Chan describes Dutch Harbor, touching upon its strategic importance, and the daily life of the enlisted man there:

   "...this place is quite near Japan, in fact nearer than the Hawaiian Islands. Any student of military science will tell you the strategic and tactical importance of this harbor. The island is approximately 3 miles wide & 10 miles long, in a very peculiar shape which makes it ideal for a seaplane base, which is just the reason the navy is constructing one. The planes to be used here will be the Consolidated Patrol Bomber type - quite capable of flying to Tokyo with a load of "eggs" and back. It is for the protection of this Naval Airbase that the army is here. Right now there is the 37^th Inf., 78^th C.A.C. (A.A.), 250^th C.A.C., U. S. Marine Corp Detachment, on the island. Everyone of these combat units have their complete complement of guns & equipment. Full War Strength - Garand ... semi-automatic Rifles (you lose the bet, old boy), Colt automatic pistols, Browning automatics, 37 mm anti-tank guns, 37 mm anti-aircraft guns, 30 cal. machine guns, 50 cal. m.g. (armor piercing A. A.), 155 mm c. a. guns, hand grenades, etc., we haven't got a thing lacking. All told we have about 2000 men here, with 3000 more due. Thus we will have 5000 soldiers to defend the island against sea and air attack. (Searchlight, medical, & quartermaster corp. are here, too).

Of course this is quite impressive (& formidable for such a small island) and since we are defending it, the advantage is ours, & it will take the offensive several times that number to successfully destroy or occupy Dutch Harbor....There are about 30 barracks, 10 mess shacks, some recreation halls, supply rooms, canteens, theaters, etc., to make it a good size army garrison. And since it is an army garrison, not a training camp or maneuvering grounds, dress is not very formal...

As for the work here, well, as I mentioned earlier, the island is being heavily fortified. Men from the States, about 1000 in all (must have & show identification passes & all time) are working day & night building roads all over the island -the one up to Ballyhoo, where our guns are, is being rushed & will be finished...

The doughboys have laid barbed-wire all over the island, trenches & machine gun nests & various kinds of dugouts are carefully dug in the hills. We have to protect our guns by ourselves as the infantry will only take care of the main part of the island - so our men have been split up into gun crews, m.g. squad, rifle platoon, ammunition squad, etc.

I am on the machine gun squad and for the last few weeks we worked with the R. P. laying barbed-wire around Ballyhoo. The gun crews are fixing up their place up the top, so that it is ready to fire at invaders that approach the harbor & we will attempt to prevent landing parties on the beach.

Aside from going to Ballyhoo, we go on guard once a week - 5 hrs at a stretch & that's all. Just 3 posts - our own guns & magazines. The infantry has the rest of the island. Our posts are usually 15 hr. posts - 3 reliefs  [sic] for guard. A truck has to drive us to our posts - way up the hills. (Not ballyhoo, as it has a gun crew staying there in a shack one week at a stretch). Usually we carry a Garand - loaded -  & 4 extra clips - 40 rounds in all. Once in a while they give us automatic pistols too. Order is to shoot to kill anyone prowling around - shoot first & ask questions later - especially the marines who have machine guns by the naval radio station. In all cases, the Battery Commander, & C. O., will back us up to the limit. So we never hesitate to fire our rifles at prowlers, imaginary or otherwise. The guards at the beach have shot at small motor boats that try to land on the island on numerous occasions. A guard detail is a thing to look forward to, as we get the next day off. (we use any kind of an excuse to get a day off - such as loading or unloading boats at night, etc.) (Also since this is an army outpost, we don't have Saturday inspections  - we usually work that morning & get the week end to lounge about, listen to the juke box, or read, or sleep.) ...

P.S. No Eskimo or Russian girls here - just Aleut ... Indians. I'm afraid you'll have to find your ideal yourself..."