Book Recommendation: Letters Home From Lt William R Larson, WWII, Pacific Theater -- July 29, 2016

This is pretty cool. An alumnus of Williston High School, Don J Larson -- Class of 1986 -- has recently completed a biography of his uncle who served in WWII: Lt William R Larson, USNR, a torpedo bomber fighter pilot. The book is Lucky's LIfe: Letters Home From Lt William R Larson, Squadron VC 38.

The subject of the book, Lt William Larson grew up on a farm in Divide County, just north of Williston.

The letters "home" were to his parents and his brother Lloyd, the father of the author of the biography. The fact that Bill Larson never returned home from the Pacific would make his letters that much more compelling. I was alerted to the biography of "Bill" Larson by his nephew who shares his uncle's name.

A very, very nice write-up in the Williston Herald is available at this link: https://www.facebook.com/luckyslifevc38/photos/a.1060600690695548.1073741829.1039986209423663/1065009310254686/?type=3&theater.

A Facebook page devoted to Lt William Larson is at this link: https://www.facebook.com/luckyslifevc38/.

The book is available at Amazon, and even better, the paperback edition, I am told, is available at Books On Broadway in Williston, North Dakota. The Kindle edition is less than $5.00, I believe.

The paperback is 630 pages long. That is simply incredible: 630 pages. One can read much more about the book at this post: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/270951-luckys-life-letters-home-from-lt-william-r-larson-usnr-a-beloved-son-brother-and-wwii-torpedo-bomber-fighter-pilot-squadron-vc-38/.

Personal note: in 1943, Larson participated in bombing runs during the Bougainville Campaign. It just so happens that Larson would have been providing air support to the Americal Division, US Army, to which my father-in-law, Flavio Garcia, was assigned.

According to a biographical note I wrote many years ago The Americal Division had its origin in Task Force 6813, formed January 14, 1942, with the mission of occupying and defending New Caledonia.

Task Fork 6813 was disbanded May 27, 1942, once the Americal Division was up and running.

Gaudalcanal ground offensive: The 164th Infantry (North Dakota) arrived on Guadalcanal on October, 13, 1942, under air attack. Division headquarters and the 132nd (Illinois) landed on Guadalcanal on December 8, 1942. The 35th Regiment Infantry Division relieved the 132nd Infantry Regiment, in early 1943. The 132nd reached Tenaro Village by February 9, 1943, and that ended the Guadalcanal ground struggle.

Bougainville: the Americal Division moved to the Fiji Islands in March / April, 1943, and then moved to Bougainville in December, 1943 - January, 1944, first the 182nd Infantry Regiment (Massachusetts) and then the 132nd Infantry Regiment.

The division was relieved by the Australian 3rd Division on December 10, 1944, and the division conducted amphibious training and prepared to move to the Philippines. 

Philippines: the division moved to the Philippines in January, 1945. The following units are mentioned by the veterans’ association: the 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry Regiment; the 1st Battalion, 132nd Infantry Regiment; the 3rd Battalion, 164th Infantry Regiment (North Dakota).

My own father was serving on the USS Wakefield on the Atlantic Ocean during this time, but in 1946 was in the Pacific Theater bringing US Marines back home. 

Note: there may be typographical and factual errors in this note.