Dorchester High School for Boys - Red and Black Yearbook (Dorchester, MA)

Page 67 text:

4 F f 'Q nr' Q' , 'IQXW 3' :QV ,417 ,ff 1,5 L A4 gy X A ts ' ,G Lg:::.1:-,....vgf'fi:3. f4f up flux, ,gf ,fb ll,,' I f est' .nf !Lf,n f Il fp F F. ANAETASI page sixty-three

Page 66 text:

CLASS OFFICERS POR 1944 Left to right: Gerard M. O'Meara, secretary-treasurer: Paul Bowes, president Philip A. Weiner, vice-president, Albert F. Reed Awake thou Dorchester spirit, we'll have the best school yet, Largely the work of our master, new and friendly, you bet B rag and boast, and cheer, yea sing our virtues loud Evolve a school with a spirit of which we'll all be proud Respect his love of man, disdain of mob or faction Talk with a human twist, empowered by soul and action. Resolve each one with new day to carry our worthy share E 'en dream of our school as that with which none can compare. E verlasting esteem then to him, from the boys he tirelessly serves Devoted tribute and praise-the tokens our master deserves. Francis L. Ford faculty literary editor Harold J. Rose managing editor page sixtg-Iwo

Page 68 text:

-'vs' Pistol P3l3kiH, Photographer A letter from Put. Edward P. Laudanskyi, ,BQ Signal Corps, Pacific Area. -L YS iklw ' Q -Haig if ,'v'f,, -fi I .ai ff I Ulf ii 4 51 Dear Folks: Well, now it can be told. I hope my last letter didn't frighten you, but here is the story in a nutshell. I was with the troops that took Makin Atoll in the Gilberts. I am allowed only to tell my personal experiences so here goes as best I can. I couldn't write you very well while we were on maneuvers and much less while we were aboard ship. We trained well for this offensive, and it was just like another maneuver when we got off the barges. No one was too scared, nobody too excited. On the morning of No- vember zo, we sighted Makin about 6 A. M. whole .Iap fleet and us as we eased up into the barges and thought. Boy we In the meantime a I was expecting to see the air force come down on to the island. We loaded headed for shore, so we rode and rode and rode. squall came up and in less than it takes to write, We were soaked through and everyone was cussing and swearing, myself included. We would cuss every time a wave came over the bow of the barge, and that sort of kept our minds off the thought of facing fire while going in. Then th-e signal came that we were to page sixty-four go in. While we were heading for the beach, the squall subsided and the sea grew fairly calm. All this time my camera was getting wet and my temperature was going up. We were sup- posed to be in the third wave, but I think we hit before some of the other waves had. The beach they selected for us to land on was a lulu. Boy, if I have to do it again, I don't want it on that kind of beach. Our barge hit the reef and we slid over. Then we had to pick our way through jagged coral boulders under the water. About one hundred and fifty yards from shore, our boat tore its bottom out on a boulder, and we had to go off the ramp. As soon as they lowered the ramp, the barge started to fill with water and sink. All this time my camera was my biggest worry, but I had to go: so I jumped. I only went in up to my neck among the boulders with my camera and a light combat pack over my head. I luckily kept them dry, but all the films I had in my pockets, my wallet, and the sixty pound pack on my back were all soaked. I would try to walk and find I could stumble a few feet, and then a wave would drag me back. Lots of fellows were going under and then come up spluttering. All the while the Navy was shelling, bombing, and strafing the beach. I finally found that if I used the momentum of an oncoming wave, I could slide over the boulders with the help of my lifebelt. I finally made that one hundred and fifty yards in about twenty minutes, but I think I aged ten years. We charged the beach, all the time your truly reeling one reel of film after the other of the operation. We had expected machine guns on the beach, but the .laps had evacuated to their village leaving only snipers in our path. I started right out behind the assault troops. All this time we didn't know where the .laps were. Then in the undergrowth I lost sight of them, but I kept going. I went about a half a mile without any incident. All this time I thought that the first wave had already come through