Artist at War

John Gaitha Browning was a 30-year-old artist when he joined the Army, and he did not cease to be an artist just because he had become a soldier. The extraordinary journal he kept during his two years in the South Pacific records the plight of any artist at war: "We are a lonely lot who ignore so many things and dream of a day when we will be free to create beauty again". Browning also brought to Army life his many years of experience (some while a Boy Scout) working among Native Americans, learning their lore and handiwork. Many entries in this journal are fascinating comparisons between them and the New Guinea and Philippine natives. Although his love of art and culture sometimes left him at odds with the youngest soldiers, he was determined to make a written and visual record of whatever "good and beautiful" he found amidst the confusion and destruction of war. The journals begin on February 6, 1943 in Fort Ord, California; cover Browning's journey to Australia aboard the U. S. Army Transport Willard A. Holbrook; his adventures in Brisbane and Cairns, and then New Guinea; and his combat experience in the Philippines during the spring and summer of 1945.