'Round the Girdled Earth

Letters from Dartmouth Men in the Armed Forces

STAFF SERGEANT MILBURN McCARTY JR. '35 sends an interesting dispatch from the Bougainville area in theSolomons:

Your V-Mail letter dated October 29 was written while I was sailing up Solomon waters en route to the invasion of Bougainville, and because of our extended communication lines did not reach me until a couple of days ago. But because of the distance and isolation from Hanover, it was all the more pleasant to hear from you.

I have run across Dartmouth men all over the South Pacific—in Samoa, New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, Guadalcanal—but I suppose that news of Dartmouth participation in the Bougainville campaign would interest you more than anything else, since that has been our latest push in this area.

At least eight ex-Hanoverites landed with the invading Marines on D-Day, November 1: Captain Patrick O'Sheel '37, Captain John Mayer '38, Second Lieutenant John Sterling '44, First Lieutenant John Foley '37, Major Grant Crane '37, Captain Daniel A. Marshall '38, Major Hunter Phelan '40, and myself.

Captain O'Sheel, now a Marine Public Relations officer, has, so far as I know, been the only one wounded. A 550-pound Jap bomb hit about 15 feet outside his Press tent on the night of November 6-7, putting several painful shrapnel wounds in his legs. The bomb killed Keith Palmer, an Australian war correspondent, a Marine, and injured half a dozen other men. Although O'Sheel is still carrying some of the shrapnel in his legs, he's getting along fine, and as I write, this is somewhere up near the front covering a new push against the Jap lines.

Captain Mayer has probably seen more action than any other Dartmouth man here. He helped take three Jap pill-boxes in the bitter Cape Torokina fighting the first day, and later figured in the Battle of Cibibi Ridge. He got a bullet nick in the neck, but says it's so small he can't count it as a wound.

Lieutenant John Sterling '44, son of John C. Sterling '11 of Dartmouth and This Week fame, landed with the assault w.aves of Marine Raiders who annihilated the Japs on Puruata, the pin-point island just off the mainland which had to be taken to secure the approach to our beachhead. Later, he also fought on the Piva Trail. Sterling, incidentally, made the observation that all the dead Japs he found were wearing their left shoe, both leggins—but no right shoe! This, we gathered, was so they could climb trees and better do their sniping work.

Lieutenant Foley, officer of a regiment that will go down in Bougainville history, has been in and out of the front lines, under plenty of mortar and sniper fire.

Major Crane, in charge of supplies for the same regiment, has seen that his Marines get their "chow" and ammunition, even though some of it had to be Carried through waist-deep swamps.

Captain Marshall has been serving as a liaison officer, and Major Phelan with an artillery group.

I went ashore with Lieutenant Sterling's group the first morning and stayed with the Raiders until we finished mopping up Puruata. Since, I've covered the Piva Trail fighting, and gone here and there along the Bougainville beachhead gathering other news stories. I went up as a rear gunner in the first dive bomber to take off our new field with a full bomb load, and also went on a PT mission to Japanese -waters up towards Buka.

Skipper of this PT was Lieutenant (jg) Art Atkinson '36, who plays hide and seek with Jap barges and destroyers. Art was looking lor "big game" that night, but all we found were planes looking for us. They dropped several flares, but no trouble came of it.

Atkinson arrived at Bougainville shortly after D-Day, and so did a group of Marine paratroopers, among them Major Ty Cobb '40, First Lieutenant Jack O'Rourke '42, and First Lieutenant Bob Carney '42. These last three just got through a nasty little scrap with the Japs, but I understand all are O.K.

Another arrival is Second Lieutenant Robert S. Kinsman '40, who learned Japanese at a Marine interpreters' school.

These are all the Dartmouth men I've run into here, though it wouldn't surprise me i£ others would turn up in a thorough search of Bougainville foxholes.

It's always good to bump into another Dartmouth man in this God-forsaken part of the world, and you can be sure that whenever we do meet we talk fondly—and longingly—of Hanover and its peaceful hills. The things Dartmouth stands for are, we figure, among the more important we're fighting for, and for that reason we don't, even out here, forget such things as the Alumni Fund. Making out a check in a swampy, chigger-infested Bougainville foxhole isn't the easiest thing to manage, but I believe the Fund will hear from each of us, sooner or later.

Best regards to all of you in Hanover.

Another fine letter from the Class of 1935was written to me by LT. (jg) R. K. HAGEUSNR. This comes from the European sector.

There's no doubt that many of us overseas are.having experiences which we could never even approximate at home: some facing the hazards of war at its worst.... and others farther from the battlefront finding adventure and excitement amidst new surroundings. So far I've been in the latter group and England has proved fertile ground for exploration. Fortunately my work has taken me to practically every corner of the British Isles. Most of my British friends haven't covered the ground that I have. What to them is a "dreadful journey" is a pushover to an American.

I don't want to go into detail regarding all the places I've seen, but I must mention the highlight. I was one of a group of American Army and Navy officers invited to the informal afternoon party given by the King and Queen the day before Thanksgiving at Buckingham Palace. It's difficult to conceive how gracious and friendly the Royal Family can be. Not only did we meet the King, Queen and the Princesses via the receiving line, but we later chatted with them individually and personally just as you might talk to President or Mrs. Hopkins at their Commencement Reception. Some time I'll tell you more about it.

The Dartmouth men in England haven't formed any clubs or, as far as I know, have had no formal dinners. But they are here —and on my journeys it is rare when I don't run into someone I knew back in Hanover. The newest arrival is Dean Gidney '36, lieutenant in the Navy Supply Corps; while one of the "old timers" is his classmate, Army Captain Bob Button. My fellow '35ers that I've run into are likewise both Army captains—Bill Blakeslee and Flight Surgeon Bud Lippman. Some of the others: Lt. (jg) Les Talbot '26, Lt. Sam Allen '32, Lt. (jg) Frank Kelliher '32, Lt. (jg) Jack Fogarty '34, Lt. Don Sandy '34, Lt. (jg) Nate Straus '38, Lt. (jg) John Thornton '39—all of the Navy; and Lt. Dave Samson '37 of the Army.

That Dartmouth men are blazing trails all over the world is quite obvious—your column, among other things, testifies to that. But that those trails will not soon be overgrown is to my mind just as certain. I think I can illustrate what I mean. One of my first friends in England was a Wren officer, a remarkable girl, who knew a great deal about Dartmouth and loved it, although she had never crossed the Atlantic. The source of her devotion and enthusiasm was that fine trio of Dartmouth men who were among the first to come to England: Jack Brister, Chuck Bolte and Bill Durkee. I'm not sure how many other Dartmouth admirers have been produced here and elsewhere by the men from Hanover, but the number must be legion.

Dartmouth's future won't ever depend on such an international reputation— though it is a nice thing to have. But her future does depend on those men who are making that international reputation such a high one. As a one-time agent who had some trouble corraling all the '35 alumni in the United States, I've marvelled at the way the men overseas, wherever they are and despite many obstacles, have been supporting the Alumni Fund so generously and with the expressed conviction that they want a strong Dartmouth to greet them when they return. With even greater uncertainties confronting the College, its strength more than ever lies in the Fund; and I hope that when summer rolls around, Dartmouth will again be proud of the support from these men.

ENSIGN C. M. PEARSON (Stubbie tomost of us) '42 is now in action and writesfrom the South Pacific:

Flew a flight, anti-sub, for a large carrier, one of the raiders, yesterday and observed our naval strength spread out on the sea below. (Our production men have done a remarkable job.) Carriers, huge warships, escort vessels and destroyers were going about their business. You can guess what a lift such a sight gives us.

The push in this sector is on. I've spoken to many of the boys who flew in the Gilbert attack. It was some show and those to come will be more spectacular and more fierce.

I have been out here a month and a half. Much has happened that has shaken our emotions—sometimes I think we have lost all feeling. You can't give it too much thought. All there is to do is say, "He was a swell guy." and then it's on with your business.

There is another period approaching, a period with an opportunity for a washing of our sins. Intelligent leaders with understanding will be needed. Men with fire who will fight for practical beliefs, although these beliefs may be principles only dreamed of before. They must have courage and a go-to-hell attitude. They must be men's men and women's men. A people with faith and belief is needed.

It should be Dartmouth's aim to present to our world the type of men we need. You should search the land for the human material you need. Money and position should not be considered.. Ability, personality, and intelligence—character—is what you should work with. Design your shop to produce the desired quality.