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November 30, 1941

On the last day in Nov. we moved to the field. That was not unusual, as we had been looking forward to it for sometime: what was unusual was that the ammunition was broken out. We belted, cleaned, stored and kept it handy–.50m.g. We had heard things might happen, but as soldiers with no war experience as yet or as lots with no actual experience with guns, we felt secure in our little corner of a war-torn world. Come what may we were Americans—we could lick the whole world, yes, even our pitiful few number of men and obsolete equipment. The lowly japs might administer a drubbing to the Chinese Coolie Army, but against white men they didn’t have a chance of the proverbial “snowball in hades.” We were pumped as full of propaganda as the Christmas turkey had stuffings. The japs had nothing, no planes no tanks, their soldiers were nearsighted, couldn’t see you a hundred feet away; they were ignorant in ways of modern warfare—why it was a cinch—come what may we were supreme; they were despicable. What a rude awakening we had after Dec. 8th——–