The Western news., 1943-10-07
He Saw
Action In
South Pacific

WneH tilt ISSUE Ol lne western
News in which this is printed
reaches him, Jack Soldering, A. R.
M. &c, of Eureka, will be much
surprlser young fellow During his
20 days furlough at home and with
relatives, your correspondent tried
several times to get some informa-
ton from him regarding his activi-
ties IN the service, but with the
slightest success. When he returned
to his post it was with the firm con-
viction that all your correspondent
knew about him was that he had
spent some time overseas-and in
this he is correct. What follows was
since obtained without his knowl-
edge.
Young Soldering is a radio gun
ner in U. S. Navy dive bomber. He
has seen plenty of action in the
South Pacific. He completed 25
bombing missions in which his
squadron dumped explosives on
japanese shipping and on the then
enemy air bases of Munda, Rekata
Bay, Vela, Barouka Harbor, Wich-
am Anchorage, and Bougainville.
This dauntless young dive bomber
did not only do much damage to the
enemy but caused them plenty of
grief by straflng of troops and gun
emplacements.
During the six months he was on
Guadalcanal, Jack saw plenty of
what he calls fox hole duty. When
the Japs would raid their base and
drop a few daisy cutters It was
much safer to be in a fox hole
while the schrapnel from these
bombs was flying around. The Japs
would try to wear the boys out by
nuisance raids in which they would
drop a bomb or two and then re-
peat every hour. Evidently this Jap
trick did not work, because the
boys took Munda.
When asked what his most anx-
lous moment was, Jack just grinned:
but by keeping at him, he finally
made this answer: Il suppose it
was when an anti-aircraft shell
burst In the center of our forma-
ton, knocking the plane upside
down and the pilot out cold for d
moment or two, during which time
the plane was out of control and
dropping. However, the pilot upon
regalnlng consciousness soon had
the plane under control again. Sew
erral holes in the plane gave proof
OF really narrow escape. When
ever the boys would dive on their
objective it always meant going
through heavy anti-aircraft fire
by the enemy. A plane would usual
" bring back a hole or two after
each raid. He says the losses in
American planes are relatively
small IN comparison to enemy losses.
Casualties in his squadron was
subject he would rather not talk
about, and seemed to take as some
thing that just had to happen. One
OF his choice buddies was shot down
lust before Jacks leave to the
States.
According to Jack, the japanese
try various ways to break the BOYS
morale. The boys radio on Guadal-
canal can tune in on Tokyo and lis
ten to japanese girls, speaking in
very fluent English, telling the boys
how grand it would be to be back
with home folks in the States and
to live again in a comfortable
home, but he says the only effect
this has on the boys is to make them
more eager to give the Japs few
more bursts from the machine guns.
One of the American boys big wor-
ry overseas is to know how the
home folks are getting by on ra-
tioning
Jack also spent some time at
Pearl Harbor, FIJI Islands, New Cal
edonia, and New Hebrides.
Like millions of other American
boys, modest Jack Soldering, A. r.
M. 2/c, has what it takes to finish
the job We all wish him success
in his next engagement with the
enemy, an engagement he is eagerly
looking forward to keeping