A contractor for the U.S. Army on Wake Atoll recently happened upon an obscure memorial to 98 American construction workers who died there in 1943. The simple boulder pictured at right, beyond a plaque listing their names, is the stark remnant of a disturbing World War II incident. Soon after lining up for this photo, taken during the Japanese surrender of Wake in September 1945, Rear Admiral Shigimatsu Sakaibara— at left, front row—and 15 other Japanese officers and men who had acted under his orders were arrested for war crimes.
