Chapter IV - Modern Training Saves Lives |
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Okinaka of 1020 11th Ave. While we were talking, we noticed a group of men less than 100 yards away, walking Indian fashion across a moonlit meadow. They were the heavy weapons company of the battalion. They moved out from a group of pines, filed across the meadow and slowly vanished into the dark woods beyond. No one had heard them emerge from the trees. In the moonlight, their soundless movement across the meadow seemed ghostlike. tt tt tt Col. Miller was pleased. He favors a ghostlike army at night, until circumstances require the ghosts swiftly to assume other qualities. We got back into the jeep, and Sam Fujikawa started snaking us off through the trees and over the meadows. Sometimes he put his jeep on a dirt road and let her out a bit. As we swung into one road a sentry snapped out, "Halt. Who's there." Fujikawa reined in his jeep. "Officer of the post," Col. Miller said. "Advance and be recognized!" The colonel unwound himself, got out of the jeep, advanced and was recognized. Then he got back in the jeep. We were more interested in recognizing the sentry, who wasn't letting anybody get through who didn't belong. He was Private Wataru Uemura, who, in the days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor made him feel he had to volunteer to fight back as an American soldier, lived on Molokai. He has seen a lot more country than he ever saw on Molokai, and he is going to see more. When it is over, he wants to go back to Molokai. It's home. CHAPTER IV Modern Training Saves Lives CAMP SHELBY, Miss., Aug. 11.— By all indications the Hawaii and mainland AJA soldiers here will be a well trained outfit when their time comes to go overseas and meet the enemy. Early this morning the 442nd infantry regiment moved out from its hutment area for training in the field. Next Sunday night they will return, wiser and better soldiers for five days and nights of tactical combat instruction and practice. "Among other things, we are training to save lives," Maj. S. L. Watts said. He is a stocky officer with a little go-to-hell moustache, is commander of the 1st infantry battalion and a disciplinarian. "There was an incident in Tunisia that comes to my mind. Fighting was going on, and our men were ordered to fall back to the next hill. "They filled up their fox holes, and stood up straight. Well, they were mowed down. The enemy couldn't miss. "We are teaching these men from Hawaii and the mainland not to do that. We are teaching them to take advantage of every natural cover, to crouch, to be smart. We are training them to do the right thing, so that it becomes second nature." tt tt tt At 6:31 this morning Maj. Watts' battalion, the first unit to leave the hutments, was passing its "initial point" some distance from camp. Timing was exactly on schedule. The men were marching into the field, just as they would move up toward a waiting enemy. It was a strange sight —hundreds upon hundreds of armed Hawaii boys moving silently through this Mississippi pine forest a quarter of the way around the world from their homes. A greater contrast to Hawaii's islands and coco palms could hard- [8]
Object Description
Title | With Hawaii's Aja Boys at Camp Shelby Mississippi |
Description | A descriptive piece is presented with information about the experience at Camp Shelby Mississippi. |
Subjects | World War II--Military service--442nd Regimental Combat Team |
Type | image |
Genre | Booklet |
Language | eng |
Collection | Hirasuna Family Papers |
Collection Description | 24 items |
Project Name | California State University Japanese American Digitization Project |
Rights | Rights not yet transferred |
Description
Local ID | csufr_hfp_0521 |
Project ID | csufr_hfp_0521 |
Title | Chapter IV - Modern Training Saves Lives |
Creator | Terry, John:author |
Date Created | Unknown |
Subjects | World War II--Military service--442nd Regimental Combat Team |
Type | image |
Genre | Booklet |
Language | eng |
Collection | Hirasuna Family Papers |
Collection Description | 5.50 x 8.35in |
Rights | Rights not yet transferred |
Transcript | Okinaka of 1020 11th Ave. While we were talking, we noticed a group of men less than 100 yards away, walking Indian fashion across a moonlit meadow. They were the heavy weapons company of the battalion. They moved out from a group of pines, filed across the meadow and slowly vanished into the dark woods beyond. No one had heard them emerge from the trees. In the moonlight, their soundless movement across the meadow seemed ghostlike. tt tt tt Col. Miller was pleased. He favors a ghostlike army at night, until circumstances require the ghosts swiftly to assume other qualities. We got back into the jeep, and Sam Fujikawa started snaking us off through the trees and over the meadows. Sometimes he put his jeep on a dirt road and let her out a bit. As we swung into one road a sentry snapped out, "Halt. Who's there." Fujikawa reined in his jeep. "Officer of the post," Col. Miller said. "Advance and be recognized!" The colonel unwound himself, got out of the jeep, advanced and was recognized. Then he got back in the jeep. We were more interested in recognizing the sentry, who wasn't letting anybody get through who didn't belong. He was Private Wataru Uemura, who, in the days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor made him feel he had to volunteer to fight back as an American soldier, lived on Molokai. He has seen a lot more country than he ever saw on Molokai, and he is going to see more. When it is over, he wants to go back to Molokai. It's home. CHAPTER IV Modern Training Saves Lives CAMP SHELBY, Miss., Aug. 11.— By all indications the Hawaii and mainland AJA soldiers here will be a well trained outfit when their time comes to go overseas and meet the enemy. Early this morning the 442nd infantry regiment moved out from its hutment area for training in the field. Next Sunday night they will return, wiser and better soldiers for five days and nights of tactical combat instruction and practice. "Among other things, we are training to save lives," Maj. S. L. Watts said. He is a stocky officer with a little go-to-hell moustache, is commander of the 1st infantry battalion and a disciplinarian. "There was an incident in Tunisia that comes to my mind. Fighting was going on, and our men were ordered to fall back to the next hill. "They filled up their fox holes, and stood up straight. Well, they were mowed down. The enemy couldn't miss. "We are teaching these men from Hawaii and the mainland not to do that. We are teaching them to take advantage of every natural cover, to crouch, to be smart. We are training them to do the right thing, so that it becomes second nature." tt tt tt At 6:31 this morning Maj. Watts' battalion, the first unit to leave the hutments, was passing its "initial point" some distance from camp. Timing was exactly on schedule. The men were marching into the field, just as they would move up toward a waiting enemy. It was a strange sight —hundreds upon hundreds of armed Hawaii boys moving silently through this Mississippi pine forest a quarter of the way around the world from their homes. A greater contrast to Hawaii's islands and coco palms could hard- [8] |