Sergeant Mack Morris on Guadalcanal:
I fail to see how this can last much longer. By actual figure there are 51,000 of us here and something like 8,000 Japs – all of which aren’t effectives – and this still drags on.
It must be incredible to people who have never seen this place. But I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re not still rounding up strays a year from now unless they all starve to death. It isn’t the Japs so much as it is this god-awful terrain but at the same time the little bastards are as hard to get rid of as a dose of crabs. They dig in and come hell or high water they won’t come out unless you drag them out.
They’re fighting the worst kind of war there is – a sort of fatalistic desperation. They must know they haven’t got a chance, but apparently they mean to die hard. But they’re beginning to break.
This thing wouldn’t have to drag on if some of these men had any sense. It’s disgusting. Higher headquarters is breaking a leg to get all prisoners possible, but look at all these incidents.
On the Marine front last night a Jap came in with his hands up, saying ‘Me sick, me sick.’ The Major, knowing there were other Japs watching, motioned him to come on in – told his men not to fire. One Marine raised his rifle and the Major knocked it down – but on the other side of him another dope brought up a shotgun and blew the Jap apart. The Japs watching melted away – they’ll never give up as prisoners now.
Things like that are always happening – guys get trigger happy or think here’s a good chance to kill me a Jap and let ‘em have it. As long as this situation exists, the Japs will naturally fight to the last man.
On the Army front the men had sense enough to know that if they shot a man who would surrender they were just making it hard on themselves – and they haven’t done it, at least, not the 35th.
Those Marines must have been trying to live up to their reputation. It’s not a matter of humaneness, but purely a matter of practical military operation.
I’ve heard some pretty bad stories of savageness on the part of our boys. Dowling said they shot a sniper 100 yds from him and before he could get there they were kicking his teeth out for souvenirs. That was the Marines, a bunch of kids who get ferocious in a fight.
The Army is a little different. At the 35th I saw a Jap ear passed around. The men didn’t have much stomach for that. But then there’s the case of my young ‘killer priest’ who hacked off heads for the fun of it or something.
When the bars of civilization come down, they hit with a bang. I can understand part of that, but there are other things I don’t get at all. Perhaps that’s because I haven’t seen enough.
