Arrived at Hollandia staging area on Jan. 13, '45. After about a 5 week wait for surface transportation I boarded the troop ship, General A.E. Anderson - a much larger ship than the Ancon. On board with us was the first contingent of released P.O.W.'s from the infamous camps in the Phillipines. Some had to be carried on on litters, many were missing limps and all were malnourished. Thanx to their presence, we ate better than we ever had aboard ship. Dispite their plight some of them were ready and willing to engage in the G.I.'s favorite pastime - Poker. They had three years back pay coming and had been paid part of it before boarding the ship. I witnessed some pretty high-stake games on that trip - a little out of my league.

On March 8, '45 we sailed back under that Golden Gate Bridge. There were times when I seriously wondered if I would ever see it again. Thanx to an ever vigilant Guardian Angel and a Merciful God - I made it. We were met at the harbor by all the fire boats in the harbor with hoses spouting water high in the air and every ship in the harbour blowing there horns. We all knew it was a welcome for the P.O.W.'s, but we soaked a little of it up also.

After a 21 day delay-in-route [during which I had a homecoming with family and friends that I had not seen in 3-1/2 years. Also reconnected with the high school sweetheart I had been carrying a torch for all the time I was down there. One date and the torch went out. I had left a 16 yr old junior in high school, came back to a 20 yr old junior in college. Just wasn't the same girl. She was a sophisticated college coed with all the social skills. Three years in a combat zone will make a man out of a boy in a hurry -- three years of virtual isolation from the opposite sex dosn't do a thing for his social skills. I delivered her to her door that nite and walked out of her life.] I reported to the Redistribuion Center in Santa Ana, Calif.

While there we had several orientation sessions and at one had to fill out a questionare. One of the questions was name three bases I would like to be reassigned to. Having been raised in the two Dakotas, and having just spent three years in the tropical paradizes of the S. Pacific my three choices were : Selfridge Field, Mich.; Grand Forks Air Base, N.Dak. and Great Bend Air Base, Mont. All three right up against the Canadian Border. Never did get used to the perpetual summers and Green Christmases. In typical Army fashion I was reasigned to Page Field, Ft. Meyers, Fla.- a P-51 training base. Couldnt have sent me any further South and kept me in the States.

Apparently Uncle Sam knew something I didn't. Page Field was maned by USO Commandos - guys that had never been out of the country. They were just starting to get a few returnees. The Photo Section had two, myself and Carol Hebble that had ben in the China-Burma-India theater for 2-1/2 years. We pretty much did as we pleased, nobody much bothered us. In July the 1st Sgt called us in and informed us there were openings at the Photography School at Lowry Field for two instructors, it would mean an increase in grade, would we be interested. By that time they had started the point system, if you had 60 points you could get a discharge. Hebble and myself had twice that many, but photo lab techs were frozen. We both told the 1stSgt., thanx but no thanx, we just want out. While at the base I met a Civil Aeronautics Adm. radio operator from Kansas. I was smitten - she would become my wife, in due time, and we spent our courtin days in balmy Fla. They dropped the Bomb Aug. 6, I was handed an honorable discharge on Sept 5. The Army can move in a hurry on occasion - especially when they want to get rid of you.

It had always been my hope that one day we could get back to Australia. In 1995, our 50th wedding anniversary, my No. 1 daughter was a Travel Agent. I told her to see what she could put to gether for a trip to Australia for around $5000.00. She came up with a 15 day package. Was just one problem, it was mostly one nite stands. We would be on trains, planes or busses for most of those 15 days. For a couple in their 70's we figured that might just be a lilltle much. So my wife, Jonnie, and I told her to see what she could do for a week in Hawaii for 5 people, two daughters and a son-in-law for around the same price. She did good, cost us $5200.00 for a week on Kauai and the last day in Honalulu, where we visited the Punch Bowl Natl. Cemetary, and I will include a photo of us there. So I had the desire to go back, just didn't get the job done. But since getting this "Infernal Machine" two years ago, I have made a lot of interesting contacts in Aussie-land. Not the least of which are Peter Dunn, the web master for "Townville at War", and Michael Claringbould, the authur of several books on the 5th Air Force.

And that winds up my four year stint as a temporary civilian soldier. And I was more than ready to make my exit, I just wasn't cut out for the regimented life of the military. I will get the connecting photos a few a time.

Return to Jack Heyn Main Page

 

Pacific Wrecks Inc. All rights reserved.