"More about Japan" by F.E. (Jim) DeVine

	
        We had just completed carrier telephone school in
Honolulu about the time of VJ Day. We were in the city
when all hell broke loose upon the news that the war was
over.  We were flown back to Maui to join the rest of the
5th Amphib which was packing for the cruise to Japan.
We left Maui on August 27, l945, to sail to Pearl aboard
APA 79 USS Dawson.  We left Pearl in a convoy on 9-1-45.
We arrived off Saipan on 9-13-45, and stayed there for 
refueling for about 3 days. On 9-16-45, we sailed for Japan.

	Several days out of Saipan, we were getting ready
for a movie on the main deck. It was raining, and a swabby
crawled into his landing craft to get some foul weather gear.
He fell overboard without a life jacket and broke his leg
in the fall.  Fortunately, someone heard his scream and
alerted the crew.  We dropped out of the convoy, and since
the  war was over, the Captain turned on all the lights and
put all landing craft to sea to search for the swabby.
After about 3 stormy hours, he was rescued and put aboard
the destroyer escort which was left behind as our protection.
I understand he was court martialed for being AWOL.
We arrived at Sasebo on 9-22-45 and disembarked on 9-25-45.
(See "Our First Day in Japan" on my list of memoirs).

	Our first few days in Japan were spent on the docks
helping to unload the ships. I think the first ship was a
ship load of beer which we consumed liberally.  We slept on
the docks with the ground hog size rats and sprayed ourselves
completely with DDT powder.  I volunteered to go out to a
ship to get a bubonic plague shot which I missed back on Maui.
I think the second ship load was fruit cocktail because that's
all we had to eat for three days. We then occupied the Jap
naval barracks which were almost blown over by the typhoon.


	Our duty was to establish the RADEX communications
network between Sasebo, Fukuoka, Oita/Beppu, and parts north.
Six of us were sent with a Six-By w/ radio shack, a jeep and
utility trailer on a rail flat car across Kyushu.
We disembarked the train about halfway across and proceeded to
"occupy" eastern Kyushu trying to establish line of sight contact
with Sasebo.  Each day we would occupy a village, set up our
antenna, try to make contact. and then enjoy the hospitality
of the natives, most of whom had never seen an American much less
the dreaded American Marine.

	At one point, we tried to pass through a half-block long 
tunnel, and our six-by became wedged in.  We couldn't back up 
because of a steep cliff so we had to go forward.  I went ahead 
and rounded up a group of Japs with picks and shovels and had 
them dig tire trenches through the centuries-old, concrete-like 
surface. I'll bet those trenches were there for years afterwards 
and the Japs remembered "those Marines".

	We finally took up residence in a barracks at an Army base 
occupied by the Big Red One Army Division and were treated royally 
by the Army personnel. I enjoyed my three months of duty in Japan.

	1-8-46,  Sailed from Sasebo aboard  APA49 USS Baxter.
	1-21-46, Arrived Pearl Harbor
	1-23-46, Sailed from Pearl but the ship lost its screw, 
                 and we were  towed back to Pearl.
	1-24-46,  Embarked APA166 USS Fon du Lac and again sailed from Pearl.
	1-30-46, Arrive San Diego, and sent to Pendleton.
	2-6-46,  Transferred from 5th Amphib Corps.
	2-11-46, Arrive Separation Co., Bainbridge N. T. B., MD
	2-13-46, Discharged.
END
F.E. (Jim) DeVine