| Show marine fliers triumph over perils of air and sea combat correspondents recount tales of heroism sergeant survives after 32 days on barren islands for 72 days he was missing in action his comrades in a marine corps flying unit in the guadalcanal Guadal canal area had long given up hope of seeing him again but sergeant bill coffeen came back shaggy and lean he stepped out of a navy rescue plane he told of surviving storms blistering sun and infection and living for 32 days on a coconut diet the last 40 days he was missing friendly natives cared for him today staff sergt william I 1 coffeen jr 23 whose parents live at 1348 north lotus street chicago ill is at a naval base hospital being treated for malaria and malnutrition 1 I got off on the wrong foot that morning of april 13 and ended up the same way began coffeen my plane barely missed the treetops as I 1 took off from henderson field A guide light at the end of the strip blinded me we were to escort navy torpedo bombers on a mission within sight of land between ko lomb angara and choiseul islands I 1 suddenly noticed my engine smoking my oil line was leaking losing altitude rapidly and fearing the motor would explode I 1 decided to bale out it seemed that I 1 hit the water just a few seconds after my parachute opened 1 I pulled the cord on my life jacket but it failed to inflate it had been punctured I 1 pulled my rubber raft out and inflated it the paddle was missing the water was calm b but ut 30 minutes later a storm hit high waves tossed my small rubber raft about like a toothpick and overturned it into the water went all of my medical supplies and emergency rations all I 1 had left was the clothing I 1 was wearing and my hunting knife and pistol after I 1 righted the raft I 1 started paddling with my hands I 1 still was in sight of land in mid afternoon I 1 heard the familiar drone of our fighter plane motors it was my flight returning from the strike on which I 1 had set out that morning several of the planes flew low and almost directly over me I 1 fired five shots I 1 from rom my pistol and waved the white raft sail but they failed to see me I 1 1 I started paddling with my hands toward land on the way sharks swished by the raft reaches small island 1 I slept in a sitting position that night long before daybreak I 1 started again for land the sea was calm near sundown the second day out I 1 finally reached the shore of a small islar island ld I 1 was exhausted hungry and thirsty when I 1 reached the beach of the coconut grove island I 1 realized I 1 made a grave mistake by tossing my shoes overboard after the storm my socks were the only protection for my feet 1 I gathered two coconuts cut holes in them with my knife drank the juice then broke them open and ate the meat it was the first liquid and food I 1 had had in nearly 48 hours 1 I stayed on this island three days it was uninhabited and I 1 knew I 1 would die if I 1 stayed there far away I 1 could see a larger island and decided on the fifth day to strike out for it I 1 was growing weak from the coconut diet after hand paddling along the coast all that day with a blazing sun baking rrie me I 1 made the next island at dusk it was studded with coconut trees like the first island next morning I 1 decided to try for another island it took me all that day to reach it it was the same story when I 1 landed there no food no fresh water no life arm and foot infected my left arm was swollen to twice its normal size overnight my right foot was also infected I 1 realized blood poison was developing so I 1 cut open the source of infection with my knife and bathed my annj arm in salt water for more than an hour I 1 was relieved somewhat and decided to move on that morning I 1 tried to drink coconut juice but I 1 just get it down As I 1 paddled along the shore I 1 saw what appeared to be a red rooted roofed house near the end of the island the house proved a greater distance away than I 1 had estimated editors Edt Edi tois tots note the lollo following 1 9 two stories were written n hy by co combat C correspondents or of the united states marine marine corps typical of the work of these fighting writers the first was by staff sergeant william 1 coffeen jr as told to staff sergeant harry bolser balser the second was written by sergeant pen T johnson when night fell I 1 till still s was several miles from it but I 1 had something to look forward to and I 1 slept better that night 1 I reached the beach near the house at mid afternoon of the next day I 1 hid my raft in the bus bush h and approached the building fearful that it was occupied by japs I 1 saw a sign that read solomon developing ve company sydney australia I 1 soon learned that the building was part of an abandoned coconut plantation 1 I stayed at the plantation house five days on the sixth day I 1 gathered some limes and oranges and started traveling again in the distance I 1 could see the tip of a large island with the peak of a mountain rising above the clouds I 1 decided to make this island my next objective when I 1 landed I 1 soon found that I 1 had made another bad move I 1 found no life only cliffs and mountains however there was plenty of fresh water my first in apar approximately 27 days 1 I finally decided that I 1 would retrace my steps and try to make it i t back to the first island on which I 1 landed I 1 started out the next morning and barely made it back to the plantation house the infection in my hand had cleared but my foot was swollen from infection prayed for direction that night I 1 planned what I 1 decided would probably be my final attempt to contact life I 1 prayed to god almighty to send me in the right direction tomorrow I 1 decided ill make for the other side of the big island near dusk on the fourth day as I 1 had barely enough strength in my arms to paddle a storm broke and gradually I 1 was carried out to sea the last I 1 remember I 1 started to scream and then I 1 passed out 1 I was told later that a high wind blew me into shore when I 1 regained consciousness I 1 was in the arms of a native you american or jap the native inquired in his best pidgin english im american I 1 told him american you good he replied pi led those were the best words I 1 believe I 1 have ever heard in my life I 1 knew then that I 1 had been rescued 1 I walk my rescuer carried me to his hut not far from the beach I 1 asked the date and he told me it was may 15 when I 1 told him hi in I 1 had been lost since april 13 32 e g 4 V rs A 4 0 sergt william 1 I coff coffeen een jr days he hardly believed me he told me that white men could not live that long on the sea and in the jungle the native was a converted seventh day adventist he had been taught english by missionaries 1 I felt stronger the next day by the th e third day I 1 was able to walk once more they decided to take me in a canoe their I 1 was given american food canned meat and potatoes on the second day in the village the infection in my foot was lanced during my stay in the native village I 1 was stricken with malaria I 1 was given queenie native name for quinine my body was bathed in fresh water and lime within five days the fever disappeared while with the natives I 1 regained 20 of the 40 pounds I 1 had lost when I 1 arrived at the native village I 1 weighed about pounds on the day after I 1 had parachuted into the sea a navy rescue plane landed off shore near the native village gunner aftem attempts apts to brine bring b home crippled bomber twelve fighter pilots of my squadron had been out on a routine escort mission we were sent to escort a group of marine dive bombers on a foray against the jap held airfield at munda and were returning to henderson on guadalcanal Guadal canal major R L U S M C was telling a group of fighter pilots about mgt gilbert henze an 18 year old gunner from state center iowa somehow in the fracas I 1 got separated from my formation went on the major As I 1 headed homeward I 1 received a radio warning that one of our dive bombers was in trouble 1 I found it a good mile south of me at about feet the pilot hanging half way out of the bombers 45 AK 5 40 4 sergeant gilbert henze cockpit his helmet gone his clothes ripped to shreds 1 I asked by radio is your pilot alive 1 I dont know sirl sir he answered we got hit by a burst of shrapnel about 20 minutes ago and he has been that way ever since 11 can you or have you ever flown a plane no sir he answered do you think that you can keep her level and follow my instructions yes sir I 1 sure can try r the first thing I 1 want y you ou to do then is to release that 1000 pound bomb cant release bomb 1 I cant release it sir it can only be done from the front cockpit 1 I peered anxiously ahead below and just visible lay the shore we make it I 1 could signal for a crash boat or any kind of a boat and then if I 1 could get the kid to follow my instructions I 1 would try to bring him in by water then I 1 heard the kid shout over his radio my engine just sputtered then sir she must be out of gas the last word I 1 heard over my radio for suddenly it too went dead 1 I could see the kid working frantically on the stick as the bomber went into a sickening glide with my radio dead I 1 frantically signaled for the kid to jump if he saw me he failed to notice then ihen I 1 saw his head and shoulders emerge from the cockpit I 1 saw him clutching for his ripcord rip cord suddenly I 1 saw his body parachute and all shoot upward as the trailing edge of the plane hit him no man could live un under der such an impact 1 I followed the chute downward in tight circles I 1 could see a huge vent in the shrouds the kids body dangled from the harness A few minutes later it hit the water with a splash 1 I brought my plane within a few feet of the water As I 1 passed over the spot where the kid had fallen all I 1 could see was his yellow mae west As I 1 headed for home I 1 prayed that the kid was unconscious when he hit at least this would spare him any suffering before he drowned 1 I happened to be sitting by our radio a few days later A flier had been picked up by some friendly natives he was conscious when found and though suffering from multiple wounds and fractures had a better than 50 50 chance to survive 1 I learned later that the tall tail of the plane had severed his right leg below the knee editors editor note sergeant henze benze was returned to the states and died at the U S naval hospital mare island california he was buried a at hillside cemetery state center iowa |
