad and his involvement in the war as my wife and I walked through the Memorial plaza.  I found myself staring at a wall covered with hundreds of gold stars, each star representing 4,000 US service member combat deaths, when I was struck with the realization that my son who was then 19 years old, was nearly the same age as my dad when he fought in WWII.

My funny, imaginative and creative son was so young.  He was facing a horizon with challenges, adventures and opportunities.  I wondered what my dad thought when he was a similar age, as he was going off to war.  I knew so little about that young Bill Nance.

As this story developed I found myself comparing PFC Bill Nance, the soldier, with Bill Nance, my dad.  At first, they seemed so different, but when I looked closely at my dad, I caught glimpses of that young soldier.

That young Bill Nance led a hard life, but when the fate of the world hung in the balance, he, like many of the Greatest Generation, stepped forward and offered his life to save the world.