Greek / American Operational Group Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
Memoirs of World War 2

Mail and Food

Mail from home was always our number one luxury. In Yugoslavia and especially in Greece, we waited weeks for our mail. Three months after we left the States our mail finally caught up with us on Vis. In addition to the precious letters, some of us would receive pastries, generally homemade, which we would share with our buddies. Once in awhile we would receive the latest popular phonograph records. These were items we all took for granted when we were home, but they became prime luxuries overseas. News from home was the ultimate treat for all GIs overseas. Fortunately because I was close not only to my immediate family but also to my extended family, I received lots of mail and packages of Greek pastries. I was the most popular guy in the group (many times the Greek pastries spoiled before I received them but I kept that a secret from my family).

I had written Cousin Sophie Cominos that we had a hand-winding victrola and once in awhile she would send me a contemporary phonograph record. One of the first records we received was Mairzy Doats but the most popular song was I'll Be Seeing You.

The bland C and K rations were our primary food in Yugoslavia; we had ample flour for pancakes and the terrible powdered eggs. No fresh milk; in fact we did not have any fresh milk until we returned to the States. I missed milk more than any other food or drink.

Hollywood visits Vis

Before television, movies were our prime entertainment. Movie actors were virtually a myth. Even in California we rarely saw movie actors in person, only popular musicians or vocalists who played in ballrooms or theaters. Our generation was not inundated by gossip magazines and TV depicting the lives of the rich and famous. So the last place we expected to find two very popular movie actors was on the island of Vis. Sterling Hayden, a matinee idol of the 1930s and 40s, had joined the marines and then the OSS. He was a strapping rugged 6 footer and a very popular movie actor when he joined. Perry was on a gunboat returning to Vis after his hernia operation when he met Hayden. (Years later Perry was on a first name basis with many actors and entertainers as the nightclub editor of the Oakland Tribune.) Perry mentioned to Hayden the numerous raids, reconnaissance, and bombings that the Allied forces participated in from Vis. Hayden's answer was typical marine bullshit: No problem. The marines are here now.

When Hayden entered the service he was married to Madeleine Carroll, a beautiful blonde and one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood at that time.

One morning after Hayden landed on Vis we were given orders to line up at the harbor with clean uniforms, an unusual request. We were advised two American Red Cross nurses would greet us. We were excited, as we had not seen an American woman since we had left the States six months earlier. When the two beautiful nurses showed up, one of them was Madeleine Carroll.

Although we knew Hayden and Carroll used their celebrity status to get together on Vis, we couldn't care less. It was great just admiring Madeleine Carroll and her friend for a few minutes. They spoke a few words to us that I do not recall. This was the only time we saw Ms. Carroll while she was on Vis. I am sure she had better things to do than review our troops.

The only time I saw Sterling Hayden on Vis is when he took off for the Yugoslavian mainland on a Partisan gunboat. (This was the first and only time our group saw any American entertainers or actors during our service time in Europe and the China Burma India theatre of operations.)

After the war Hayden and Carroll divorced. His career went downhill after he gave evidence against the Hollywood Ten during the House Un-American Activities Committee witchhunts. He regretted his decision and removed himself from the Hollywood scene for a time, going back to his first love, sailing, and spending a lot of time in Sausalito, California. I tried to reach him by telephone a couple of times but had no luck.