The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1943-04-29
Troy Youth
In Severe
Fighting!
Tells of Dastardly
Deeds of Barbarous
Foe in New Guinea.
GROWS BITTER FROM
HARSH EXPERIENCES

GROWS BITTER FROM
HARSH EXPERIENCES
The following letter was written
by a Troy soldier who is fighting
IN New Guinea. 1t was written by
Pfc. Gordon NJ Durfey, to his uncle
and aunt, Mr. and Mrs Fred C..
Glass. 1t gives picture of what
our boys are facing in fighting the
barbarous Japanese in that distant
section, and it is told by one who
is right in the midst of the fight
ing. Excerpts from the letter fol-
low:
We get few news clippings
from home telling of the need of
keeping up the morale, by having
parties, beer busts and string Of
stars just helping" This kind Of
stuff is hard to take especially af-
ter reading heading something
like this: Major Problem in u. S..
What To Do with 100000 japanese
After the War
Major problem!" My foot!
The U. S. spends time and money
to educate Japs who go back to
Japan and teach soldiers to speak
perfect English to you while you
lay in some foxhole or swamp or
on guard somewhere
Sample of what happens. You're
in the jungle, with your squad all
af
hand reaches out and touches you
and voice whispers, "Psst, Psst,
hey, smell this will you. huh2
just found it and can't make it
out" You grab at the rag and take
a whiff. That's all, brother, just
another sucker for the chloroform
trick, silent and deadly, with your
neck being sliced up at their con-
venience u. S. educates Japs to
speak English enabling this to hap
pen. Is this fair?
Do you wonder of what we are
thinking when we say. Take every
damn Jap in the u. S., men and
women, and turn them loose here
in the jungle and give us boys
some target practice!
Easy going U. S. will probably
give their homes and businesses
back with an official apology for
the Inconvenience. They eat
bread, meat, eggs, milk, etc. in
concentration camps Try to imagine
what we get, will yah, huh?
Boiling? Now I'm just steaming!
(Another sample). You're on
guard. Here comes guy whistling
some favorite American tune. You
halt him, but in perfect English he
says he forgot the password, and,
before you can bat an eyelash, he
whips into jittering step saying
Look at this routine for the girls
when we get back to the states!"
You know he's an American soldier,
just careless, for he's wearing u. S.
army clothes, helmet and even
dog tags that rattle, and to top
1t off he's Whistling that late
American tunel You relax shade
and zoot A knife is across your
throat! Neat, eh? "A Major Prob
lem!' What next?
If they leave the Japs in the IT,
S., another Pearl Harbor will hap
pen, only Worsel
Sure, you and I know good Japs,
BUT, they have their own little
Shinto shrines and go to Jap school
after being in u. S. school all day.
How can they be loyal? Their farms
are all close to some water plant,
railroad junction or bridge, etc,
and not accidentally. Like I say,
send the kids back to Japan and
turn the rest loose for us boys!
Fantastic? Yes, / imagine it
sounds that way; in fact screwy as
hell, but those things do and did
happen here, with variations
course.
I've been plenty lucky so far but
what comes next after your luck is
bad?
Just to be mean and nasty /
think Id cut loose a bust from my
machine gun about SO yards in
front of them, then slowly raise the
muzzle so they could see the trac-
ers kicking up dust-closer, closer,
closer, then I'd switch and slice off
an ear or sheer off a shoulder or
leg. Then I'd whip big long
burst into the middle of them.
Now, Shirley, I'm not complain
ing, just laughing at the headline,
Major Problem. Just ask some
Montana mothers if it is or not!
Yep! Jungles, sWamps, malaria,
mosquitoes, and all the rest Just
SO the U. S. can say to the Japs,
Sorry to have detained you'll"
| received Doris records in nv
pillbox, through gun. slit-nice
huh? half broke and cracked.
This will have to do until I feel
in a better mood, if | have that
one sense left later. $50
How about buying an OFFENSE