This photograph, part of a WWII-era personal collection, depicts a traditional thatched-roof dwelling in a coconut palm grove somewhere in the South Pacific or Philippine theater. Structures like this, built from local materials including bamboo, palm thatch, and timber, were common throughout island villages encountered by American servicemen during the Pacific Campaign of 1943-1945. Snapshots such as this one offer a rare glimpse into everyday life and the built environment troops observed while stationed far from home. Project: 218301