Ecuperating - Chapter 31

Hans had six children. Heidi was the oldest. She was 18 when they married and Eric was 22. Hans’ children attended school in Newberry, the closest high school to Grand Marais. He had purchased a home there to make it handy for the children to attend school.

His children were the first of the Lodge 16 second generation to have the advantage of the scholarships awarded to all children of Lodge 16 members.

Late in 1944, Ted Sobieski from Manistique was asked to join the lodge. Ted had been in the south pacific during the war and had been stranded on Makin Island for 16 months after the raid on that island in August of 1942.

He wasn’t rescued until the United States retook the island in late November, 1943. His life there was chronicled in the journals.

August, 1942. Makin Island. Ted Sobiesski. I was old for the times. They called me

“Pappy”, these kids I was serving with. We were all aboard two subs two miles east of Makin Island. Our mission was to make a commando attack on the island and do as much harm as we could in a few hours. Then we would leave and be picked up by the subs.

I could see it was going to be one of the famous Snafu’s (Situation Normal, All Fucked Up) of the war. We’d be lucky to get back off the island. The seas were running high when we surfaced. They were six feet at least. I could hear the surf banging on the island all the way out here. We had rubber boats, 9 men to a boat.

Four on each side and one to man the outboard motor. We had spent a week practicing hitting the beach head. The theory was to step on the bow and one head right; the next left, and so on. Then we would pull the boat up on dry land, turn it around and have it ready to slide back in when we were ready to leave.

The plan assumed we would have men left to launch the damn thing. It took all we had just to pull it out of water. It also assumed we were going to actually get to the beach. I had my doubts about that. I’ve been around water all my life, and this looked bad to me. The sea would come over the stern as often as not. I was afraid it would drown out the engine.

As soon as we got aboard, I shed my equipment in the bottom of the boat, took off my boots and tied them to my belt. I caught hell from the sarge who ordered me to put my equipment back on. I didn’t bother. I looked around. We were already separated from the other boats. We made it about a mile when a big wave came over and swamped us, rolling the boat end over end. I struck out for the beach.

It seemed like ages before I felt sand with my toes. I crawled up to the tree line and collapsed. I woke the next day with the sun in my eyes. I crept to the edge of the trees and looked at the beach. Three bodies were washed up there. I went over to them.

They had been with me in the boat. All were dead. I took their ammunition, pistols and water. I was about to leave, when I thought better of it. I also took their socks. I left the bodies and headed inland.

Before action meeting had given us the geography of the island. It was about a mile wide and maybe 10 miles long. It looked like a slice of moon. I headed for high ground in search of caves that I knew had to be there with this kind of geology.

I found what I was looking for an hour later. A small entrance I could barely slither into and a large space inside. I could see daylight way back in the cave and found a second entrance on the other side of a ridge. I quickly camouflaged that entrance for future use and headed back to the main cave. A few bats were quickly shooed out of there and I tried to make the space livable.

With all the Japs on the island, I knew I wouldn’t be able to have a fire in here except at night, when the smoke wouldn’t be seen. Food was not a problem in this climate. I had already noticed tidal flats where there would be an abundance of aquatic life. I also had a fishing line with me and lots of hooks.

Go ahead and criticize me, but I like to be prepared. I never went in the woods without equipment and I hadn’t planned on it here on the ocean. It had just made sense to have an

emergency survival kit with me. I had been carrying the kit for weeks. I was thankful I had it with me.

I thought fresh water might be a problem, but it rained every day about 2 in the afternoon. I had three canteens and could fill them every day by gathering the rain water and channeling it into the canteens. It was plenty of water for my needs.

My next order of business was to scout the area. I left my boots in the cave. I knew my feet might suffer, but they had to toughen up as I wasn’t about to advertise my presence with GI boot prints all over the island.

There were natives on this island, and I assumed they would be walking around barefoot. I hardly thought the Japs could tell the difference between my footprints and theirs. I’m only 5’3, and about the size of the natives.

I saw my first Japs that day. They were down along the beach and found the three dead men there. They laughed and stabbed them a few times, then left them there for the birds to peck at. I’d like to have buried them, but I’m sure the Japs would have been a bit suspicious if I had.

There was a squad of six of them. They walked off in a bunch. It gave me an idea. I had twelve grenades I had scrounged from the bodies of the three marines. I planned on using them.