“A Japanese soldier, having hidden for days in the hills…had become just too hungry to hold out any longer…ambled down and joined our chow line.”

James Philip Baross, Sr.

James P. Baross War: World War, 1939-1945 Branch: Army Air Forces/Corps Unit: 345th Bomb Group, 501st Squadron Service Location: Southwest Pacific Rank: Technical Sergeant Place of Birth: Greenlawn, NY

In his memoir of service as a radio operator aboard bombers in the South Pacific, James Baross insists that recalling and describing episodes of combat is “something that is not proper to do.” Nevertheless, his manuscript is valuable for its descriptions of daily G.I. life. Among the topics Baross covers: the eternal search for better food, a paralyzing experiment with homemade moonshine, gambling with a high-rolling Native American, buzzing General MacArthur’s quarters, and the ever-popular R & R in Sydney, Australia.