I am a full third-generation American (i.e. all four of my grandparents were born here). My grandfather and his brother both served in WWII — my grandfather in the Pacific theater and his brother in the Atlantic.
My great-uncle was killed in action in Europe in 1945. My grandfather came home healthy and began a family. He longed to have a son, in order to name someone after his older brother but, alas, HKBH had other plans and he had five daughters. He never spoke of his service in the Pacific to any of his children and resisted any and all inquiries.
I have a copy of his service record and, recently, I inherited a photo album that he kept of his time being stationed in Hawaii. While they certainly provide some insight on his time in the service, I still don’t really know a great deal about it.
The Wolf