Behind the Tapestry: How Pat&Norm Helped Win WWII

Politicians and generals, like Roosevelt and Eisenhower, design great tapestries of war. They win acclaim. Sailors and their wives, like Pat and Norm, just do their jobs. They win wars.
Based on family history, this novel depicts a young Navy signalman who marries an Irish girl as the World Fair ends and the Second World War begins. She moves to San Diego to be near him; he gets orders to Newfoundland. Homesick and hot-tempered, Pat works for the USO to help other Navy wives find housing, child care, jobs, etc. Norm performs his duties at Coral Sea, Midway, and the Aleutians despite coral reefs, Japanese torpedoes and suicide planes. He's invited to apply for a commission, leave his place in the crew, and become an officer. Can he make this shift?
Meanwhile, Pat adjusts to chicano culture as she begins to focus on similarities instead of differences. She uses her hat pin to discourage unwanted attention from amorous salesmen and sleazy bosses. She learns to "sell" landlords on the benefits of renting to Navy personnel, instead of preaching about "civic duty."
But neither can fully explain their daily lives to the other.
Long separations limit their shared
memories. Mail contact is unreliable. Nevertheless, each continues "just doing the job" quietly and competently "behind the tapestry."