Bil Paul Bulletin
Dear Camp Granite vet –
I was at Camp Granite from November 1966 to approximately September 1967. I came with the original bunch by ship from Ft. Lewis, and we moved around a while before we finally built what became Camp Granite. I don’t know about you, but I lived in a tent about 10 feet from the barbed wire and the graveyard.
I’m writing not so much to bring back old memories but to let you know that I authored a book of military history which was just published. The title is Awaiting the Sun: WWII Veterans Remember the Aleutians. I got started on the project because of my dad’s service up there.
Not sure if any of you would be interested in World War II stories. Our own service involved a year in ‘Nam, oppressive heat, downtown bars (before the downtown was put off limits), R&R, processing guys in and out of country, and perhaps enjoying some local female company.
In contrast, the GIs in my book describe windy, cold, foggy weather with often-daily rain, snow or sleet. They remember living in tents in the winter with snow blowing in. While we had a fairly varied diet, they found Spam more often than not on their plates. They served in remote places where the mail came in once a month and there were no showers. They learned to brew wine from yeast and grape jam, and on payday gambled late into the night. Some went insane and some were inspired by the spare, raw beauty of Aleutian volcanoes and by spring flowers on the tundra. The saying there was, “There’s a woman behind every tree.” The problem was, there were no trees.
Three of the chapters cover combat versus the Japanese on two of the outermost islands, and air missions against the Japanese northern islands.
So – that and much more is what you’ll find in the book. It’s irreverent and funny (and sad in spots). I hope you might want to check it out.
It’s published by Schiffer, with 23 chapters, 230 pages and 57 photos and illustrations. It’s quote intensive and nearly 300 sources were used. It’s available online from places like amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
If you get a chance to read it, I’d love to receive feedback about it.
Have a rewarding 2023,
Bil Paul (527th PSC)
Dixon, CA