CHRISTMAS 1944
By R. Aubrey LaFoy
Christmas and family go together just like popcorn and butter. The two are compatible and if one of the ingredients is missing it is a not acceptable. Can you imagine Christmas without your loved ones helping you celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ? The depression years put a strain on families but my parents always provided my sister and me a memorable Christmas morning. Peering back to those days it is still leaves me wondering how they managed with money being short, Dad out of steady work and yet keeping the home comfortable and warm.
Christmas and family has always been high on my priority so it with trepidation and a little, “poor me” that I write about the worst Christmas of my life. My experiences were minor compared to many fellow servicemen as nobody was shooting at me and the areas I in were relatively safe. I was only 18 years old when I entered the military in 1943 in the United States Army Air Corps in World War II. My first Christmas in 1943 was spent with fellows that I had gone through basic training and was in a very well established engineer outfit. I was fortunate that first Christmas, away from home, to be with great army buddies and we had a wonderful chef to cook our Christmas dinner.
The second Christmas in the military occurred in India in 1944. The 20th Bomber Command I had trained and gone overseas to India had disbanded in late November 1944. I was sent to a replacement camp waiting orders to who knew where. Orders finally came late in December and I left Calcutta, India by train for northeast India called Assam in those days. The train trip took three days and Indian trains were not the greatest.
It was the day before Christmas 1944 and we finally arrived at the end of the railroad line. It was late afternoon and a truck arrived and transported us to our new outfit. There were four of us and I slightly knew one of the fellows. The truck driver hauled us about ten miles to our new assignment-51st Air Service Group. We were met by a corporal and escorted to a tent near the mess hall. The tent contained four canvas army beds, some blankets, mosquito netting and one weak light bulb hanging from the ceiling of the tent. It started to rain and it was damp and chilly. Finally somebody came over and escorted us to the mess hall for some Spam sandwiches and coffee. After that Charismas Eve meal we trudged back to our miserable tent.
We were sorry bunch of fellows and each of us could recall in our minds the great Christmas Eves we had had. We recited our memories of great Christmases back in the USA to each other. Photos were brought out and shown around and I recall one fellow showing us a photo of his two year old daughter. He looked at that photo and without any humility started to cry. We were all pretty weepy by then and the worst part was we could hear Charismas music being played over the camp loudspeaker. I did pretty well until “Silent Night” was played and I cried like a baby. I still get a little teary eyed whenever I hear that wonder Christmas song. So enjoy your Christmas with your friends and family.
The third Christmas spent in the United States Army Air Corps was a happy occasion. World War II had ended in August but it would be over four months before I was back in the USA, honorable discharge and home. After the war was over we continued to haul military supplies being stockpiled for the Chinese Nationalists in Liangshan, China. We drove over the Yangtze River each day (52 miles) and hauled back bombs, food, clothing and gasoline to our military dump. It wasn’t until November that we began our long trip home. The first leg was to fly to Kunming, China. I spent a week at Kunming before catching a B-54 flying from China to India. We landed at a former B-29 base and were there for about ten days.
Do you like mosquitoes or flies? I was scheduled to move to a base near Calcutta and embark on a ship headed for the USA. If I had obtained passage on that ship I would have been home for Christmas but my name was not on the passenger list. I inquired why it was not included but no one could give me an answer and being the army the list was in stone and no way to include my name. I was mad but could get nothing changed so my conclusion was that the clerk typing the list took his eyes away from the list to swat a mosquito or a fly and upon returning typing skipped my name. Nobody would admit this error but it meant a delay in passage for another two or three weeks. I finally moved to the USS General Brookes and left Calcutta December 5th, 1945.
We traveled to Ceylon then across the Indian Ocean, up the Red Sea, through the Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean and finally New York, New York. My third Christmas was spent sailing the beautiful blue water of the Mediterranean Sea. Santa Claus didn’t show up but Christmas music was played and the sailors did their best to provide us with a traditional Christmas dinner with canned turkey, boxed mashed potatoes, gravy, string beans, canned sweet potatoes, dressing and ice cream. It was different but we had won the war and the greatest Christmas present of all; we were on our way HOME.
I finally arrived in Milford on January 7, 1946 and my folks had kept the Christmas tree up and we celebrated. It was a wonderful homecoming and Christmas. Since those three Christmases away from home and family have always had the privilege of family gatherings either in Milford, Mason City or at Lake West Okoboji.
The past 17 years we have spent Christmas in Arizona with our many friends but Connie and I always reserve Christmas morning to opening presents and calling our family and wishing them a Merry Christmas. This Christmas was different as we flew to Missoula, MT, rented a car and drove to Deer Lodge. My one and only sister Jean, was not good and she died on December 12th just before we drove into Deer Lodge. Her Memorial Service was on December 15th and flew back to AZ December 16th. Needless to say we didn’t get our many Christmas house decorations out of the boxes but did get our tree decorated and outside lights on. We did have a wonderful Christmas dinner with some friends and Connie and I opened our presents on Christmas Day. We did have a Merry Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year.
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