Greetings from Tacoma. My grandfather (Fred. A. Adler) was a Seabee in the 58th United States Naval Construction Battalion and fought in WWII and the Korean War. He participated in the April 1st invasion of Okinawa and supported the buildup of Yontan Airfield.

Grandpa (Fred A. Adler) passed away in 1989. His wife passed away in 2005. This past Thanksgiving, I was entrusted with my grandfather’s photo album which is full of hundreds of photos from WWII and the Korean War. The album includes photos of my grandfather, men in the 58th battalion, their projects, and lives as Seabees.

Several photos show my grandfather and his Seabee comrades in front of the marine chapel. On the back of one of the photos, he explains to my grandmother the materials that he and his comrades used to build the chapel and said that it was a beautiful building.

I am going to digitally scan the photographs and send copies to the Seabee Museum. Do you know of a Web site with archived photos from the 58th Batallion? Would this Web site be interested in receiving digital copies of the photographs? Where else can I go to for additional information on the chapel?

After reviewing the pictures in the photo album, I cannot help but feel incredibly proud of my grandfather and of the sacrifice that he and many others made during a very tumultuous period.

Best regards,

Fred A. Castro-Diaz, grandson of Fred A. Adler, 58th United States Naval Construction Battalion
fuizenfred@yahoo.com