The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-08-30

-(Delayed)-tP)- This is one
of the weirdest voyages in his
tory = circling off the Japanese
coast and waiting for the signal
hour to swarm ashore and &C.
cupy the keystone Of Hirohito's
blasted empire.
You feel almost as IL you were
caught in the backwash of an
atomic bomb explosion an d
were floating around in some
unmappef zone of space. 1t is
a timeless feeling and only our
radio contact with the outside
world gives a sense of reality.
1t is certainly q lazy man S
wonderland, with nothing to
break the monotony but three
of the squarest meals each day
that ever fell to the lot of any
group of fighting men.
COMBAT DRESS
Our attack transport, loaded
with dungaree-clad Marines, is
in the middle of one of the
mightiest fleets ever assembled.
From our decks we can count
half a hundred or more trans
ports, destroyerS, cruisers or bat
tleships at any time. Beyond the
horizon lie hundreds more.
A great yellow moon is shin
ing now and the great battle
wagons slide like huge cats
noiseleSsly across the churning
water. They are dark and silent
- BACKED out as if they were
on regular war time combat mis-
sion. Fleet commanders are TAX
ing no chances of a repetition
of the day of infamy" - Pearl
Harbor - that launched us into
the war,
All day, carrier based planes
circle protectively in the skies.
They come in waves of 20 to 80
like endless flights of blue grey
geese. Usually, each flight is
trailed by some late starting
Donald Duck trying to catch up.
There is something about this
endless parade of might through
cloud streaked skies and slow,
hammering seas that catches at
your throat. 1t is America on
victory parade. 1t is the thou
sands who survived moving in
majesty to claim the triumph
for all the thousands who died
on lonely atolls or were lost in
swirling waters in struggle-fill-
ed days when a world at peace
seemed a forlorn delusion.
We have been at sea for days.
Except for a few rain squalls,
the weather has been the per-
feet kind the Nipponese folders
will be advertising again within
few months. No typhoon has
dashed our way.
Zone did, a few days later,
but did no damage.)
Marines walk bare backed
a out the decks or stretch
asleep, their bronze skins un-
harmed by tropic sun rays. At
night it is little sitting be-
hind the matches and portfolios,
closed to keep light from show
ing outside to any kamikaze
minded Japan ese submarine
commander. In the morning, you
can almost swim through your
perspiration to the edge of your
bunk. Troops take one or two
fresh or salt water showers daily
trying to keep cool.
There is deck music through
out the day, just as though this
was peace time pleasure cruise
Navy boys play hot tunes on a
photograph and they are blared
about the ship by public address
system. Several hours a day,
Marines cluster around radios
to listen to news bulletins.
At night there are movies.
But the quality is so spotty that
rather than swelter through B
grade films banalities, many Ma
rines prefer to cuddle up in
their shorts with a good murder
mystery, recent historical novel
or The History of the Demo-
cratic Party"
But the best entertainment
aboard ship is being furnished
by the chefs. Marines u,ho oto