THE AUTHOR
David Colamaria (grandson of Technical Sergeant Edward Monahan) works for the Naval Historical Foundation and recently graduated with an M.A. in History from George Mason University, in Fairfax, Virginia. In addition to this website, in 2010 he also launched A Sailor's Life in the New Steel Navy. A native of Dedham, MA, he currently resides in Virginia with his wife Angie.
THE PROJECT
This project began in 2003. It grew out of simple curiosity about the experiences of one of the soldiers in the unit: Edward Monahan, who died in 1991. The internet soon proved a powerful tool in connecting surviving veterans of the unit, as well as their descendants. The story began to grow, and eventually began to encompass the intertwining tales of many of the soldiers from Company G. The availability of thousands of formerly classified military documents at various archives around the country made it possible to track the movements and activities of the men of the unit to an amazing level of detail. The end result of these seven years of research is laid out before you on this website, told primarily through visual artifacts.
At its core, this narrative retains much of the original story of Ed Monahan, as in the end, it seemed relevant. His story wound its way through virtually the entire period of the 182nd Infantry's activation for the war. But in many ways, this narrative is incomplete. It contains the story of a number of soldiers from Company G, but only a tiny percentage of those who served with the unit during the war. Many have passed away in the decades since the war ended, and others have proved difficult to track down. Despite these shortcomings, the story presented here is based on exhaustive research of official military records, which, combined with interviews from perhaps a dozen veterans, and as many descendants of veterans, presents a well rounded summary of their experiences.
All statistics and events have been researched through original archival materials, or relevant secondary sources, many of which are in the public domain. Full citations and an exhaustive bibliography will be provided in the upcoming book on this topic.
THE WEBSITE
This website was developed using a customization of the Omeka tool, developed by George Mason University's Center for History and New Media. Our sincere appreciation goes out to the staff at CHNM for their patient assistance and technical support during the development of this project.
All objects presented on this site are being used in a not-for-profit, fair use setting. Many of the items are public domain, or out of copyright. Where relevant, permission has been sought from individuals and organizations for the re-use of images and documents. Anyone with concerns about objects displayed on this site is asked to contact us through the email provided at the bottom of this page.
NOTE: This website has been developed for updated browsers, and may not work properly on older browsers such as Internet Explorer 6 or 7. Additionally, the site uses numerous high resolution images to provide the best visual reproduction of photographs and documents. Pages may be slow to download on slower internet connections.
THE MAP
This website includes a Google map interface. Each object (when relevant) has been tagged with an approximate map location. These locations are displayed on the "Around the World" section of the site, as well as on each item's individual display page. Please note that these locations are not exact, and are merely used to place items in a general context for the location in which they were created. In particular, the locations of items in the combat zones on Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Leyte, and Cebu are best approximations.
THE BOOK
This website is designed as an interim step in the production of a full-fledged book on the men of Company G. The written narrative of their story is in an advanced state at this time. It has been reviewed and approved by several veterans of the unit, as well as a number of others knowledgeable on the subject. This written text provides a great deal more detail on specific events and people than this website. Additionally, the book contains detailed footnotes and an extensive bibliography. It is not known yet if this companion book will be published in print format, or released digitally through this website. Please check back here later in 2010 for updates.