In a makeshift chapel behind the front lines on Bougainville, three American soldiers take Communion conducted by Capt. Lawrence M. Brock, Chaplain of the 182nd Infantry Regiment, Americal Division. by Bill Silliker with Ruth Silliker It always rained on Bougainville. When the sun broke through in honor of Christmas Day, 1943, it was a pleasant surprise. The 2nd Provisional Raider Regiment (under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alan Shapley) now had two reasons to celebrate: they could dry out in the sun and enjoy a turkey dinner on its way from the field kitchens. On 1 November we had come over from Pure Water Island with the 3rd Marine Division, landed successfully on the narrow beach and discovered our enemy was not the 50,000 Japanese garrisoned there, but Bougainville itself. Earthquakes, bugs—centipedes, scorpions, snakes—you name it… horrible little devils that make my skin crawl even now. Bougainville—an island of mud that claimed everything we tried to transport over...