Once Upon a Tide: Tales From a Foxhole in the South Pacific

Once Upon A Tide is one man's story of his years as a private with the U.S. Army's 454th Amphibious Truck Company, in the South Pacific during the Second World War. LeRoy chronicles his experiences from before basic training to beyond Hiroshima. A great deal of material has been written about actual battles, but this book gives the reader an additional glimpse into the ordinary occurances in a soldier's life: boisterous parties, thriving alcohol sales, lighthearted gambling, and the blosseming of an ingenious entrepreneur. Nevertheless, throughout the frivolity, the author and his comrades ponder the uncertainty of their situation. Bronemann relates his participation in the invasions of Peleliu Island and Okinawa. Lillie Bronemann, the author's wife, discusses the couple's 1979 visit to the South Pacific, and the island where LeRoy fought thirty-five years before.

About The Author LeRoy B. Bronemann, a retired postmaster from Fall City, Washington, holds a degree in economics and business administration from the University of Washington. During the Second World War, from August 1942 until December 1945, the author served as a private with the U.S. Army, completing basic training, serving with the Army Postal Battalion in New York City, and subsequently with the 454th Amphibious Truck Company in the South Pacific theatre of operations where his unit attached to the First Marine Division. While in service, Bronemann participated in the invasions of Peleliu Island and Okinawa. Bronemann is a retired local chairman of the State of Washington Keep Washington Green Movemant, for which he was honored with the Stewart Holbrook award in 1974. In addition to other projects in which he is involved, Bronemann is a past president of the National League of Postmasters of t;he State of Washington, and a past commander of the American Legion Renton-Pickering Post #79. He recently retired from the Fall City Volunteer Fire Department. Bronemann lives in Fall City, Washington, with his wife of fifty-four years.