The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1945-03-01
Tells N lore
About Life
In ). W. Pacific

1t. Paul O. Sather again writes
his parents. Mr. and Mrs. V. A.
Sather of Troy, in an interesting
vein. He is in the medical corps,
u. S. N, with the Marines. He has
been moved from the air base hos
pital in Guadalcanal to another in
the Admiralty Islands, about 1900
miles farther west. He writes:
Il have been overseas exactly two
months to date. (Jan. 23), only II
months more to 60 The General
dropped in for an inspection yester-
day and was quite pleased. He
wants to get us farther north as
soon as transportation materializes
Have you ever heard of the island
of Manus in the Admiralty Islands
group? Am sending suitcase with
a grass skirt, war club and other
things. Nina Larson went down to
New Caledonia. some new assign
ment."
Enroute to new base.
Here we are back aboard ship
ready to make another landing.
Only trouble is when our outfit ar
rives on an island it's as tame as
stateside. We just left Bougainville
Island. There are still about 10000
Japs on it but they're pretty well
neutralized. was two days on this
island.
Il am aboard an APA which is
now passing through the strait be-
tween New Britain and New Guinea.
There is beautiful sunset with an
almost perfectly cone shaped vol
cano mountain in the foreground
on one of the small islands in the
strait. We expect to land about 8
a. m. tomorrow (Jan 30l morning
and will disembark about noon,
This is a comfortable fast ship and
our accommodations are excellent.
There are about 900 Marines aboard
for whose health | am responsible.
There goes the call to darken ship.
I must have time to secure the ports
in my room and get back to the
movies
THE new camp. lin the Admiral
ty group is situated beautifully.
My hut is 20 feet from the ocean.
The surf breaks out about SO yards
over a coral reef and lulls me to
sleep at night The water is crystal
clear with nothing beyond but the
broad blue Pacific. My hut is made
of woven palm fronds, open on all
sides, but with drop awnings IN
case of storm. have little porch
overlooking the beach, shower. rum
ming water and a telephone. At any
resort this would be worth plenty
island in chain which forms sort
of a barrier around the southern
tip of larger island which | may
have mentioned at one time. 1t is
spotless1y clean because of the
white coral sand and gravel and
cool and dry because of the prevail
ing breeze. although we are only
one and half degree south of the
equator. / took some pictures on the
Canal and had them developed on
the ship. The prints are rather
amateurishly done but if you like
them you might have some more
made or even enlarged. III send q
few with each letter.
Feb. 3rd.-Things are going much
more smoothly now that we are all
together in one camp. With an
other doctor and dentist aboard
my duties are considerably less
ened | am still as enthused as ever
about this spot. / have access tx
a Navy hospital, it's clean and cool
and the Japs haven't bombed tht
airfield since November Just tx
show you how safe it is, Irving
Berlin and his original New Yorl
cast appeared here last night. | an
enclosing the program.
That is terrible news about Boil
Nolop. / heard all about the sinking
OF those destroyers in a typhoon.
Love, PAUL.