| [Editor’s note: Apparently there was no Vol. 2, No. 1 issue. The August 12, 1945, issue below was not given a number when published, but is presumed here to be Vol. 2, No. 2, since the following week's issue, August 19, 1945, was printed as Vol. 2, No. 3.] |
THE SQUADRON PULSE
For the men of
the Fightin' 3rd Published in the Ryukyus Retto, Japan
Vol. 2 No Weekly August 12, 1945 3rd Airdrome Squadron, APO 245
CORAL VISTA
Our first glimpse at the new area was
enough. It looked impossible. But the
army has taught us that when there is a
job to be done, there is no such thing
as excuses. So it was, without excuses
that we performed one of the 7 wonders of
the 3rd Airdrome Squadron.
Only this past week did we begin to
see light. Over the quagmires of night
soil (churned good and juicy by the constant in-and-out traffic of vehicles & water trailers) and craggy terrain of
rock and stubble, Eastland's chain gang
built a solid floor of rich, resplendent
coral.
Along with the Battle of the Night Soil
and before the great Coral Victory could
become a reality, the hard, nip and tuck
"Battle of Irrigation" was also fought.
Here, brave irrigators like Kanorr,
Coffman, Donovan, DeVore, Ramsey, Butto
and countless others worked till sweat
turned to blood and both flowed freely
with the drained water into the old abandoned Jap tank trap.
The sweat, the blood, the tears
and
all the smelly water, however, was not without its comical side. During the laying of the mess hall floor, a few mud
holes were coated with a thin layer of
coral, thus making them oozingly deceptive.
In the excitement of the day's
chores, Capt. Alegria became the
first
unmindful victim to be ensnared.
Among others bogged down were Lt. Cantor while
en route to the OR [Orderly Room - Ed.], Lt. Bahn who had just
arrived from Rear Echelon duties, Caplan
and Eastland. A few corporals and Pvt's also experienced the ordeal.
Now that
we have the @˘&#%@? job done we have to our
credit our 8th home in which to proudly hang our hats.
[cartoon captions:
EEK ! ! !
BANZAI TO THE REAR, MEN---
IT'S THE 3RD
AGAIN..
OH HELL, LET'S SURRENDER...
NIPPON]
WE ARE HERE, SUZUKI----
You wouldn't dare come at us in Australia, so we came to get you in New
Guinea. There wasn't room for the two of us in
NG, so you had to move. Your kamikazes
thought they'd sink us in Leyte Gulf, and
you thought you could annihilate us by
your paratroopers, but you fouled up. On
Luzon you didn't have the guts to
come
out of the hills....because of all this we
are here on your honorable doorstep.....
the Ryukyus.
WELL?
[cartoon caption: THE 3RD]
SQUADRON PULSE
Vol. 2 No August 12, 1945
Editor: . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pfc. Stringfield
MAJOR MITCHELL COMMENDS: S/Sgt Coffman for
efficiency in battening and securing loads
aboard ship.
War is like an unflushed toilet----they
both carry an odor.
---Gen. Smut Bixby.
This has been a difficult issue to get
out. Practically every article prepared
is pending the outcome of the Jap's decision to surrender. [Expected since the U.S. had just dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. - Ed.] As time wears on &
still no news, your Editor finds it expedient to get what material he does have
on hand onto the presses and out to you
the waiting subscribers...
A NIGHT IN THE RYUKYUS
For about 5 nites in a row, this past week, we have been forced from a snug
sleep, at 0200, because of a few selfish
Japs, who couldn't sleep themselves, decided to come over and bother us. During
this time the new 3-ply wood mess hall
was undergoing construction (day & nite
shifts) and when it approached 0200 the
flood lights were cautiously switched off.
Like magic, things began to happen.......
first the whining moan of sirens, a few
moments of deathly quiet, then the
muffled pumpumpumpum of ack ack in the distance...getting closer...searchlites stab
the sky, focus for a moment, crisscross,
then the droning, diving sound of a lone plane...big guns now belch nearby and the
ground heaves...the sky is a mass of rapid, misty puffs of orange...the searchlites
disperse...there are more planes
to the left, then a swoosh and a heavy thud...bombs we guess...but, aren't certain. In the meantime, men leap from sacks with eyes like frosted glass, jump into waiting shoes, pull on a helmet and make
for the nearest hole or ditch. Some failing to reach a hole, attribute their difficulties to tent ropes...which in some
extreme cases have strung a man up for
the nite or knocked him silly. There is
little time for adjustment, for hunks of
falling shrapnel can be heard clinking on
the mess hall roof. Sgt. Howe found a nice
hunk on his pillow...it dropped thru his tent
& mosquito net while he was outside.
GRAPEVINE ---By X-2
VICTORY WHISKERS: The very latest in the
squadron is the goatee. So far "Air Corps"
Tilghman, Johnny Ivanick, Otto Schlick, Strum DeVore, "Big Bill" Butto and a few
other upstarts are being sports about
the thing. It is suggested here
that
these Victory Whiskers become a part of the 3rd's insignia.
SHIPS, SHIPS, SHIPS, SHIPS, SHIPS, SHIPS: Now that the war's over, for all practical purposes, the anxiety to get home
is tense, going on elevenths. According
to Navy and Maritime blah blah, they
have enough ships to reach the moon. We
shall soon see. OUR main interest
is
that at least a quarter of that number will be used to span the Pacific...with
us on them and going damn
fast.
ANOTHER BEER: We are now officially credited with the Ryukyus Campaign...which
means another bronze star and another 5˘
free beer. This addition makes the 4th
battle star that the original 3rd can
proudly show their womenfolk, their kiddies (if any) and the bartender. [According to the letter of September 13, 1945: “My squadron had the campaign star for the Ryukyus taken away. It seems that we didn’t get there soon enough. Getting bombed every night didn’t mean anything, so says the Army ‘big-shots.’” - Ed.] We also
have a bronze star to clasp on the Philippine Liberation Medal for engaging
Yamishita's paratroopers.
HERCULES: Lew Carter has now accomplished what Larry Theobald has been trying to
do for the last three years--knock hell
out of everybody with the old fists. The massacre came about during the V-J Surrender preliminaries...it was after midnight...the mess hall was jumping...Jap
gas cocktails were being sold in double
and triple shots. This was a tropic-toughened veteran's celebration....no handshakes--civilian stuff...no holds
barred....blood on the floor could be
the only token of a good time had....Then Atomic Lew broke loose...in a
few minute's time he had cleaned the mess
hall. Larry, your boasts are meaningless now....we have found a man that
can do it.
C.D. Horn can be heard whistling these
days. A good sign of better things to come.
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