An Okinawan Affair

An Okinawan Affair was written partly as a memoir and partly to tell about the people of Okinawa and what had happened on the island before repatriation back to Japan. And about the Americans who were stationed there in the military or chose to live on the island as civilians. Most of the characters are profiles of real people or composites of several people the author knew on the island.Navy Seabee Brad Burgess landed on the island of Okinawa with no regrets and few expectations. He knew a chapter of his life had closed and a new and different life was beginning. Brad easily made friends with all he met and worked with the Okinawans as well as the American civilians who worked for the Army. He discovered the bar girls were not only friendly, but were caring women who through no fault of their own didn't quite fit into Okinawan society.After two short affairs with bar girls, Brad met Tomako Tomanaga an older Okinawan lady who managed a coffee house which was off limits to the GIs. Tomi's parents died during the invasion and she had several bad experiences growing up on war-torn Okinawa. When they first met, Brad and Tomi became close friends but not lovers though Brad stayed overnight in her apartment several times. With Vietnam looming on the horizon, concerned about Brad leaving the island and her, Tomi was forced to admit to herself, and finally to Brad, that they were very much in love and their destinies were connected to each other. Brad had honchoed several construction projects for the Navy and became involved with the US Army's 'People to People' construction projects which gave him a reputation in construction and leadership. With an increase in rank and a successful Seabee career ahead, he reenlisted going stateside then to Vietnam leaving Tomi on Okinawa. Tomi was pregnant but before she could write to Brad with the good news, disaster struck in Vietnam.An Okinawan Affair is a multi-cultural/historical novel of about 88,000 words telling of the plights of the Okinawan people and how their lives were under the rule of the US military following WWII.