The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1944-04-20
News Comes
From South
Pacific Area
Correspondent Tells
OF Battles in Which
Libby Men Participated.
DESCRIBES HARDSHIPS
OF ISLAND FIGHTING

Following is most interesting
letter from S/Sgt Kenneth Schoo-
ley who has been writing to this
Newspaper for some time from the
front IN the Southwest Pacific. He
tells Of some Of the fighting in New
Guinea The letter was written on
March 81 but just reached us. An
other one under date of March 30,
arrived in the same mail and gives a
vivid picture of native life in New
Guinea. It will be published next
week. Sgt. Schooley's first letter
follows. He is in an army medical
section.
Friends Of Libby.
Forgive my neglect of you this
past month, but | have been in the
hospital and have had no opportun-
ity to write you. I'm still in, but
quite all right, and will try to make
up for lost fine. The last | heard
from the fellows at camp, every
thing was going fine and the men
are In splendid health. However,
haven't had word for almost three
weeks now, and will certainly be
glad to return to the outfit. In the
meantime, | have been thinking
over an idea that you might like
to know a little about what went
on up north. I'll write Of the things
that happened to me, and you can
judge from that what your men
were doing at the time. Certain reg
ulations prevent my telling you
about each man and I'm sure you
will understand.
The following deals with my So
journ in New Guinea, and what
went on during the Battle of Sanan-
anda Point, In which the Japs were
driven out Of their strongly forti-
fled positions. II takes place in
thet area around Buna, Coma, and
Sananapda Pcfnt, Fhich Included
Dobodufa. Soputa, and other VII
lagos close by. No doubt you have
read something Of those places, so
they won't be altogether new to
you, and | hope this story gives you
the information / am trying to con-
vey.
The first thing to contend with,
after having flown over the Owen
Stanley Mountains in transport,
was the intense heat. It was just
like stepping into an oven, when
the plane door opened. Nearly a
hundred pounds of equipment, in
Guiding rations, was not conducive
to making matters pleasant, either,
but there was no alternative. It was
two miles to the first village Of
Dobodura, where tea and bareback
could be had, along with a much
needed rest. Here, natives were
coming through with wounded men
from the area Of action, on their
way back to the hospitals, and jeep
loads of supplies were going the
other way as rapidly as possible. !.
Two days later, | had reached the
jumping-off place. It IS impossible
to call the area OF action a front
line, insofar as jungle fighting is
concerned, because the positions OF
allies and enemy are individual,
wherever high ground keeps them
out Of the water, and are often
sandwiched together SO that cas-
ual observer might think Of them
as being just one units position.
Here, / encountered all sorts OF in
sects, Shiny mud, and rain such as
/ had never seen before.
To reach the Japs, 1t was neces-
Sary to march for hours, through
mud, water, and tangled jungle
growth, which was sometimes knee
deep, but more often between the
hips and shoulders, thus making
progress slower and more tedious.
It was also necessary to keep the
medical equipment as dry as pos
sible, and ready for instant use.
There was certainly no surplus to
waste, and it meant life or death
for someone.
The first action was frightening
to begin with, but there was i'm
mediate work to be done on the
wounded. Those first casualties
were a shock, too, but It soon be-
came commonplace to patch them
up, see to their comfort, and 60 on
to the next with little time for
thinking it over. It was the usual
thing to work like mad for few
hours, and then there would be
only scattered casualties until the
next session, which might be few
minutes hence, or possibly day or
two. All the while, there was the
comfort Of allied artillery shells
screaming over, and into the Jap
positions. I do mean comfort too,
since every one was one way
ticket for some Of the enemy, and
the more the better. Their accuracy
was astounding.
Days of this, always advancing
through devasted Jap positions, lit
tered with dead, and smashed
equipment; sleeping in water-filled
foxholes, with no shelter, and keep
ing one eye open for sneaking
enemies. Little went on at night,
but it was necessary to be ready for
any eventuality. Between all Of the
EMBELLISHMENTS, II waS deep mud and
fTsAsatinssnA - nnMA AZ