Shirley Rose Gray's memoir and diary chronicle her World War II experiences with a USO show in the Pacific Theater during the summer of 1945. Part of comedic film actor Eddie Bracken's troupe of entertainers, the twenty-two-year-old native of Los Angeles performed on bitterly contested islands such as Guam, Peleliu, Tinian, and Saipan, as well as aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga and other naval vessels. Her narrative recounts traveling on crowded planes, performing in wet clothes amid stifling heat, and dealing with homesickness and physical exhaustion. In addition to encountering utterly foreign people and landscapes, Gray witnessed the human and material destruction of ferocious battles. She and the other members of Bracken's show developed a sense of camaraderie, different but somewhat akin to that among veterans. Gray's time on the islands included memorable moments apart from her performances. She spent many hours in hospitals talking to wounded men and often served food to grateful enlisted personnel. On Peleliu, she squeezed into a cave, once used by Japanese forces as a hospital, that contained decomposing corpses of slain soldiers. She spent an hour flying in a Navy dive bomber and, encouraged by Marines, briefly steered an amphibious tank. She met many well-known figures, including Admiral Richard E. Byrd, the famous polar explorer, who gave her the stars off his uniform's collar. A bomber crew painted her picture on the nose of their aircraft and named it the "Squirrelly Shirley." Gray's highly personal memoir, episodic in nature, is descriptive rather than contemplative. No passages explain why the U.S. military endeavor merited praise; instead, Gray takes for granted that the uniformed men who attended Bracken's show fought for a just cause. Her straightforward prose leaves no doubt that she believed the troupe contributed to the war effort, and that she derived satisfaction from her efforts on stage and in other interactions with U.S. servicemen as the war entered its final phase.
Gary W. Gallagher is the John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War Emeritus at the University of Virginia. He is the author or editor of more than forty books on the Civil War and its memory.
"With the USO in the Pacific During World War II is a marvelous memoir of a young woman who found a way to tap her talents for the benefit of the war. An accomplished accordion player, Shirley Rose Gray performed for sailors, marines, and soldiers and visited with wounded American military personnel at the sites of some of the most vicious battles in the Pacific Theater. The book brings to light the widespread support and far-reaching efforts of those out of uniform to assist the war effort. Beautifully written, skillfully documented, and entertaining to read, With the USO in the Pacific During World War II is an instant classic."--Joseph T. Glatthaar, author of American Military History: A Very Short Introduction "During World War II, dozens of USO troupes traveled thousands of miles to offer soldiers and sailors a brief respite from war. One such troupe was headlined by Eddie Bracken, a comedic actor who wisely recruited glamorous and talented young women for the tour. One of them was twenty-two-year-old Shirley Rose, who kept a diary during the company's 1945 tour in the Western Pacific and later used it to write about aspects of the war often overlooked by military historians. Thankfully, her son, the noted historian Gary W. Gallagher, rescued the diary and the memoir and added a thoughtful introduction. The result is a highly entertaining view of the ofttimes less-than-glamorous life of a touring USO troupe in the Western Pacific."--Craig L. Symonds, author of World War II at Sea: A Global History "Shirley Rose Gray's vivid memoir of the USO offers a truly rare perspective on the Pacific War. With her abiding sense of patriotic duty, her commitment to the musician's craft, and her compassion for her wounded comrades-in-arms, Gray opens a window into how American forces maintained their morale and their cohesion in a time of epic sacrifice and suffering."--Elizabeth R. Varon, author of Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South
