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There are not many stories to tell. Dad wasn't one to sit around
telling war stories. The little we got came from brief
anecdotes, usually during or after Sunday dinner. He would be reminded
of something and tell a couple of sentences worth of story. Nothing
special, just little insights into his time in India. These are a few
we remember, along with some background... Troop Ship 
This one was not a great story for dinner time.
It was mostly about rocking and rolling on a ship, stuck below with
thousands of others, most of them taking turns getting seasick. You can
imagine conditions aboard a ship built to carry about 800 and carrying
up to ten times that many. He did learn to play Poker
however! Cards in one hand, bucket in the other.
When they got to New Zealand he thought it was the
most beautiful place on earth... THEY GOT TO GET UP ON DECK!
They also got to stretch their legs marching through the streets of Wellington.
Water Buffalo 
I guess even the Services Of Supply had to shop locally on occasion.
Dad told us they sometimes ate Water Buffalo. How was it? NOT VERY GOOD! What did it taste like? PUT YOUR SHOE IN YOUR MOUTH AND CHEW!
Transporting supplies, especially fresh food, from the United States to India was difficult and took more than a month. Then there was the climate. Ice was an unheard of commodity in the region.
On the other hand, Water Buffalo were common in the area, used for everything from pulling plows to the main course!
My Assam Dragon 
Dad mentioned seeing this plane. I think he was taken with the name. Probably everybody was as it most likely was an accurate description of how they all felt.
Pilots and crews named their plane and decorated the nose, usually with a pin-up girl painting. Sometimes different crews came up with the same or similar name. If they received a new aircraft it often would be named the same with an added II or III to show it was their 2nd or 3rd plane. Shown at right is a picture of a B-29 Bomber named
My Assam Dragon III
.
Head Hunters 
Dad witnessed a demonstration by head hunters. Luckily the
demonstration was only with a snake. I guess not so lucky for the snake,
its head came off with just the flick of a wrist! The natives were of
the Naga Tribe of Assam and northern Burma. Like most headhunters, the Naga tribesmen
prized heads as trophies. During World War II they worked with the Allies and
many Japanese heads became trophies. The Naga practiced head-hunting
until 1958 which earned them both the curiosity and stigma of the outer
world. In 1963, Nagaland became an official state of India.
Missed Flight 
Dad was to fly somewhere. Not sure to where or why. At the
last minute he was bumped by another soldier. He later learned that the
plane crashed and no one survived. Most Air Transport losses of men,
materiel, and aircraft were due to the harsh flying conditions, rather
than enemy action. Shown at right is the Curtiss C-46 "Commando" Transport
flying The Hump. Less well known then the famous C-47, it flew more
supplies over The Hump than any other aircraft.
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