This text was obtained via automated optical character recognition.
It has not been edited and may therefore contain several errors.

---

A FEW OF OUR RADIO CREW, INCLUDING ME, WERE TRANSFERRED TO TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION, WHICH MEANT CLIMBING TELEPHONE POLES AND COCONUT TREES.OUR COMMANDING GENERAL WAS, I BELIEVE,GENERAL LYMAN.
WE LEARNED TO SET UP A TELEPHONE SWITCHBOARD WITH 60 TELEPHONES IN A HATTER OF MINUTES.JOE DUPUY WAS OUR SERGEANT.HE HAD BEEN IN EVERY IMPORTANT
campaign the marines were in.*the boxer rebellion,Nicaragua,haiti and world
VAR l*? ?JJ) JUST C0ME BACK FE0M NICARAGUA,WHEN HE WAS GIVEN A MEDAL AND THEN ASSIGNED TO OUR GROUP.
MY BEST FRIEND WAS JACK WOOTEN BOWEN OF GEORGIA.WE HAD OUR FIRST SEA yJvNEUVERS IN THE CARIBBEAN IN 193^ AND AGAIN IN 1935.WE WENT BY BOAT TO NORFOLK,WHERE WE TRANSFERRED TO THE TRANSPORT SHIP CHAUMONT AND THE SUBMARINE TENDER HOLLAND.THE LIGHT CRUISER TRENTON WAS ALSO IN OUR GROUP.ON CUP* SECOND MANEUVERS WE WERE ON THE BATTLESHIP ARKANSAS , AND WE ALSO HAD "EE BATTLESHIP WYOMING AND A NUMBER OF OTHER SHIPS.WE LANDED IN THE U.S. CULEBRA ISLAND AND OUR TELEPHONE GROUP WAS THE FIRST ON THE ISLAND.WE SET UP COMMUNICATIONS IN THE POLICE STATION WITH OUR EQUIPMENT \JNDER A LARGE TENT.WE PUSHED REELS OF TELEPHONE WIRE UP THE SIDE OF HILLS ALL OVER ISLAND. I SAW ONLY TWO OR THREE HOUSES AT THAT TIME.
ON THE SECOND TRIP WE WERE STATIONED AT COCO SOLO, PANAMA,BEFORE MANEUVERS STARTED,TO WAIT FOR THE U.S.FLEET TO GET FROM THE PACIFIC SIDE TO THE ATLANTIC.WE HAD NOTHING TO DO SO WE PLAYED GOLF.WHEN OUR FLEET WAS COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED,WE TOOK OFF INTO THE ATLANTIC AND THEN TO CULEBRA ISLAND AGAIN.ON THIS LAST MANEUVER WE HAD A POST ABOUT 200 YARDS FROM THE SAND BAG BARRICADED SECTION.I WAS TOLD TO STAY AT THIS STATION UNTIL I SAW THE FLAG BEING LOWERED, AND THEN I WAS TO RUN LIKE HELL UP THE HILL. I DIDN'T NEED ANY ENCOURAGEMENT BECAUSE THE 10TH MARINES WERE FIRING"SHELLS OVER MY HEAD TO VARIOUS TARGETS AROUND ME.JUST AS I GOT INTO THE SECTION,
THE BIG GUNS OF ARKANSAS AND THE WYOMING STARTED SHELLING THE ISLAND WHERE I HAD BEEN.ONE OF THEM WENT ASTRAY AND RICOCHETED INTO OUR SANDBAG BARRICADE,HOWEVER NO ONE WAS HURT,
IN OUR FLEET MANEUVERS TO CULEBRA ISLAND WE HAD A FEW MINOR COLLISIONS WITH OTHER SHIPS OF THE FLEET.AFTER ALL', WE-WERE RUNNING IN TIGHT FORMATION AND WITHOUT LIGHTS.WE COULD NOT SMOKE OR USE ANY LIGHTS ON DECK.IT WAS NICE JUST LYING ON DECK AND WATCHING THE STARS.
ON OUR WAY BACK TO NORFOLK, VA., WE RAN INTO A STORM OFF CAPE HATTERAS AND THE WAVES WERE COMING OVER THE DECK OF THE ARKANSAS .WE WERE SLEEPING ON DECK BUT UNDER COYER OF THE UPPER STRUCTURE OF THE SHIP,THE WATER CAME IN AND~WET EVERYONE UP TO ME.I AWOKE AT THIS MOMENT AND GRABBED UP MY SLEEPING ROLL JUST AS THE WATER HIT WHERE I WAS LYING,I WALKED AROUND EVERY LOWER DECK LOOKING FOR A DRY SPOT TO LIE DOWN BUT FOUND NONE.THE LOWEST DECK HAD ABOUT TWO FEET OF WATER.I FINALLY GAVE UP AND PUT MY BED ROLL IN THE WATER AND WENT TO SLEEP.ON THE BATTLESHIP WYOMING ONE OF THE GUN WALES HAD WORKED LOOSE AND FELL,INJURING A MARINE.HE HAD TO HAVE AN EMERGENCY OPERATION IMMEDIATELY,SO OUR SHIPS HAD TO BE ORIENTED SIDEWAYS TO THE WAVES INSTEAD OF HEAD ON SO THAT THE SURGEON COULD OPERATE.THEN THE MARINE WAS PICKED UP BY AUTOGYRO AND TAKEN TO A LAND BASE HOSPITAL.
AFTER THIS LAST MANEUVER I WAS TRANSFERRED TO PARRIS ISLAND,WHERE AFTER A YEAR I BECAME THE CHIEF OFERATOR THERE.OLD JOE DUPUY WAS ALSO TRANSFERRED TO PARRIS ISLAND AS OUR SERGEANT.BY THIS TIME I HAD BECOME A PRIVATE 1ST CLASS WITH A $20.00 SPECIALIST PAY AND A $5-00 RIFLE PAY,ALL OF THIS BEING EQUIVALENT TO A SERGEANT'S PAY.
A MONTH BEFORE I WAS TO BE DISCHARGED,I WAS SENT TO THE HOSPITAL FOR A TUMOR OPERATION AND IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS WAS SENT TO THE BROOKLYN NAVAL HOSPITAL,WHERE I WAS TO RECEIVE XRAY TREATMENT.I MET A LOT OF INTERESTING FEOPLE HERE. I LEARNED PHOTOGRAPHY AND RADIO AT THE BROOKLYN HIGH SCHOOL FOR SPECIALITY TRADES IN MY SPARE AFTERNOON HOURS.SINCE I WAS THE
6