Much of what Bill Boice knows about the life of his heroic father, Capt. William Boice, he read from the pages of an aged journal which was found in an old trunk, along many of his other personal belongings.

“I never knew him because I was only one-year-old when he left. But, I heard a lot of stories,” Bill said. He and his wife, Joyce, were at Pendleton Community Library on Saturday to tell about their trip to Australia in search of the exact location where Capt. Boice was killed during the World War II battle for New Guinea. Details of that fierce, epic struggle were recorded by author James Campbell in his recently released book, “The Ghost Mountain Boys,” which is now available for checkout at the library.

The battle

Capt. Boice was a basketball coach and history teacher in a small town near Kokomo when the war broke out. As a reserve officer with the 126th Infantry Regiment, he was activated, and boarded a ship sailing to Australia, where the strong campaign between Japanese and Australian forces in New Guinea were at a stalemate.

A strategy put into action by Gen. Douglas MacArthur entailed forging a new trail in the Owen Stanley Mountains about 30 miles south of the standoff in order to set a trap for the Japanese. Boice was assigned to the job. When his superior officer said it couldn’t be done, Boice grinned and started his grueling  expedition. He took a few Americans, a few Australians, and 20 or 30 native guides who helped carry supplies.

In the foothills of the mountainous terrain, they hiked a land where high humidity, steady rain, and tropical, tangled foliage impeded their every move.

The only way to get food and supplies at 12,000 feet above sea level was by parachuting it in. Even then, it was hard to locate in the dense jungle. By the time they found it, the food was often spoiled, but they were so hungry they ate it anyway. Consequently, most of the troops had dysentery. Malaria was prevalent, and most of them contracted it, as well.

His patrol hacked their way through the steamy jungle, slipped down hills, and waded through steep mud to make the way easier for those that would follow. In the swampy marsh, their shoes rotted off their feet within four days. They used monkey vine to tie the soles to their boots so they’d have something to walk on.

Ultimately, Boice did the impossible. By blazing the new Kapa Kapa Trail, he opened the way for an allied victory in the coastal area of Buna. The battle for Buna, often referred to as “the forgotten war,” was a turning point in the conflict in the southwest Pacific, but on Dec. 19, 1942, Boice paid with his life.

“We received a telegram shortly after that, telling us he’d died,” said Bill. The following spring, he and his mother traveled to Ft. Harrison in Indianapolis for a ceremony which posthumously honored his father’s achievements. Bill still has a treasured photo of that moment when, as a very young boy, military officials pinned the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart on his lapel.

The journey

About six years ago, Bill and Joyce decided to take a trip to Australia. In studying maps and making plans, he said they began to realize how close they would be to “The Triangle,” the place where his father was killed in battle. He wondered if he could somehow find its location.

Bill began reading everything he could get his hands on in an effort to learn about what had taken place. He obtained important information from his father’s journal and some of the letters that were found in the old trunk.

When he contacted the American consulate in New Guinea, he was advised not to go into the area because it was a dangerous environment. Still, he wanted to go.

He lucked upon a detailed 1942 map, drawn by the Army, in a history book about New Guinea It showed a creek and a bridge in the area where Capt. Boice’s company had crossed. “I knew if I could find that bridge, I could find the area where he died,” recalled Bill. Soon he and Joyce were on their way.