The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1942-09-24
Soldier Tells of
Commando School
Down i'm Texas
Don Higley. describes
specialized course in
modern warfare
Dear Ralph:

modern warfare
Dear Ralph:
I thought it was about time I
wrote you a letter thanking you for
the paper. I've been getting it every
week and read it from cover to cover
including the want ads. It's really
swell to get the home town paper.
Now a description of our camp
and a little about our training.
Talk about deep in the heart of
Teexas-we are just two miles from
the geographical center of the state.
The nights down here are really
beautiful. That song isn't wrong
about that, but it's hard ito enjoy
them alone.
This is quite a place. We are Is
miles from the nearest town which
is Killeen, Tex, and Is miles from
Camp Hood. The camp isn't fin
ished so we are out in the sticks in
tents. Honestly bugologist would
go crazy here. We have every kind
of bug known to man and a few
they haven't discovered yet. We
have spiders from tarantulas and
black widows on down. In the rep
tile line we have about five varieties
of snakes, rattlesnakes, coachwhipS,
copperIeads and water Inoccasins.
Not ito mention horned toads,, gila
monsters, lizards and armadillos.
Thanks, I'll take Washington.
We've done a Lot of range firing
with the 37nm and 75mm guns,
also 30 cal and so cal machineguns.
The best training we've had was
the three-day commando course.
Theyhave an obstacle course that
is really a honey. 1t starts with a
100-yard dash to a water hole about
SO feet wide and five to seven feet
deep; three hurdles, 4 to high;
then a barbed wire ENHANCEMENT
which you worm through on your
stomach under smoke screen while
they tossed small dynamite. bombs
around you. Then a 12-foot board
wall. The tough part IS the hill
about 100 feet high with a 75-degree
slope which is called Vomit Hill. One
man from the company passed out
on it. If you aren't all in when you
get to the top of that, you are a
darned good man. (I was plenty
tired). -
After a rest period we went to
classes of instruction which lasted
an hour and a half each. The first
one was creeping and crawling;
how to do it without being seen or
heard. .-.. i: ......--.z..
From there we went to a field
which was mined and strung with
barbed wire. AS you crawl through
the wire the mines go off and they
fire live 80 cal. machinegun slugs "a
inches off the ground to make you
keep your head down.
Next, down over the obstacle
course to our bivouac area for din
ner. ..-- .. "
After dinner the obstacle course
again followed by a class on BOBBY
traps. They are charges that go|
off when you open doors, trip over
wires, etc. How to make them and
how to avoid them. t5"r
Next we went through, the village.
1t is called "Nazi Town." supposedly
just vacated by the enemy. 1T is
set with BOBBY traps and targets
bobbed up in windows, tops of build
ings, etc. We were to clean it out.
That is, make it safe for our troops
to occupy. It's really clever. It
reminded me of the ghost towns
you see in western movies. It has
the "Bloody Bucket Saloon" "Kim's
Lumber yard" Bellies Cafe" "Joes
Place" "Jake's General Store" eli
Lo Bar" bills Barber Shop"
County Courthouse and Jail" It
was. interesting. r.- ,.s.5s.. *. ......., |
Down the hill and to camp for the
night. We slept in pup DENTS and
this ground here is really hard.
In the morning the obstacle course
again. ...@.'@'
Then instruction on combat firing,
that is firing without aiming at
close targets. Then they sent us
through tunnel where targets
bobbed out at you as you walked
along.
After the obstacle course and din
ner, they devoted almost the whole
afternoon to jiu-jitsu training. More
fun.
They devoted the next morning to
explanation of tank destroyer tao
tics.
That afternoon we mounted trucks
and came back to camp here having
been wet and muddy for two and a
half days. It sure felt good to clean
I'D even with our limited facilities.
It was tough work all of it, but the
boys knew that was the kind of
training we needed and nobody
yelled about it.
Well I guess I've ratified enough
for this time. Please give my re-
ooI T vryorn honty