“There are thousands of World War II stories. But very few of those who lived those stories had the motivation, the ability—the talent—that Nat Bellantoni had. His paintings, his sketches, the photographs, everything he saved and brought back, are perhaps the most complete visual record we have of one man’s deployment with the Seabees in the South Pacific.”

—William Hilderbrand, Captain (Ret.), Civil Engineer Corps, US Navy, and President Emeritus, CEC/Seabee Historical Foundation

“Janice Blake and Nancy Bellantoni have created a beautifully written and illustrated war epic honoring Natale Bellantoni as he chronicled his World War II service in the US Navy’s Seabees. By producing this magnificent book, they have captured the essence of battle and expeditionary combat construction and collated many artifacts that are haunting and intensely personal to warfighters from any era. We are all enriched and made better by observing the intimate details of Seabee life in World War II through the eyes of this Seabee and artist.”

—Edward “Sonny” Masso, Rear Admiral (Ret.), US Navy, and Executive Director, Naval Historical Foundation

“The Battalion Artist is a timely and compelling look at Navy life in the South Pacific island campaign through the eyes of a talented young artist who found himself part of the vaunted Navy Seabees, whose Construction Battalions built the bases and airfields across the Pacific on the way to Japan—often operating their heavy equipment with rifles in hand. Featuring high-quality reproductions and backed by insightful commentary, this book allows the reader to follow the course of the Pacific war with a very human perspective on both the routine operations and the heart-pounding stress of combat. It is an outstanding tribute to a member of the Greatest Generation.”

—Todd Creekman, Captain (Ret.), US Navy, and Executive Director Emeritus, Naval Historical Foundation

“The Battalion Artist is a great adventure. A gifted young painter leaves his prestigious art school in Boston, and the girl who loves him, to join the Navy and go off to World War II. The belly of a ship carries him to far-off tropical islands in the South Pacific to fight the Japanese. The islands refresh his color palette and his senses. It’s all here—the daring and heroism, the self-sacrifice, the fascination with distant corners of the planet that needed defending. History made personal, and one of the final unexpected sagas retrieved from World War II.” —Anthony Weller, author of First into Nagasaki: The Censored Eyewitness Dispatches on Post-Atomic Japan and Its Prisoners of War and Weller’s War: A Legendary Foreign Correspondent’s Saga of World War II on Five Continents

“The personal and intimate story of individual men brings the truth of war home. Watercolors, so vibrant with color and life they could still be wet, bring the beauty and agony of the war in the Pacific home. A fabulous book.”

—Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, The Summer Before the War

“Nat’s paintings capture the loneliness of being away from home and also the need to find some quiet space on a ship with one thousand–plus other men. The pictures painted at sea were the ones that sparked my memory the most—reminders of long weeks with some spectacular sunrises and sunsets, and the contrast between hours of boredom and watches that were spiked by the adrenaline rush of general quarter alarms.”

—Paul L. Smith, Commander (Ret.), US Navy

NANCY BELLANTONI (Editor) carefully searched her father's extensive South Pacific collection for visual materials that accurately reflect the context in which Natale Bellantoni's wartime art was created. She is a co-founder with her husband, Peter Galipault, of Movidea Inc., a design and marketing strategy firm in Boston.

JANICE BLAKE (Author) set aside her freelance work in order to focus on The Battalion Artist at the request of her friend and former colleague Natale Bellantoni. She has edited books for the Brazelton Institute and the Harvard Business School Press. She has also taught writing at the Harvard Business School. Find her on Twitter @JanzaBlake

NATALE BELLANTONI (Artist) was assigned to the US Navy’s 78th Construction Battalion in the South Pacific during World War II before having a successful career as an art director in Boston.