After much delay, the Japs returned Sec. of State Byrnes’ note accepting the provisions for unconditional surrender and officially hostilities have ceased.
Tonight at 2300 I was roused out of the sack and told to call the squadron HQ. There I was told to pack my bag and be ready to leave in the AM on an emergency war mission (secret). Then Rafferty and I packed our bags and were ready at 7 AM. We were told our destination was Tokyo which we would enter ahead of all Allied troops and set up control towers at 3 strips to land the occupational troops. This announcement was the beginning of the biggest comedy of errors I have ever seen. We loaded our equipment on C-47s of the 317th Troop Carrier Squadron Jungle Skippers and after numerous dry runs to test equipment we stayed on the strip for 3 days sleeping at the plane and riding to chow in trucks. Then on Tuesday we finally left Clark Field for Okinawa, arriving at about 1425 after our stop at Laoag. Here we were placed in a casual camp and spent 5 days waiting for peace arrangements to be made. At the end of that time, they tore down the casual camp and some of the boys moved up to the AACS Detachment and a few of us stayed on the line with the plane. Today the planes are leaving for another strip where they will load the equipment on C-54s at Kodena strip.
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