The Exquisite Corpse of Victor F. Nettles

I chose my father Victor F. Nettles. He never talked about his military service but even as a child I could see that he was proud to be in uniform. He left for active duty early in 1941 and served as a major during the battle of Angaur, where he was awarded a Bronze Star. The description of these days in his memoirs is harrowing, with a huge contrast between days of bombardment and live shelling and the act of looking for beach shells during quiet breaks.—Bea Nettles