The Things Our Fathers Saw: The Untold Stories of the World War II Generation from Hometown, USA-Voices of the Pacific Theater

The Things Our Fathers Saw #1

by Matthew A. Rozell

How soon we forget. Or perhaps, we were never told. That is understandable, given what they saw. But, it happened. From the was talking to a shipmate of mine waiting for the motor launch, and all at once I saw a plane go over our ship. I did not know what it was, but the fellow with me said, 'That's a Jap plane, Jesus!' It went down and dropped a torpedo. Then I saw the Utah turn over.' ~U.S. Navy seaman, Pearl Harbor-'Rage is instantaneous. He's looking at me from a crawling position. I didn't shoot him; I went and kicked him in the head. Rage does funny things. After I kicked him, I shot and killed him.' ~Marine veteran, Battle of Guadalcanal-'Marched to Camp I at Cabanatuan, a distance of six miles, which is the main prison camp here in the Philippines. Food is scarcer now than anytime so far. Fifty men to a bucket of rice!' ~U.S. Army prisoner of war, Corregidor-'They were firing pretty heavily at us...it's rather difficult to fly when you have a rosary in each hand. I took more fellas in with me than I brought home that day, unfortunately.' ~U.S. Navy torpedo bomber pilot, Guadalcanal-'I remember it rained like hell that night, and the water was running down the slope into our foxholes. I had to use my helmet to keep bailing out, you know. Lt. Gower called us together. He said, 'I think we're getting hit with a banzai. We're going to have to pull back.' Holy Jesus, there was howling and screaming! They had naked women, with spears, stark naked!' ~U.S. Army veteran, Saipan-'So I had a hard... two months, I guess. I kept mostly to myself. I wouldn't talk to people. I tried to figure out what the hell I was going to do when I got home. How was I going to tell my mother this? You know what I mean?' ~Marine veteran, Battle of Okinawa, on finding out he would be blind for life-'After 3½ years of starvation and brutal treatment, that beautiful symbol of freedom once more flies over our head! Our camp tailor worked all night and finished our first American flag! The blue came from a GI barracks bag, red from a Jap comforter and the white from an Australian bed sheet. When I came out of the barracks and saw those beautiful colors for the first time I felt like crying!' ~U.S. Army prisoner of war, Japan, at war's end-'There was a family that lost two sons in World War II. The family got a telegram on a Monday that one of the boys was killed, and that Thursday they got another telegram saying that his brother had been killed. There were about 35 young men from our town who were killed in World War II, and I knew every one of them; most were good friends of mine.' ~U.S. Navy seaman, Tokyo Bay-'I hope you'll never have to tell a story like this, when you get to be 87. I hope you'll never have to do it.' ~Marine veteran, Iwo JimaAt the height of World War II, LOOK Magazine profiled a small American community for a series of articles portraying it as the wholesome, patriotic model of life on the home front. Decades later, author Matthew Rozell tracks down over thirty survivors who fought the war in the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor to the surrender at Tokyo Bay. The book resurrects firsthand accounts of combat and brotherhood, of captivity and redemption, and the aftermath of a war that left no American community unscathed. Here are the stories that the magazine could not tell, from a vanishing generation speaking to America today. It is up to us to remember--for own sakes, as much as theirs.-Featuring over a dozen custom maps and 35 photographs, including never-before published portraits. Extended notes and companion website.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, World War II, Military Fiction, Military History, Japan

307 pages, Paperback

First published July 24, 2015

Reviews

[JD · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book focuses on the World War 2 experiences in the Pacific theatre of young men and women from "Hometown, USA" (communities in the Falls area of New York State). The book is in chronological order and the stories gets mixed where you lose track sometimes of an individual and it would have been a better read if each story was told in it's own chapter. Still a good read of memories captured from veterans.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful. Heroes.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 1980s-1990s, high school history teacher Matthew A. Rozell assigned a project to his students to interview WWII veterans. The accounts are from people who lived in the area surrounding Glen Falls, New York, which he calls “Hometown USA.” The results from this assignment, along with the author’s additional research, have been compiled into a book. This volume highlights “voices from the Pacific” and contains veterans’ stories from Pearl Harbor, Bataan, Midway, Corregidor, Guadalcanal, Burma, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, Peleliu, Okinawa, and prisoners of war in various locations.

It is told in chronological order and focuses on the experience of front-line soldiers. Two women, a nurse and an administrator, are also included. It vividly portrays the horrors of war. The primary drawback is the structure. I listened to the audio and at times it was difficult to figure out when the author was breaking into the individual veteran’s account. I am glad these personal narratives have been documented and preserved for history. I listened to it on a driving trip, and it kept my interest throughout.

[L. McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

SUPER FAST REVIEW:
I found it interesting, those who aren’t into history will be bored.
So I liked hearing the stories from all these people who served in WW2, I thought the descriptions were great for research and trying to understand history.
The writing of some things seemed somewhat iffy for some reason I can’t place and the audio narrators were not good (the main narrator just doesn’t have a voice that suits narration very well and there’s a female one in a few bits who for some reason says everything in a very monotone manor. It actually sounded weirdly like Charlotte from the Poppy videos).
Also this is fairly dry at times so not something I’d recommend as a book for people who are just slightly interested in war history. Only us history nerds!
Overall, maybe I would have liked this more on paper than on audio, I don’t know but overall it’s a decent pick for those particularly interested in WW2.

3/5

[Joseph Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an important historical work. It contains first-person accounts of Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in WW2 specifically the Pacific Theatre.

[Paul (Life In The Slow Lane) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dying for freedom isn’t the worst that could happen. Being forgotten is. Susie Stevens-Harvey (no relation)

The War in The Pacific meant a great deal to us Aussies. After all, we had the Japs knocking at our door and faced the very real prospect of being invaded by a cruel and inhumane enemy. Growing up in the ‘60s with a family full of members who served in WW2, I’ve had a great interest in its history, particularly in the Pacific theatre. However, there always seemed to be a “code of silence” surrounding war veteran’s experiences. While I had become knowledgeable, but dispassionate about the famous events, it wasn’t until recent movies like Saving Private Ryan, and Mel Gibson’s brilliant “Hacksaw Ridge”, that I truly realised just how horrifying those battles were. Even with these movies and documentaries, we only experience some of the visual horrors. We don’t experience the sounds, the smells and the fear our forefathers must have lived (and died) with.

Mathew Rozell takes a unique approach by publishing the firsthand accounts of about 30 veterans who hailed from the small upstate New York area of Glen Falls. These men recount their experiences in such a way, that you find yourself transported to the battlefront, or the prison camp, or the prison ship etc. It brings home the true level of bravery it took to climb out of that foxhole, when it was very likely your body could be blown to such tiny bits, there’d be nothing of you left to send home. And many would have considered that a good way to go.

I have developed a new, increased, respect for our Australian veterans, and now the US vets also. I encourage anyone interested in WW2 history to read Mathew’s brilliant book.

[Jeff Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I commend the author for taking the time to teach his students about World War Two. When my children were in school during the 90’s, 2000’s, I would ask the teachers how much time would the spend on the topic. I think a week was the maximum. I think one teacher told me three days. I found the same message as a substitute teacher in Tulsa/Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Unless the kids had relatives who served, they didn’t have a clue and could care less. I was appalled.! The one thing they did know about was the atomic bomb.

The majority of the students were against it until I went through the numbers of Americans who would be killed and wounded. There were still a few holdouts, but there were starting to get a picture of the brutality of the Pacific Theatre.

The execution of the story is interesting. He uses Glens Falls, NY as his idealic setting.

It starts with a student from the community who wanted to get into the fight, Randy Holmes. Hew would graduate Naval Basic Training and find himself assigned to the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941. For those who don’t know, unlike the Arizona, she took four torpedoes in the port side and flipped over, trapping hundreds of sailors.

From this point, Mr. Rozell takes a score of survivors accounts and takes the reader through the entire war.

My problem with the memoir is it composition. Too many times the story would jump forward, thus losing the flow and timeline. I felt the intro was way too long. Introduce yourself and move on.

The story does capture the tenacity, heroism and uncommon valor that was a staple of this generation. They didn’t ask for the war, but when their country called, they answered and never looked back until the war was won!

If a school doesn’t’ have the time or resources to adequately cover the most important event in the 20th Century, they should pick up a copy this work and make it MANDATORY reading followed up with a lively discussion with the students. I found that is what is so lacking in the classroom when it comes to history. Stop reading the text and make it come alive.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is a history teacher and, to make the study of WWII mean something to his students, he had students get the stories of veterans in their community. Each chapter is the voice of one veteran and the stories are very real.There are five or six books in the series and another book focuses on the liberation of one concentration camp.

[Joe Holman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading military history and the personal stories found in the book are fascinating. The author does a superb job of following the war in the Pacific through eye witness accounts of those who were there. He also ties in excellent narrative and insight when needed. I look forward to the second book.

[Forrest · Rating 4 out of 5]

"War is Hell. It really is.... and if you try to describe it, it just can't be done. It can't be done."

A fascinating collection of several first-hand accounts from U.S. servicemen and a few women who witnessed and survived incredible and awful events during WWII in the Pacific theater.

Written in interview format, the interviewees were primarily from NY.

[Carter Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful and Humbling stories from men that risked and lost much in a brutal war. A great read to try to better understand just a sliver of what it may have felt like to be the boots on the ground (or boat) in the Pacific.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful high school project to document the stories of WWII veterans. As brutal history it was difficult to keep listening more than 20 minutes or so at a time.
I don't know exactly what the formatting was because I listened to an audio, but at times it was difficult to tell when the narrative changed from one speaker to the next.

[Noah Goats · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent oral history of the war in the Pacific as seen through the eyes of veterans from the same cluster of small towns in New York. Very moving.

[Ana-Maria Bujor · Rating 4 out of 5]

First comment - I wish someone put so much effort in teaching me history in high school. I ended up pretty much finding it an annoyance and only discovered it during university.

Now the book. This is a very engrossing and easy to read combination of memories of some of the men who fought in the Pacific Theater during WW2. Some were taken captives, some watched their best friends die, while others suffered terrible injuries. Some still wonder whether Nagasaki and Hiroshima had to happen, with very different conclusions.
Overall the book is great even for novices as the memories are mixed with explanations, everything is presented chronologically and there are also some images and maps to helps with understanding. Overall, great book of memories with a very good blend of emotion and facts. I only wish the memories were a bit longer.

[Sahara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

I am at a loss for words. The history in these pages, as told by actual survivors, really pulls at your heart. I feel like I understand that generation a lot better now. I am also saddened to see how far we have come as a people. Those young men went out there and were willing to give up their life, they saw close friends die brutal deaths, and endured torture at POW camps. And now, people can't define what a woman is and men are dressing up as women. What a disappointment.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always worthwhile to listen to the voices of true hero's

The stories told by the soldiers and nurses who experienced the horror of war in the Pacific are gripping. I would have liked some more coherence to tie together the stories and learn more about their lives after the war.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good selection of accounts of soldiers, marines, and others from the pacific theater of ww2. The individual stories were moving, but there wasn’t as coherent an overall message as some other war memoirs (probably because there were so many separate stories).

[Bill Reavey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely phenomenal book, truly Americas greatest generation. Riveting, couldn’t put it down.

[Scott Stiglmeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome extremely zoomed in accounts of the war from the perspective of people who were there.

[Max Zimet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible.

[Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

i thought this book was amazing! i loved all the individual stories about the men's experiences fighting in the war. i thought the book was more interesting because of all the true stories. i cant wait to finish the series and read more from this author.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of first hand accounts compiled by students during a high school history project. These students interviewed these war heroes who all were from the same home town of Glens Falls, NY. The stories are vivid and heroic. A must read if this is an area of interest.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book knowing very little about the battle of the Pacific. This book was the best introduction to the topic I could have encountered. What better place to learn about the horrors of war, the specifics of battle than from the young men and women who were there? History is best learned and remembered when it is humanized. Rozell's book does just that. It gives faces and names and stories to some of battles I read about in my high school textbooks. I couldn't tell you much about what I learned from those textbooks, but I could go on and on about the things I learned from this book. I was struck by the young age of these men and women as I read. I was in awe of their courage and honesty. And, ultimately, I was touched by their stories, by the things they said, by the things they saw.

[James Baynes · Rating 2 out of 5]

So poorly written, it’s an absolute shame. Such wasted potential.

[Andrew Canfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matthew A. Rozell begins his book on the Pacific theater with an interesting hook. He explains how he encouraged the tenth grade social studies students he was teaching to research the contributions made by their upstate New York town's veterans in the Second World War. They would engage in interviews with area veterans as a form of research project during their history unit.

What emerged was Volume 1 of Things our Fathers Saw-The Untold Stories of the World War II Generation from Hometown, USA: Voices of the Pacific Theater. It provides a walk through U.S. involvement against Japan beginning with the attack on Pearl Harbor, framing the war through the eyes of young late teen and twenty-somethings U.S. service personnel.

The pace is quick, and readers will hear very little about the Navy, Army, or Marine Corps's top brass. Although events like the dropping of the nuclear bombs and the internment of the Japanese are included, readers looking for an overarching metanarrative about the war in the Pacific should look elsewhere. The difficult fighting over places like Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima are looked at from a first person perspective, but it is more to honor the valor of the Americans who fought (and died) than it is to discuss large scale island hopping tactics.

One particular moving portion discussed Randy Holmes, a sailor who lost his life on board the U.S.S. Oklahoma during the Pearl Harbor attack. The section which describes how upstate New York residents heard about the attack on Sunday, December 7th, was compellingly told. Some of them heard about it while at their radios listening to the Sunday afternoon New York Giants game; before this, the war had been distant, seemingly half a world away.

The discussion of the Bataan Death March really drives home an often overlooked chapter in the war. The kamikazes and Leyte Gulf, as well as the fighting on Attu and Tarawa, really drive home the brutality of the war from the recounting of survivors' own experiences.

This first entry in The Things Our Fathers Saw is a great memorial to American veterans of the Pacific Theater. It really has a James Bradley Flags of our Fathers type of feel to it. By focusing on those who served from just a single upstate New York municipality, it makes it easy for readers to visualize these same harrowing experiences multiplied over and over by veterans from seemingly countless U.S. towns and cities.

Matthew A. Rozell constructed this book nicely, and it should accompany any study of broader U.S. goals and strategies in the Pacific.

-Andrew Canfield Denver, Colorado

[Herman Morgan III · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love WWII History ? Then You'll Love Matt Rozell's Books.

As a Baby Boomer who began School while Truman was still President, I grew up surrounded by Family, Friends, and Neighbors who lived through the Great Depression, and World War Two.
Every Sunday I watched " Victory at Sea ", Omnibus, and other shows about the War. Every trip to the ' Movies' at a local Theater, included Newsreels from the War. I always felt bad when they asked at school, " Who's Father's served in the War, or worked at Allison's or Bridgeport Brass ? ", I felt bad because my Dad had flat feet, was exempted from serving, and his Father, my Namesake, was an Important Doctor, who ran the Marion County, (Indianapolis) Health Department. I guess the Teachers asked that question every semester, because the School, or the Teachers, got some extra money for teaching the Kids of Veterans and Defense Workers. In my school, ( Brooklyn Elementary, Brooklyn, Indiana), I was about the only Kid who didn't raise his hand when that question was asked.
Maybe that perceived shortcoming resulted in my lifelong interest in the History of WWII ?
Whatever the reason, I've always felt that I was better suited to be part of The Greatest Generation, than I was as a Baby Boomer ?
Personal interests aside, Mr Rozell's Book, " The Things Our Father's Saw " was written from the personal Diaries, and verbal recollections, of Men and Women from factory towns in Upstate New York. The people in this book, knew each other from school, church, and civil Society in these close-knit Communities, so, their communal experiences in the Pacific theater of WWII, have a continuity, despite their serving in different Services and Areas of the conflict.
I greatly appreciated the way their story is told, and I greatly admired Mr Rozell's presentation, linkage, and research, that made every bit of this Book enjoyable and informative to me. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have, , and now, I'm off to read Book II of this series.

[Lindsay Ferris Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you're like me, you've probably wished for a time machine to go back and have a real heart-to-heart with your grandpa about his days in WWII. Reading "The Things Our Fathers Saw—The Untold Stories of the World War II Generation From Hometown, USA-Volume I: Voices of the Pacific Theater" was like finding that time machine, except you don't have to worry about messing up the space-time continuum or accidentally erasing yourself from history. Win-win!

This book? It's a total emotional rollercoaster but in the best way possible. It's like sitting down with your grandpa and finally getting to hear all those stories he never told. The ones about bravery, fear, and the real human side of war that history books just gloss over with dates and statistics. It's raw, it's real, and man, does it tug at your heartstrings.

The author has this knack for storytelling that makes you feel like you're right there in the South Pacific, dodging bullets and feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders. It's more than just a history lesson; it's a deep dive into the souls of the men who lived it. You end up understanding not just what they did, but who they were. And let me tell you, it's powerful stuff.

For anyone who's ever wished they'd asked their grandpa more about his time in the war, or for anyone who just wants to connect with a pivotal part of our culture in the US, this book is a must-read. It's a tribute to the human side of war and a reminder of the sacrifices made by the WWII generation. It moved my soul, and I'm pretty sure it'll do the same for you.

Five stars, two thumbs up, and a salute to this incredible book.

[Mary's Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Things Our Fathers Saw (vol 1) is a commendable project that brings the voices of veterans into the history of WWII in the Pacific Theater. It sprang from a project that high school history teacher Matthew Rozell gave to his students, starting in the 80's. These students, in upstate New York, interviewed veterans, many of whom had never told their stories of WWII.
The book is written in chronological order, kind of, and covers many aspects of the Pacific War, from Pearl Harbor to POW camps to the storming and taking of the many islands in the Pacific. One veteran, Joe Minder, kept a diary of his war experience, including his time as a POW in the Philippines and Japan. This forms a kind of backbone to the book.
There are strengths and weaknesses to this approach. First of all, part of my issue may have been because I read this on a Kindle. I do not know if the book has maps, but I had to use my own resources as the war effort skips across the Pacific. Because around fifteen to twenty vets stories are included, it can be difficult to keep track of who is who over the course of the book. Because interviews are the source, there is a vast disparity between the styles of the various narrators, which can be a bit jarring at times.
But on the whole, this book brings a ground-level view to the war. This is not the story told by historians or generals. Mr. Rozell has produced a couple more books, covering the War in the Air, D-Day, and the Italian campaign. Since the veterans of WWII are swiftly passing from this world, recording their stories for posterity is a project of value.
Recommended.

[Clementson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Am Hooked

I am an avid reader and took a chance by first reading the book on the the war in Italy. I liked it so much that I decided to read this book on the war in the Pacific. I have no doubt that will read all of the books in the collection.

The writing style and the concept could not have been more appropriate in the telling of war through the memories of the participants. War cannot not be imagined, it must be experienced.

Most of all, I liked that high school youth had a prominent role in conducting interviews with the veterans and contributed to the writing and editing of books in this collection.

I served two combat tours as a youthful Marine in Vietnam, 1966-1968. Awarded two Purple Hearts for wounds received in combat, my experiences like those told in these books have been a silent and unspoken shadow that has followed me for 74yrs.

This book and the other I have read we're mind opening and have led me to conclude that the time has come for me to bring my war shadow forward and share with my seven grand children. War is life building experience that should not be silenced.

To the youth of history......Semper Fidelis.

[David Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like to read books about wars, you will want to read this book. The author Matthew A. Rowell gives you a very different look on World War II. The title, The Things Our Father’s Saw, is about the voices and stories from men and women who fought in the Pacific Theater. Most of the men are from the same small town in upper New York. The stories are told seventy years later. A high school teacher and his students track down over two dozen vets who fought the war from the starting of Pearl Harbor, through all the islands Pacific, all the way to the surrender in Japan. They talk about the fighting, how hard it was and the loss of friends along the way. One of the men was a prisoner basically from the beginning and all that he and others had to go through. The pain and suffering and killings at the hands of the Japanese soldiers. It gives first hand accounts of combat and the brotherhood of the men fighting. How the aftermath left no American community untouched. I really enjoyed this book and I am going to purchase all of his different books on the war seen from the men and women who were their.