Last year, Bristow Post 3656 Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary, VFWA, donated three books about Wake Island to the Montfort & Allie B. Jones Memorial-Bristow Public Library in tribute to the Wake Island Memorial and all servicemen who fought or perished in World War II’s South Pacific Theater.
In making the donations, they hoped that anyone could check out the books to learn more, increase awareness of, and share appreciation for those battles and the efforts of those servicemen and civilians stationed on Wake Island. They also hoped for a renewed interest in Bristow’s Wake Island Memorial—the only such memorial in the contiguous 48 states.
Some members of the group found themselves initially disheartened to learn that the books were assigned as resource materials, which cannot leave library premises; however, the books prove highly valuable as resources, being widely available to the public but protected from theft and loss in being confined to the library. Fortunately, the organization came up with a solution: donate a second set of books, which will be available for loan from the library.
Last week, on Tuesday, September 10, the Bristow VFWA donated a second copy of two of those previously donated books to Library Director Heather Hutto. They donated “A Magnificent Fight: The Battle for Wake Island” by Robert J. Cressman and “Pacific Alamo: The Battle for Wake Island” by John Wukovits.
For his book, Cressman utilized extensive Japanese materials in his research, presenting a new perspective
of how battle events unfolded and the detailed opposition Wake Island defenders encountered during the battle. Wukovits’ book, on the other hand, offers historic photos of the atoll and battle as well as its story. Survivors of both sides shared their stories, which are represented in the book’s text. Given its photo gallery, the book provides an additional visual account of the story for readers and researchers alike.
Auxiliary members Virginia Ray, Mary Stubblefield, Ruth Jaytanie, Roger Stubblefield, Margaret Foster, Lara Lee, and Letha