The past few weeks have been so full of excitement that I haven't had time to write it down as I would like to. Two weeks ago Wednesday (today is Saturday), that was August 23rd, a familiar rumor went around the Surgeon General's Office to that effect that we were moving. On Thursday the Colonel called us into the office and told us that the GHQ has priority on all Air Transportation from the 31st of September on and so we had the job of moving our entire headquarters before the 30th and that gave us one week. This included approximately 1500 personnel and all the equipment that goes with it. We went to work and boxed all our office equipment up and got it ready to ship. By Saturday, two weeks ago today, we were ready to leave on a moment's notice. Colonel Elsmore, the DAT Commander, sent out the manifest and I was due to leave on Thursday on plane H. Then on Monday afternoon we received a phone call from Colonel Miller directing M/Sgt Joe Gordon and myself to go ahead and meet our equipment at Hollandia. So on Tuesday morning the 29th of August we pulled out of Archerfield at approximately two minutes after six in the morning. We were on a C-47 manned by an Australian crew. 21 men plus 1000 lbs of fright. At about nine o'clock we arrived at Rockhampton for refueling and a fifteen minute stop so the pilots could have their tea. Again at noon we stopped at Townsville for servicing and also for some chow at the Red Cross. About 4:30 in the afternoon we arrived at Marauke on the South Coast of New Guinea for the night. The base is just an airstrip manned by about 100 Aussies for planes that come over to land and refuel and get aircraft serviced. There were lots of natives working there. In the morning about 4:30 when we got up a native came around and said "Wakee Wakee." By ten to six we were finished with breakfast and ready to take off to Hollandia. About 8:30 in the morning of August 30th we pulled into Sentami air strip and boarded a truck up here to our headquarters. We live in tents with cement floors. It is plenty hot during the day and cool at night. Right now I am sweltering and tonight I will need a blanket to keep me warm. We sent all our personal belongings by air, including mattresses and sheets and pillow cases. We live in style up here. There is a swimming hole about five minutes from our tent. We live by a large mountain that resembles Olympus with a canyon on each side of us with a small creek that keeps us cool. We are more or less up in the hills and it affords a slight breeze which they don't get down in the valley. The rest of the boys arrived three days after Joe and I arrived. We went around to all the buildings hunting our office equipment and together we stole a truck from the motor pool and performed a job of moving that should have been done by ten men.
The scope of things up here is surprising. The engineers work in three eight hour shifts and build up a place right before our very eyes. GHQ is up on a hill higher than we are and General MacArthur has a house clear up on the top furnished with everything. The BS that gives around here says that it was a job that would have cost 3 million dollars back home just building the road up the mountain and that all the engineers canceled all their war bonds the day they finished it. Actually it is a terrific waste of money because there are so many excellent sites that are available down in the valley are are easily accessible to bay and the supplies but instead MacArthur picks out the highest mountain in Hollandia and builds himself a castle on top of it. General Kenney's house is right across the street from our office building no more than 100 yards from where I am sitting. It is a modest little house of about six rooms but nothing elaborate.
The war fronts are as follows. In Europe the entire German front broke before the onslaught of the British and American troops. After the fall of Paris the armies moved at unbelievable speed up toward Germany and now have taken Antwerp, Brussels, and are well into Belgium. They have occupied Luxembourg and unofficial reports have columns well inside Holland and some inside Germany itself. The Germans are expected to crack at any time but it is a matter of conjecture on the part of everyone concerned. I look for another big battle on the borders of Germany and then for the end to come. In Southern France the armies have moved clear up to Vichy and are reported to day as having joined up with General Patton's 3rd American Army. They have bypassed all the coastal strong points. The Russians have moved into Romania and Yugoslavia and now Greece in a lightning thrust across the Balkans. They are still held by stiff resistance around Warsaw. Finland pulled out of the war and gave the Germans ten days to get all their troops out. Over here we have done a lot of bombing but no new landings have been made. Gordon got a piece of correspondence by mistake telling about the landing that is supposed to be made at Palau very soon. We are wondering if it was the real McCoy but it told all about the different phases and D Day and D plus 2 and all such stuff. The boys are betting now on the dates that we will move into the Philippines but I think we have to take Palau first. It is in a straight line with the Helmahera's and the Mariannas and therefore looks like a logical place to launch an invasion from.
The boys around here have ack ack shows every night testing their guns but we are so far from the ineffective Jap planes that there is very little danger of attack here. All the headquarters from GHQ on down will be in this valley. It will be Brisbane moved to Hollandia. Ratings came out and all the boys except Luesing received. I made my long sought pfc. I was put in for corporal for the 4th time and it was refused because of the time in grade policy. I have been breaking my neck trying to do the work that I was doing and also Miss Archer and Miss Lewes was doing until I am about knocked out. I think we have to Wacs coming into the section right away so I will be relieved of my stenographic duties I hope. Hope to hell this damn war gets over pretty soon because I would like to marry June and forget about it. If I had a rating I could be saving a little money but not at a Pfc's pay. Oh well I'll have to work out a racket with Barlow after the war and don't think I won't. Left my bracelet racket behind. Was buying them for 13 shillings and selling them for 30. Made $50.00 on one order. Gotta go now.
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