Leaving Oro Bay November 17 on the "Sea Devil" I arrived at Tacloban, Leyte, Phillippine Islands, November 25, 1944. There I was assigned to Co. D, 19th Infantry., 24th Division, November 29th. In Leyte I slept in a slit trench with my helmet on. Most of the time I slept well, except when the creatures of the night knocked little clumps of dirt down on me. I soon learned that I was overloaded with new equipment that came overseas with me. One of the first things to go was my gas mask which I was told to dump in the latrine after dark.
COMBAT
Leaving Tolosa, Leyte, December 11 we made a beachhead landing near San Jose, Mindoro, P.I., Dec. 15th. There I had my first combat experience. Fortunately this was a successful operation with little contact with the enemy. I witnessed the shooting down of a Japanese fighter plane over the ocean. At another time a Japanese man was brought in as a prisoner. I was distressed to see our troops open up his wallet and take out a picture of a beautiful young woman whom I presumed was his wife or girl friend. It was a reminder to me that the Japanese soldier was a human also and that he also had loved ones back home who loved him. I hope he got the picture back.
Since the rainy season was waning I liked Mindoro much better than New Guinea and Leyte. I had leisure to see some to the surrounding country. What I saw was a large abandoned sugar cane operation and even went to one of the elevated bamboo homes with some friends. In the dry season and in peace times I think it would be an interesting place to visit.
RAILROAD ON MINDORO, P.I 1945
Christmas came soon after our landing on Mindoro. I was pleased that even in that short time a field kitchen and mess tent had been set up and we had a full turkey dinner on Christmas day. Of course, it was not like Mama’s home cooked meals, but it was an acceptable substitute. That was my only Christmas overseas. We even had a worship service of some kind. My spirit was boosted by many letters from family including Aunt Chad, Ann Lois, Jim Beard and my immediate family. I remember that Ann Lois regretted that I was away from home on Christmas, but promised that we would have a big celebration when I returned.
Several days after our landing in Mindoro we were notified that our duffle bags had landed and were stacked at a certain place. When I found mine the lock which I had carefully put on it was cut off and the contents were exposed to the elements. I don’t recall missing anything so I guess whoever got into the bag didn’t find anything valuable. A month or two after Christmas I got a present from home. Mama and Mil had carefully packed a box for me which by now had been well exposed to the tropical humidity. I do not remember all that it contained, but I do remember that there was a sheet of airmail stamps struck together and a home made fruit cake covered with mold. Somehow I think I salvaged the stamps ate some of the fruit cake by cutting away the mold. It was not like fresh fruit cake, but it was from home and I just had to eat it!
Packages from home could not ordinarily be sent to service personnel unless requested by the service person. I got the idea that I would like to learn to cut my buddies’ hair, so requested a pair of clippers and scissors from my brother Stainton. That never came through. I am not sure whether he got the request or not. Anyway, we found a pretty good native barber and it was not needed
I later served as a clerk and assistant to Col. Wm. Ryder at the Western Visayan Task Force Headquarters (Brig. Gen. William C. Dunckl, Commander). While there, I was "housed" on a cot under the Headquarters building (an estate home built on high pillars at San Jose). That was the closest association I had with high ranking officers. Col. Ryder was a good boss, but I was a bit intimidated by him. One day he came in and handed me his revolver and told me to clean it. I had been trained as a rifleman and had never touched a pistol of any kind. I didn’t know whether it was loaded or not and certainly did not know how to clean it. I didn’t dare admit to him that I couldn’t clean it, so I did the only thing I could think of and took it over to the supply sergeant who graciously cleaned it for me. So, I returned it and the colonel was never aware of what I had done.
The home that was used as Headquarters for the Task Force was quite prominent among other houses made of bamboo and palm fronds. It was modern in every way and even had a swimming pool out front. When I wrote Mama about where I was living, the censors cut out the part about the swimming pool, but later Mama said she had figured out what was missing. The Headquarters building was well guarded with guards making the rounds day and night. One night there was a guard on duty who was obviously unaware that there were men sleeping under the house. He heard me stirring around and challenged me to identify myself. That was a little nerve-racking, especially when I realized that my life could have been in danger. I think I scared him as much as he scared me, but all ended well when he knew the situation.
One night we received orders to evacuate the area. We were all loaded into trucks and driven off to a remote roadside where we waited for several hours in the dark. I asked the colonel if we would be returning and he answered, “I hope so.” It seems that Intelligence had determined that a Japanese air raid was coming our way. Before the night was over we had an “all clear” and returned to the Headquarters. That was the end of hostilities in that part of the island.
With the mission of the special task force completed, I was returned to my regular unit Company D, 19th Infantry 24th Division with a good commendation from the commanding officer. From there I was assigned to Headquarters 19th Infantry where I was to be the replacement for Sgt. Rostine Conner (a native of Denver) who was to be rotated soon back to the States. As it turned out this never happened due to what happened to me within a few weeks. I never did learn whether Sgt. Conner got to go home.
ROSTINE CONNER AND IRVIN-MINDORO 1945
We left Mindoro April 13, 1945, just as we heard the "rumor" of President Roosevelt's death.
On April 17, 1945 (the birth date of Marvin Beard), I was wounded aboard a landing vessel during the shelling of the beach at Panang, Mindanao, P.I. I was on the main deck watching the shelling when a fellow soldier whom I never met (a cook) accidentally discharged his rifle armed with an armor-piercing bullet. The bullet went through the deck and a bucket sitting on the deck and splattered into pieces injuring two of us (the other soldier only slightly). I received several pieces of shrapnel in my upper right arm, hip and chest. My worst injury was in my arm where the ulna nerve was damaged. There was numbness in my arm which limited its use. It was very difficult for me to write, but I was anxious to write home before Mama got the word that I was wounded. I managed to scratch out a letter which was later transcribed by Mil for the whole family. I was transferred to the hospital bay of a battle ship. After the troops completed their landing and a field hospital was established, I was transferred from the comfort of the hospital bay to a tent hospital. After some days there, I was put on a ship to return to Mindoro.
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