In 2018 I visited Taiwan and completed an intellectual journey that commenced in 2003 as a summer intern at the Block Island Historical Society. While completing my Masters degree program I spent a summer at the island’s museum located at Bridgegate Square. I assisted in a number of ways, however my passion was working with the vast collection of objects and paper-based ephemera. On the third floor of the museum building I located pieces of history that, at the beginning, seemed outside the bounds of the history of our island community. These consisted of images and documentation pointing to two World War II era aircraft carriers. Sparking my interest, I researched further and discovered that these carriers were both named USS Block Island, CVE 21 and CVE 106.A mentor of mine once told me a good research project is very much like chipping away in an avalanche zone. With the invaluable assistance of Dr. Gerry Abbott we curated a permanent exhibition about both vessels titled “Valor & Courage” at the American Legion Post 36. Display panels and objects today shed light on the exploits of the crew of both USS Block Islands that included battling German U-boats in
