Relic on Display until Pearl Harbor Day
Dec 01, 2022 12:00AM ● By By Seti LongJames Thomas (left) and Willa Samprucci (right) hold a display case with Thomas' discovery dating back to Pearl Harbor. It is part of a WWII era exhibit at the Gridley Museum. Photo by Seti Long
GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - In honor of Pearl Harbor Day and to share a piece of history with the community, American Legion member James Thomas has lent his special discovery to the Gridley Museum.
While stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, originally Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay on the windward side of Oahu, Lance Corporal James Thomas stumbled on a relic stuck in the earth. When unearthed, he discovered it to be a bullet casing used by the Japanese in WWII. He has kept the bullet casing for 39 years and has created a shadow box with details of its history, production, and an article run by the Gridley Herald detailing his discovery.
The shadow box is currently on display at the Gridley Museum, along with other locally sourced Pearl Harbor and WWII memorabilia, until after Pearl Harbor Day, December 7th. Thomas will then collect the piece which has previously been on display at Veterans Memorial Hall, Gridley.
To view the bullet casing, hear Thomas’s account of its discovery and learn more about locals who served during WWII and Pearl Harbor, please visit the Gridley Museum at 601 Kentucky St., Gridley, Calif.