The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-11-30

''''''''- '-..s''-' ~~'. the rope lad
 MOhtroSe ders W h n cracked; "Fpe looks like secret weapon-hell scare off the Japs."
 That was right at the beginning But the men who wei,e so quick on the wise-crack then have grown more serious aS they have lived and fought through months of heat strafing, sniping and bombing. Aft CT the initial landing and attack was away from Guadalcanal bouncing around the ocean, for about a month. It was when I re- turned that I noticed how these lighthearted fighters had changed. GUN WOULD BE HANDY
 If you're a non-combatant rerv- ing with U. s. forces as a photog- rapher or correspondent, you're not supposed to go arlned-even where there are Jap snipers all around you in tropic iungles. But there's many time you wish you had a light machine gun, .45 and a couple of pockets full of hand gre nadeS.
 Life is like that in the Solomons. Stay back of th's front lines and you don't get any pictures - and that's your job out there. It doesn't make much difference anyhow, one place is as safe as another, every hody figures.
 Bob Miller of the United Press and I were together on those first days of Guadlacanal A few Jap- anese snipers opened up on our forces, but the main body of Jap anese had headed for the hills We moved our lines steadily on their heels.
 An abandoned Japanese work village, tents shattered by our shells. provided swell picture pos sibilit.cs. When the shelling started the Jap workmen had just left - their breakfast dishes scattered around, personal belongings in or derly array by their pallet beds.
 We looked over thousands oi pieces of Japanese fighting anc construction equipment abandoned in the nasty retreat, found a couplt of i'll Japanese men we promptly made prisoner; looked longingly a case after case of Jap beer VI wanted to sample but didn't t'e' cause we were afraid we'd find I poisoned.
 We had lost our Marine patro in the interest of Investigating tE' camp and didn't know exactly where We were in relation to Jap ancse- occupied territory. So whei machine guns started chattering few yards away we threw ourselVe on the ground. ......
 About that time my holders were empty of unexposed film and 1t wa necessary to reload, which l dit from the prone position.
 We looked across a shallow creel and saw JaparESe troops runnin' to the hills and decided then it wa time to execute maneuver gen orally known as getting the hel out of thcre'
 CT and hauled 1t back toward ou command post. At the now-cap tur-d Henderson airport, we stopped ani examined the field which ha proved to be one of our most i'm portant possessions in the Soutl Pacific.
 Then anti-aircraft started out il the bay, where unloading operation were continuing. We raced througl the palms to the shore to see tn excitement. In the distance VI could see Japanese torpedo plane sEimming the water. Smoke rolle' upward from at least a half dozel burning planes streaking to thei doom.
 It was obvious that the attacl wasn't getting anywhere, although we saw ore of our ships burnin' furiously from hit Later WI found that it was an empty trans port set afire when a torpedo bomter. out of control, crashed in to it amidships. At night. as WI dragged into our camp, footsore weary and covered with mosquito bites, the rain started. A rain tha we were to see a lot more of il weeks to come. a rain that neve was appreciated.
 LAPS ATTACK
 Early silence of the night wa ominous. It didn't last long. Jap tried to rush the camp, and fo Then one lone Marine sentr! stopped us, told us that as far a. he knew he and his sergeant wer' the only two Marines n that vi cinity We crossed the creek on rickety bridge to investigate shack on the other shore. It has bt-sn the home of group of Jap anese artillery officers manning 70-mm. battery on the shore. WHY LAPS DIDN'T FIRE
 Their guns were stilled on tn beach, but in good working condi ton. Sights had been affixed an' fused shells were nearby in ammu milton cases. All that was neces sary was 10 start shooting. w wondered why they hadn't used tn pieces on our advancing troops bu when he looked directly ovcrhea'