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'Good Hunting in New Guinea' Lieutenant Writes Home19-Year-Old Boy Youngest Officer Sent in April Convoy to AustraliaFrom somewhere In New Guinea First Lt. Dan de Young, 19, on combat duty, writes to his mother, Mrs. Helen K. de Young, Argonne Apartments. Lt. De Young was formerly a copy boy at* The Star.A graduate of Fishburne Military School In Virginia, Lt. De young was commissioned a second lieutenant when he was 18. He left last April for Australia and celebrated his 19th birthday at sea, the youngest officer by seven years in the entire convoy.Lt. De Young has been on combat duty in New Guinea since September. He was promoted to*»-—first lieutenant while in Australia, which is quite the nuts. We haven’tThe following are a series of exerpts from his letters:Sees Native Village.October 12:“Yesterday I had a very interesting experience. We were advancing in a peep when we came upon a native village.Before you could snap your fingers we had about 50 kids on it with us — all black and naked. I had three on my lap. two hanging around my neck and about five more on my arms. Evidently a missionary had been there for they spoke some I*t. I)an De Younr. English. One said. ‘You American?' And I answered ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Good. American number one.' My legs and arms have become quite muscular with all this walking and they all wanted to feel the muscles. They called me 'Big one—good.'“The women all wore grass skirts and nothing else. The women do all the work We noticed a man and a woman walking along the road. The woman carried about 75 pounds of wood and food and the man carried a spear. What a life! As we were leaving, the kids stayed on for a while until finally we had to put them off. One wouldn’t get off so we asked one of the older ones to get him off. It's hot here as usdbl and the flies are terrible.“Well. I gotta go hunt a few Japs, so I’ll close.”All Hot Jungle.| October 25:“I am fine and New Guinea Isbeen paid for three months and don't know when we will be. Cigarettes and candy, soap, towels, toothbrushes, etc . are issued to us free. Incidentally hunting here is wonderful—lots of Japs and I've gotten my share.Cuts Beard.“I cut off my beard T did it for two reasons. One, it was continually getting in my coffee which we get occasionally during the night and can’t see. The coffee itself is terrible and the beard gave it a peculiar seasoning. Two. it was hard to keep clean, seemed gray from the dust mast of the time and the sugar in the coffee proved appetizing to the flies, resulting in several nests and large numbers of fly specks. Twas just too much.”November 5:“I remember once somebody said this—'You, as a leader of men, have something in your hands that, if destroyed, canont be replaced— the lives of every man under you ' I lost some of my men the other day. It was not my fault but just the idea of my men one day anc God’s the next sort of has me down. If I am not grown up after this sort of thing I never will be. I hate to fall back on my age but this is an awful lot of responsibility for 19 years. If only we could have a war without anyone getting hurt. This sure isn't the way for a soldier to feel but I'll probably be over it tomorrow.Soldier's Favorite Sport.“One of our favorite sports over here is to imagine how wo will arrive at home. The other night I dreamed I was in Frisco on the way home. I reserved the Shoreham pool and then sent unsigned invitations to every one I knew for a swimming party there. Everybody was sitting around the side when all of a sudden a door burst open and I divedterrible. Tt 1s most all hot Jungle. 1 into the pool and when I came up.rain every day. flies and mosquitoes. No white women or civilians are on the island, only natives. These natives are really something The women wear grass skirts and nothing else. The men wear a cloth around their hips and the little boys run nude until they are about 15. r The women have tattooed faces and .(the men wear sticks in their hair which stands straight up. Maybe, this is all a nightmare.“We are now in a 'combat zone'everybody fainfed. fell in and drowned. Hows that for a 'grand entry*”Sometime in November:“I write under extremely difficult conditions, so please forgive everything. We are on the eve of our greatest fight. Many of us will never live through it but I shall. I’m fine and happy. If I win this I'll be happy to fight more. If I die. and I won't. I'll be happy to have died for my country.”
Newspaper Details
Evening Star
Washington, Washington-DC, US
Sun, Dec 06, 1942
Page 97
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
DC, USA 12 Nov 2023
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