Pat H. Bullock World War II Papers
Scope and Contents
The Pat Harrison Bullock World War II Papers consist of a variety of materials relating to Bullock's military service during World War II. Included are personal correspondence to family and friends, casualty reports for the Morotai and Mindanao Campaigns, the Dixie Division Photograph Album, rules and regulations for guard duty, newspaper articles, and a series of photographs.
The collection spans the years from 1942 to 1946, with the majority of the material pertaining to the Morotai, New Guinea and Mindanao, Philippine Islands campaigns. These materials discuss not only military actions during World War II, but also how the war affected the enlisted man.
Dates
- November 1942-November 1946
Conditions Governing Access
Noncirculating; available for research.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code).
Biographical / Historical
Pat Harrison Bullock, son of Frank and Erin Bullock, was born on May 1, 1912, and raised in Sanford, Mississippi. Throughout his childhood and early adult life, Bullock was a humble and sensitive man. He was a cotton farmer and any excess crops he had, he distributed throughout his community.
Bullock was a true patriot, and when the United States government instituted the draft in June of 1940, he immediately signed up for active duty. However, because of his lack of education, only completing two years of grammar school, the Army did not call him for duty until two years after his registration.
On November 14, 1942, Pat Bullock received a notice from the United States Army to report to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, for active military service. While at Camp Shelby, he was trained as an automatic rifleman and was assigned to Company I, 124th Infantry, of the Dixie Division. After training, Bullock and his division were sent to Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, where he remained until the end of January of 1943. On February 14, 1944, Bullock's unit received orders to board an Army transport whose destination was Buna, New Guinea. By March, his ship had sailed through the Panama Canal to the South Pacific with plans to stop for supplies at Milne Bay, Goodenough Islands, and Dobudura, Oro Bay. In early May of 1944, the transport arrived in New Guinea and the soldiers immediately began training in jungle warfare. Then in July, Bullock and his platoon were ordered North to fight the Japanese at Aitape Beach, New Guinea.
On July 5, 1944, the 124th Infantry team landed at Aitape Beach, on Morotai, New Guinea. The unit's assignment was to sever Japanese communication and supply lines serving the island. To that end, the infantry battled the Japanese troops and demonstrated America's will to defeat the enemy. Then on September 15, the division attacked the coral-rimmed beaches on Morotai, and was then able to establish a vital air strip on the island. By Christmas, the Japanese resistance on the island subsided and the Dixie Division successfully liberated Morotai.
The next battle the Dixie Division fought in began on April 22, 1945, when the soldiers landed at Darang, Mindanao, Philippine Islands. The division attacked the Japanese near the Mindanao River and on the Sayre Highway. During the expedition, Bullock was second scout of his unit and his company led the march with Company K, of the Dixie Division. The purpose of the mission was to chase the "Nips" (the pro-Japanese natives) into their mountain hideouts and defeat the enemy. The battle ended at Malaybalay when the Philippine Islands were liberated.
After his military service, Bullock was awarded several medals for his actions in combat: Good conduct; Asian Theater of Operations (ATO) Medal; Asian Philippines Theater of Operations (APTO) Medal; Philippines Liberation Ribbon with one Bronze Star; World War II Victory Medal; and a Bronze Arrowhead. On December 24, 1945, Bullock received an honorable discharge from the Army, his unit having been demobilized on August 10, 1945. Once at home, Bullock immediately returned to his cotton farm in Sanford, Mississippi, where he worked until his death on February 9, 1983. Pat Harrison Bullock is buried in the Bullock family cemetery in Sanford.
Extent
.65 Cubic Feet (MC1/D7)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The papers are arranged into five series.
Series I contains the 124th Infantry Combat Team's unit journal and casualty reports which outline the day by day action of warfare in New Guinea and the Philippines. The records begin with orders to reinforce other artillery units of the Dixie Division in clearing Morotai Island of the Japanese. Battles involved in this action were those of Aitape and Driniumor River. The second campaign chronicled in the journal was that of Mindanao Island, Philippines. The account begins on April 22, 1945, and discusses how the Dixie Division landed at Darang, Mindanao. Bullock was second scout in Company I which alternated with Company K to lead the march through the Mindanao River Valley and along the Sayre Highway. The division's purpose was to chase the "Nips" into their mountain hideouts. The campaign ended at Malaybalay when Mindanao Island was liberated. Also included in this series are two newspaper clippings, "Morotai Landing," Yank Down Under, October 20, 1944, and "Precipitate Jap Retreat to Hills," Guinea Gold, October 24, 1944. Of particular interest in this series, is the "Dixie Division: An Album of Photographs" which pictorially describes the Morotai and Mindanao expeditions.
Series II consists primarily of personal correspondence from Bullock to his sister, Vianmie. The few exceptions are letters from Edna White, sister of John Billington, (Bullock's close friend who was killed in action during the Mindanao campaign). Of added interest is a spiral notebook in which Bullock wrote memoirs of both campaigns, as well as an enlisted man's reactions to jungle warfare. Because of his limited level of education, the personal letters and memoirs are difficult to read. Bullock does not use punctuation and spells words phonetically.
Series III contains several documents relating to Bullock's military service: honorable discharge certificate, letter of appreciation for military service, immunization form, and U.S. Army classification and mail cards. The final item pertains to an agreement for temporary custody of property, which allowed Sim Bullock, Pat's brother, to control Pat's assets in Seminary, Mississippi, while he was at war in the Pacific.
Series IV is a collection of war memorabilia which includes: World War II medals, infantryman badges, division and rank patches, service bars, and insignias.
The last section, Series V, contains photographs of Dixie Division troops in the jungles of New Guinea and in the hills of the Philippines, including pictures of Japanese causalities on the battle field which bring to life the horrors of warfare.
The World War II papers of Pat Bullock provide insight into infantry combat during the Morotai and Mindanao expeditions. More specifically, there are valuable details and descriptions of the guerilla warfare involved in penetrating enemy lines. For those interested in the Pacific Theater of action during World War II, particularly fighting in New Guinea or the Philippines, this collection will be useful.
Series:
Series I: Morotai and Mindanao Campaigns
Series II: Personal Correspondence and Memoirs
Series III: Military Forms and Miscellaneous Documents
Series IV: Medals and Patches
Series V: Photographs
Provenance
Donated by Jean Jordan, Pat Bullock's niece, March 1987.
Photograph Log
2 x 2 1944
Pat Bullock, at a campsite in the East Indies, sits on a rock by a small watering hole.
M278-2 Pat Bullock & Josh Tarmina
2 x 3 1944-1945
Pat Bullock and Josh Taormina stand next to a field riffle.
M278-3 Pat Bullock
2 x 3 1944-1945
Pat Bullock fighting on the front line in the jungle.
M278-4 Pat Bullock & Hubert Gruger
2 x 3 1944
Pat Bullock and Hubert Gruger prepare for combat on the beaches of Aitape, New Guinea.
M278-5 Pat Bullock & Platoon Friends
2 x 3 1945
Bullock and his platoon friends how first at a campsite in the Philippines.
Photo Identification: 1st Row-PFC Alberdo Hairlio, PCF Pat Bullock, 2nd Row- Sgt. James E. Elbert, PFC Joe Trojelo
M278-6 Pat Bullock & Miles Carter
2 x 2 1944-1945
Pat Bullock and Miles Carter sit on a rock with palm trees in the foreground
M278-7 Pat Bullock & Members of his Company
2 ½ x 4 1944-1945
Bullock and members of his platoon relax near a campsite probably on the Philippines Islands.
Photo Identification: 1st Row-PRC Pat Bullock, PFC J.M. Worn, 2nd Row- PFC Herbert Triggs, PFC Doffins, Cpl Joe Gurneski
M278-8 Pat Bullock & Edward A. Brewer
2 x 3 1944-1945
Pat Bullock and Edward A. Brewer stand net to tents probably at a campsite in the Philippines.
M278-9 Pat Bullock & John Billington (?)
2 x 3 1945
Probably at a campsite in the Philippines, Bullock and his right hand man John Billington, 28 years old, relax after combat.
M278-10 Pat Bullock & Sargent Block
1 x 1 ½ 1944-1945
Bullock and Sgt. Block relax near wooden cabin with a dense forest in the foreground.
M278-11 Pat Bullock in New Guinea
1 x 1 ½ 1944
Bullock demonstrates how a Japanese soldier looks at an American in combat in
New Guinea.
M278-12 Pat Bullock & the Natives
2 x 2 1944-1945
M278-13 Pat Bullock & Members of his Platoon
2 x 3 1944-1945
Bullock and members of his platoon relax at a campsite.
Photo Identification: 1st Row-Sgt. Tevinia A Dhallam, PFC Thomas G. Whalley, PFC John Swathawsk, 2nd Row-Sgt. John Gavalla, PFC Pat Bullock, 3rd Row-PFC Edward Brewer, PFC John Billington, PFC Wade G. Wielcot
M278-14 Pat Bullock
2 x 3 1944-1945
Pat Bullock sitting in an area recently bombed.
M278-15 Pat Bullock & the Natives
2 x 2 1944-1945
M278-16 Pat Bullock & Wade G. Wielcot with the Natives
2 x 2 1944-1945
M278-17 Pat Bullock & Friends sit on a “Black Beauty I” Tank
2 x 3 1944-1945
Photo Identification: Pat Bullock, Josh Tarmina, Edward Brewer
M278-18 Pat Bullock Standing near an Air Field
2 x 3 1944-1945
M278-19 Pat Bullock & Friends on the Beach
2 x 2 1944-1945
Bullock and his friends relax while sitting on a rock peering over the water probably on Morotai Island, New Guinea.
Photo Identification: James Elbert, Pat Bullock, Wade G. Wielcot
M278-20 PFC John Billington at Mindanao, Philippines
2 x 3 1945
Billington, 1st. scout for company I, was wounded June 2 and died June 3, 1945, during the Mindanao Campaign.
M278-21 John Billington
2 x 3 1944-1945
Billington standing next to an “Anti-tank Co.” sign.
M278-22 James Elberton Morotai Island, New Guinea
2 ½ x 4 1944
M278-23 Sargent Block
1 x 1 ½ 1944
Block was commander of the Block Force during the Morotai Campaign.
M278-24 PFC Grisk Thompson on Morotai Island
2 x 3 1944
M278-25 PFC Wade G. Wielcot
2 x 2 1944-1945
PFC Wade G. Wielcot standing in a clearing with dense forest in the back ground.
M278-26 PFC Edward Brewer
2 x 3 1944-1945
Brewer standing in front of a tent containing tables and benches.
M278-27 PCF Edward Brewer
2 x 2 1944-1945
Brewer sitting on a rock with a tank moving in the foreground.
M278-28 Pat Bullock & Grisk Thompson
2 x 2 1944-1945
Bullock and Thompson hold their riffles next to camp, (in combat, Bullock is second scout and Thompson is third).
M278-29 Miles Carter
2 x 2 1944-1945
Carter, holding a riffle, is ready for combat.
M278-30 Chaplain Barnett
2 x 3 1945
Barnett stands next to a chalk line probably on an air field.
M278-31 Sargent John Guala
2 x 3 1944
Sargent Guala holds bananas next to a tent on Morotai Island.
M278-32 Wade G. Wielcot
2 x 2 1944-1945
Wade G. Wielcot walks by a transport truck.
M278-33 PFC Sandoval
2 x 3 1944-1945
Sandoval smokes a pipe outside his sleeping quarter at camp.
M278-34 PFC Frank Oulette
2 x 3 1944
Oulette with Grisk Thompson in the background stands by grass huts on Morotai
Island, New Guinea.
M278-35 Staff Sargent Walter L. Ritcherdson
2 x 3 1944-1945
Ritcherdson stands in front of sleeping quarters at camp.
M278-36 Norman J. Cantrell & Raymond Rachalis
2 x 3 1944-1945
Cantrell and Rachalis are laughing next to tents at a campsite.
M278-37 Edward A. Brewer
2 x 3 1945
M278-38 Edward A. Brewer
2 x 3 1944-1945
Brewer stands near lodging tents.
M278-39 G.E. Lytle
3 x 4 1944-1945
M278-40 Poach & Joe Smith on Morotai Island
2 x 3 1944
Poach and Smith stands near a Japanese picket.
M278-41 A Destroyed Chapel
2 x 3 1944-1945
Photograph is taken from inside the chapel.
M278-42 Natives Making Bread out of Coconuts
2 x 2 1944-1945
M278-43 Pat Albert Carter Relaxing in a hut.
1 x 1 ½ 1944
M278-44 Pat Albert Carter
1 x 1 ½ 1944-1945
Carter talking with an unidentified man in a hut.
M278-45 Tarmina, Oulette, & Brewer
2 x 4 1944-1945
The three men are standing in front of a thicket.
Photo Identification: Josh Tarmina, Frank Oulette, Edward Brewer
M278-46 Frank Oulette & Edward Brewer on Morotai Island
2 x 4 1944
M278-47 Taormina, Brewer & Unidentified male
2 x 4 1944
Men stand near a thicket in New Guinea.
M278-48 Wade G. Wielcot & a Native Family
2 x 2 1994-1945
M278-49 Wade G. Wielcot visits a Native Village
2 x 2 1944-1945
M278-50 Wade Wielcot & Pat Bullock
2 x 2 1944-1945
Wade Wielcot and Pat Bullock stand mingling amongst the Natives in the thick grass in front of a house.
M278-51 Pat Bullock & Josh Tarmina
2 x 3 1944-1945
Bullock and Tarmina patrol a hillside.
M278-52 John Billington & Wade G. Wielcot
2 x 2 1944
Billington and Wielcot stand in front of a tent at a campsite in New Guinea.
M278-53 PFC Edward Brewer
2 x 2 1944-1945
Brewer, wearing army fatigues, stands near his unit’s campsite in New Guinea.
M278-54 PFC J. M. Worn & A groups of Natives
2 x 2 1944-1945
M278-55 Unidentified soldier
2 x 2 1944-1945
Soldier stands in a clearing.
M278-56 Platoon Members on a battle field
2 x 3 1944-1945
M278-57 Pat Bullock, Wade G. Wielcot, & an unidentified person
2 x 3 1944-1945
The men stand next to a field cannon.
M278-58 Platoon Members
2 x 3 1944-1945
M278-59 Platoon Members
2 x 3 1944-1945
Soldiers stand in front of an airplane probably on Morotai Island, New Guinea.
M278-60 G.E. Lytle
2 x 3 1944-1945
Lytle stands on the left wheel of an airplane.
M278-61 G.E. Lytle
2 x 3 1944-1945
Lytle sits on the left wing of an airplane.
M278-62 G.E. Lytle
2 x 3 1944-1945
Lytle rests his lower back on the wing of an air plane.
M278-63 Pat Bullock & Wade G. Wielcot
2 x 2 1944-1945
Due to over exposure, a photograph is upper imposed on top of another picture.
M278-64 Pat Bullock
2 x 2 1944-1945
Bullock and two platoon members carry riffles and waiting for combat.
M278-65 Sargent John Guala
2 x2 1944-1945
Guala stands with three female Natives near grass hut.
M278-66 Chaplain Barnett & Edward Brewer
2 x 3 1944-1945
Barnett and Brewer smoking cigarettes.
M278-67 Unidentified Sailor
2 x 3 1944-1945
M278-68 Three Unidentifiable Soldiers
2 x 3 1944-1945
Soldiers stand in front of an air plane. (The faces of the men are blurred due to overexposure.)
M278-69 Edward Brewer
2 x 3 1944-1945
Brewer stands near three fighter planes.
M278-70 Airplane on Runway
2 x 3 1944-1945
Photograph is overexposed, which blurs the view of the air craft.
M278-71 Thompson and Brewer
2 x 2 1944-1945
Grisk Thompson, Edward Brewer and an unidentified male stand together, at campsite in New Guinea.
M278-72 Edward Brewer
2 x 2 1944-1945
Brewer waits for his pants and shirt to dry.
M278-73 Edward Brewer
2 x 3 1944-1945
Brewer stands at attention.
M278-74 Edward Brewer & Alberdo Hairlio
2 x 3 1944-1945
Brewer and Hairlio relax in front of the canteen.
M278-75 Wade Wielcot
2 x 2 1944-1945
Wielcot stands in clearing probably on an airstrip or beach.
M278-76 Edward Brewer
2 x 3 1944-1945
Photograph is over exposed which deters from viewing the picture.
M278-77 Sargent John Guala & a Native Family
2 x 2 1944-1945
M278-78 Edward Brewer & Chaplain Barnett
2 x 3 1944-1945
Near the frontlines, Brewer and Chaplain Barnett relax by tents.
M278-79 Pat Bullock
2 x 3 1944-1945
Photograph is overexposed which deters from seeing the image clearly.
M278-80 A Picture of a Female on the side of an Airplane
2 x 3 1944-1945
M278-81 Platoon Members
2 x 3 1944-1945
M278-82 Unidentified Man holding a Musical Instrument
1 ½ x 2 1/2 1944-1945
M278-83 Three Unidentified Men sitting on a tree Stump
2 x 2 1994-1945
M278-84 Inspection of Troops
2 ½ x 4 1944-1945
M278-85 Lieutenant Colonel Virgil S. Adkins
2 ½ x 4 1944-1945
Adkins sings a peace agreement on Mindanao.
M278-86 Japanese General Morozumi Signs a Peace Agreement on Mindanao
2 ½ x 4 1944-1945
General Morozumi surrenders the remaining 4,000 officers and men on Mindanao to Lieutenant Colonel Virgil S. Adkins of the U.S. Army.
M278-87 Japanese General Morozumi
2 ½ x 4 1944-1945
Morozumi either leaving or arriving on a U.S. Army base.
M278-88 Unidentified Soldier Relaxing by a tent
2 x 3 1944-1945
M278-89 American Officers Examine a Map
3 x 5 ½ 1944-1945
M278-90 Brigader General Sumter L. Lowry
2 ½ x 4 1944-1945
Lowry stand near a jeep contains supplies, possibly for the campsite.
M278-91 American Soldier, Sieqel, Standing near a Japanese tank
3 x 4 1944-1945
The Japanese tank put out of commission by “Yanks” (American Soldiers) and “Aussies” (Australian Soldiers).
M278-92 Japanese Barges at “Mogget Beach” New Guinea
3 x 4 1944-1945
M278-93 A Japanese/ American Agreement dated 1943
2 ½ x 4 1943
M278-94 Native Camp at Cape Killerton, New Guinea
3 ½ x 4 ½ 1944
M278-95 Native Women Returning from the Garden
2 x 2 1944-1945
M278-96 Native Women beating out Rice to Cook for Dinner
2 ½ x 4 1944-1945
M278-97 Canoes on the Mindanao River, Philippines
3 x 5 ½ 1945
M278-98 A Filipino Feeding his Oxen
3 x 5 ½ 1945
M278-99 A Filipino Riding an Ox
3 x 5 ½ 1945
M278-100 Filipino Men Stand near a Grass Hut
3 x 5 ½ 1945
M278-101 Filipino boys standing under a grass hut
3 x 5 ½ 1945
M278-102 A Portrait of a Native Boy
2 ½ x 3 ½ 1944-1945
M278-103 A Native Family
2 x 2 1944-1945
Family standing in front of a wooden shed.
M278-104 A Native Male stands on a river bank
2 x 2 1944-1945
M278-105 A Native Male Dancing
2 1/2 x 4 1944-1945
Native children watch the man performing the dance.
M278-106 Village Children
2 x 2 1944-1945
M278-107 A Dead Tree Stump
2 x 2 1944-1945
M278-108 Filipinos
2 x 2 1944-1945
The Natives are standing in the center of a village.
M278-109 Filipinos
2 x 2 1945
M278-110 Two Native Boys playing next to two Older Women
2 x 2 1944-1945
M278-111 Native Saluting
2 ½ x 4 1944-1945
Male Children saluting with Women standing behind them.
M278-112 Uncle Dampie stands with a Native family
2 ½ x 4 1944-1945
Uncle Dampie is wearing a scarf around his head.
M278-113 Natives Working at a Table
2 x 2 1944-1945
The image is blurred which deters from seeing what type of task the individuals are preforming.
M278-114 Five Older Men Stand next to a Grass Hut
2 ½ x 4 1944-1945
M278-115 A Caucasian Women Examining a Village boy
2 ½ x 4 1944-1945
The lady is feeling the child’s scalp in a native village.
M278-116 Postcard
3 x 5 1944-1945
Postcard is of Houdon’s Statue of George Washington, in the Rotunda of the Capitol building, Richmond, Virginia.
M278-117 Postcard
3 x 5 1944-1945
The postcard is of the 60mm trench mortar.
M278-118 Dead Japanese Soldiers on the Battle field
3 x 4 1944-1945
M278-119 Dead Japanese in the Woods
3 x 4 1944-1945
M278-120 A Dead Japanese Soldier shot in the Stomach
3 x 4 1944-1945
M278-121 Dead Japanese on the Battle Field
3 x 4 1944-1945
- Church bulletins. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Currency. Subject Source: Local sources
- Letter. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Memoir. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Military decorations. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Military discharge. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Photographs. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Records (Documents). Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- World War, 1939-1945. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Pat H. Bullock World War II Papers
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Historical Manuscripts and Photographs Repository
118 College Drive - 5148
Hattiesburg MS 39406-0001
601.266.4345
