Boot camp completed, I was sent to Morehead Teachers College in Kentucky. The course work was generally Math &Science. After Graduation, With two other Sailors, we were sent to an Army Base in New Jersey.We blended in wearing Army clothing, taking field trips etc. Our purpose of being with the Army was to learn how to repair teletypewriters. The final segment training was in New York City Navy Yard. Then it was on to my first trip-the Hawaiian Islands. Next, to the South Pacific, which ultimately put us on one of the Palau Islands named Anguar. The Island was 6 degrees above the Equator, which translated to very hot living conditions. After a few days in Fox Holes, we moved into tents. The rainy season started. It lasted over a month. We were wet day and night. The rains ended and we moved into new buildings. I was quite content. But nothing lasts long--I was told to pack my gear, I was being transferred.The ship I boarded made a stop at an Island called Eniwetok. It was our R&R (rest & relaxation). It was a treeless island. As nightfall approached, we were at sea again. Our trip ended at Siapan.The next morning a plane took us to our final destination, Guam .There I worked day and night until the war ended.
The last meeting of our group with our Captain before
I was transferred to another island.
My perception of Guam was about to change. A Japanese prisoner showed me a picture of his family. It was his wife and two children.The armed guard behind him showed no concern. I held the picture on the side his face and nodded and returned the picture. The incident triggered something in a casual friend, Perez .He asked me to go an old church about a mile away. He wanted to take pictures. We found the church and he took the pictures. As we were leaving, a woman holding the hand of a little boy was walking towards us. We met and I gave the women an orange and the boy a tennis ball that I had in my bag. We turned quickly and left. Neither of us wanted to take the risk of scaring the boy or the mother. Now Perez's real reason for getting me out surfaced. He had contact with a family in a Village and wanted me join him on his next visit. A small path through a wooded area opened up and I could see the small shacks. No doors, we entered and Perez spoke in Spanish with the Father. I met the man's two daughters and two girl friends and children.They spoke English. Our trips to the Village were twice a week.We often had food wih us, They asked me to teach them American songs and dances. They did quite well learning to sing and dance. With the children, I often performed simple magic tricks. Everthing was fine until I told them I was leaving and going home. They cried. I explained that I had not seen my Mother in over two years. On my last of three months of visits, I gave them a large container of cookies that my Mother had sent to me. It was another tearful departure. I had never seen any young men in the village. The Japanese had no respect for the people.What they did to the people, I find it very difficult to decribe. I hope that I had provided some measure of dignity and joy for this family. Finally,after two years in the South Pacific, I was sent home for a 30 day leave. My home stay completed, i was issued a train ticket at the Philadelphia Naval center which sent me to West Coast and assigned to a Ship that was heading for China.The mission was to pick up Soldiers stranded in China. That completed, I was dichagred from the Navy after three years of service....