Two weeks after I told Grandma that her first great-grandchild was going to be a boy, I found myself in her house filled with 55 years of memories, wondering how life can end so suddenly. It was in my grief that I found the bits and pieces of her WWII story. I found letters in a box of my Great-Grandpa”™s belongings I was about to throw away, her mother”™s scrapbooks were in the nook behind the deep freeze that had been infested by critters and her journal ”“ well I gave it away accidentally (but amazingly enough got it back, that”™s another story altogether). It was this set of almost unnerving coincidences told me I had to share her story with the world.

Now, two sons later, I”™m still compiling all of the pieces ”“ archiving this precious information to share with you. I”™ve tried to include enough reference information in the form of “time capsules” to make this narrative interesting and put this story in perspective. I think of it in terms of “pop up video” to make what can sometime be less than exciting aspects of history more entertaining.

This is a story about real events and every effort has been made to make this book as accurate as possible. The information is true and complete to the best of my knowledge. All recommendations are made without any guarantee on my part and I also disclaim any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details. I have not changed the names as I”™m not the only person who hopes to find a relative or friend in a work about WWII. A variety of sources was used to supplement the letters, diary and scrapbooks and is included to provide context. I recognize that some words, model names and designations, for example, mentioned are the property of the trademark holder and I use then for identification purposes only. To my knowledge all photographs are those of AraBelle Fuller and it is assumed the newspaper articles are from the Honolulu Star Advertiser, yet as they were part of a scrapbook and had been repurposed, this cannot be verified.

It has been a privilege to provide this snapshot of life during WWII and the many obstacles faced by women. I only hope I have done the job justice. I”™d love to hear from you, to hear the stories of your family.