Before being stationed in Etajima, Curtis served as an MP in Virginia. Later he was sent to Etajima by way of Tinian as part of the 308th army unit. Tinian was an island the Pacific from which the Enola Gay took off. During his brief stay Curtis snapped a few pictures. On Etajima he was a medic assigned to the 47th General Hospital. Prior to being the 47th Hospital, the building served as the home of the Japanese Imperial Naval Academy. Currently it is the home of The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force Service School. The picture of the ten children was taked shortly after a reception for some of the people on the island, held at the 47th Hospital. As you look at the picture, notice the building on the left. It is the bank of Etajima and was identified because of the distinct round window. The island of Etajima is 18 miles off the coast of Hiroshima. Curtis's pictures of the people, the town life and the beauty of the island's mountains are in stark contrast to the pictures he took of a devastated Hiroshima on the day before he was returning to the United States. |