In January 1945 Brigadier General Sumter L. Lowry,
 Jr., and Colonel Homer W. Hesterly, Executive Officer,
 completed a long and meritorious period of service with the
 artillery and returned to the United States. Brigadier
 General Thomas F. Hickey joined the division and assumed
 command of the Division Artillery on January 13, 1945.
 He directed the operations of the artillery for the remain-
 ing period of time on MOROTAI and throughout the MIN-
 DANAO campaign. At the completion of hostilities, he was
 assigned to Washington and returned to the United States
 cn September 25, 1945.
 The words of the Division Artillery Air Section in the
 MINDANAO campaign as in all other campaigns was
 particularly outstanding. A-summary of the operations is
 set forth:
 IMINDANAO OPERATION
 April 22, 1945 June 30, 1945
 Fire missions ............ 120 Flights 449 missions
 Guiding Bomb Strikes ...... 60 Flights
 Supply Drops to Infantry.. 487 Flights 40 Tris Tons
 Patrol and reconnaissance 140 Flights
 Carrier...................... 102 Flights
 Photo .................... 4 Flights
 Evacuating Casualties .... 73 Flights 73 Casualties.

 Headquarters and headquarters Battery departed from
 AGUSAN (Bugo), MINDANAO aboard the transport USS
 GENERAL OMAR BUNDY on December 2, arrived in San
 Francisco on December 19, and was inactivated at Camp
 Stoneman, California on December 21, 1945.
 All battalions of the Division Artillery performed their
 missions in a superior manner both in training the many
 replacements who passed through their ranks and in actual
 combat. They were always ready to support the infantry
 with fire power whenever needed and assisted them in
 maintaining communications, reinforcing their supply
 lines bqth by tractor and air drops from cub planes and in
 evacuating their wounded. Liaison officers and forward
 observer parties accompanied the infantry at all times,
 shared their many hardships and were always on the spot
 when artillery fire was needed in supporting the infantry
 advance or breaking up the enemy's attack. When func-
 tioning as part of Regimental or Battalion Combat Teams
 the Artillery was truly a part of the team and no finer
 Top: Artillery liaison plane L-4 dropping supplies to Infantry compliment can be paid to each battalion than the state-
 ment of the respective Infantry Regimental commanders
 that his supporting artillery battalion was the best in the
 Left: Artillery liaison planes on landing strip at Oro Bay. division; or the division commanders statement that the
Right: Artillery cub plane hauls casualties to the rear at Kibawe Division is proud of its artillery.
 Historical records concern themselves primarily with
 the record of the movement and operations of units and
 S- their commanders, and little is found concerning the day by
 day activities of the individual soldier who makes these
 operations possible. It was he who endured the many
 hardships of living in the jungle in the heat and in the
 rain, continually moved day after day, manned the guns
 day and night, sometimes with enemy shells landing near-
 by, dug the fox holes, built the pill boxes and chopped
 down fields of fire for his weapons, drove the tractors over
 F, %9 impassable roads hub deep in mud or chocked with dust.
 kept the equipment in repair, and if.the things he needed
 were not available, improvised somehow and made things
 go. His unfailing loyalty, courage, ingenuity and aggressive-
 ness were an inspiration to all and to him is due the credit
 for the fine performance of the Artillery in living up to
 the motto "It can be done."


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