2 - Ken's World War II Experiences

We got on the bus at 800 in the morning in Waterville and headed for Spokane at Coulee Junction we got on a bus from Spokane heading for Seattle. We got to Seattle about eight in the evening and had to wait for a bus heading for Portland. They let us off the bus at Fort Lewis Washington at midnight. Another young fellow and I became G’I’s. I They took us to a barracks to bed us down. That was the start of a three-year journey that took me to the South Pacific, including New Caledonia, Bougainville, the Philippines and Japan before I got home at Christmas in 1945.After receiving clothes, shoes, haircuts etc. we spent the day’s marching (close order drill) and testing to see what we were good for. (Draftee’s for the Infantry) Come the weekend we all got passes and I went home to show off. Back at Fort Lewis Monday we waited to see where we would go. On about Thursday we boarded a train for who knows where. After a week we got to Camp Roberts California, the Infantry Replacement Training Center. They also trained heavy weapons and field artillery. We got our shots and more drilling before going to our training company.

About the middle of May we were assigned to the 94^th Infantry Training Regiment in the East Garrison of Camp Roberts. Our training started and all went well so for the first week in June we were on the Preliminary Rifle Instruction Range and over the loud speakers came the recorded voice of General Eisenhower telling us that the Invasion of Europe had started. Big Cheers!! The war was over …wrong!!! The next week we got rifles and learned to shoot them. We had our first meals in the field and learned why they call the meals the Army Mess; Sand and dirt in everything. The sixth week we were on the infiltration course and learned what it was like to crawl under live ammo and to have some one shoot close to you. Beside you and over your head. We always got Sundays off and could go into town at noon after inspection on Saturday. Paso Robles on week two I went to Los Angeles. The next week my Brother Bob who was at Riverside California came to see me at that time the whole company was on Restriction because our barracks was dirty at inspection. I got off because I had a visitor.

One of the strange things I saw in the desert was a plane that flew over us. The strange thing was it didn’t have any propellers. We didn’t think too much about it at the time. I found out later after the war that there were aircraft without props. They were jet aircraft. At that time there were few to see but we did see it.

After 17 weeks and a 50 mile march, a 10 mile speed march in 54 minutes with full field gear we graduated from Infantry Training. Boy were we tough!! We thought we could whip our weight in wild cats. We got a 10-day delay en route home before reporting to the embarkation point at Fort Ord California. I came home all proud in my uniform to show off. How time flies before I knew it the time was up and I headed off to Fort Ord California. The time went fast refresher courses in Infantry training; more interviews turn in all old uniforms and equipment and were issued new. All white underclothes etc were changed to olive drab how dreary it was and looked. Most of us bought new white t-shirts and shorts. With our shirts and pants on they couldn’t see the white T’s and shorts!! How soon I learned the hard way why we had the olive drab. While waiting to ship out my nephew Roy Gunard passed away and they let me come home for his funeral. All too soon it was back to the Embarkation point and a boat ride from San Francisco.

In early November we set sail for who knows where. The time aboard ship was spent playing cards, physical exercise, eating three times a day. We would line up to eat with 1500 people to feed three times a day this is no mean task. We had tables but no chairs. We ate standing up. Our bunk was a canvas cot with 18 inches between cots. We played cards whenever we could. Hearts, casino and we could always find a crap game or poker, if we had money.

I learned not to bet except when payoff was a sure thing. There were always guys that were willing to make stupid bets. This was useful since I was not paid due to someone’s foul-up. They took nearly a year to be paid the first time. Had it gone on any longer and I would have been discharged due to a technicality in Army Regulations that required soldiers to be paid within a year.

When we crossed the Equator and the International Date Line this made for a whole day to initiate the new men (us). They shaved our heads fed us color pills gave us salt water showers and made us do crazy things all day.

After that we were no longer Pollywogs but honest to God Shellbacks.

The ship’s routine did have some amusement. The routine for dumping garbage went like this "All hands lay aft of the fantail" and a crewman with foreign accent would then sing out "Doomph da Garbage". Then overboard it would go on cue.

After what seemed forever we sighted land!! What was it, where was it no one knew. We came into this huge harbor and started to unload. They had taken large landing airfield strips of sheet metal set this on gas cans mounted with outboard motors on it put 200 men with duffel bags and equipment. Then putted us ashore. While waiting to go ashore we could see natives on shore. And what we noticed was they had red hair. Now this looks real funny when the natives are coal black. Our new home for the time was New Caledonia.

Trucks were waiting for us and we went in to town there on out to Camp Tweas for more training and interviews and assignment. Each Friday night we would watch old movies! Watch fights on Friday nights. See football games, put on by other inductees and play cards. We spent Thanksgiving in New Caledonia and all too soon we boarded ship to take us on to the war.

We landed on a god-forsaken piece of rock called Bougainville (Solomon Islands) and waited for our names to be called to be assigned to our new outfits. 1500 men and it went on for hours. Finely there was just three of us left the guy calling the names and me and another guy. His name was Scagolonia and was from Iowa. The two of us were to be replacements for Company B 164^th Infantry Americal Division! I had never heard of the division. I asked what was its number and was told it had no number. I thought this has to be a joke. (Everybody knew all divisions were numbered that was drilled into us at basic training). The Joke was on me. They took us about ten miles and put us in a tent and told us to wait. The damned tent leaked like a sieve. It rained all day and night.

About dark a guy came by and said follow me! We went to dinner then back to the leaky tent. We did get some sleep after putting our poncho’s over our beds to keep out the rain. The next day the company clerk came for us and put us in our new platoon tents and introduced us to our Platoon Sergeant and we met our new buddies of the 2^nd squad 2^nd platoon. While we waited to ship out to the Philippines we went on a patrol to help us get the idea of what jungle fighting was like.

The week before Christmas we were to ship out so we had Christmas dinner with all the trimmings early. When our ships didn’t get there to pick us up we had another Christmas dinner! I guess it made up for the 18^th of November the day we lost crossing the International Date Line. On our trip to Leyte (Philippine Islands). I had my 20^th birthday. What a day… no cake or ice cream this year. We got into the harbor and before we could unload we had three aircraft attacks. Makes you feel helpless when you are aboard ship and just have to wait for the air raid to end.

After debarking we marched about ten miles and they bedded us down in a big field (of mud). Right behind us was a 105 Artillery Battery and they fired all night (no sleep). The next day we took over the area that the 77^th Division had and we moved into their huts (they had also dug foxholes for us). We bedded down four to a hut and had four men on guard for one hour. At the end of an hour we changed places. We had just got in our bed when the Japs payed us a visit!! That is when I found out why no white clothes. I stood out like a beacon on a sand bar!! When I realized what the score was I got out of my clothes. Bare naked at least I didn’t make a target.

The next day we left to go across the island to dig out the Japs that were hidding out in small pockets. My fox hole buddy was Sgt. Dave Nelson. For the next 30 days we were like glue at night. He would sleep one hour then it was my turn. He taught me how to stay alive. After we got across the island they decided to send us back to see if we could find more holdouts. On the first day out our squad was told to take the next hill. I was first scout and just as we got about three feet from the top a Jap raised up and shot Dave. We didn’t make it to the top of the hill that day! On the way back I picked up Dave and brought him back to the lines but his wounds was too bad and couldn’t save him. This is what I got the Bronze Star for. After that I had a succession of fox hole buddies a Mex boy till he went home, a fellow by the name of Mauldin who was a cook by trade! When he got dysentery he had to be a rifleman till they said it was safe for him to cook again.

I found that being first scout had its advantages. The Japs would let the first man go by a position so they could bring more of our men under fire. It was a tough lesson I did not forget.

RESTRICTED

General Orders No. 181, September 1945

Sergeant Kenneth L. Sandhop 39474556, Infantry, United States Army. On 28 February Sergeant Sandhop, then a Private, was a member of a platoon patrol which had engaged the enemy in a fierce fire fight. Sergeant Sandhop moved forward behind his squad leader under heavy enemy machine gun, mortar, and grenade fire. When the squad leader was hit and fatally wounded Sergeant Sandhop ran forward under the covering fire of another rifleman. He then assisted in pulling the wounded man to safety. The enemy was within twenty yards of the wounded man, and Sergeant Sandhop was completely exposed to their direct, heavy fire. Sergeant Sandhop’s courage and willingness to risk his own life to save the life of a comrade lived up to the highest traditions of the United States Army. Home Address: Mrs Rudy May Sandhop (mother), Route No. 5, Wenatchee Washington.

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BY COMMAND OF MAJOR GENERAL ARNOLD:

OFFICIAL: M.M. MAGEE

COLONEL, GSG

CHIEF OF STAFF

W.A. MORLAND

MAJOR, AGD

ADJUTANT GENERAL

DISTRIBUTION:A

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RESTRICTED

After the Leyte Battle we waited to go to Cebu (Philippine Islands). They sent about twenty-five of us then for three days the tide wouldn’t let them pickup the rest of the company. Finally we all got together on Cebu. At that time they were short of NCO’s and I was made Sergeant five months after basic training. I went from private to Sergeant (in one jump). On Cebu they felt we could sneak around back of the Jap lines and catch them between the 132^nd Infantry and us. We moved only at night and had to stay hidden all day till dark then off again. Just as we were to make the big push up the hill at daybreak one of our guys struck a match to light a cigarette. Boy did we stand out in the glare of that flame. When we got to the top of the hill the Japs were all gone. We took up positions and waited that’s when we got the word that President Roosevelt had died on Friday the 12^th. Most of us could not remember any other President. After making contact with the 132^nd who was coming up the face of the hill we went back to the rest area to get ready for the Invasion of Negros.

We loaded onto LSI’s (Landing Craft Infantry) for the trip, when we got there gang planks was pushed out from the sides of the craft and we walked off into the water down town. It seems we had beached on a sand bar and it was about six feet deep. We had on all our equipment plus all the ammo we could carry and we sunk. The only thing we could do was walk then till we came up out of the water. Pity the ones who were five feet tall. Lucky for us we had no Japs waiting for us. After we got unloaded we started for Dumagette the big city of the island and marched in with no opposition. It seems the Japs had fled to the hills. That’s where they liked to be so they could look down on us as we tried to get to the top. This always made the ground real expensive. After about thirty days of warfare we had the island secured and were sent back to Cebu to get ready for the next place.

This time it was Japan. While we were in this rest area the 1^st atomic bomb was dropped. Then the second one and the war was over. We had all ready started to load for the invasion of Japan so it didn’t take us long to shove off for the main island to occupy before they changed their minds. We pulled into the Bay of Tokyo September 8^th as the peace treaty was being signed aboard the Missouri and everyone was waiting to go home. We took over Atsugi Air Field and settled in for a long stay. We were fresh from the tropics and our blood was thin. Now Japan in September and October and November is cold. We like to froze to death! We just couldn’t keep warm. All of our clothes were for the tropics and until we got long johns and overcoats it seemed cold.

We used to fire up the stoves until they were cherry red trying to get warm. We amused ourselves by trying to trade Japanese bank notes from the Philippines into Japanese Yen until the edict that we would stop by order of MacArthur. One of the things we did as the occupying forces was to inventory war material. We found that the Japs had stockpiled enough weapons to arm every man woman and child. Had we invaded the battles would have taken more lives than the atomic bombs did.

They established the point system to discharge the oldest men and send some division’s home. I didn’t have enough points so I was sent to the 1^st Cavalry as my place was taken by a man with more points.

About this time they told us if we re-enlisted they would have us home for Christmas. It sounded good to me so I signed up for 18 more months. We were put into the 2^nd Engineers Special Brigade an amphibious outfit. We got to the good old U.S.A and landed at Fort Lewis. It didn’t take them long to send us home!! All the family was at Aunt Louise’s house for Christmas. Don, Howard, Bob Albert, Bill Helen and Mom. Everyone but the Gurnards the whole family was there and it was the first time since 1940 – five years. I had 30 days before I had to report to Camp San Louis Obispo California. I reported in and they sent me home for 180 more days.

EXTRACT FROM HONORABLE DISCHARGE

LONGEVITY FOR PAY PURPOSES 3 YEARS/0 MONTHS/24 DAYS

ON TERMINAL LEAVE FROM 29 APR 47 TO 20 MAY 47

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