Though a fictional character, American Girl Nanea Mitchell’s Story of Hawaii after Pearl Harbor resonates with children today.

Known as a tropical paradise today, for many sailors before December 7, 1941, it was just another port of call during their naval service.

Attached to Canadian and British forces, the first Americans to see ground combat in Europe witnessed disaster at Dieppe.

From coaling station to naval base, Pearl Harbor’s strategic importance in the Pacific was widely recognized.

Eduardo Peniche came to the United States to obtain an education and became a decorated war veteran and proud American in the process.