Good to hear from you again, sir. I've been wondering where you've been lately and I sure do miss your posts.
I was just wondering ... how does your experience in the Philippine campaign compare to what you saw in other islands where you saw action?

Hi Jack, No worries here. We know you have a familly and are taking care of your health too. I have been astray myself for a little while, long work hours and lots of things to do, but I manage to come on the forum at least once a day. I have a new question. Did people get see sick on the barges? I mean if one gets sicks it may disgusts the others which isn't the best thing right before a landing.

__________________

That's a good question. Sir, how did you and your buddies deal with sea sickness right before a landing? As a boater, I don't think you have problems with it but how about your buddies?

To add to Falcons post. What lessons where you able to take from past experiences and apply to future operations and what needed to be forgotten as it only applied to where you where last? if that makes sense to you

__________________
"Like so many of our people, we have now had a personal experience of German barbarity which only strengthens the resolution of all of us to fight through to final victory."-King George VI
"Casualties many; Percentage of dead not known; Combat efficiency; we are winning."-Colonel David M. Shoup-Saipan

Good to hear from you Jack!
Take good care, or at least have some good lookin' nurses take good care of ya'!

__________________

Scott

Hello Falcon,

The terrain was familiar but unique in many ways, the civilian population was another factor. The remains of children and women, villages which had been raised to the ground by the japs, or had been caught in the line of fire. There were terrible acts of retribution by the retreating japs, we had known the ways of jap warfare down South in the previous months and years past, but this was something else, very disturbing and troubling to see.

__________________
All the Best
Jack

Skipper,

Sea sickness is quite disabling to those effected, no shame, no disgust, men got sick on confined landing craft, ships, air transports, and dry land for different reasons.

__________________
All the Best
Jack

Mike,

I think I know what you are getting at, I'll try to answer along those lines. We had the japs
at greater ranges in some areas in the Philippines, we learned to avoid being drawn into narrows or blind turns on roads in the hills.


Scott,

Always good to hear from you!

__________________
All the Best
Jack

Thanks Jack. Is it true that you better not eat before combat in case you get a bullet in the stomach ?

__________________

Skip,

I'll say no to that, a stomach wound from a bullet in combat was fatal, there were no 15 minute helicopter rides to surgical care back then, plenty of men died on an empty stomach.

__________________
All the Best
Jack

Sir, medical attention would undoubtedly be difficult to obtain under combat condition. You also mentioned that you guys took great care not to get small cuts or wounds on the skin because of the threat of infection.
At what point in your experience would you say soldiers that were wounded had a better chance of surviving or getting medical attention faster?
Before things improved, how did you guys manage? What improvisations did you have to do?

Jack,
A few questions:
1. Would it be assuming too much to say all combat infantrymen in the 186th who were on the front lines in New Guinea for a number of months would have no doubt eliminated some of the enemy? Is that too broad a statement?
2. Did you ever see Jap soldiers take their own life?
3. Did you ever see a US soldier take his own life?
Hope these aren't too sensitive and if they are please tell me.
Thanks,

__________________
Have a great day!
Lefty

Hello Falcon, Hello Lefty,

Falcon, if a man was hit during a landing, returning him on a landing craft to one of the ships was actually the quickest means for him to receive medical attention within that first hour or so. There was a degree of field first aid, and surgery performed on the line as well.

Lefty, to the first question I would say not all, but I can assure you, all of us combined ran up a quite a score. If I remember the division carried the title of "the bloody 41st" for sometime, or something along those lines, and it was not based on our causalities.

Lefty, the answers to the second and third questions are yes.

__________________
All the Best
Jack

Jack,
The 41st was also nicknamed "McArthur's Butcher Division."

__________________
Have a great day!
Lefty

Hi Jack, did you votre for the lady back then

__________________

I forgot to add , this is Miss New Guinea 1944 as elected by the Yanks and the Aussies who were stationed there

__________________

Jack,
What circumstances would have brought those soldiers to the point of claiming their own lives?

__________________
Have a great day!
Lefty

Hey Jack!
Haven't heard from you in a while, all is ok?

__________________

Scott

Hello Scott,

All is well thank you, I had a bit of work done on the mark 1 eyeballs, coming along from what the they tell me, I just need to stay off my eyes for a while.

__________________
All the Best
Jack

Hello Jack I was wondering too. Glad to hear you are back. Please get the necessary rest and we all hope you"ll be back in good shape asap.

__________________