Nadzab-Markham Valley

What Jerry B. Riseley called an official journal is hardly that.

2nd Lieutenant Riseley was the 2nd Battalion S-1, at that time a position called 'Adjutant', during the period covering the Nadzab operation until after the death of Colonel Kenneth Kinsler. As a part of his duties, he kept a Journal, which was supposed to be an ordinary record of daily events an Adjutant was responsible for keeping. Riseley, a maverick of sorts who at times used the self imposed honorific "adjutant emeritus," had other ideas. He completely rewrote it and greatly expanded it, partly reflecting the Army's penchant for trade in rumor and gossip. His perception and intelligence are astute, though he was not without personal bias. His understanding of the personnel is outstanding, though some of his more caustic comments, which identify personalities to little historical credit, are omitted.

Riseley was a member of the 158th Infantry Regiment [a National Guard unit called the "Bushmasters"] in Panama and then transferred to the 503d and took jump training there. He was a Poelau Laut immigrant to Australia, and fell in love quickly with the country and one of its lassies, marrying a local gal from the Gordonvale area. He jumped at Nadzab and thereafter commanded rear detachments as the 503d marched north. He was returned to Gordonvale to prepare for the arrival of the regiment from New Guinea. The 503d PIR never returned there but several hundred replacements allocated to replace Nadzab casualties came north out of Brisbane on the Royal Mail, arriving there in October 1943. He caught up with the 503d again at Noemfoor and, being a Panama original, was returned to the US when his points were up. After the war, he became an attorney and published author of at least one book, "When Sex is Illegal ...no Adult is Safe from Archaic Laws That Try to Govern Private Sex Habits" and perhaps another about Henry Miller's obscenity trial. He survived his Australian-born wife, and died in 1998.

His journal is an intimate part of the 2nd Battalion 503d PIR's Heritage.

1 AUGUST 1943

2 AUGUST 1943

On August 1-2 a tentative problem was received calling for movement of the 2nd Battalion Parachute reinforced from its base at Gordonvale, Queensland, Australia, to Mareeba. By reinforced was meant all of the facilities of a separate battalion such as parachute maint, motor section, kitchen, personnel section. The proposed problem was a move to Mareeba, logistics test, and jump involving 6 planes on Robert H. White field. Robert H. White was jump field near Green Hill. Green Hill is a hill near Gordonvale and Edmonton. It got its name when General Douglas MacArthur was watching a jump with Colonel Kinsler. “Look,” said General MacArthur, “there is a man’s whose chute did not open.” “No,” corrected Colonel Kinsler, “that is just a kit bag.” At that moment parachute soldier Robert H. White bounced ten feet and then he bounced five feet. General MacArthur awarded him a posthumous Purple Heart. Ordinarily an injury or death happening in a training jump does not merit a Purple Heart, but General MacArthur was not ever an ordinary soldier.

White Field, north of Cairns, was named after Bob White. Green Field was at Gordonvale; I was already on the ground and saw Bob White drift into the power lines. He hit the power lines and was electrocuted. When he hit the wires, I saw a flash and the soles of his shoes burned off and fell to the ground. He fell through the wires and I saw him hit the ground. He'd turned all blue.

There was a lot of bitchin' going on afterwards as we had been told at briefing and on the flight in that the 55,000 volt power lines had been turned off for the jump. (Courtesy of Chet Nycum.)

3 AUGUST 1943

4 AUGUST 1943

5 AUGUST 1943

6 AUGUST 1943

The week of 2-6 was spent furiously preparing equipment and racking bundles for the problem. An inspection was held one afternoon. This inspection was of all combat equipment, organizational, and personal. All members of the battalion stood the inspection, including approximately 112 men and 11 officer which were assigned to be borrowed from the 1st battalion for the problem. The advance party detail did not start on schedule. This was the first indication that the move had been postponed.

7 AUGUST 1943

In the am. the Bn Comdr (Lt. Col. George M. Jones) announced an intensive training schedule included the firing of all weapons, combat firing of all platoons, bivouac occupied and booby trapped with live grenades. These were Australian Grenade and they had a center metal core about a quarter for an inch in diameter which shot out when the pin was pulled and handle released. This program was slated to end 16 AUG 1943 and according to the Bn Comdr was required for each battalion to determine which would accompany the 42d Australian Division on a problem. Capt. Walsh, 1st Prcht Medical Officer, who had joined the 501st Prcht at Fort Benning, left out for HQ 6th Army.”

[Note: see appendix for court martial of Capt. Walsh]

“The original 501st Parachute Battalion was picked up in Panama by the 503rd, and became the 2nd Battalion 503rd Parachute Infantry. It replaced what was called Raft’s Battalion (Edison Raft) which had been dispatched from the 503rd forever when it was selected to make the jump in North Africa. 2nd Lt. Riseley was the first officer of the 2nd Battalion to marry in Australia (on 31 July 1943). The next one would be 2nd Lt. Schuder (not yet married.)

RISELEY'S JOURNAL WAS LOCATED BY JOHN LINDGREN AT UCLA (HIS ALMA MATER - CLASS OF 1943) AR COLLECTION FILE 944, BOX 4.