WWII 244th Anti-Aircraft Artillery

8/6/2019 WWII 244th Anti-Aircraft Artillery

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':0 THE o f f ic e rs a n d m en o f tb e .A .A .J1 .Command,

A."P.O .,244~whose (tD1!Jrageand determination 'in s to rm-

ing' the beeches, whose ,aTtHle:ry proficiencyin hea ting

off hos ti leail"attacks, whosezeal and ~nergy in . getting

j000 done, and whose unflagginginterest and keen sense

of hum or in (,~w eatingone' the long wait fo r 'ta rg ets

to appear, has made possible the 'telling of th is s to ry ;


3/43

'EDICATEDIto OIl' comrao es whose Sl.lp,relne

sacrifice, we p,]e(lge.,sh,aJ.l 110t have heen ']"0 vain.

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4/43

W:h / (.., L. rIJ J. 0"_ 1 12. ("''0/'"" . dYllfTHtt ee : ifVH'_I'Wt(r'"tH~ c f J1 - -

c4 ,L ./ ~ ,o ? iY u7 a ,' ', ,~~~. . ~. -~~'

(Jj)A,... a.: II/- a: I~7F'> ' u J lA .HUr: (pot?~e i"J),,;/~_/.,.:_ ~ riD floU _."..,'."...J_fC. "?l".au.:u.t ",:k4' vUtaff4.

Bl f o .JUle4I$ -' ~~(~A. a :v " ,, / ,"J ." D" " '. 'J . _vr~~ .. l~Ut-'E;-:I&

BAt J I . ,' ~ / UM I - 9 J .$~ fiO:JMd~H., :YI~~ It.d...Wa . ? ~ ~

~tal eTimy~N,Ma;.$t.,.,

f!)'cl ..7~ r ; :9! . .eiJ i / l J : t4 ' '1J

Period G vermg D.Day-.filli. I air aid,

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5/43

we first caugh t&igh'[of ,,'our" island that night it made yeuthink you wert watching at figh t rin g'fK'10mway b;a,ckin the gaJlery. Every-th ing da:rk around you w itha little blaze ofligh~ way doWl1!there '~}ntheean vas. O ut there inth e dark our Nava lTask Forcewas ligh ting d :u l'~i slandwith a pre-in vasion harrage tha t 'W~S a sight to stare at. This was the showw e'd traveled alm ost three w eeks to take part in ,and th e Navy was p lay in g

." h I f ': ' if ,,- ~'1;'UV .JI.J' R han ImpressIve overture '!tlnt' ots o . .II .O'.fUSSlmo.ly e l vunu , t : : r eunow tl IeJaps in those orchestra seats W'eJ'0 taking it this early morning o f ~'~D'~D~y~"


6/43

The Marin eswere eviden tly having some diHkl!.ll~yco nvin cin g th e _Jttps thatlJ:,;W tenants were tailing OYer. It 'w-as D 'Plus two before w eof th e A..AtAstarted to come ashore and mel t inti) the clouds of coral dust tobecomepart of the nois e, the heat, thedirt and the sweat 11118 . : 1was e ve rywh ere ..


7/43


8/43

Flame throwers, gI'ena.d~s and dynaml te wen~ used to blast tho e "'Sons ofHeaven" from their' holes, For several da vs the A A,Acut short fuses and~tossed. "hens H .p at those eli[s,. We accou 11ted for over four hundred Japsthat W ' fLy .; . .t night the, ~d ]]1filtrate or ma ke their suicide- hanzai a Hacks.


9/43

Wh.u, t he a irfi,eJldhad beenmade secure weadded that to our respons ib ili ty ..Jap :ra :idFn ,g 'parties were !tryingto ' knock out our gmn.p ositio ns, soyou keptone eye open for enemy planes and the other on the kuni .grass around.your gun area, We had more roomto U10ve around in and. were able to


10/43

do .a h it o f sigh tseeing onmeside., Ene[Iry tanks, knocked out planes and!Britishseacoast guns the Japshad transplan ted from Singapore w ere richgr.c:mnds, W,e were surprised '~O find tw o of the Spanish J1U:nS whQ hadb~en.liVlll1gon the island since long beforeNipponesemi lita ry o ccupatio n ,


11/43

B:US]]1:e88 011 the island was OJ] a tw~nty SOUlf hour schedule and trafficw as heavier than on Ou~~r D:d,'Vcon, Sunday afternoon. "The AAA. out-fits 'Ji,E;il"6~~o01kiJlg 'around for more permanent pOSJ tions. Apparentlythe construction sil:a,ge 'O f the ~U11 aign was ju s t aro im ij the corner .


12/43


13/43

The Medical- (~o:rpiS wen t in search 0 :the Anoph ele s Mosqu itoand a]luili,er soueees of tropical diseases. Swam p areas w ereIi~le d ,in by bri~1 -doeers and abandonedcisterns '1AH~~I'esealed over. The entire island 1 j ,V " aSblanketed with insect kiUi:ng "DD"I"~sprayed from hedge hopping C~41';;s,.


14/43

D,eh.dswas shoveled from hahitahle huildings so they could be used ascommandposts and d;~ta,ch]l1l.i(::ntoffices. A Japanese harher shop becamea compan y o ffice .;the Hghth.ouse ee ~ved a simi Iar P ur pose". The Grpyramidal tent still outnumbered an 0 her eonstruction ten to one,


15/43

Screened-in m ess halls w ith cem entHO-OTS were under construction. Bar-rels 11,eld,a]o;ftby tWij-hy-foUI's~ ' ; i l J ro ld l i f1g-held '~v.a\terIor the daily shower.. Jap flags were being painted and proudly posted 'to show the planesknocked dow rr, and everyone's area w as takingon that look oforderljness,


16/43

lBattt~]ys tre ets 'w e relaid 00 t Iike ,a n ew su hd ivi910nand landscapin gdetailsbrought in hc.I!11~Uta palms, hibiscus plants, captured field pieoes.and wlutecoral to line thepaths, R]bbons of "black-top" highw ays w ere com ing from,asphalt plants. F a~n]ly s ty le :group p.ictures were beeoming 'fas,hionahle.,


17/43


18/43

That day in Noveniber was a fie ld day Io r the Antiaircraf t when a. dozenenemy planes came in lw and fastan d righ tdown 00.[' gu:iJ.lbarre ls, Wegot eeleven ,~fl.d.a P-47 pilot got lll.pS - a .IS and erased number twel: e fromtl e sky.. 'Gunn~rs got out the re d an d white an dpainted more J(tP Ilags,


19/43

-Ene[uy raids s];a(:kB~, olf and thought was given '~O making conditions morelivahle on ~';;du~ ock," C ratio ns g av eway gradnaUy '~O H tastier mess, A 'fewglLl.11sectio ns h ad caref uJ ]'1pampered some 5c:rawuy chickens into produe -tivity a,n d,boasted ofreal fried 'eggs. 'Windrrrill washing machines that

~roj] ; de . ry'0 /digg.itt:gg . r t r tJort~{1.Vi:1,ti.'(m$,[.[;!"tthl'.ttIM: broilirqj ,'>1UL.


20/43

jounced clothes ~tpand down in o ld fr_fty~:fi:'ir e.aUon arums were springing, 1 1 T . " ', 1 ,"" h 1 ;-. 1l.J E l' _L _]up to l!'e p .IL llc ethe ~WSLll . r t t~ill your-~e met method, I r very J.aUery snowen

outdoor movies each fi]ght l ith "Pvt. Snafu" ~}1f1 a weeklyschedule, Youtook a]ong y(rllI' poncho ' 0- ' ' L hOO " 6rains that 51310 .0111missed a performance"


21/43

I'he fro ntie r ~ 1{.a!Soved .from here 'ltd-lenwe sawhoulevard stop signs ]JI05-som ahm g the highw aysand heard that a coca.cola hotrling w orks hado pen ed fo r busin ess.Ship s unlo aderla s rt~ady: fiow ofeverything' from SkolSuntan 0;] and hundoze]~ to C!ldstnltL;;:,paekages-e-and each in season,


22/43


23/43

OCUlLLY speakin ;> if.e is not quite as full as ~ e knew back home,bu t th in gs kee plooking I)alter. The Red. Crossgirls represent a big step i I I .the right d]re~tion. rj"he ' J : \ . fixed u a mobile Ca l ] t e e nunit for the girlsand eve ry d rrythey're out visiting he different batteries and gur positionsw ith their donghnuts, lem onade and eas~ ,liue of laughing chatter that onlya girl horn back horne knows ho ,' t to ive out with, 1'1.. USO ,s~ows ,thatmake this island are s:tr~,~tl_ top c ir cu it ma ter ia lthat h av e giv enus a.close-upof ''ig People oil lollywoodand B .oadway.FOIl' example MossHart, in per-so n p IHye ' c ] ] J l"The M.an'lrh o Cameto Dinner -.stn:':ilCi~ymajo r le ag lllestufL


24/43

l IB~ l !eh a J l ,haskethall, vH . e yb a .Uand hOIl{ingcontinue to be the mos t popularrecrearionin . @ ff~dti1y hours, Boating,sw immiJ 1g~and (UViHgJO]~ coral shells' O f fthe reef give us same (;00]. afte rnoons(It the beach, but tour own day reomwitb . its ping p cmg!.card . tah le s, PXand be er co un te ri s e ve rybo dy' s ch oice ..


25/43

Fhe ehaplains of all de nom in atio ns h av eachieved some remarkahle resultsin . erecting chapels ofwhat ma te rialthey could find", On Sunday morningthere's s ome th in g compe llin gin the w ay'" th ePadre" rings 011lt the chimesJI"O :m.aJJ igcalib .e b ra"S shell that is never noticed in ch urch h ells backhorne.


26/43

Most of th e batteries~ iV jI,~showa. visitor their theater with more than , [ . I ,traceof unit pride. Once your outfit has decided upon whether the seats will bemade o f bomb crate' or h alf-h uried o il d rum s,there is no ultimate to th edecoraling an d lan dsca p in gpossibilities to wbieh the amateur artists will go.,


27/43

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OnE OWnradio station pip~s aU the ente rta inmen t p :rogra r.riS,to UlS f11'0n].b a c k ,horne, but a ho[nesickear ,longs to hear a Super Suds singing'eonnnereialonce ina while, Plen ty of "local talen t ,,"'j' finds its way to OUl' studio and oeca-sionally a .femJnInevoice from ausn show can he coaxedto the microphone.

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28/43

A top acool breeze-swep t hill y1l1Alan sit emthe veranda of the E . M ,,'~C lubfacing Stateside while contemplating Life, Philosoph Y!' y~Ul-PO]J1t~.!.or thebl ue Pacific. The C lub, newenhanced with Red C ro ss hos te ss es ,is open to allwho enjoy a $P~J!of beer, a hull session or sweet notes 1 " 0 1 ' 11the orchestra.


29/43

An opportunity to he caned ~ ' C ' C h aTn p i o r L sof APO 244~' -s , a n ( yt eam s ambl-'lion. .Playoffsin B lUthe major sports find ~kleblood ofhoth Ians and contest-ants teetering at tenth inning temperature, CronndForces Ai1~Force, NavyMarines and Cliffs bring the American love for a contest to the athletic field.


30/43


31/43

R O M a tourist ~s viewpoint the nati VB . S o f th e island w ould be themostinteresting sigh'~" Several th.(]ilLlSau~. either dodgedOU]" shells during the inva-sio n o r.w o kto th e h illsto wait for calmer days, T llJey ere Japanese descendantor 11ative Chamorras an d varying com hina tions o f th e two. Under thJap_sthey ha.d been slow lystarving to deat h while being stuiled with their p .rops. ~ -gHlii.da=--the type of teach] ng that enUEed hundreds of them to j urnp to theirdeath f1'1OlTI c.liffs-to kin their w om en and childrenrather tthHn ha ve themfall into American hands. Our hospitals s ta rte d immedia te ly 'to nurse thewounded and Ieed the kids who w@ ;re sostarved th e ir b ellie shad bloated out.


32/43

Notiees were po sted tellin g th enatives they co uld . o te[01' their own lo cal om~oials, This VUliS somethingnew, The fi rs t Mass .in ever three years 'was held.The Ja:ps had ban ned all public C hristian seniClf!S during final years o ftheiroccupation, With food and medicine th e natives began to realize the truth,


33/43

A coun cil w as e lected' ~ Om - : Kwu,p rules hy which their people wO ' I I ; J J . d ,begi n toEve as fr,oo m endo, " \,\ i'i tb .the help of a civil affairso.ffice they I l8!da voicein their own affairs;. made tb eir ow fli.police force and opened the schools,again. And ,~very day ym Jcould see t he d illeren ce in the C:hHdren~s expression,


34/43

-a tive shacks t hat were the bree di ng grounds of disease had to be rep]a;eedby 'new housing units",Ann! and, NLV)' d is pe nsa rie s .s 'ta Jfe dby ' English-speaking Ja'pa:'I'[J,if".s~irlstaught klf]S the reason, fo:i"th e tooth brush. 'Gr:ad-uaH.yfamilies came down from th eir h id eo utGlV,eSto give this n ew lifea try.


35/43

S~ra .n ge v e ge ta hle se ed s from th e [,J , S. were p lan ted ,betw e en th efO'\'Ii'Sof theirown familiar b an an a p aIn ls an d b re ad fru it tre es.Fishermen recalkedthe seamsof. their boa ts ~ w om e n ( rI1 M :1 :eba s k e t s again and [Uit night K anaka s en te rta in edus with their symbolic dances. They say j t has stamped (rut the Evil One .


36/43


37/43

01 R JreUer migl1tbegin. "Yoo we-e a m embero f an l\i-16 HalfTrack durin ..'tIle assault phase' -o r perh ap s, ~ '"Youwe re011 c utp ,. ~ 5 'tdutyth e night of . . . ""hen 'yourisked intense ene1i11Yfire to . sav VOUl' gunposition.'; But (\.1the ]ast senten es w ouldread alike, "~[)uring ih,e e~tireperiod you.ren thus iasm zeal an ddevotion to duty r ef lec ted c red it m.ponyour~_self and the Army o :fth e United States. Ninety-oneCeI"~]fwates of Corn-menda tio n from ''!r vh ]c hh e s hoveextracts were taken w ere presented to A nti-aircraft personnel of this i.... an d. In ad dition those oO k.ers andlinen whowere awarded decorations as authorize d h ~ ~rar ])~p~ r tment a re lis te dhere.


38/43

rj'}_~, '~, ~' :' .If _" ~",'~.:. '. '. UlltfYfU, '

CoL.~rahu.I' l '.1 . Skidmore

LL CoL Ca:d E.GreeD

I,.;tt(~l. tllard F. Beall

1.5'~Sgt. S amue lwluilholland

SjSgl, 'Cassy Gatelis

Sgt ~ri ll iffi Il1D. Breed(JTI

Ma]. Charl ieP.,'Verger Sgt. IGeorgeJ. NahmJ\.\l .a].H.ohert t M.J 6tap Sgl. Harlan F. Hodges

Ma]. John . F, ..WaUis. Sgt. ]Fral1k'W .Craharstapt. C srl F . 'Beyer SgL Harry E,. GuiU]arr.u~

2I]d L ,t. ]~T.a lE. F elker [CpI.ru li u sC . C a rv er2[u1Lt .Erwin B" O sborn T /5 AlexandeW-.Baker

st Sgt. Harold Ho l d ID ' l Pfc, n,Q,her~G. Chris t iePvt.LindelL, Davison

Sgt., 'W illiam L ., Silberste in CptSulo J . P alem akiT I.~GeorgeH. Stock,J r. *..

lst Lt . .W]lliam t. 'TriU -CpLJames n Hursey

2nd It. Hal E. Felker Cpt Melvin~t M ~. 'c l1 .' e lS /Sg t. D on alJG ".Kull '1 '/5 , A ie S:m ,hb

S(Sg i t " ,John C.Vanderwische T/S .A .1exi:mder W .BakerS/Sgt. Vli ll li am S, Pa tt er son Pf e, E(hw, a : l ' ~ lM. W oo1d .r idg.e

Sgt.U~U'T)' E ..G uilliam s PfC:, Ruh@rt Tr ibble

T /4 CharlesR ..J\.IIathews Pvt. L in del L . D avisonCpt RoyA. Parrish Pvt. Ro,tertG-,Kinsley

PvL [G eo rg e R . Man e


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40/43

Centlemen of t U~ AA Command,APO ,24.4" there's your

~.ory and it's a grand story of h.igl1adventure shared w ithyour COIn

patriots i the N 3!VY," : : 'l b .r i n e s .; A i l'14orees ~Coast Gllla rd ~1VlerchantI \ ' Iari n e an d

}'our comrades-in -arms i 1 other hranches of the An:ny. I t is the story o f our

Am erienr way oflife being brought '10 a libe ra ted ,island in the V(~8t rem:. .te o

iess of the Pacifie. You ba V IS ishared in making th e h istory recorded in th~~e

pag,es, you haveserved YOUI country well, y ouhav~ brought acclaim to Anti-

a ir craft Ar ti lle ry,tUld you have Jived IIp to the best traditionsof the-"\:rmy

those ufDuty ~Honer, Country. M~l.y'ou eve 1 1ve pleasantreeolleetions of

your sh are in a joh \ ,~endot e.

~,r1gi!Ldier Genmn:!ItT J "S .. Ann ]'Comm~ndliDg


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fJd.r book ha - ! 5been p;rtpai""e.a~ljpec.if;1{tl,b,.~'j()'r i/u,;n1ern:W ll'cEo f~he AAA Comrnw,ta"APO 244t . an t It;Aei.,j( m i .{ ie s . a / b tl 'j r i e n t 2 l $ . .Smi ' ,~e, f ) i, t ie m(o lt~r ta l , coOMli 'nd her eif; , no ~, s , r. d t : ahk1 .0 : , .,ge;Wlrt t l ' [ " ( ] . l r u~1 t~o J}U! {J\ f : I .h l ic(}~fl (iJ~:dr a d i o wutl , a l t e r ~ e ' r.oo:J ' . .h isre'q,ue~Ii'eJ l h i J . i ';nOM O 'jt h e . CQnt~ntiS be 'madi!'! ' a1- ' I ; ! : t l a :b l~t(~ ~h f ; l~~ . ub l . i . ~ml!'.s.;;:0'[" ' . qAI . io .


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WWII 244th Anti-Aircraft Artillery