Title: Paul A. Putnam Papers: correspondence and military records, 1941-1953

Identifier: 0313-b1-fc   (https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/19954)

Description: Folder containing the military records and correspondence of Brigadier General Paul A. Putnam of the United States Marine Corp from 1941 to 1953. In December 1941, Putnam was taken as a Japanese prisoner-of-war in the Battle of Wake Island. Items of particular note are letters reflecting the service of Putnam and his men on Wake Island and their subsequent imprisonment. Included are copies of letters Putnam wrote to his family from Japan and correspondence recommending some of his men for citations. In addition, the correspondence includes a confidential letter regarding a clandestine naval operation to Wake Island (1941), and post-war correspondence between Putnam and the men that served under his command on Wake Island and between Putnam and his superiors (1942-1947). In the post-war correspondence, Putnam recognizes the spirit of the men during captivity and the justice of their receiving delinquent flight-order pay.