William A. Adams
Texas Marine Fights the Japs Clear to Turkey – Then Eats It
Dallas Morning News
Friday, 25 February 1944
Section 1, Page 5
It takes more than bombardment by Jap artillery to make a Marine forego a turkey dinner.
With the lifting of censorship restrictions somewhat, Marine Pvt. William A. Adams of Forney has written relatives in Dallas, where he enlisted, and in his home town of exciting goings-on at Bougainville. He was in one of the first waves of raiders who stormed the beach of Empress Augusta Bay in landing barges.
“Twenty-two Jap fighters and divebombers attacked ships and landing craft,” he wrote, “bombing and strafing everything that crossed their sights. None of our transports was hit due to the excellent marksmanship of our anti-aircraft batteries aboard the escorting destroyers and the gun crews of our transport vessels.
“I observed Jap divebombers entering Davy Jones’ locker, leaving splendid plumes of black smoke to mark their erratic plunge into eternity.”
Then came the landing in what Private Adams called the roughest surf ever encountered by a Marine attacking force. “It was then our extensive training proved its worth, for no equipment was lost,” he said.
“When the prow of our lighter touched the beach, the ramp was dropped and the view I got was anything but encouraging. The beach was littered with driftwood that acted as an impassable barrier, and off the beach was jungle more dense than the mind can conceive. However, our battery personnel had managed to hack out a trail large enough to accommodate our guns and jeeps and also found time to dig in against possible air attack.
“Fighting was going on just off the beach and the Marine raiders were doing a splendid job of wiping out Japs on our right flank.”
Soon the operation “had turned into a steady defeat of the Jap defense of the bay, and they were forced back into the mountain range that overlooks the entire island.
“For several days following, our life was one of long hours of work making a home for ourselves, then moving to new positions and digging ourselves foxholes.
“Then came Thanksgiving and we had a great deal to be thankful for. We only experienced one inconvenience during our whole meal and that was a little Jap artillery that registered on our position.
“We all hit our foxholes with pie or turkey in one hand and steel helmet in the other. It wasn’t long before our forward observers spotted the Jap guns and we proceeded to knock hell out of them.”
Private Adams is the son of Mrs. Lucille Adams, Forney, and nephew of Mrs. R.N. Creekmore, 4307 Oak Lawn.
