Here is a close up of a dollar bill. I downloaded this photo off the Internet. You will notice that it has the word Hawaii printed on. It is there for a reason.
Here is a close-up of a dollar bill that I have. I have two from World War II. The back of this dollar bill looks like it was stamped in March 1943. It is hard to read but it looks like, right above the one, it says, SS MORMACWREN.
This was a ship that was used as a troop transport during World War II. It is very similar to the photograph I found below. When I looked up SS MORMACWREN, they showed me this picture. The ship had a different name. I found out that ships were not married to their names. By that I mean many ships had several names through their lifespan.
I found that dollar bill among my father’s papers. He passed away over 20 years ago but I’m still discovering things of his. His brother served in the Pacific and since he mailed my dad the Hawaiian dollar bill and the other one with the stamp of the SS MORMACWREN, I am just guessing that he served on that ship.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, among the many things the military had to worry about was our United States currency. What if the attack on Pearl Harbor was in preparation of an invasion? Japan would then have access to the banks that were there and all the paper money could be theirs. An order was issued. All the paper money in the islands were recalled. Individuals and businesses had a limit to the amount of paper money they could have in their possession.
Paper money was then printed with the word Hawaii on one side. If the Japanese did get control of the island or took possession of our currency, the ones that were printed with Hawaii would be worthless. Currency that did not have Hawaii printed on the back could not be used in Hawaii.
I found out that these dollars are still acceptable as currency, however after so many years they have become collectible. If you have any, lookup their value on the old inter-web before you think about spending one.
I have faint memories of my uncle Frank Olivas. I remember being happy to see him when he dropped by for a visit. I was four years old when he died in a car crash. He was with his brother at the time of the accident. They were both killed. My other uncle was named was Henry. He also went by his Spanish name Enrique. I wish I had better memories of them. I did not see them often. We were living in the Imperial Valley at the time and they were in Oxnard over 200 miles away.
Henry Olivas with my brother Carlos, 1938 Frank Olivas
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