Attu Boy: A Young Alaskan’s WWII Memoir

113 Pages·2015·1.896 MB·English

by  Nick Golodoff

Nick Golodoff in Atka. Brenda Maly
University of Alaska Press  |  Fairbanks
© 2015 University of Alaska Press
All rights reserved
University of Alaska Press
P.O. Box 756240
Fairbanks, AK 99775-6240
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Maly, Brenda.
Attu boy / Brenda Maly, Nick Golodoff & Rachel Mason.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-60223-249-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-60223-250-1 (elecronic)
1. Golodoff, Nick, 1935- 2. Attu Island (Alaska)--Biography. 3. Attu, Battle of, Alaska, 1943--Personal
narratives, American. 4. Prisoners of war--United States. 5. Prisoners of war--Japan--Shiritsu Otaru
Bungakkan. 6. Attu Island (Alaska)--History. 7. Attu Island (Alaska)--Social life and customs. 8.
World War, 1939-1945--Alaska--Aleutian Islands. I. Golodoff, Nick. II. Mason, Rachel, 1954- III.
Title.
D769.87.A4M28 2015
940.54›7252092--dc23
2014023205
Cover photo of Attu in 1938, Christine M. McClain Collection, UAA
Cover and interior design by Dixon Jones, Rasmuson Library Graphics
This publication was printed on acid-free paper that meets the minimum requirements for ANSI /
NISO Z39.48–1992 (R2002) (Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials).
An earlier edition of this book was published in 2012 by the National Park Service, US Department
of Interior, Aleutian World War II National Historic Area, Anchorage, Alaska. The project was
funded by the National Park Service, Affiliated Areas program in cooperation with the Aleutian
Pribilof Heritage Group.
Contents
List of Figures
Preface by Brenda Maly
Introduction 1
A Young Boy’s Experience during World War II 5
Attu before the War 9
Prewar Fears and Clues about Japanese Invasion 11
The Japanese Invasion, June 7, 1942 12
Life as a Japanese POW 15
Return and Resettlement 20
Nick’s Connection to Japan 24
Reflections on Life in Atka 25
Growing Up and Going to School 26
Left Behind by the Military 27
Working Life 28
Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife 29
Atka Is Far Away from Anywhere Else 31
Learning from the Elders 33
Relatives from Attu 35
Commentary and First-Person Accounts 39
Attu before the War 39
Prewar Fears and Clues about Japanese Invasion 46
The Japanese Invasion, June 7, 1942 49
Life as a Japanese POW 63
Return and Resettlement 73
Nick’s Connection to Japan 80
Epilogue 85
Appendix: Attu Prehistory and History 87
Bibliography 97

list of figures
fig. 1. Map of the Attuans’ journey viii
fig. 2. Table of five personal narratives 3
of the Attuans’ experience in Japan
fig. 3. Map of the Near Islands 6
fig. 4. Nick’s family in 1942 (kinship chart) 6
fig. 5. Nick’s children (kinship chart) 36
fig. 6. Attu residents who died in Japan 82
and those who survived
fig. 7. Map of Attu Island 89
Route during WWII Route after WWII
fig. 1. Map of the Attuans’ Journey. Adapted from National Park Service 2010. Projection WGS 1984 Web Mercator Auxiliary Sphere.
Base image from World Shaded Relief Map compiled by ESRI ArcGIS Online and data partners
Miles
0 400 800 1,600
Kilometers
0 500 1,000 2,000