Eighty-four years ago, December 23, 1941, the Battle for Wake Island ended.  The surviving Marines went into captivity, as with some of the civilian workers.  Later in the war many of the civilians still on the Island were murdered by the Japanese.  

 

Among the Marines who survived was my Cousin, Robert Earl Lee, Corporal.  He had been with the five inch battery  on Peacock point.  He spent the war a prisoner in China, where he contracted tuberculosis and lost a lung.  One of the women at the camp had been with a British entertainment troupe in Shanghai and was incarcerated at the camp.  She assisted in the hospital there.  She and my cousin were later married and lived most of the rest of their lives in Illinois and later Florida.  

 

Steve  

They don't make men like that anymore! Thanks for sharing. 

I read about Wake Island as a kid and watched the movie many times. I had an overwhelming feeling when I stepped off the plane when we stopped to refuel on Wake Island on my way to Nam in Mar 1968. It was dark but I'll never forget the feeling, had that same feeling when I toured Corregidor Island. 

40 minutes ago, Retired Army Noncom said:

I read about Wake Island as a kid and watched the movie many times. I had an overwhelming feeling when I stepped off the plane when we stopped to refuel on Wake Island on my way to Nam in Mar 1968. It was dark but I'll never forget the feeling, had that same feeling when I toured Corregidor Island. 

Same for me in June 1970 on the way to Okinawa. It was daytime, so I got the chance to look around a bit. In a recent move, I found the post card I mailed home from Wake Island.

52 minutes ago, atb said:

Same for me in June 1970 on the way to Okinawa. It was daytime, so I got the chance to look around a bit. In a recent move, I found the post card I mailed home from Wake Island.

Now that I think about it, it was daylight, it was at night we refueled in Hawaii!!!

54 minutes ago, Retired Army Noncom said:

Now that I think about it, it was daylight, it was at night we refueled in Hawaii!!!

For me it was a bus from Oakland Army Base to Travis AFB, airplane to Hawaii to Wake Island to Okinawa.

54 minutes ago, atb said:

For me it was a bus from Oakland Army Base to Travis AFB, airplane to Hawaii to Wake Island to Okinawa.

From Oakland to Hawaii to Wake to Ton Son Knut AB Saigon. Upon returning, Saigon to Japan to Anchorage to Oakland.

Have any of you looked at Gregory Urwin's publications about Wake Island?  The most recent was a book about the prisoners.  I've not read the books but spoken with him briefly a couple times and expect the books would be pretty good.   My interest goes back to finding a copy of Last Man off of Wake Island.  Written by a Navy PBY flyer and published during the war, some time after Midway.