From Midland to Mindanao

When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941,the citizens—both men and women—of the United States foundtheir plans drastically altered. Many citizens responded by joiningthe armed forces, going to work to make munitions, or as in thecase of fresh-faced high-school graduate and Texas A&M studentand aspiring cartoonist, James W. Mims, being drafted into theArmy. Appointed to the Reserve Officers program, Mims sawAmerica as he traveled from base to base, learning to soldier,before crossing the Pacific to help liberate the Philippine Islandsas an intelligence officer specializing in photo interpretation.Mims’s story, told through letters and cartoons sent home, details his prewar days at Texas A&M and then follows him through basic and other specialized training as he found himself far from home and facing an uncertain future. Then, from bases in New Guineato Mindanao, Mims matured into manhood amid some of the most massive and violent tableaus of World War II.