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US-MdAnUSNI-026042009.tif
How much beer can you squeeze into a pair of SBD Dauntlesses. According to the author, a lot.
(U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive)

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Flying Beer Trucks

A trip to the hospital turns into a beer run for sailors on Emirau.
By Rodney Harrison
June 2022
Naval History Magazine
Article
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In October 1944, I was with Marine Scout Bomber Squadron (VMSB) 142 stationed on Emirau Island, 1 degree south of the equator, in the northern Solomons. We were part of the force keeping the Japanese bases of Kavieng and Rabaul isolated. Training flights in our Douglas SBD Dauntlesses plus an occasional strike was the order of the day, as we waited for the Philippine liberation campaign to begin.

I had noticed a small growth on the sole of my left foot that made it painful to walk on, and also painful to put pressure on the rudder pedal of the plane. After a couple of weeks, I went to see Bernie Coan, USNR, our squadron doctor. He was just out of medical school, and after examining my foot declared that I should go to a naval hospital and have the growth removed. He found that the nearest hospital was on Manus. That was the beginning of a saga.

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Rodney Harrison

Rodney Harrison flew 54 combat missions during World War II, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross with Gold Star and the Air Medal with six Gold Stars. He later received a degree in physics and worked for several naval architecture firms in the Annapolis, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., area. He passed away at age 93 on 22 August 2016.

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