Above the Thunder (49 page)

Guild, Lee,
192

gunnery,
65–66
,
70

Haako, Mount (Luzon),
144
,
159
,
161–63
,
162
,
179–80

Hadfield, Bill,
174
,
190–91
,
235–36
,
277

Harker, Melvin,
118
,
121

Harriman, Warren,
42–43
,
278

Harrison, Rollie,
79

Harte Flying Services,
83
,
89

Hawaii,
103–4
; attack on Pearl Harbor,
39–52
; efforts to secure against invasion,
60–62
; expectations of invasion of,
48–49
,
55–56
,
58
; Japanese in,
55–56
,
113
; Kerns in,
36
,
71

Hawaiian Division,
38

Hawaiian National Guard regiment, with 25th Division,
55

Healy, Tom,
171–73

helicopters,
vs.
light airplanes,
279

Hicks, Bryant,
280

Higgins, Gilbert,
196

Hill 3000 (Luzon),
215–16
,
227–29
,
231
,
232
,
241

Hoffman, Fred,
98
,
111
,
117
,
176
,
223
,
252

Hollandia (New Guinea),
139
,
144
,
186–88
,
192

Hull, Lieutenant,
156–57

Hurlbut, Captain,
116

Igorot people,
216–17

Ilocos Sur Province (Philippines),
264

infantry,
205
,
217
,
240
; artillery's coordination with,
70–71
,
234–37
; pilots' support for,
200
,
244
,
262–63

intelligence: by Alamo Scouts,
165
; questioning Japanese POW,
189–90
; recon missions for,
201–6
; recon over guerrilla terrain,
268–69
; Truxtun as officer for,
131–35

Isenberg Field, at Lihue,
106–7
,
109

Janes, Eddie,
110
,
126
,
128
,
143

Japan: expectations of victory over,
69–70
; invasion plans for,
213
; Kernses stationed in,
274
,
277

Japanese,
232
,
259
; camouflage and concealment methods of,
147
,
160
,
168–69
,
219–20
,
229
,
232
,
234
; Filipinos' stories about,
197
,
212
; suicide attacks by,
238–39
; trying to regroup at Hollandia,
187–88

“jawbone” sergeant, Kerns as,
65–66

John Rodgers Airport,
36
,
40

Jones, John Paul,
185

Jones, Lieutenant,
201–3
,
205

Jones, Lynn,
219

Jones, Perry,
238–39

jungle warfare training, on Oahu,
130–31
,
138–39

Kahuku Point (Hawaii),
56

Kailua (Hawaii),
62–64

Kailua-Kaneohe Bay sector (Hawaii),
52

Kalihi (Hawaii),
52
,
59–60

Kanahele, Benjamin,
113

Kaneohe Bay (Hawaii),
53–57

Kauai (Hawaii),
103–6
,
112
,
114–15
,
118
,
120

Kelley, Everett,
73
,
79
,
89–90
,
92
,
97

Kellogg, Donald,
73
,
76

Kelly, Earl “Bud,”
73
,
79
,
80–81
,
83
,
92
,
192

Kelly, Marie,
83

Kenyon, Howard,
73
,
76–78

Kerns, Bob (brother),
35
,
82
,
280

Kerns, Carolyn (sister),
82

Kerns, Dorothy “Dorie” (wife),
82
,
97
,
274
;
Kerns's leaves with,
77–78
,
274–75
; marriage of,
72
,
83

Kerns, Gerald (brother),
280

Kerns, Peggy (sister),
82

Kerns, Raymond,
37
,
64
,
107
,
143
,
210
,
225
,
274

Kerns parents,
35
,
82

Kimball, George,
47
,
54

Kinsch, Ted,
110
,
126

Kipley, Bernard,
73
,
76

Kirkbride, Keith F.,
223–24
,
237

Kitt, Stephen A.,
43

Koon, Carl,
47

Korean War, WWII veterans in,
276

Krevolt, Rudy,
101
,
224

Krueger, Walter,
228–29

Kualoa Point (Hawaii),
53–54

L-4As,
124
,
127

L-4Hs,
106

L-3s,
98

L-4s, Piper,
210
;

advantages of,
127
,
155
,
163–64
,
251
,
279
; carrying passengers,
223–24
; compared to other planes,
114
,
127
; damage from HE fragments to,
175–76
,
223
; flight training in,
85–86
,
91–93
; limitations of,
112–13
,
130
,
153–55
,
248
,
257–58
; sinking after water landing,
182
,
191
; transportation of,
127
,
140

Lane, Fay Clifford (brother-in-law),
196
,
275
,
279–80

Laoag (Luzon),
265–68

LeGrand, L. W.,
278

Leyte,
195–96

Lihue Plantation Company (Hawaii),
109
,
113–14

Lilly, Gordon,
89

Lindbergh, Charles A.,
35–36
,
70

Lingayen Gulf (Philippines),
196–98

Loacan Field (Baguio),
248–49
,
249
,
254

Lomax, Mrs.,
83

Luzon (Philippines): Cemetery #1 in,
281
;
33d Division in,
199
,
202
,
203
,
231
;
guerillas in,
263–68
; Japanese in,
209
; rough terrain of,
205
,
218
; winds around,
257–58

MacArthur, Douglas,
186

Machine-gun Hill,
236–41
,
243

Madarang, Abelardo,
212

Maffin Bay (New Guinea),
189
; area operations map,
172
;
122d at,
126
,
140–41
,
143
;
engineers building airstrip at,
155
,
160
; ferry landing at,
158–60
; Japanese at,
161–63
,
162
;
Kerns landing in,
179–83
; rescue boat from,
180–83
; Tornado Task Force at,
164
,
190–91
,
193–94

Magnan, Leo,
45

malaria,
122
,
185
,
261–62

Malik, Anthony,
273–74

Manana (Rabbit) Island,
57

Manila (Philippines),
272

Mann, Adolph Otto,
45

Marchant, Martin, Jr.,
167–71

marriage, Kernses',
72

Marrs, Roy,
82–83
,
90

Marshall, George C.,
256

Massewang River,
124
,
129–30
,
137

Matsonia,
120–21

Maui (Hawaii),
103

Maunawili Ranch (Hawaii),
60

McAndrews, James,
49

McAnsh, Andrew T.,
236

McCart, Kenneth,
45

McCart, Sergeant,
52–53

McPhail, Billy,
90
,
93

medals, for pilots,
183
,
224–26
,
271

Militante family,
60

military, service in,
49–50

Miller, Oliver,
105
,
183–85

Millikin, John,
99

mines, antipersonnel,
189
,
218

miniature subs, Japanese,
57

Molokai (Hawaii),
103

morale, following Pearl Harbor attack,
69–70

Mossman, Dwight,
98
,
116–17
,
124–25
,
226
,
260
,
271

Muirhead, Gavin L.,
47

Mulherin, William A. “Billy,”
47
,
49
,
63
,
278

Murphy, Allison,
44

Myers, Donald,
141
,
153
,
155

Nagumo, Chuichi,
52

Navy, U.S.,
128
; airplanes of,
56–57
,
114–15
; attack at Pearl Harbor on,
47
,
51–52
; shelling Sarmi,
178–79

Nawiliwili Harbor (Hawaii),
115–16
,
120

New Guinea,
194
; American offensive on,
187
; civilians of,
133–37
,
188
; 33d Infantry Division in,
122–23
,
123
,
140–41
; mail delivery to,
185–87
; natives killed at Checkpoint #6,
176–77
,
243–44
; Okinawan labor force on,
187–88
,
190
; python hunts of,
134–35

Niihau island (Hawaii),
113

“Ninety-Day Wonders,”
73

Oahu (Hawaii),
70
; efforts to secure,
60–62
; jungle warfare training on,
130–31
,
138–39

observation points, in Hawaii,
53–57
,
62–64

O'Donnell, James,
47

Officer Candidate School (OCS): artillery training,
73–76
,
78–80
; discipline at,
76–78
; evaluation of classmates at,
78–79
; graduation from,
80–81
; Kerns's application for,
67–69
; Kerns's travel to,
71–73

“Old Spanish Trail,” pilots looking for,
203

Olsen, Norman,
193–94

Onderdonck, Ernett,
53–57
,
58
,
70

130th Infantry, in attack on Baguio,
243
,
246

124th Field Artillery Battalion,
243–44

122d Field Artillery Battalion,
112
,
116
,
121
,
206
,
236
,
241
; in Luzon,
196
,
202
,
227
; at Maffin Bay,
140–41
,
143
;
Sorry Listening Posts and,
174–75

122d Infantry Regiment: in attack on Baguio,
243
; Kerns losing touch with,
278
; lack of reunion of,
278
; support for Volckmann's guerrillas by,
264
,
268

123d Field Artillery Battalion,
245–46
; Btry A,
59–60
; Btry B,
57
,
141
; Btry C,
57–59
; Cannon Company,
241

123d Infantry Regiment,
121–22
; Cannon Company,
241
; Co. B,
145–46
; Co. C,
167–71
; Co. C.,
245
;
Co. G,
188–89
,
243
; in Luzon,
199
,
202
,
203
,
212–16
,
227–28
,
235–36
,
246

Pacific theater, rotation for troops in,
270

Park, Ralph,
49
,
61
,
63
,
64
,
66–67
,
257
,
278

Paxton, Alexander G.,
98
,
101–2
,
111
,
212–13

Pearl Harbor (Hawaii): antiaircraft fire at,
51
,
55
; attack on,
39–52
,
69–70
; destruction at,
51–52

Peebles, Francis E.,
166
,
168

Perkins, C. C. “Buzz,”
82
,
156–58

Perkins, Sergeant (mail clerk),
186–87

Philippines.
See also
Luzon
: American divisions in,
194
,
198–99
; Cemetery #1 in Luzon,
281
;
civilians and Americans,
197
,
210–11
,
216–17
; civilians in Baguio,
243–44
,
246
,
253–54
; Japanese and,
197
,
212
; natives in Volckmann's guerrillas,
263–68
; ship home from,
272–73

Phipps, Claude,
45
,
278

Pickett, Ellis,
98