**Disclaimer: While, of course, the use of the pejorative term “Jap” is no longer tolerated today, writers at the time of World War II used the term liberally. We have left the term intact to preserve the full accuracy of these historical records. Reader discretion is advised.**

There’s often a vast disconnect between those who fight wars and those who remain at home. A manuscript collection recently added to History Colorado’s Archives collection highlights a personal attempt to reconcile this gap. Mr. Ahrend “Ben” H. Turban was born in Denver in 1911 and grew up in various homes for orphans. After attending South High School and the Colorado School of Mines, Ben, as he liked to be called, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1938. He worked as civil engineer and surveyor in major points of military conflict throughout the Pacific, including Guadalcanal, Saipan, and Okinawa.