|
 "Brothers
In Arms"
Buna 1942-1943
"The Japanese line at
Buna was, in its way, a masterpiece. It forced the 32nd
Division to attack the enemy where he was strongest . .
." (Victory in Papua, qtd. in Blakeley 54)
650 days in combat, the
most of any division in World War 2, and there were
casualties... Buna, Aitape, Leyte, and the Villa Verde
Trail. The Red Arrow Men fought the Japanese from New
Guinea to the Philippines, the first American Army Unit
to go on the offensive in the Pacific.
Mac Arthur threw them
into the breach with little support, and only their
valor saw the men of the Red Arrow Division through the
hell of Buna.
You don't have the time
to mourn in combat, things are moving too fast, you are
just trying to stay ahead of the next shell, but in
combat everyone is your brother... there are no
boundaries of race, color or creed, every man in your
outfit becomes "family."
When you loose a member
of this family, you mourn, in your own way, and at your
own time. When that time comes, you know you will have
family, a brother to lean on to see you through it. The
comfort only a Brother can give, because he has been
there too. |
