Tuesday, December 20, 2011

The first Purple Heart opportunity

So I'm running full speed, and those bombs are getting closer and I jump head first into that foxhole, and my helmet comes down and hits me in the mouth, and the blood is running out of my mouth and I'm spitting out my teeth. And in the meantime, the bombs come and the bombs go, and I get up and go the medics to see about my damage.

So I get there, and the guy says, "Well, what's the matter?"

And I say, "My helmet came down and hit me in the mouth and cut my lips and knocked out some teeth."

"Well, let me take a look at you."

So he gets his flashlight and he looks very carefully, and he says, "Yeah, well there's a little cut right over there.  And let me look at your teeth.  Well, I don't see any teeth out.  But that one big tooth has got a little chip right on the edge of it."

Guess I've got a good imagination.

So he says, "You want me to put you in for the Purple Heart?"

And I says, "No, I don't want the Purple Heart."

Because I knew that anybody that got the Purple Heart was either dead or couldn't fly an airplane.

from my South Pacific Diary

May 19 Buttons to Cactus #213 2:15 pilot & 2:15 co-pilot Rockwell - May 21

We got to Cactus about 3:00 pm and found a tent empty.  We moved in & found that the other occupants had been driven out by rats.  The mosquitos were the worst I have ever seen.

At 9:00 pm the Japs started coming over so we had to get in our fox holes mosq. and all.  The search lights got one and we could hear the roar of the night fighter's engines. (P38)  We were watching the Jap plane in the lights when all of a sudden there was a stream of tracer bullets out of the darkness and they passed right through the plane and it caught on fire.  It looked like one engine was on fire.  It started to fall and then began to recover & it looked like it was getting the fire under control.

And now a stream of tracers shot out but the plane kept going a couple seconds more and another hose of bright red tracers lashed out and the plane started to fall.  It was now falling and burning fiercely.  It fell about three thousand feet and exploded in a tremendous burst of flames.  Pieces continued to fall burning to the ground.
A roar of voices went up from the men watching it.  Those were the last bombs those Japs would drop.  

We were standing beside our fox hole about 11:30 pm when all of a sudden we heard the whistling of falling bombs.  I made a jump for my fox hole and got in before the bombs hit the ground.  My helmet came off & I chipped two of my teeth & cut my lips on the damn thing.

The night fighters shot down two more but the planes did not catch on fire.  All we could see was the red tracers hitting the plane & noise of them exploding.  There were 26 planes over in all.

We spent from 9:00 pm till 5:00 am in our fox holes.  Slept till about 11:00 am, woke up with blankets all wet from sweat & heat.  Last night we had one alarm about 9:00 pm but they didn't come over for some reason so we got to sleep all night long.

Not much doing during the day.  We were supposed to strike and got up at 10:30 pm and messed around until 12:00 am and then were told the strike was called off because of weather.  We went back to bed but couldn't sleep.  A rat came into my bed about 2:30 & woke me up even more than I was.  Finally about 4:00 am got to sleep & got up at 7:00 am for breakfast on my first wedding anniversary.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

From my South Pacific diary

Feb. 22, 1943

Washington's birthday and nine months since Irma and I were married.  God, it seems so long since I last saw Irma. I hope the next five months past fast.

Last night the Japs came over and bombed us.  Only one went off and a tree fell on the tail of a B24 & rocks through a wing.  Several duds or time bombs, the area is roped off.  The raid was at 12:30 and it was a bright full moon night.  I could hear the bombs falling through the air & then hit.  Some sensation I can tell you.

March 26 4:15 hrs. Co-pilot (P. Sutton 72nd bomb squadron)

Arrived at Cactus about 11:00 am and had a good lunch & dinner.  Went to bed about 8:00 pm--air raid warning at 3:10 am.  I went over by a search light and pretty soon two planes came over in formation.  We did a lot of shooting but didn't hit, the Japs didn't drop their bombs either.  They made two more runs and dropped bombs both times.  The last run they dropped a 500 lbs. right on our mess hall.  It hit the top of the planes and exploded downwards.  Completely ruined the mess hall, a cocoanut tree top fell on officers mess & on the dispensary.  It killed one of our men who wasn't in a fox hole.  Hit a co-pilot in the chest in 307th Group about 300 yds away.  We could hear those bombs falling.  There is nothing like it.  Sounds like each one is coming at you.  26th was going over to engineering in afternoon when we saw a lot of smoke rising.  A Lockheed Hudson groundlooped on take off and caught fire.  IT burned about five minutes and three 300 lb bombs exploded in a terrific explosion.  Fire stopped and the plane was blown completely to bits.  Put one of our 17s out of commission.  One of crew didn't get out.  Some welcome!!

En route to the South Pacific, 69 years ago this weekend

The first entries in my South Pacific diary:


December 16, 1942

Well this is quite a day.  Mom's birthday.  Sure wish I could be home with her.

Today we left Oahu for the Fiji Island and then to the New Hebrides and war.  Up to now it has been a ways away.  But it won't be long until I'll be in it.

We are on a new ship on her maiden voyage.  The Hunston, a troop transport built in Seattle, Washington.

The quarters are very good.  There are four of us in one room with our own toilet and showers.  Kind of hot in the night time.

Dec. 17, 1942

About the best thing on this ship is the food.  I haven't eaten such good food since I left the states.  Although he only two meals a day, they are the best.  We are four to a table and have our own waiter named Joe.  A Filipino.

Haven't done much today, just read and had a boat drill at 10:00 am.  A few are sea sick but I feel fine.  Sure am glad.  I wouldn't want to miss any of that good food because where we are going it will be lousy eating.

Friday, Dec. 18, 1942

Just about like yesterday, no boat drill though.  Reading and sleeping.  I got a smallpox vac. today which will bring my record up to date with smallpox.  Also I have to get Typhus, Cholera, & Typhoid.

I bought some cookies, candy and huts from the P.X. today.

Saturday, Dec. 19, 1942

We had a boat drill in the afternoon.  Spent most of the day reading and sleeping.  Woke up in the middle of the night and as I could not sleep I went out on deck and slept in a life raft for a couple hours until it got so cold I went downstairs again.

It has been quiet enough the past two days and the wind has been blowing very loud.





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