The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1943-05-27

we couldn't see the bow from
our position in the stern. The
greater share of the men under
my command were hardly able
10 get up from below for breath
of air, the boat was pitching and
tossing that violently. Conse-
quently few saw the fog. There
was plenty of deck space to view
il from, but you can't blame a
man for not wanting to take the
chance of being tossed over
board into 1900 fathOms OF
freezing water.
On arrival day, we had to
creep along the shore, straining
our eyes to spot reefs which on
later, clearer days, looked like
hog backs" in Arkansas. We eff
fected our landing and joined
the first echelon. Many things
happened to our task force dur
ing our entire operation which
am not at liberty to tell. But
we did get to Amchitka pretty
much intact.
My outfit still had by far their
greatest task ahead Of them. That
was constructing an airport, and
the first part of that task was,
Of course, getting our equipment
ashore. The assistant motor Of
ficer, Lieut.. Dregnick, and my
self with about 40 men, went for
two days and two nights without
food or sleep. The lieutenant and
myself went four days and nights
without either. We we're up
against tough customer not
the Jap, right then, at least -
but the ocean.
We had to prepare roads and
get the field started. MIR. Nip
might get wind of our plans and
get ornery. Unloading the heavy
stuff involved plenty of head
aches, one of which was to see
10 tons Of steel bend the heavy
timbers we used as ramps, tip
over sideways, and plunge ten
odd feet into rolling sea. 1t
was quite a sight to see the OPP
orators below scramble for safe
". and somehow or other we al
ways got a laugh out of it.
We we're getting pretty we'll
under way when clouds decided
to open up, and who should pop
out but little hippo, loaded with
eggs to put crimp in our land
ing and construction operations.
That happened every day, wealth
er permitting. and we soon got
used to it. "Monotonous,' as the
boys put IT.
The physical obstacles were
almost impossible TO overcome.
Almost. but not quite. The en-
gineering staff performed what
was TO be a mircle. A couple Of
Texas boys-highway engineers
de luxe and real officers. under
the able leadership Of our c. O.
and executive officer - and all
others concerned, got things
shaped up for big things to come.
One fine day three Zeros paid
us a call. II was the end OF their
calling days. for our p 40'S
blasted them out of the skies in
full view of every soldier on the
island. You should have heard
the cheers. Helmets, gas masks,
bayonets, rifles. hats. clothes,
and a couple of soldiers got toss
cd into the air 1t was first
blood for some, old stuff to
others, but we all got bang out
of il | doubt we'll ever forget.
From that day on Amchitka was
our home, place we were 60
ing to hang on to, come what
may.
This was in January. 1t wasn't
all new stuff TO me because last
August we set up business at
Adak, in the Andreanoff Islands.
Some of the men in that out
fit bucked the Boring Sea i'm q
four-mastcd schooner. II took in
trepid soldiers to ship in that old
scow, for there is no sea on the
globe SO rough and dastardly as
the Boring. l know from first
hand experience. having put in