I'm Trying to Find an Island in the Pacific....

Robert G. Cunningham asked. He had joined the Marines when he was 18 years old during WWII and had been a pilot with the Marine Bombing Four-Thirteen Squadron. He thought the island they ran missions from started with an A, maybe an E - - and eventually, thanks to Google, we found it - Emirau Island. You can see the runways from this satelite image. He was trying to write some of his memories. He showed me a small black and white photograph of a couple of shirtless fellows. One went on to be a professional baseball and football player - the other - he couldn't remember his name. I told him he needed to write the information on the back and gave him a pencil. We went back to look at a world atlas to see where the island was and he started telling me a story about two men who got drunk and were in a jeep on the runway and decided they were going to take off like a plane and drove the jeep over the edge and dropped about 200 feet - both were killed. Another story was how he was told to keep a gun with two bullets in it. He was told that captives were tortured and it would be better to put a bullet through your head. Tears came to his eyes and he apologized. I told him no need-it was good to get it out. I said there was a lot of information on the Internet nowadays and maybe his squadron had an Internet site - -we went back to the computer and sure enough - the Marine Bombing Squadron Four-Thirteen was there. I got him set up on a computer (first time ever for him) and added his name, address and phone number into the visitor's log with the message that he would like to share memories with others. When I left him, newly instructed on how to use a mouse, point, and click, he shook my hand and told me "Thank you. I appreciate this more than you'll ever know."