Three folks who shared the "Attu" experience get together for the first time since 1946. Rene "Frenchy" Thibault on the left, Edwin Robnett in the middle, and Charles Pizzotti on the right.

It was Nadine's and my pleasure to host George Villasenor (right, standing), WWII Attu Vet and Photographer extraordinaire in May of 1999. His wife and chief "scanner," Johnnie, is seated just to his right. George and Johnnie have contributed numerous photos of the Aleutians from the WWII period to this site. That's Nadine, my chief scanner and wife extraordinaire sitting to Johnnie's right, and me to George's right.

That's George Villasenor on the left, and me (Smitty) on the right. May 1999.

Pictures #24 through #28 were supplied by Keith Alholm, a PA from Kodiak who was escorting a German TV crew to Attu. They visited the Japanese memorial site on Attu, located about four miles from the Loran station. This image is of the Loran station on Attu. (1999, PA2 Keith Alholm)

On the way to the Japanese memorial. (1999, PA2 Keith Alholm.)

Attu, 1999. A World War II memorial sits on top of a mountain about four miles from the Coast Guard LORAN Station Arru. The titanium memorial was placed by the Japanese government in 1987 to honor soldiers that died in the North Pacific during WWII.  (1999, PA2 Keith Alholm)

Note: this file is 73kB. The text accompanying the Japanese memorial (picture #26) on Attu: 

IN MEMORY OF ALL THOSE WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES IN THE ISLANDS AND SEAS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC DURING WORLD WAR II AND IN DEDICATION TO WORLD PEACE   

CONSTRUCTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN IN COOPERATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ON 1 JULY 1987

(1999, PA2 Keith Alholm.)

John Szalay was kind enough to provide this translation of the inscription on this stone:

(Attu, 1999. PA2 Keith Alholm.)