At Happy Valley Near Chungking

Don led the remainder of the U.S. Navy truck convoy from Kunming to SACO's headquarters at Happy Valley, eight miles west of Chungking, arriving there in early September, 1945. He reached Chungking just as the war had ended – suddenly and surprisingly to just about everyone. Of course, most American servicemen were ecstatic. But others, including many who were just now entering the theatre of war, were angry that they would miss out on defeating Japan, considering it an opportunity for retribution. As for my dad, now that the war was technically over, he just wanted to go home and be with Anne and his little daughter, Dorothy, again, finish college and move forward with his career.

However, for several weeks after the formal declaration of peace between the Allies and Japan, signed in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, the situation in China remained very unsettled. Large pockets of Japanese soldiers in China refused to surrender, just as they had throughout the Pacific theatre earlier in the war. Some of them continued to fight tenaciously well into the fall (indeed, some Japanese troops in southeast Asia refused to surrender even for decades afterwards).

As a result, Don led small bands of Chinese Nationalist troops and engaged in guerrilla warfare operations against the Japanese forces throughout southeastern China for the next several weeks. He had recently been promoted to the navy rank of Lieutenant j.g. (the "j.g." meaning "junior grade," one step below a full Lieutenant). His raiding teams blew up Japanese supply depots and railroad bridges and, at times, he dressed up as a Chinese "coolie," complete with conical hat, and infiltrated the Japanese lines. He was well aware of the bounty the Japanese had placed during the war on captured American guerillas: $1,000 in gold per head. Don was shot and wounded during one such raid, but he didn't bother applying for a Purple Heart because he never cared much about medals.

I had heard these stories sporadically from him or other family members while I was growing up. I interviewed him in 2002 shortly before he died and asked him about his wartime experiences at Happy Valley, hoping he would fill in the picture for me. But like many war veterans, he was reluctant to talk about it. When I asked him about his combat experience against the Japanese in China, he simply said, "I was in the war and I participated. And I still have nightmares." I didn't press him for details.

After things settled down in China later that fall, my father was put in charge of training 1,200 Chinese guerrilla troops at Happy Valley. Successive squadrons of Chinese Nationalist troops, trained during the war to fight the Japanese, were now being trained to fight the Chinese Communist forces. The Communists had begun fighting the Chinese Nationalist troops in the 1930s but both sides had agreed to an uneasy truce during the war and, to some extent, they joined forces during World War II to fight their common enemy, the invading Japanese. But with the war recently ended, the Chinese Communist troops, led by Mao Tse-Tung, were now resuming their long-standing war against the Chinese Nationalist government, which was headed by president and generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.

My dad spent the fall training Nationalist troops in guerilla combat at the SACO base in Happy Valley, though it was a challenge at times, given the difference in culture and language. In the winter of 1945-46, and being the last SACO officer at Happy Valley, he was ordered to close down the U.S. Navy camp there. With the war over and U.S. troops heading home, its mission was now complete.

Above: This is the U.S. Navy's SACO headquarters, known as Happy Valley. The Chinese General, Tai Li, owned this land but gave it to SACO in 1942 so they could train Chinese troops here. It was located a few miles west of Chungking (photo from "A Different Kind of War" by Milton Miles).

SACO was jointly led by the U.S. Navy Commander, Milton "Mary" Miles and the Chinese general, Tai Li. My dad got to know Tai Li at Happy Valley that fall and, years later, he told me an interesting story about the general, the second-most powerful man in China after President Chiang Kai-shek.

Apparently one of Tai Li's Chinese lieutenants had led a raiding party through Japanese lines a week earlier and there was a disturbing rumor that the lieutenant's group had raped and pillaged in Chinese villages during the raid. Tai Li assembled hundreds of men on the parade ground at Happy Valley and called the lieutenant forward, then asked him if the rumor was true. The lieutenant confessed and apologized for his actions, then Tai Li took out his .45 revolver and shot him in the head. My dad was shaken by the incident but not surprised, because Tai Li had a strong sense of propriety, order and discipline.

General Tai Li's American counterpart, and the co-leader of SACO, was U.S. Navy Commander Milton Miles, whom my dad also got to know during their brief time together at Happy Valley. Miles' men deeply admired him, and his nickname, "Mary," was as unusual as he was. My dad thought Commander (later Vice Admiral) Miles was an inspiring officer and the ideal leader for this unique outfit. My dad told me that Miles was dedicated, smart, competent, adventurous, resourceful, and always thought "outside the box," figuring out ways to get things done despite seemingly-insurmountable obstacles.

A few years before Milton Miles died in 1961, he wrote the definitive story about SACO, a fascinating 629-page book called "A Different Kind of War" (see my webpage). My dad owned a copy of the book and it was one of his most prized possessions. From reading the book, and from my dad's descriptions of the Commander, I believe Milton Miles was one of the most creative and capable U.S. Naval officers of World War II. Apparently he was a fine person, as well, and I think I would've enjoyed meeting him.

My dad also got to know, to some extent, the Chinese president Chiang Kai-shek and his wife, Madame Chiang, while he was stationed in Chungking in the fall of 1945. The couple had a second home eight miles away in Happy Valley, a safe house they could retreat to in case things got dicey in Chungking, China's capital. Describing Chiang Kai-shek to me, my dad said, "He was honest. He was dedicated. He was a very fine – but not brilliant – person of average intelligence." Regarding Chiang's wife, known as Madame Chiang, my dad said, "She was an elitist. She was arrogant. She was demanding. She was self-centered, and she had a dominant effect on the general. I couldn't stand her," he chuckled.

A Letter to Anne

My father wrote this letter in Happy Valley after an inspection by Admiral Kinkaid (see photos below). Admiral Kinkaid was one of the highest-ranking officers in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

September 26, 1945

...We got in here [Happy Valley] yesterday afternoon and really were highly unwelcome. Admiral Kinkaid, a 4-star admiral, was having a big inspection on the parade grounds with everyone in full dress uniform when we rolled in with a cloud of dust. We were all dirty, unshaven and looked like tramps. Boy, did we get a bunch of dirty looks from all the big shots.

Anyhow, the Admiral had to come over and pose for a picture. I sure hope I can get one of those pictures. It shows him and I shaking hands in front of my command car and you can see the "Anne" I had painted on the front...

All my love,

Don

Above left: This was the view of Happy Valley from my dad's house, on a hill. He was stationed at Happy Valley from September 1945 until he closed down the camp in early 1946.

Above center: My dad standing with "Charlie," the editor of the Chungking newspaper. Charlie, as my dad called him, was extremely helpful to my father and a great source of local information, and they struck up a good friendship. My dad didn't know what happened to Charlie after the Communists took over China in 1949 but surmised that, like many journalists in China, he may have been killed.

Above right: Two useful items at Happy Valley: a rifle and a broom (to sweep out the ubiquitous dust).

Above left: A U.S. Naval officer (background) walks through Chungking. The city was located far inland and was therefore (somewhat) safe from the Japanese army, so the Nationalist government had moved their capital here during World War II.

Above left: Commander "Mary" Miles (center) with four of his indispensable Chinese interpreters.

Above left: A jeep / walkie-talkie unit at Happy Valley (forerunner of the cell phone, perhaps). My dad's house was on the hill behind them.

Above left: "Ensign Willie Baker. The other officer with me, and his jeep," my dad wrote on the back.

Above right: The radio shack at Happy Valley. This group coordinated the communications among the more than dozen SACO camps throughout China.

Above left: My dad off-duty, reading letters from home and enjoying a "Blondie" comic strip. My mom's photo is on the table to the left.

Above right: A photo from Bismarck, North Dakota that my mom sent to him during the war. In the bottom left corner, she signed it, "Love, Anne."

Above left: Some of my dad's students at Happy Valley. He wrote on the back: "This was taken during the first week of training and they don't look so good. They have improved a lot by now though and parade like a battalion of Marines. These are our office candidates. You can tell that the platoon leader is already an officer as he has a pair of shoes."

Above right: Training at Happy Valley. My dad wrote on the back: "Here's the reason I have to get up early each morning. You can tell by their expressions that they're unhappy about the whole thing. What surprises me the most is that no matter how cold it is, they still wear these sandals and their feet don't seem to get cold. A few whose folks have money have shoes, which mark them as being a special group (they think)."

Above left: Chinese President Chiang Kai-shek built this "safe house" at Happy Valley, where he could retreat if things got dicey in nearby Chungking.

Above right: A U.S. B-29 bomber leaving Chungking. Built late in the war, these were prized aircraft. Unlike other American bombers, including the fabled B-17, the B-29s were pressurized and heated so they could fly at much higher altitudes. They were also faster, had a much longer range and could carry a significantly heavier payload. This was the type of bomber that was used to drop atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

Above left: My dad wrote: "This is King, one of the stateside born-and-trained sentry dogs. As long as you have the leash, he'll do anything you say. But if you haven't the leash, it's wise to get up the closest tree and fast."

Above left: A visit in September 1945 by four-star Admiral Kinkaid, Navy Commander of the Southwest Pacific (see my dad's letter above about this visit). Kinkaid was one of the highest ranking officers in the U.S. Navy at the time.

Above left: Navy brass at a dinner party in Chungking. These could devolve into somewhat-competitive "gom bey" drinking parties. "Gom bey" means "bottoms up" and it was important to drink at these events to not lose face. My dad, who didn't care much for these parties, said it was the strongest alcohol he'd ever tasted.

Above left: Playing volleyball during a break. This was at the SACO base in Kienyang in eastern China. My dad is standing by the net, on the right.

Above left: My dad was a good basketball player on a small but good team in high school. He wrote on the back: "This is the finals of a competitive schedule I've set up. The Second Platoon of the Third Company and the Second Platoon of the Ninth Company are battling to save face. The Third won 39 - 34. They really are crazy about basketball and are also darned good. They are much better in teamwork, passing and condition than average high school teams but are only fair shots."

Above left: A program from the Christmas celebration at Happy Valley in December 1945. As my dad wrote: "Around 200 Chinese and 7 of us Americans."

Above center: The menu that night. Describing the alcoholic beverage served that night, he wrote: "I'll give 3 to 1 its the world's strongest drink. Can be used in cigarette lighters or for heating purposes but there is quite a bit of debate if it should be drank."

Above right: And the back of the program, with Chinese and American Santa's.