Soldiers Of The Press 42-11-30 (004) Joe James Custer - Pacific Fleet

Summary

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Soldiers Of The Press 42-11-30 (004): Joe James Custer – Pacific Fleet

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode Date: November 4, 2025
Original Air Date: November 30, 1942
Summary By: Podcast Summarizer AI

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Overview

This episode of Soldiers Of The Press spotlights United Press war correspondent Joe James Custer and his harrowing experiences attached to the Pacific Fleet in World War II. The episode debunks misconceptions about the war correspondent’s job, offering an up-close account of frontline dangers, from the aftermath of Pearl Harbor to the Battle of Savo Island in the Solomons. Custer’s courage, first-hand reporting, and commitment to sharing the untold stories of war serve as a tribute to all "soldiers of the press" who risk—and sometimes lose—their lives to bring vital news to the public.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

A War Correspondent’s Reality

• Dispelling Myths: The episode opens by dismissing the idea that war correspondents have safe, cushy assignments far from battle zones.
  • "If you have any idea that all a war correspondent has to do is sit at some headquarters table and take down notes from the high command or ride comfortably in a staff car miles behind the fighting lines—dismiss it." (00:33 – Narrator)
• Introducing Joe James Custer:
  • Custer is portrayed as an expert craftsman, deeply experienced in journalism, notably in San Francisco and Hawaii.
  • He recounts being present at Pearl Harbor’s bombing, cementing his resolve to report from the thick of war. (01:23)

Getting the Story: From Application to Action

• Securing His Assignment:

  • After Pearl Harbor, Custer approaches Frank Tremaine at United Press (UP) to volunteer.
  • The dialogue illustrates the urgency and camaraderie among correspondents.
    • "There's going to be plenty of action when we start paying off Hirohito for December 7th, and I want to be on hand to see it." (02:30 – Joe James Custer)
  • Tremaine is eager for capable staff:
    • "You're the answer to a prayer, Joe. We've got the biggest staff out here, but we're gonna need more men, and good ones." (02:43 – Frank Tremaine)

• Becoming an Accredited War Correspondent:

  • Custer describes the extensive bureaucracy, including background checks and the necessity of waiving claims for injuries.
  • Within months, he’s assigned to cover a Navy task force and witnesses the first American counterattacks at Marcus and Wake Islands. (03:04)

At the Front: The Battle of Savo Island

• Preparation for Danger:

  • Custer details the grim gear issued for survival: flame jackets, chemically treated gas-protective clothing, masks, life vests.
    • “Some of the incendiary bombs that might be used against us throw a flame that'll take your skin off at 50 feet. The jacket and these long sleeved cotton gloves, these dark shatterproof goggles and this nose covering the rest, they're all intended to protect you against that happy thought.” (04:48 – Supply Officer)

• Direct Experience of Combat:

  • Custer describes a night during which multiple Allied ships are destroyed at close range.

  • Aboard the Astoria, he witnesses chaos amid battle, is wounded by shrapnel, and documents remarkable camaraderie and determination among the crew.

    • “In a little more than 15 minutes of utter hell, she [Astoria] had been hit approximately 200 times. It was a fire. Flames amidships and below were eating their way toward her munition stores.” (05:53 – Joe James Custer)

  • He’s struck in the face and temporarily blinded in his left eye:

    • “I've been hit.” (07:04 – Joe James Custer)
    • Fellow seamen calmly assist him despite ongoing danger.

  • The aftermath presents a deeply human scene:

    • “I saw a great deal of courage and grit. Everyone who could walk and move their arms made certain that everyone else had a life jacket. They carried wounded, fought fires and went below in search of medical supplies... Not a man lost his head.” (07:52 – Joe James Custer)

• Dramatic Ship Losses and Survival:

  • The Astoria eventually succumbs to its damage:

    • “The Astoria suddenly started to list to port... and the 300 men still aboard walked into the water from her slanting decks and swam to the destroyer. Soon after, a roaring underwater explosion administered the coup de grâce and she slid beneath the surface.” (09:00 – Narrator)

  • The toughness of the rescued:

    • “Rescued sailors also were put aboard the relief ship, but instead of being grateful they were sore as hell. They wanted to be landed on the beach to fight alongside the Marines in the Solomons.” (09:41 – Joe James Custer)

Recovery and The Spirit of the Press

• Personal Consequences and Perseverance:

  • Custer undergoes surgery for his wounds.
  • Despite his injuries, he insists on reporting—dictating stories from his hospital bed:
    • “His spirit, his attitude, so typical of the soldiers of the press on every war front, inspired an editorial in the Honolulu Star Bulletin under the heading Heroes Without Heroics.” (10:00 – Narrator)

• Honolulu Star Bulletin’s Editorial Tribute:

  • The editorial celebrates the humility, knowledge, and courage of Custer and his peers.
    • “Their job is to go where the news is breaking, see it, write it, get it out to the rest of the world. But if you think the average correspondent looks on himself as a hero, you're mistaken. That's what makes him good. He goes about it as a job of work for which he's been trained and to which he's assigned. And he does that job equally, without heroics and without flinching.” (11:47 – Honolulu Star Bulletin Editor)

Closing Reflection

• The episode concludes by positioning Custer as iconic of the ideal war correspondent: committed, selfless, and driven by truth.
• The narrator urges listeners to seek United Press coverage for reliable, first-hand wartime news. (12:21)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the reality of war reporting:

  • “A foreign assignment is a job thrilling and exciting, of course, but it's a job after all. And the war correspondents who crouch in the foxholes, ride with the bombers or accompany a task force at sea are expert craftsmen working at one of the most dangerous occupations in the world today.” (00:33 – Narrator)

• On the Battle of Savo Island:

  • “It was like sitting on a powder keg with the fuse burning shorter every minute ... In the space of 38 minutes, the Australian Canberra and the USS Quincy and Vincennes went down under the pounding of Japanese warships at point blank range.” (05:53 – Joe James Custer)

• On camaraderie among crew despite disaster:

  • “They may have been scared, for no one knew how long the Astoria would stay afloat. But not a man lost his head.” (07:52 – Joe James Custer)

• On the uncomplaining, dedicated spirit of war correspondents:

  • "A hardy and uncomplaining breed ... The toll of these correspondents has already been heavy in World War II, but they are neither discouraged nor deterred." (11:17 – Honolulu Star Bulletin Editor)

• On the humility of war correspondents:

  • "But if you think the average correspondent looks on himself as a hero, you're mistaken. That's what makes him good. He goes about it as a job of work for which he's been trained and to which he's assigned. And he does that job equally, without heroics and without flinching." (11:57 – Honolulu Star Bulletin Editor)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:33: Debunking war correspondent myths; introduction to Custer
• 01:23: Custer’s past; Pearl Harbor experience; meeting with UP’s Frank Tremaine
• 02:30: Volunteering for frontline assignment; Tremaine’s response
• 03:04: Accreditation process; first assignments at sea
• 04:19 – 05:45: Preparation for naval battle; survival gear explanation
• 05:53 – 07:52: Savo Island battle; Astoria under fire; Custer’s injury and escape
• 09:00: The sinking of the Astoria
• 09:41: Rescued sailors’ determination to fight
• 10:00: Custer’s recovery, continued reporting, and editorial tribute
• 11:17 – 12:21: Quoting the “Heroes Without Heroics” editorial; reflection on the correspondent’s calling

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Tone and Style

The language is earnest, vivid, and matter-of-fact—mirroring Custer’s and the narrators’ journalistic integrity. The tone honors both heroism and humility, weaving historical fact with compelling storytelling to bring the listener into the reality of frontline war correspondence.

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In Summary

This episode paints a vivid and deeply human portrait of Joe James Custer and his fellow correspondents—men who braved front-line action not for glory, but for the conviction that the world needed to know the truth. It is an inspiring and at times harrowing document of wartime journalism at its most courageous and raw.

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Transcript

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[Narrator/Announcer]

Soldiers of the press, if you have any idea that all a war correspondent has to do is sit at some headquarters table and take down notes from the high command or ride comfortably in a staff car miles behind the fighting lines, dismiss it. A foreign assignment is a job thrilling and exciting, of course, but it's a job after all. And the war correspondents who crouch in the foxholes, ride with the bombers or accompany a task force at sea are expert craftsmen working at one of the most dangerous occupations in the world today. Such a man is United Press correspondent Joe James Custer.

[Joe James Custer]

I've been assigned to the Pacific Fleet since a short time after we got into this war. Possibly. You may wonder how a fellow gets such an assignment in the first place. Well, to begin with, I've been a newspaper man for a good many years in San Francisco and later on a number of newspapers in Hawaii. Matter of fact, I was working for a Honolulu newspaper that Sunday when Jap bombers roared out of the morning mists and unloaded their bombs on Pearl Harbor. From that day on, I knew what I wanted to do. I had met Frank Tremaine, manager of the United Press Bureau in Honolulu, on a number of assignments. So I went to see him in the UP Offices in the Honolulu Advertiser building. I found him hard at work at his typewriter. Hello, Tremaine. You look like a man who hasn't been in bed in a week.

[Frank Tremaine]

Oh, hello, Custer. I guess you almost called the turn. I've been up to my ears at work ever since this, and, brother, it looks like a long, tough pull ahead.

[Joe James Custer]

Yeah, no doubt about it. We're in a plenty tight spot. That's what I came to talk to you about.

[Frank Tremaine]

Okay, pull up a chair. Now then, what's in your mind?

[Joe James Custer]

That's simple. There's going to be plenty of action when we start paying off Hirohito for December 7th, and I want to be on hand to see it. Uh huh. In short, I want a chance at an assignment as a war correspondent for United Press.

[Frank Tremaine]

You're the answer to a Prayer, Joe, we've got the biggest staff out here, but we're gonna need more men, and good ones. I know you well enough to know you can do a real job. You sure you can pitch in at once?

[Joe James Custer]

Absolutely.

[Frank Tremaine]

Okay, then, you're on. And I can put you to work as soon as you can make it. Say, tomorrow morning?

[Joe James Custer]

Sure thing. Thanks, Frank.

[Frank Tremaine]

Oh, it's my pleasure. See you tomorrow, then.

[Joe James Custer]

You can bet your life I kept that appointment. After that came the business of getting myself accredited. Lengthy questionnaires to be filled out for the Navy, birth certificates, pictures, proof of citizenship, character witnesses. Then finally, my Navy department directive for war correspondence arrived. Among other things, I signed an agreement to waive all claims against the United States for losses, damages or injuries incurred in action. Well, I'd asked for action in action is what I got. In just a little over two months after I had visited Frank Tremaine in the UP offices in Honolulu, I got a chance to go out with a Navy task force. That was a good assignment. I'm sure you'll remember the story from the sky. Control of United States Aircraft Carrier. I watched American planes drop tons of explosives on Marcus and Wake Islands. It was the first big counter blow our forces struck against the Japs. Yes, sir, that was action all right. And it seemed like a whale of a story until my next sea assignment came along. Then I learned what all out war really means. I began to have an inkling of what I was in for. After we'd been out several days, a supply officer appeared at my cabin and.

[Supply Officer]

Said, the clothes in these duffel bags are for you, Mr. Custer.

[Joe James Custer]

Yeah, what are they? Hey. Say, these are strange looking duds to be handing a landlubber.

[Supply Officer]

Yeah, they'll come in handy where we're going.

[Joe James Custer]

That's a point. Where are we going?

[Supply Officer]

We'll find out soon enough, don't worry.

[Joe James Custer]

Sounds like the real thing. Could be.

[Supply Officer]

Now, then. First off, this bag contains your flame jacket. Now, it goes on like this hood here. Goes over your head.

[Joe James Custer]

I see. What's it intended for?

[Supply Officer]

Well, some of the incendiary bombs that might be used against us. Throw a flame that'll take your skin off at 50ft. The jacket and these long sleeved cotton gloves, these dark shatterproof goggles and this nose covering the rest, they're all intended.

[Joe James Custer]

To protect you against that happy thought. But why this second bag? It looks like the same sort of outfit to me.

[Supply Officer]

Get a whiff of it with your nose, you'll recognize the difference.

[Joe James Custer]

Well, say, chemically treated, aren't they yeah.

[Supply Officer]

This outfit is chemically impregnated for protection against gas. Now, here are some trousers. Black woolen gloves treated with the same chemical. This I think you'll recognize, is a gas mask. The canister snaps on the jacket like this back of your neck, see?

[Joe James Custer]

Oh, yes, here.

[Supply Officer]

Yeah, that's right. And here's your tin hat. This last bag is a life jacket.

[Joe James Custer]

It looks like an overstuffed vest with a horse collar attached.

[Supply Officer]

Never mind how it looks. It's intended to keep your head afloat in case you're knocked out or faint during action.

[Joe James Custer]

All sounds pretty grim.

[Supply Officer]

Don't let that crag about fainting get you. You'll make out all.

[Joe James Custer]

I learned a bit later that we were off Savo island in the Solomons. Our job was to act as a screen to the transports we were convoying. 36 hours later, in the pitch black of the tropical night, we met the Japs in a blazing inferno. And we were literally in the thick of was like sitting on a powder cake with the fuse burning shorter every minute, one after the other. In the space of 38 minutes, the Australian Cantbera and the USS Quincy and Vincennes went down under the pounding of Japanese warships at point blank range. I was aboard another US ship, the Astoria. In a little more than 15 minutes of utter hell. She had been hit approximately 200 times. It was a fire. Flames amidships and below were eating their way toward her munition stores. In the closing seconds of that night battle, I saw a man spraying water on the gundank. I kept edging forward unconsciously to see what he was doing. Jap batteries still were firing suddenly.

[Sailor/Shipmate]

Here, lean on me.

[Narrator/Announcer]

That's it.

[Sailor/Shipmate]

Put your arm across my shoulder.

[Joe James Custer]

I've been hit.

[Sailor/Shipmate]

Sailor, take it easy now. Here, you better sit down there. Is it bad?

[Joe James Custer]

Can't see anything. It's my left eye, I guess.

[Sailor/Shipmate]

Stay put, buddy. I'll get some water for you. Here. Now let's wipe that blood off your face.

[Frank Tremaine]

Is that better?

[Joe James Custer]

Thanks. Yes, it helps. I can see a little now with my right eye. Things seem to be quieting down a bit.

[Sailor/Shipmate]

Yeah, the Japs aren't firing anymore. Those explosions. Our own ammunition stores going up, I guess. Look, matey, we're in a tight spot. Our ship's in a bad way. Here, slip on this life jacket. I think you'll be all right now. I'll give you a hand elsewhere.

[Narrator/Announcer]

So long.

[Joe James Custer]

Good luck. I was pretty weak from loss of blood and from shock. But with my good eye, I saw a great Deal of courage and grit. Everyone who could walk and move their arms made certain that everyone else had a life jacket. They carried wounded, fought fires and went below in search of medical supplies. They may have been scared, for no one knew how long the Astoria would stay afloat. But not a man lost his head. I heard men calmly discussing the Astoria's prospects. The nearest island was three miles away, but they agreed it might prove necessary to swim for it. They were looking for every means of keeping the wounded afloat. That afternoon, a destroyer moved alongside and took off the wounded in the forecastle. About 400 men. The tin can also picked up many survivors of the quincy and Vincennes. Captain William Greenman had been hit 11 times, but in spite of his wounds, he directed all operations during and after the battle and was among the last to leave. The forecastle even returned with the salvage crews.

[Narrator/Announcer]

The Astoria, clinging tenaciously to Life, lasted until 12:45pm for long hours, the uninjured members of the crew sought to save her, despite the fact that her power was off and her pumps useless. They drew water from the sea. Buckets and tin hats and anything else useful. A destroyer tried to take the cruiser in tow, but she was done for. The Astoria suddenly started to list to port, and the 300 men still aboard walked into the water from her slanting decks and swam to the destroyer. Soon after, a roaring underwater explosion administered the coup de grace and she slid beneath the surface.

[Joe James Custer]

I watched with a lump in my throat from the relief ship to which I had been transferred. Rescued sailors also were put aboard the relief ship, but instead of being grateful they were sore as hell. They wanted to be landed on the beach to fight alongside the Marines and the Solomons.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Joe James Custer wrote his dispatch describing that action en route to a South Pacific base. There he underwent a delicate operation for removal of the shell fragment which had wounded him. Still later, he underwent a second operation at Queen's Hospital in Honolulu in an effort to restore the sight of his left eye. But Joe Custer had neither the time nor the temperament to feel sorry for himself. Almost from the moment he entered Queen's Hospital, he made the lives of doctors and orderlies miserable by insisting on dictating his stories to other members of the UP Bureau in Honolulu. His spirit, his attitude, so typical of the soldiers of the press on every war front, inspired an editorial in the Honolulu Star Bulletin under the heading Heroes Without Heroics. The editor wrote.

[Honolulu Star Bulletin Editor]

With his eyes bandaged and begoggled, Joe James Custer lies in a bed at Queen's Hospital and wonders what it's going to be like when Dr. F.J. pinkerton takes off the last wrappings and says, well, Joe, you can go now. Joe Custer's eyes are bandaged because down in the bloody, roaring Battle of the Solomons, a tiny fragment from a Japanese shell struck him high on the left cheek and slashed its jagged way through skin and muscles and flesh to a point behind the eyeball. Joe Custer got that searing, disabling wound because as a correspondent of the United Press, he was on an American warship at the attack on the Solomons. Maybe this sounds like a sob story, but it isn't. Joe James Custer isn't wasting any time on sorrow for himself. He's not that kind individually, and he's one of a breed that doesn't indulge in self pity. A hardy and uncomplaining breed with an enormous and startling fund of knowledge, much of it still secret, with the confidence of admirals and generals and the boys who fly the planes and man the guns. The toll of these correspondence already has been heavy in World War II, but they are neither discouraged nor deterred. Their job is to go where the news is breaking, see it, write it, get it out to the rest of the world. But if you think the average correspondent looks on himself as a hero, you're mistaken. That's what makes him good. He goes about it as a job of work for which he's been trained and to which he's assigned. And he does that job equally, without heroics and without flinching.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Yes, that editorial in the Honolulu Star Bulletin is a fitting tribute to Joe James Custer and his fellow soldiers of the press. His zeal for the truth, his insistence upon seeing for himself the onrushing events that are news, his desire to get the story that lies behind the official communique. These things are typical of United Press correspondence everywhere. We will be back soon with the story of another of these soldiers of the press. Be sure to listen. And in the meantime, remember to listen for United Press news on the air. Look for it in your latest newspaper. It is your guarantee of the world's best coverage of the world's biggest news.

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[Honolulu Star Bulletin Editor]

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