Evening star., 1943-08-28
Bock From the Wars
Marine Corps Wire Repoirers
Nominated as War Heroes
Maj. MoIoney
Malaria Casualty,
Tells of Exploits

communications WORKERS on
Guadalcanal slaved like beavers
during the daylight hours, when
there was no danger of mistaking
them for Japanese, but at night
they crept under their tents and
lived like mice.
That is the description of the
life of wire stringers and radio
operators of the 9Th Marines by
one of their majors, Ebert S. Ma
loney, jr., "a. who is back in WASH
ington behind a desk at the Navy
Department "only because six bouts
of malaria put me down for the
count" he says. MY men are still
somewhere in the Southwest Pa
cif1c, and if I had my way I'd be
there with them
Maj Maloney has served from
Iceland to New Zealand in this war,
after schooling at Roosevelt High
School here and at Virginia Tech in
Blacksburg, Va. A veteran Of GUAM
tico and Paris Island, S. c., he be-
lieves that one of the wars least
noticed heroes is the man who keeps
communication lines open at the
front.
Must Follow Wires.
This work is almost unbelievably
arduous," Maloney states. when
dawn comes wires that have been
broken by night bombings must be
repaired as soon as it is light enough
to find them, and the only way to
do this is to follow the wire until
the break is found. When wires are
strung alongside a road this is easy,
because every piece of shell-torn
jungle can be expected to mean wire
trouble. 1t is not so easy when
a truck breaks wire in place
where you'd never expect truck to
be-"
Maj. Maloney was the first ma
rine ever to land on Iceland, leaving
the United States on short notice,
and before Army units arrived.
There he served on the staff of Brig.
Gen. (now Maj Gem John Mar
ston. When the Army arrived in
force. Maj. Maloney departed for
the Army Signal School at Fort
Monmouth, N. j., but not before
stopping off in Washington to mar
ry Miss Mary C. Queally of 1419
Gallatin street, where they live to-
day.
Last Regiment to Leave.
Maj. Maloney made one more stop |
before shipping for Guadalcanal; at |
Camp Elliott in San Diego, Calf |
He is justif1ably proud of the fact |
that although his regiment was the
last to land on Guadalcanal, it was
also the last to leave the island. AS
regimental communications officers
there for seven weeks, Maj. Ma
loney admits he was never wounded. |
But he does not smile when he re-
calls that he was bombed and shot |
at by Snipers, and was the object of |
barrages. He is alive to-
day only because he acquired an
expert ability in "ducking at the
right time. But guess it's correct"
he said, ito say that I've had no
narrow squeaks"
According to the major, there is a |
pat explanation of the famed Quad |
alcanal neurosis which afflicted so
many Marine personnel on the is
land.
IF you're too busy to think, too
rushed to remember, and if you have |
never been fond of night life, and |
therefore not given to thinking
about what you're missing, Guadal-
canal wasn't so bad" he said. Its
the night clubber and playboy who
find it hardest to take. Even now
my wife catches me staring off into
space, but aside from my malaria,
the last attack of which caught me
after was safely back in the States. |
Guadalcanal has had no other effect !
on me.
Men Played for Keeps.
Il had no Washington men in my
regiment, most of them having en-
listed from the West Coast and the
South. But they were all hard, |
tough fellows who were playing for
keeps, and their record is excellent.
One night courier who was taking