The Journal of Thomas H. Miller

The Journal of Thomas H. Miller describes firsthand the experiences of a sailor in the South Pacific during World War II. The journal spans a period of twenty-two months. Beginning in February 1943 at the time of his induction into the navy and ending in October 1945 when he is honorably discharged. Become personally acquainted with the young, lonely, homesick boy from Chicago as he endures boot camp training in Farragut, Idaho, then progresses through Quartermaster-Signalman school where he receives his training as a signalman and finally received his assignment in the Pacific theater of war.

Picture the devastation of Pearl Harbour as he describes it, less than two years after the attack. His journal entries include such historic events as the Gilbert, Marshall, and Mariana Islands campaigns, the battle of the Philippine Sea, the battle of Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Know the fear he experienced when his ship was torpedoed and feel the emotional involvement of a burial at sea which followed such a tragic event. Finally, the most monumental event, the surrender of Japan and the end of the war, described in such a way as to bring tears of emotion. The journal truly evokes images of these events more vividly than even a photograph.

Excerpts