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Show whole Is Home Sweet twe To Marines i - "Sv Sit- Vic Kalman -e Corps Combat Correspondent) Correspon-dent) Marianas Islands Fox- "t tfre go through three .development and. oddly their depths vary inverse-j'ihe inverse-j'ihe amount of danger, i Vshc'.e. in its first stage, is a .y..;;;;ed depression in thu sur-7- the earth, almost the size I"-;- shells are bursting, a fox-U fox-U occupied by the two Mar-srio Mar-srio is it- They lie with the vrf portions of their bodies -i x the mud. their at" ts pro--Izi shrh.tiy above ground lev- I:r.:rrow," they resolve as u thistle overhead and bombs -: r.firhy. "we'll dig deeper." l::C; these 'homes" hardly in the living-room, Joe." Comfort Goes Deeper As the campaign wears on, however, and there is less need for foxholes they become deeper and deeper. This is a measure more for comfort than for security. secur-ity. For by this time, the Marines have picked up Japanese knick-knacks knick-knacks and need room for them. In this second stage of foxhole-diggin. foxhole-diggin. Leathernecks shovel for depth. They place Jap mats on the bottom, then layers of Jap blankets, blank-ets, mattresses and quilts. In the event of shelling, they bury their faces in the quilts. Posteriors still are slightly above ground level. "Tomorrow," they resolve again "we'll dig deeper." Imatiination Used . . . The third stage of foxholes is the most interesting. It is then, when the island is secured, that Marine ambition and imaeination ' h men in size, aiuuiliuus l-.-.;s who decide to dig deeper z. i";al are immediately dis- -:ed by such remarks as : "I :i!ie piano would look better come to the fore. I The holes are deep and roomy. Shelter-halves keep them dry. Souvenirs are placed on shelves and 'Rooms for Rent" and "Keep Off the Grass" signs make theii; appearance. Here and there, a Japanese pin-up girl smiles from a frame. Sleeping habits, however, do not alter. The other day, for example, a lucky Leatherneck found a cot. That night, the amazed sergeant awakened him. "It's raining now.. What are you doing under the cot?" the sergeant ser-geant asked. "Sarge," came the reply, 1 just can't sleep in that high altitude." |