World War II veteran's experience in CBI Theater 'unique'

Walter Mach, 98, recalls his military service in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II. CONNECTIONSWorldWarIIveteran,ofVestal,recallsuniqueexperienceinChina-Burma-IndiaTheaterKatieSullivanBorrellipressconnects.comViewCommentsViewCommentsWhileAmericansathomethrilledatthenewspaperheadlinesofaWorldWarIID-DayvictoryinJune1944,WalterMachandhiscomradesintheU.S.ArmyAirCorpswrangledwithtreacherousmountainsandjunglesintheChina-Burma-IndiaTheater ontheothersideoftheworld,tryingtoholdbackencroachingJapaneseforces.TheyflewnotoriouslydeadlysupplyroutesovertheHimalayasfromIndiaand builtaccessroutesthroughgnarledroadwaysthereandinwhatwasthenBurma.Weatherconditionswereharsh,andisolationextreme.It'softenreferredtoastheForgottenTheater,takingabackseattoEuropeandthecentralPacific,but98-year-oldWalterMach,ofVestal,rememberseverydetail.MachgrewupinWestWyoming,Pennsylvania,whichhedescribesasasmallminingtownoutsideofWilkes-Barre.He'ddroppedoutofschoolinninthgrade.Whenhewas20,thewarbrokeout; heturned21thefollowingAprilandjoinedthemilitarythatSeptember.Mach'sunit —primarilygroundcrew who'dhadnocombattraining—firstlandedinIndiaatitsborderwithChina."Wewerejusttransports,"Machisquicktosay,butsupplywascrucialto theAllies'missionintheCBITheater:tokeepfunnelingaidtoChinainitsfightagainstJapaneseinvasion. China'sseaportshadalreadybeenseized,anditsmaingroundsupplyroute,BurmaRoad,destroyed. Mach'sunitchangedbasesfrequently,Theytraveledto Jorhat,Korachi,Myikynia,CalcuttaandKharagpur.Theytoiledlonghoursinhot,stickyweatherovereverysupplyplane thatlandedontheirlightlyconstructedrunwaysandsurvivedonC-rations — thecanned,pre-cookedfoodstheArmyprovidedwhenfreshfood(A-rations)orunprepared,packagedfoods(B-rations)weren'tavailable."Spam,"Machsayswithasmile."GoodoldSpam andViennasausages." Theywereshortoneverything,Machremembers.Heneverhadawarmshower,andatnight,withhisclothingtiedtighttohiswrists,anklesandnecktoprotecthisskinfrommosquitoes — Machcountshimselfluckythathedidnotcontractmalarialikesomanyothersdid — theysometimessleptoncots undertarptentspitchedbetweenjungletrees.AsCBI-ers,theywereill-equipped,isolatedandtired,"alwaysfightingmonotony," buttheydidn'tcomplain."Wehadnoreasontocomplain,"Machsaid."Youstillhadabed,aplacetoeat.Notfarfromyou,theywerefightingtheirheadsoff."Instead,theCBI-ersfoughtmonsoons,strongwindsandicetocompletetheirtask.Sentamixedbagofanyaircraftnotalreadybeingusedinthewar,theyworkedtorepurposebombersastransportsandcarrysuppliestoChina.StayingoutofrangeofJapanesefightersmeanttakingofffromhigh-elevationairfieldsandbattlingturbulenceabove15,000-footpeaksmarking"TheHump"routeovertheHimalayas.Whenastormtookhold,Machsaid,"Godhelpyou.""Igotcaughtinone,andIsworewewerenotgoingtogetoutofit,"hesaid.Anestimated600AirTransportCommandplanesandnearly1,000airmenwerelostover "TheHump"bytheendofCBITheateroperations.Evenawayfromthemountains,servicemenwerefrequentlycalledoutonrescuemissionsfordownedpilotsinthethickofthejungle.Crashlandingsbecameroutine.Machremembersonelanding,lookingdownattheairfield,seeingfireenginesandambulances,"andpeoplewaitingtopickyourpiecesup."Hesurvivedthatlanding,andwitheveryhardshiphisunitfaced,Machsaid,"youjustmanaged,that'sall."Lookingback,thereweremomentsMachtreasured,likeflyingovertheTajMahalfourtimes,stirringupthemudintheIrrawaddyRiverandwatchinggoldflakesdriftthroughhishands,orsittingontheriver'sbankandwatchingthewaterflowby.Afterthewarhadended,andafterMachandhisremainingcomradeshadbeenshippedhome,he'dthinkbackontheirwartimeconversations,whentheydiscussedwhatjobsthey'dhavewhentheygothome.Withoutahighschooldiploma,Machworriedtherewouldbenoopportunitiesforhim.Inspiredbyhiscomrades,andafterayearandahalfoftryingouttradeschools,noneofwhich struckhisinterest,MachwentbackforhisGED.HewenttoKing'sCollegeinWilkes-Barre, whereheearnedhisbachelor'sdegree,thenwentontoworkinSocialSecurity."Itstillprovesifyouwanttodosomething,"Machsays,"youcandoit."OntributepagestothosewhoservedintheChina-Burma-IndiaTheater,there'sacirculatingslogan:"CBIveteransareunique."Inthedecadesafterthey'dleftservice,localCBI-ersgatheredoccasionallyinBroomeCountyandreminiscedabouttheirsharedexperiences.Now,75yearslater,Machnamesalistoflocalmenheknew whoalsoservedintheChina-Burma-IndiaTheater,includinghisbrother.He'stheonlyoneleftfromthelist,andbysharinghisstory,healsohonorstheirs."Ipersonallythinkwedidatremendousjob."FollowKatieSullivanBorrellionTwitter@ByKatieBorrelli.Supportourjournalismandbecomeadigitalsubscribertoday.Clickhereforourspecialoffers.ViewCommentsViewComments