jayne1973

My dad was a officer (medical) in the Air Force, stationed in Honolulu in 1942-43. I am traveling there this spring and was wondering where he might havr been living. Would just like to drive by. He died long ago, and all I have are letters from there, but of course the return addresses are from San Francisco. Anyone have hints?

RoamsAround

Almost impossible to answer your question - "where your father lived" while stationed in Honolulu during WW2 - there were military facilities all over the island and Army Air Corps (what the "Air Force was known as during WW2) personnel could have been assigned to any one of a number of locations.

If he was stationed in downtown Honolulu it is possible he was at Fort DeRussy - the area is now a park and has only one remaining building which houses the Army Museum. Of course, he could also have been stationed at Hickam Field at Pearl Harbor since it was the main Army Air Corps base on Oahu. There were also a number of smaller air fields spread out around the island. You can research the location of Army Air Corps facilities and activities on these websites:

Hawaii Aviation | History of the US Army Air Corps in Hawaii Dept

https://visitpearlharbor.org/military-airfields-oahu/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catego...rces_in_Hawaii

Try googling "Army Air Cops bases on Oahu in World War 2" - you'll find dozens of links that might help you in your quest.

TJM_70

If you know his unit - division, brigade or regiment - it might help narrow it down. By 1942-43, due to housing shortages, entire hotels were holding soldiers of all ranks...it may take some detective work but you might be able to find out.

My grandfather was also Army - 98th Coastal Artillery - and stationed at the Schofield Barracks. Although the enormity of the attack at Pearl Harbor itself thrust the Navy into the historical spotlight, the other branches of the armed forces were also involved on December 7. He returned to Hawaii many times after the war and told me the temporary buildings where he was housed had been torn down many years ago.

Here's one of my favorite photos of him in Hawaii...we are lucky to have many photos from his time there and I enjoyed having him here for many years to share his story with me. The next time we are on Oahu, I hope to visit Schofield.

There is so much to see and do in Hawaii...if you have a WWII connection, you will especially enjoy this aspect. Don't overlook the USS Missouri. The bookends of a war, perhaps THE war, that changed the path of human history forever in more and bigger ways than anything before or since.

jayne1973

Thank you so much for this great info. I will dig further and see if I can narrow it down. At least I will have some insight into what it was like then. Great photo of your dad!

curiousgeo

As TJM mentions, even if you are able to find the original location it is unlikely it would still be there as it was. For example, during the war what was Hell's Half Acre near downtown Honolulu, is now completely redeveloped so keep that in mind.

I saw a video of VJ Day in Waikiki and there were two story houses along Kalakaua Avenue, where today stand hotels and shopping centers. But best of luck in your search.

TJM_70

I think part of why I enjoy strolling around Chinatown so much is because they are still the same streets and many of the same buildings my grandfather saw, talked about and walked among. It's hard to describe beyond that and, maybe, a bit silly.


I think by CuriousGeo....great viewing of an unrecognizable Honolulu!

curiousgeo

Hey there it is! Unrecognizable is right, the old International Marketplace is as far back as I go lol.

TJM_70

More photos from memory lane - my great uncle Joe was an original tenant of the old International Marketplace. He's the one on the far left in this photo...somewhere I have a pix of him standing in front of his store "Asia Joe's "

Picking up his aunt and uncle at the airport. Love how flying attire has changed over the years?! I do love nostalgia for the romanticized era of Hawaii tourism.

jayne1973

I guess being stationed in Hawaii was not a bad deal!

TJM_70

My grandfather was born on a farm without electricity or indoor plumbing in 1918. To a rural kid from Pennsylvania with a HS education, the army was an adventure of a lifetime in 1940 and much of 1941. He said until the attack on Pearl Harbor, life in Hawaii was about as good as one might imagine it to be. I think often of the war and the world-opening, cultural blending effects to men and women who might have otherwise lived and worked their entire lives in an otherwise very small radius.

ellenbw

My father was a submariner and stationed at Pearl Harbor. He was off duty and staying in a hotel on Dec 7, as were many other military as there was simply not enough housing even before the war began for the U.S. All taxi drivers were alerted to go to the hotels that housed the military in the event of an attack, so that the taxi drivers could take them to their ships. That is exactly what happened with my father, who was addressing postcards to his family members when the sirens started. He grabbed his postcards and ran outside, gave the cards to a stranger to mail and jumped in the taxi.Japanese planes were flying overhead on their way to continue their attack on the bases.
The cards were mailed, by the way, with a postmark of Dec 8th. The 7th was a Sunday, no mail pick up.

jayne1973

Those cards must be quite a treasure.

I have no idea where all my father was living in Hawaii, but he did mention in one letter that there was no electricity. That must have been somewhere rather remote.