The US Army in the Pacific During World War II NEW
Class | Registration opens 12/6/2026 9:00 AM EDT
Picture the long arc of the Pacific War, from the shock of Pearl Harbor to the hard island-by-island fighting that brought the US Army across the vast distance of the ocean. In this course, we’ll trace that journey, not just through battles, but through the experiences of the soldiers who served. What they faced on jungle trails, coral atolls and vine covered mountains. We’ll talk about the strategies that shaped the campaigns, the cooperation and friction between services, and the human side of endurance, loss and moments of hope. And we’ll connect those stories to broader decisions made by leaders like MacArthur, Nimitz, Halsey, Stilwell, and Marshall.
By the end, you’ll see not only how the campaign ended with Japan’s surrender in 1945, but also what those years meant for the people who lived through them.
William Bailey
Bill received a B.A. and M.A. in History and Ph.D. in Family Financial Planning from Texas Tech University and an M.Th. from SMU. He has previously taught this class at Cuyahoga Community College in its Encore program and at ILR-East. His professional teaching career spans more than 40 years. During this time, he has taught students from elementary school to medical school. He served on the faculty of several universities - the University of Wyoming and IUPUI (Indiana U./Purdue U.) and for more than 20 years at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He and his extended family moved to Rocky River in 2018.