Puyallup in World War II

This remarkable non-fiction book deserves a place in all of America's community libraries. Hans Zeiger, the author, has done his research so well through letters, documents, and interviews of this soon to be absent generation. Zeiger continues to serve his country in action as a current member of the Washington State legislature and our country's military. Ample black and white photographs richly illustrate this sturdy and concise (204 pages) book. New information is provided. This includes Puyallup, Washington's contribution to the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games through a member of the winning and now famed men's crew rowing team and also a member of the women's discus/shot/javelin team. The balloon bombs from Japan landing on Puyallup's South Hill are noted.Camp Harmony, an internment camp for Japanese, was located in Puyallup's State Fairgrounds. Zeiger corrects information in some popular novels that such camps were concentration camps by pointing out that many of these Japanese were American citizens, recent graduates of Puyallup high school, and needed local farmers. They received help, concern, and welcome on return returned by many of the local residents. The book traces the lives of the young people through the war in a clever manner re-uniting them either through battle death or future success as civilians. An example is Richard Hill who earned his own chapter as an army intelligence officer in the Pacific. By error, he was thought to be missing in action. He returned to be the owner of Hill's funeral home.Sadly, a number of the true stories resulted in Gold Star mothers or war widows. Much, much more vivid information is found in this book. Patriotism, huge manpower needs, the great need for weapons production requiring women, rationing, the duration, much death and disability, and the draft brought all of the our 20th century wars directly home to all Americans.

I loved reading the story and seeing pictures of my dad in the book.”