Bloomington, IN Trafford Publishing 2007 Second Printing [stated] Trade paperback Good 363, [1] pages. Illustrations. Maps. References: Description. Index. Inscribed by author on title page. Cover has some wear and soiling. Format is approximately 7 inches by 10 inches. Bright puts a human face on the tragedies of war, ushering readers into both the destruction and redemption of war. Bright traces his uncle Carl's travels during World War II from his uncle's home in Minnesota to the battle-torn islands of the Pacific, all the way to Japan. Bright, a veteran of Vietnam, creates his prose from personal experience and observation of many locations on the Pacific. Not only is the book a story of war, but also "Pain and Purpose in the Pacific" is ultimately a love story. Carl returns to his hometown to marry Clara Young, the woman awaiting his return from combat. Together they raise a family and pursue the American Dream. "Pain and Purpose in the Pacific" offers a glimpse into the lives of Marines, Army and Army Air Corps, Navy and Coast Guard at war and the friends and family they leave behind. This book was intended to be a brief account of the battles on Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa as the author retraced the travels of one Marine from the farmland of Minnesota to Japan and back. Carl J. Johnson spent 30 months in the Pacific. He is the author's uncle. As a Continental Airlines pilot based in Guam the author had the opportunity over a seven year period to visit other islands ...