December 25, 1942
Gordonvale - North Queensland, Australia

Camp beginning to shape up. Very hot here and rainy. All kinds of strange wildlife. Animals even the country boys with us have never seen before. Bandicoots - wallabies - an assortment of snakes - you name it, it�s here. People are friendly and have invited many of us to their homes for Christmas. Rumor has it that we will be here for a while.

December 25, 1943
Papua, New Guinea,

Doesn�t seem like Christmas. Did have a day off from duty. Slept most of afternoon. Hiking and running in this climate really wears us down. Camp very quiet. Movie at night. Saw �Reunion in France� Good story. Rained very hard during movie and harder after returning to tent. Read a book titled �Claudia� for a while by candle light. Finally dosed off to sleep.

December 25, 1944
Mindoro, Philippine Islands:

Had turkey dinner at 3rd Bn. mess at 16:00 hr. Don�t know how the powers that be got it in to us with all the activity in the water offshore and in the sky. As soon as the sky darkened the Jap air force arrived to celebrate the holidays with us. Every night since we�ve been here they�ve paid us a visit. Making quite a nuisance of themselves. They apparently work in three shifts. Some arrive at noon and others after dark. A few come back about three or four in the morning. It�s a lively place and a Christmas we�ll all remember..

Jim ultimately commanded "H" Company on Negros. Post-war, he returned to Louisville KY, where he married Lois Penn and raised 7 children.

.