MEMORIES FROM WWII TRIP HOME

(Typical ancient Pueblo housing.)

A long-time friend from the days I lived in Albuquerque has led one of the most interesting lives of all the people I know. When I first met her, she was a pediatrician traveling to Native American reservations in the area. Remarkably, she was toting an infant carrier with her first-born child on board to all of her appointments! Ruth MacCurdy and I have corresponded with one another for the nearly 50-years since I moved back to Texas. Her life has afforded her many amazing experiences. I don't personally know anyone else who has climbed to the top of a Mexican pyramid, lived in Puerto Rico, was married to a man who worked for the CIA, or experienced such a harrowing trip as the following one she related to me in different emails...and now practices a type of medicine known as craniosacral therapy! (Correct me Ruth, if I have that wrong!) I have almost "hounded" her from time to time to write her memories about this experience. She relayed this to me in bits and pieces as her memory took hold. If I don't have it quite in sequence, it is totally my fault! 

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Ruth

"Most memorable was our trip back to the states on a hospital ship and I have many memories of that. For years we told the story, laughing at the lighthearted jokes my father told to keep some of the other missionaries from worrying. But in the late 90’s I was telling the story to some friends in Mexico and simply could not continue, I was so choked up with the fear and other emotions left over from that trip (that had been submerged for all those 50+ years).

"Although I was only 4-5 I do have a couple of vivid memories and the rest my mother and/or sister filled in...

"In Bangalore sirens went off for air raid practice and we were instructed to get under our seat/tables …..which we learned to do very quickly.

"In Kodaicanal the news brought total panic to the missionaries who immediately evacuated almost to a person. On hearing this (later) I was totally amazed, as Kodaicanal seemed the farthest and almost safest place to me (as Stilwell’s army was pushed back to the border of Assam/India where they held against the Japanese with the help of an Indian army).

"Since my father had been working with the Gandhian nonviolent movement for freedom in the Bangalore area, this was quite concerning to the British 'in charge' of Tamil Nadu, India. As America was an ally in WWII, their hands were essentially 'tied', but they finally sent a deportation notice (which was never found in the records after our return to the States). Our first departure date was delayed as my brother and sister came down with measles. (I have long been convinced – there are no coincidences!!  We later learned the first ship we were to leave on was torpedoed and there were no survivors!)

"If troops were being moved, there was absolutely no room on the trains, but we were soon waved over to a carriage and arms extended to get us on the train thru the windows; with soldiers moving over to make room for us.

"We departed from Bombay in a convoy of two ships (one carried orphans from Europe to Australia and we have since learned how some of them were treated), heavily guarded by battleships, submarines, etc. Our first stop was somewhere along the southern coast of Australia, but we (a mixture of Americans and Europeans) were only allowed to walk up and down a very long pier. After one or two trips back and forth I immediately returned to the ship as I was afraid it would go off without us, and there were no signs of a town or habitation whatsoever. I then worried that they would leave without my father who was not going to miss that exercise. The older boys and men were 'housed' somewhere lower in the ship and the women and younger children on the upper deck. But there were areas of the ship where we met and ate.

(Hospital ship from WWII-Not the one they took.)

"I’m sure they took on water and supplies and then headed for an Island (perhaps Guam) to take on the soldiers who had been evacuated from Guadalcanal. They filled the ship from the bottom to almost the top with wounded sailors.  And there could have even been some in 'bags'.  We ended up going through a 'hurricane', but survived quite well, even if we were sleeping up on deck – fortunately between two big guns – they kept us from washing off. 

"We (the children) were all watching from the top deck as they filled the whole ship with soldiers, and opened up access for the supplies to be loaded down the middle of the ship – we could see the men on the very lowest deck – looking like ants scurrying around. The soldiers filled the whole dock area and repeatedly kept shouting 'Throw down the children, Throw down the children'. This I did not understand 'til it was explained to me that they hadn’t seen children for two years or more.

"We then headed across the Pacific, not stopping till we reached the States. There were so many soldiers that the mess had to feed all of us in shifts, and all the black soldiers volunteered to be cooks. The officers and crew ate last (women and children ate first), and I made good friends with the officer in charge of the mess, often going back to see what they were eating. One day I asked the lieutenant in charge what something was and was told it was 'pie' -- 'Do you want a taste?' I had been rigidly raised not to eat between meals so I replied I’d have some for lunch. And the next day, everyone was served pie (not just the officers)!!

"Our deck had access via stairs to the lower decks, and it was soon clear that I wasn’t going to stay put on just our deck (and the open deck above). There were MP’s at all the stairways, and they assured Mom that someone would grab me should the ship be attacked (I refused to wear the life jacket everyone was required to wear), and that I would not be harmed! At the end of the day I would return for the night loaded down with candy bars, minus the hair ribbons from my braids. When they were all gone my mother told the MP’s she had to have them back, and they slowly filtered back up the stairs, although a bit shorter.

"Being a doctor, Mom was occasionally consulted re some medical problem (they had medics, but few MD’s), and was taken 'below' to help. I remembered her saying there were two decks of cages, with one man in each so they wouldn’t hurt anyone, and could be monitored so they didn’t hurt themselves. Needless to say, I wasn’t allowed on those decks!

"Two other incidents I remember clearly. A submarine was detected by our convoy and depth charges were 'dropped' – making our ship lean way to one side and then way over to the other side. We happened to be in an area where the civilians could visit, and all the chairs and tables went 'flying and sliding', with a few of the occupants falling over backwards."

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What kind of memories do you have from your early years? I have a few from the World War II era, but nothing so dramatic or exciting.

Peace and prayers we never have a WWIII,

Marilyn