A 1943 newspaper account says Arnoldsburg soldier Pfc. Paige Downs, helped wipe out a Japanese nest and then, calmly ate a dinner the Jap soldiers had prepared.
Pfc. Downs was the father of the late Harley Downs.
He was one of a group of soldiers who ate an unscheduled meal after a seven man patrol had been sent to scout an attack on the Japs.
Encountering a "Nip" command post, they stormed and wiped out the post, then ate the meal.
An AP report said Downs and his fellow soldiers beat the "nervous Japanese to the draw with a tommy gun."
Pfc. Downs circled the Japs, as a Jap Captain began firing a hand gun, which jammed and Downs killed the enemy officer.
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