Troop Morale

Eating apples. [Men, left to right]  ARM 1/c Chandler, AMM 1/c Maris, Lt. jg Decker, ENS Hoin. At fighter strip, Feb ’43, Amchitka

Bill Maris

By Bill Maris
You asked how our moral was, with crazy things like this happening how could we not be happy. This stuff happened in the air as well as on the ground. To me it was a fun and an exciting experience. It tested your ingenuity all the time.

Like one time I captured all the left over canned chow from the flight as we were called back due to wx out north over the Bering sea. Ens Bill Decker, our PPC gave me hell and said he had first dibs, I and the crew just chuckled. As far as I was concerned my crew came first. The officers were eating steak at Adak while we ate stew and ham and cabbage, oat meal. Like the time I stole the 5th of scotch from Capt Gehris box of liquor when I hitched a ride with VP-45 from Kodiak to Adak. Boy the s---t hit the fan on that one. I gave the scotch to the boat coxswain over in Andrews Lagoon where we landed who brought us ashore!

My radioman Maw Chandler and I had a box with all kinds of stuff to solve any and all problem we might have, that went on every flight we went on, not knowing where home would be that night, except for dancing girls. Hi hi!

Gb Bill

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Perhaps returning with "all kinds of stuff to solve any and all problems we might have."
Andrews Lagoon at Adak, May ’43. Returned from Kodiak with VP-45. [Men on boat, left to right] Unknown, [next two standing close together] boat crew, AMM 2/c Barnett, CNAP Bill Dunn

Bill Maris