GUSIKA, NEW GUINEA 21 APR ‘44 - 9 Nov ‘44 - 7 months
Drink a Highball by G.B. Brigham
https://tinyurl.com/2pvhduma Drink a highball at nightfall Be good fellows while you may, For tomorrow may bring sorrow So tonight, let’s all be gay,
21 Apr. ‘44, we were released from the ship and began staging for our first destination near Finschhafen (Finch Harbor). Two 1/2 ton trucks took us to a location midway up the coast to Gauilen, near the shore. I saw a hell of a lot of palm trees along the way, more than I have ever seen in my life. We set up camp and waited.
Tell the story of Glory Of Penn-syl-van-I-a,
Drink a highball, and be jolly Here’s a toast to dear Old Penn!
Two days after sailing on the S.S. Hawai- ian Shipper, booklets were passed out: Pock- et Guide to New Guinea and the Solomons . I could hardly believe my eyes! i found a copy of the original booklet on eBay in 2012; it is full of information about where we were going, what we could expect once we arrived and some very important advice about the region. The ship was overcrowded, and there was little to do so we all read those booklets from end to end. Onboard, 6,000 troops that had to be fed two times a day. Chow lines seemed endless. By the time you finished one meal, it was time to get back in line for the next. I volunteered to work in the kitchen just to get meals with- out standing in those long lines. The sleeping quarters were five cots stacked on top of each other. It was so crowded below deck, and the air was so stale that after a while I just took my blanket and slept on the top deck. I carried a lifejacket with me everywhere. About a week before arriving, Atabrine pills were issued, and we started building up our tolerance to the threat of Malaria. 13 Apr. ‘44, Milne Bay, New Guinea. My unit consisting of about 110 soldiers, waited there a few days on the ship. I could see the beach and all the chaotic activity going on below. The enemy was still formidable; its Navy and Air Force were near full strength. The Allied Army was gaining ground, but there was a sense of a long, protracted, bloody war ahead against a tenacious enemy. Victory was certainly not assured.
Pocket Guide to New Guinea and the Solomons, cover and excerpt
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