Okinawa
The Battle for Okinawa took place from April 1-June 22 of 1945. This battle is generally regarded as one of the most significant conflicts that took place within the Pacific Theatre and was one of the costliest battles of the war overall. The island of Okinawa represented a valuable strategic operating base for both the American and Japanese forces. There are many different aspects of the battle that serve to make it unique apart from other important battles fought during the war, from the staggering loss of life experienced by both the attackers and the defenders, along with the introduction of what is now known as "group suicide". Due to the significance of this battle, there is an abundance of research concerning the two main players in the battle, the U.S. and Japan, while there is little to be found regarding the experiences of civilians on Okinawa who were unfortunate enough to remain on the island during the battle. This portion of the digital exhibition was created by Julian Landrove, Micheal A. Eyre, Christian Lackey. A special thanks to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Special Collections, and Archives at the Mary and Jeff Bell Library, as well as Dr. Chrissy Lau and curator Edward Warga, for their unwavering support, and assistance.