The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-01-06
DRoP ARMY FoRMALITIEs

4
| to the needs of the moment. The
formalities of military life, for in
stance, disappear in jungle lighting.
A buck private may be heard adj
dressing his commanding officer as
Charlie, Bob or some other familiar
name. The officers get code names
or nicknames. It would be safe to
say "Sir" or "Colonel" where the
enemy could hear it. The japanese
have proved themselves uncannily
adept at picking out officers and
non-commissioned officers.
The enemy listens carefully. On
one occasion snipers were within a
few hundred yards of a regimental
supply dump. All day long, the
field telephone set had rung, most
of the calls being for "Hipp," the
name given to a major who was
supply officer. During the night
the Japs would call out, "Hipp
you're wanted on the telephone. y
That continued until some of the
truck drivers broke up the conver-
sation with their automatic rifles.
OFFICERS DISCARD INSIGNIA
No officer wears insignia, since it
would make him a fine target for
sniper's rifles. One day a private
was having a tough time driving his
truck through a swamp. Along came
another jeep in which was riding a
brigadier general, although he wore
no insignia to indicate any rank.
Get the hell off this road and LET
me get by yelled the private. 1--WE
got front line supplies"
Without a murmur or change OF
expression, the general motioned his
driver to pull the vehicle off the
road so that the supplies could get
through.
When the troops leave combat
areas, this informality ceases. They
revert to the traditional and time
honored courtesies and customs OF
the Army.
OFFICERS DIG OWN FoXHoLEs
But while the fighting is on, the
officers have to have foxholes, too
Each carries an entrenching shove
just like any private and they dig
their own. Officers bed rolls anc
foot lockers are non-existent il
jungle warfare. Officers carry
waterproof jungle packs like the
enlisted men. And they carry car
bines or rifles, for they are better
than pistols when an enemy snipel
is at work 800 to 500 yards away
Regardless of rank, American sol
diers year the jungle green denims
which come in one and two piece
suits. Leggings aren't often worn
They're too hot in the jungles. Sol
diers have adopted the custom OF
tying their trouser leg bottoms
around the tops of their shoes be
cause of the wet and inevitable mud
Equipment has been designed tt
| fit jungle warfare. Brightly polished
metal canteens and canteen cups
which glistened in the sun, have
been replaced by black plastic ones
lighter in weight.
YANKs HUNT SOUVENIRS
| American soldiers on Bougain
vile, as elsewhere, are inveterats
souvenir hunters. There's the mat
ter of Jap flags. Each enemy sol
dier seems to possess one, presented
to him when relatives and friends
hold banquet for him just befor'
he goes into military service. Amer
ican soldiers are collecting thes,
flags rapidly. But Americans dom
collect abandoned Japanese food
They bury it, sometimes along will
the individual who had hoped t.
eat it.
Living on Bougainville is tough
But there are moments, as when OF
rainy Thanksgiving Day, 25 days
after they landed, their regular ra
tions were supplemented with tn,
kind of dinner they'd had at home
The menu-roast young turkey
cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes
giblet gravy, creamed caulifiower
chilled pears, hot rolls, fresh but
ter, coffee, cream, sugar, candy.
Brother" says one of the sold
iers, "when you get a meal lik,
that on Bougainville, you're reall,
accomplishing miracle.
KEEP UP MORALE
| When the going gets tough il
modern warfare, the U. S. Army al
ways seems to pull one of thos,
minor miracles out of the hat. The,
don't mean much as far as actua
gains on the battle front go, bu
for keeping the morale of the mel
in tip-top shape and for insurin,
that vital spirit de corps when tn,
big push starts, they can't be beat
There are other moments. Some
times there's a chance to take {
bath in mountain stream, to wasl
clothing or to catch up on letter
writing.
"And so," writes Sergeant Smith
life goes on in the jungle. It's /;