In November 1942, after four months of training, in aircraft maintenance, I was commission as 2nd Lieutenant. On Christmas morning, we boarded a troop ship at New Port VA and twenty-nine days via the Panama Canal, we docked at Brisbane, Australia. We traveled by train to Townsville, the southeastern tip of Australia, then on to Port Morseby in New Guinea. There I was assigned to the 5th Air Force, 35th Flight Group, 41st Fighter Squadron as Squadron Engineering Officer in charge of all air craft. We had three air fields. New Guinea- Nadzak, Tsilli Tsilli and Guasp. In November 1943, I was wounded by an exploding bomb during a daylight raid. The radar did not pick up the Jap planes and about the time we heard the planes we heard the bombs whistling on their way done. So I lay on the ground, as one exploded nearby me and I got some pieces of shrapnel in my chest. I guess they are still there as the doctor decided not to remove them. I was in the hospital for two months and joined my squadron at Iwo. From Iwo we moved to the Islands of - Noonfor, Mosati and on to the Philippines' in January 1945. During my time in the South Pacific I was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and then to Captain. "Courtesy of The Talmage Historical Museum & Library"