Pretty cool.
He shipped out of HI. His first stop was Wee Wack on the north coast of New Guinea.
Which means he was at Wewak mid-1945 since Wewak wasn't taken until May 1945.
His main duty was the rebuilding of air fields after they had been bombed. He was a heavy equipment operator/mechanic. He spent several months on New Guinea.
Because he couldn't have arrived at Wewak until May 1945 at the earliest, several months at Wewak would have him there until perhaps July-August of 1945.
They discovered Japanese ships run aground far up a river. He and another GI discovered and repaired a sunken Chris Craft cabin cruiser. They had this vessel for one day before MacArthur saw them in it and requisitioned it for himself.
Must be a different MacArthur because Gen Douglas MacArthur was over 1,500 miles away on Luzon in mid-1945.
Maybe the beach where he had to walk on the bodies was another landing sight in the Philippians. He was promoted during a battle from Sergeant to Captain for one day. Apparently, all the LTs and Captain were either dead or incapacitated. He was the senior Sergeant. He was replaced the next day.
But you said your dad's first stop out of HI was Wewak in Northern New Guinea which would have been mid-1945 and the landings at Luzon began in January 1945 but I understand from last night that you probably have your geography jumbled and mean Leyte. The landings at Leyte were in Oct 1944 while your dad was still at Hawaii.
During the battle of Luzon he received two injuries. A bullet through his helmet that did not penetrate his skull. A bullet to the lower abdomen that became infected and put him in the hospital for six weeks. He came home on a hospital ship.
The battle of Luzon continued after the formal surrender of Japan. So your dad spent several months on Wewak from approx May until August 1945, then went to Luzon/Leyte and participated in mop up activities and was wounded there?
I am going by memories of stories that my father told me over forty years ago.
I know that the two islands he was on were New Guinea and Leyte/Luzon.
It was possible they were in the other order.
He spoke about going into some place in New Guinea where a Japanese ship had hit the reef at such high speed it was sticking up out of the water at a 90 degree angle.
He spoke about going into Wee Wack.
I am not sure if it was the same place.
I still have a Ten Peso note from the Philippines with VICTORY across the back stamped in red.
George Washington is on the front because it was part of the US back then. I will check the year on that.
We also have a bookcase made out of Mahogany that my father shipped back from the Philippines.