"We Have Just Begun to Fight!" - Textiles from World War II
December 7, 2011 - February 5, 2012
Historic Textiles Gallery
This December 7th marks the 70th Anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the official entrance of the United States into World War II. In commemoration of that fateful day, The Charleston Museum presents uniforms and textiles relevant to the Pacific War. We strive to honor the men and women who served throughout the war, on far-off shores and on the homefront, by telling the stories of these Americans through their personal objects.
"We Have Just Begun to Fight!" includes a U.S. Army Air Corps flight jacket with blood chits or escape flags sewn in. It was worn by Charlestonian Jimmy Holcombe, who flew air-sea rescue missions in the China-Burma-India Theatre.Visitors will see a U.S. Navy uniform worn by C. Harrington Bissell of Charleston while serving with Admiral Halsey's fleet in the Pacific, as well as a woman's Red Cross uniform, worn by Mary Elinor Waterhouse Hoyler of Beaufort. Mary Elinor volunteered at home while her husband, Lt. Hamilton Hoyler, USMC, served in the Pacific. He was at Pearl Harbor and she didn't know his fate for six months.
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