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Cover
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Title + dedication
Sheet 1
Story spreads
12
The real story
11 quotes · 1 photos
Back cover
Blurb + brand
The Airstrip Built in a Day
This story belongs to
— — — — — — — —
The Airstrip Built in a Day
KindredPages
Spread 1
Wayne Wilberg climbed up into the cab of his heavy truck before the sun was even up. He was a Marine - and he was a truck driver. "I hauled lots of dirt," he would say, plain and proud as anything.
1
Then the order came down - and it was a big one. "We have to build an airstrip," the sergeant said. "From nothing. In thirty-six hours." Wayne looked out across the field in front of them. It was nothing but mud.
2
Illustration pending
Illustration pending
Thirty-six hours. Wayne looked at that field of mud, then looked at his truck. The truck bed was empty. He took a breath - and pulled forward.
3
The convoy of trucks roared to the hillside where the dirt was waiting. Shovels bit the earth. Engines growled. Load after load piled into the truck beds - heavy, heaping, packed to the top. Wayne's truck filled up, and he turned back toward the field.
4
Illustration pending
Illustration pending
Then the rain came. "It rained a lot," Wayne said later. "We would wear ponchos much of the time." The mud got worse. Wheels spun and sank. The field swallowed the dirt almost as fast as the trucks could dump it.
5
Wayne dumped his load. Dirt crashed down onto the wet field with a heavy thud. The truck bed was empty again. He turned the wheel - and headed back for more.
6
Illustration pending
Illustration pending
Load after load after load. Wayne lost count. His hands knew the wheel, his foot knew the gas. The airstrip was rising - inch by inch - but the clock was still running.
7
Between dirt loads, Wayne swung his truck down to the bay where the big transport ships sat low in the water. "I hauled lots of supplies from the LST transports to the men," he said. Then he turned back - and the dirt hauling began again.
8
Illustration pending
Illustration pending
Night fell. Wayne didn't stop. His headlights cut two bright lines through the dark, and his tires crunched over the dirt that was slowly, surely becoming a runway. He gripped the wheel and kept going.
9
Thirty-six hours were almost gone. Wayne had one more load. He backed up, lifted the truck bed, and watched the last dirt fall into place. Then the graders moved in and smoothed it flat and level.
10
Illustration pending
Illustration pending
Then the engines cut. Silence. And then - from somewhere up in the sky - a drone. A plane circled low, dropped lower still, and landed. It rolled the whole length of the new runway and came to a stop. They had done it. "We had to build an airstrip," Wayne said, "and we built it in 36 hours."
11
Wayne's truck sat empty. He leaned against the door and watched the plane. He didn't need any fancy words. He was a truck driver. He had hauled lots of dirt. And now - planes could land.
12
Illustration pending
Behind the story
The real words behind it
On the pages that follow, each illustration is paired with the actual line from the journal it was drawn from - so the story can always be traced back to the source.
The real story · photographs
Wayne Wilberg
Wayne Wilberg
Behind the story · 1 of 1
Page 1
Page 1
"I was a truck driver. I hauled lots of dirt."
Page 2
"We had to build an airstrip and we built it in 36 hours."
Page 5
"It rained a lot. We would wear ponchos much of the time."
Page 8
"I hauled lots of supplies from the LST transports to the men."
ABOUT THIS RECORD
This book was drawn from the journals, kept 1944-2013.
KindredPages
Made with care · 2026
A real family story,
brought to life for little readers.
Created with KindredPages
kindredpages.studio
 
Cover
direct Verbatim from the journal paraphrase Same meaning, child-friendly wording bridge Connective tissue we wrote
Page 1
Page 1
Wayne Wilberg climbed up into the cab of his heavy truck before the sun was even up. He was a Marine - and he was a truck driver. "I hauled lots of dirt," he would say, plain and proud as anything.direct
No illustration yet
Page 2
Then the order came down - and it was a big one. "We have to build an airstrip," the sergeant said. "From nothing. In thirty-six hours." Wayne looked out across the field in front of them. It was nothing but mud.paraphrase
No illustration yet
Page 3
Thirty-six hours. Wayne looked at that field of mud, then looked at his truck. The truck bed was empty. He took a breath - and pulled forward.bridge
No illustration yet
Page 4
The convoy of trucks roared to the hillside where the dirt was waiting. Shovels bit the earth. Engines growled. Load after load piled into the truck beds - heavy, heaping, packed to the top. Wayne's truck filled up, and he turned back toward the field.paraphrase
No illustration yet
Page 5
Then the rain came. "It rained a lot," Wayne said later. "We would wear ponchos much of the time." The mud got worse. Wheels spun and sank. The field swallowed the dirt almost as fast as the trucks could dump it.direct
No illustration yet
Page 6
Wayne dumped his load. Dirt crashed down onto the wet field with a heavy thud. The truck bed was empty again. He turned the wheel - and headed back for more.paraphrase
No illustration yet
Page 7
Load after load after load. Wayne lost count. His hands knew the wheel, his foot knew the gas. The airstrip was rising - inch by inch - but the clock was still running.paraphrase
No illustration yet
Page 8
Between dirt loads, Wayne swung his truck down to the bay where the big transport ships sat low in the water. "I hauled lots of supplies from the LST transports to the men," he said. Then he turned back - and the dirt hauling began again.direct
No illustration yet
Page 9
Night fell. Wayne didn't stop. His headlights cut two bright lines through the dark, and his tires crunched over the dirt that was slowly, surely becoming a runway. He gripped the wheel and kept going.paraphrase
No illustration yet
Page 10
Thirty-six hours were almost gone. Wayne had one more load. He backed up, lifted the truck bed, and watched the last dirt fall into place. Then the graders moved in and smoothed it flat and level.paraphrase
No illustration yet
Page 11
Then the engines cut. Silence. And then - from somewhere up in the sky - a drone. A plane circled low, dropped lower still, and landed. It rolled the whole length of the new runway and came to a stop. They had done it. "We had to build an airstrip," Wayne said, "and we built it in 36 hours."direct
No illustration yet
Page 12
Wayne's truck sat empty. He leaned against the door and watched the plane. He didn't need any fancy words. He was a truck driver. He had hauled lots of dirt. And now - planes could land.paraphrase
Trim
8.5″ × 8.5″
Pages
32
Spine
0.250"
Format
Print-ready
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