Blog Archives
Humorous look back at the war
Zoot Suit craze, 1945
I’VE GOT URGES FOR SERGES
I’ve gotta passion for fashion,
I’ve gotta run on fun,
‘Cause I’m Ten million new civilian
Ex-G.I.’s in one.
I’ve got urges for serges,
I’ve gotta need for tweed;
I’ll put the smile in a world of stylin’
No War Department decreed.
I’ll be the zoot-suit-suitor,
I’ll be the rainbow beau,
I’ll be the luminous,
Most voluminous,
Viva-Truman-ous-
Leader of the Freedom Show.
Long I’ve thirsted for worsted;
Ain’t I the plaid-glad lad?
Open the haberdash!
Here comes a color-flash! Here comes the post-war fad!
– Cpl. R. CHARLES
India
Getting into the scrb brush business
They’re telling the story around New Delhi about a certain G.I. building supervisor who recently had a bit of trouble with his 19 Indian employees. Seems that one evening towards closing time, the G.I. bossman discovered that someone had made off with 12 of his good scrub brushes. He promptly called his staff together. “None of you guys leaves here ’til you bring back those brushes,” he ordered. The Indians thought it over for a moment, then scattered. A few minutes later, they reported back, each carrying a brush. Only 12 brushes lost. Nineteen returned. That’s good business.
______ September 1945, C.B.I. Roundup newspaper
U.S. Navy, off Attu Island
David Lake was in charge of Mount Two of the 5-inch guns on USS Pennsylvania. The ship was among those sent to the waters off Alaska to aid in re-capturing islands there that had been occupied by Japanese troops.
“It was pretty darn cold up there, too. I stood my watches on Mount Two all the time … And we bombarded Attu and it got cold up there, I kid you not. The ice inside them guns mounts, you’d fire them and that ice would fly everywhere. ”
The one who served in Africa
Gen. Patton
“I was a private, a tank driver. Anyways, I was sitting by the side of my tank, reading a newspaper and just relaxing. All of a sudden I felt a horrible itch when I breathed out…and the normal human reaction? I picked my nose. Half-way through the nose picking, a shadow fell over me. I looked up with my finger stuck full up my nose. General Patton…standing over me…with a bunch of Army planners and such. I slowly started to take my finger out of my nose. “Soldier, did I give you an order to take your finger from your nose?” He asked. I, of course, gave him a full blown no sir, which sounded very high pitch. “Carry on soldier, and hunt that booger down.” He then walked off, with the group of Army people staring at me.
##############################################################################################
MORE Military Humor –
Solving the defense budget
Future War Stories
###########################################################################################
Farewell Salutes will return in next week’s post.
flag image curtesy of Dan Antion
############################################################################################
A Christmas Tradition from the Pacific
Soldier in Japan delivers presents as ‘Father Christmas’
After 71 years, a yearly tradition continued with the U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and 25th Infantry Division all joining forces on December 4 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, to wrap presents to ship to the Holy Family Home in Japan.
The 25th Infantry Division shared photos of soldiers taking part in the annual tradition, tweeting, “It’s a long standing tradition, and it just goes to show that it doesn’t matter what nation you’re from, in the bigger picture, people help people.”
4 Dec. 2020, presents for orphans, (pic by: SSgt. Thomas Calvert
On Christmas Day in 1949, the 27th Infantry Regiment “Wolfhounds” were overwhelmed by the sight of tiny, barefoot children living in the decaying Holy Family orphanage in Osaka, Japan. The soldiers accompanied a Red Cross representative to the crumbling home that was brimming with underfed children in ragged clothes.
Sgt. Hugh Francis Xavior O’Reilly was still raw from the battlefield in those cold winter months following the end of World War II, but the site of those Japanese orphans provided the soldier with a new, gentler perspective.
The following payday, O’Reilly led the Wolfhounds in collecting donations for the struggling orphanage and donated what they could on New Year’s morning.
But for the Wolfhounds, that just wasn’t enough.
Soldiers and their families wrapping presents
Over the next year, the 27th continued to collect funds for the orphaned Japanese children, and by the time Christmas 1950
Soldiers writing out cards to send to Japan
rolled around, the Wolfhounds dragged a sleigh filled with supplies and toys, along with “Father Christmas.”
Now 71 years later, the 27th is still at it.
While the coronavirus pandemic did prevent the soldiers from hand-delivering the gifts to the children at the orphanage, over 600 gifts were wrapped and shipped the roughly 4,000 miles from the soldiers’ base in Hawaii to the Holy Family home in Osaka.
MARINES ALSO DELIVER AN EARLY CHRISTMAS TO AN ORPHANAGE IN SOUTH KOREA!
A couple of children happily receive toys at Jacob’s House orphanage, Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Dec. 22, 2013. Over 300 toys were donated by U.S. military personnel stationed in South Korea.
ARMANDO R. LIMON/STARS AND STRIPES
Pacific Paratrooper has also had their own tradition during Christmas…
TO ALL THOSE THAT BELIEVE IN FREEDOM AND PEACE: MERRY CHRISTMAS!! FROM: PACIFIC PARATROOPER!!
PLEASE… REMEMBER THOSE THAT FOUGHT FOR US IN THE PAST…
[To see the pictures that accompany the past and present – CLICK HERE!]
AND THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO PROTECT US TODAY!!!
AND FOR THOSE SPECIAL PEOPLE WHO WAIT PATIENTLY AT HOME…
TO ALL THOSE WHO DO NOT CELEBRATE THIS HOLIDAY … I WISH YOU THE WARMTH AND PEACEFUL CONTENTMENT THAT ARE REPRESENTED BY THIS SEASON !!!
Click on still images to enlarge.
Military Christmas Humor –
Easton, MD–Dec. 22, 2011–This is a Christmas display at the home of Tom and Alice Blair, which includes an F 104 jet, Santa and his sleigh, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, etc. staff photo/Barbara Haddock Taylor} [Sun Photographer] #9306
Aboard the USS Nimitz
Yank mag. 24 Dec. 1943
Farewell Salutes –
Francis Borgstrom – Forsythe, MT; USMC, WWII, PTO
Mamie (Weber) Cook – Deerfield, MO; Civilian, WWII, B-29 riveter
Robert Dutton – Niagara Falls, NY; US Army, WWII
Raymond Erickson – Orton Flat, SD; US Navy, WWII, PBY communications crewman
Alfred T. Farrar (100) – Lynchburg, VA; US Army Air Corps, WWII / FAA engineer
Wesley Grace – Chicago, IL; US Army, WWII, ETO, mine clearing
Paul T. Ichiuji – Pacific Grove, CA; US Army, WWII, MISer (Intelligence)
James Mackey – Windsor, CT; US Army Air Corps, WWII, CBI, aircraft mechanic
Alfred Shehab – Cape May, NJ; US Army, WWII, ETO, 102nd Calvary, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Lt. Col. (Ret. 21 y.) / NASA
Lloyd Zett – Loretta, WI; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ATO, aircraft mechanic (Nome)
Francis the Talking Mule
Francis and Pvt. Stirling
Thanks to Curt Mekemson for jogging my memory about Francis the Talking Mule!!
This 2 minute trailer for Francis explains far more than I can in words – watch and enjoy!!
Francis the Talking Mule was a character who became a celebrity during the 1950s as the star of seven popular film comedies. The character originated in the 1946 novel Francis by former U.S. Army Captain David Stern III (1909–2003), son of newspaper publisher J. David Stern.
After another studio turned down the property, Universal bought the rights for a film series, with Stern adapting his own script for the first entry, simply titled Francis. Sammy McKee, a common sole, was the inspiration for Francis. A layman from Cincinnati, his wit and demeanor were only duplicated. It could not be replicated.
Francis the Talking Mule
“Francis ” is produced by Robert Arthur, directed by Arthur Lubin, and stars Donald O’Connor and Patricia Medina. The distinctive voice of Francis is a voice-over by actor Chills Wills.
Six Francis sequels from Universal-International followed this first effort.
During World War II, a junior American Army officer, Lt. Peter Stirling, gets sent to the psychiatric ward whenever he insists that an Army mule named Francis speaks to him.
When a bank manager discovers Peter Stirling, one of his tellers, is attracting public attention he calls the young man in who relates his story in flashback.
Then 2nd Lieutenant, Peter Stirling (Donald O’Connor), is caught behind Japanese lines in Burma during WWII. Francis, a talking Army mule, carries him to safety. When Stirling insists that the animal rescued him, he is placed in a psychiatric ward. Each time Stirling is released, he accomplishes something noteworthy (at the instigation of Francis), and each time he is sent back to the psych ward when he insists on crediting the talking mule.
Francis and John McIntire
Finally, Stirling is able to convince three-star General Stevens (John McIntire) that he is not crazy, and he and the general become the only ones aware of Francis’ secret. In an effort to get himself released from the psych ward, Stirling asks Stevens to order Francis to speak, but the mule will not obey until it becomes clear that Stirling will be arrested for treason if he remains silent.
During one of his enforced hospital stays, he is befriended by Maureen Gelder (Patricia Medina), a beautiful French refugee. He grows to trust her and tells her about Francis. Later, a propaganda radio broadcast from Tokyo Rose mocks the Allies for being advised by a mule. This leads to the suspicion of Stirling or Maureen being a Japanese agent. The press is later informed that the absurd mule story was concocted in order to flush out the spy, and with Francis’ help, the real culprit is identified.
Francis is shipped back to the U. S. for further study, but his military transport crashes in the wilds of Kentucky. After the war, convinced that Francis survived the crash, Peter searches for and finally finds the mule still alive and well and talking!
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
################################################################################################################
Animals in the Military Humor –
Military Animal humor
Squirrel Soldier
Canine Humor Squad
################################################################################################################
Quarantine Humor –
################################################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Howard Aab – Windsor, CO; US Navy / US Air Force, Korea (Ret. 20 y.)
Elden R. Baumbach – Stockton, CA; USMC, WWII, PTO, Pfc., B Co./6th Marines, KIA (Tarawa)
NEVER FORGET
Brian Dennehy – Mineola, NY; USMC / beloved actor
Melvin Eggergluss – Buffalo, MN; USMC, Korea, SSgt., 2 Bronze Stars, Purple Heart
Marjorie Lord – New Orleans, LA; FBI, WWII
Elizabeth Martin – Hamilton, CAN; Civilian, RCMO secretary, WWII
Franklin Patterson – Houston, TX; US Army, WWII, ETO, Signal Corps, 2 Bronze Stars
Scott Pearce – Woodbury, NZ; RNZ Army # 447461, WWII
Anthony Troiano – Mont Pleasant, NY; US Coast Guard, WWII
Mildred Wheeler – Oakley, TN; Civilian, Pentagon secretary, WWII
################################################################################################################################################################################################################################
Send In The Old Guys!
Please remember throughout this post, it is meant to be humorous – don’t anyone be offended – have fun with it!
I am over 60 and the Armed Forces thinks I’m too old to track down terrorists. You can’t be older than 42 to join the military – but they’ve got the whole thing backwards.
Instead of sending 18-year olds off to fight, They ought to take us old guys. You shouldn’t be able to join the military until you’re at least 35. For starters, researchers say 18-year olds think about sex every ten seconds. Old guys only think about sex a couple of times a month, leaving us more than 280,000 additional seconds per day to concentrate on the enemy.
Young guys haven’t lived long enough to be cranky, and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier. “My back hurts! I can’t sleep! I’m tired and hungry!” We’re bad-tempered and impatient, and maybe letting us kill some terrorist a**hole that desperately wants to go to ‘Paradise’ anyway will make us feel better and shut us up for a while.
An 18-year old doesn’t even like to get up before 10 a.m. Old guys always get up early to pee, so what the hell. Beside, like I said, I’m tired and can’t sleep and since I’m up already, I may as well be up killing some fanatical SOB.
If captured, we couldn’t spill the beans because we’d forget where we put them. In fact, name, rank and serial number would a real brain-teaser!
Boot camp would be easier for old guys… We’re used to getting screamed and yelled at and we’re used to soft food. We’ve also developed an appreciation for guns. We’ve been using them for years as an excuse to get out of the house and away from all the screaming and yelling!
They could lighten up the obstacle course however…. I’ve been in combat and never saw a single 20-foot wall with a rope hanging over the side, nor did I ever do push-ups after completing basic training.
Actually – The running part is kind of a waste of energy too…. I’ve never seen anyone outrun a bullet!
An 18-year old has the whole world ahead of him. He’s still learning to shave or start a conversation with a pretty girl. He still hasn’t figured out that a baseball cap has a brim to shade his eyes, not the back of his head.
These are all great reasons to keep our kids at home to learn a little more about life before sending them off into harm’s way.
Let us old guys track down those terrorists…. The last thing an enemy would want to see is a couple million hacked-off old farts with bad attitudes and automatic weapons, who know that their best years are already behind them!
Old sailor on the hunt.
HEY!!! How about recruiting women over 50 …. in menopause?! You think men have attitudes? If nothing else, put them on Border Patrol. They’ll have it secured the first night!!
Send this to all your senior friends – make sure it’s in big enough type so they can read it!
Contributed by Trooper Gilbert Wells and published in “The Voice of the Angels” newspaper of the 11th Airborne Division Assoc.
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
################################################################################################################
Military Humor –
################################################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
James Buchanan – VA; USMC; WWII
Miguel M. Covarriebias – Hanford, CT; US Army, Iraq, Spc., 1/227/1/1st Cavalry Division, KIA
Leo Croce – San Francisco, CA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, B-17 pilot, 398 BG/8th Air Force, Bronze Star
Brodie Gillon – UK; Royal Army Medical Corps/Irish Guards Battle Group, Iraq, Cpl., KIA
John Mastrianni – New Britain, CT; US Air Force, Korea, SAC & NSA Intelligence
Glen Ogden – Grand Rapids, MI; US Army, 11th Airborne Division
Marshal D. Roberts – Owasso, OK; US National Guard, Iraq, SSgt., 219th Engineering/138th Fighter Wing, KIA
Richard J. Smith Jr. – Mobile, AL; US Navy, WWII, PTO & ATO, USS Pennsylvania
Herbert Stettler – Oskloosa, IA; US Army, Korea
Eloiza Zavala – Sacramento, CA; USMC, United Arab Emirates, Combat Logistics Battalion 13, driver, KIA
###############################################################################################################
Strategy Page’s Military Humor and more….
Military Common Sense Rules
A lot of life’s problems can be explained by the U.S. Military and its applications of common sense …
- “Sometimes I think war is God’s way of teaching us geography.”
(Paul Rodriguez) - “A slipping gear could let your M203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what’s left of your unit.”
(Army’s magazine of preventive maintenance ). - “Aim towards the Enemy.”
(Instruction printed on US M79 Rocket Launcher) - When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend.
(U.S. Marine Corps) - Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs always hit the ground.
(U.S. Air Force) - If the enemy is in range, so are you.
(Infantry Journal) - It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed.
(US Air Force Manual) - Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.
(Gen. MacArthur) - Try to look unimportant; they may be low on ammo.
(Infantry Journal) - You, you, and you . . . Panic. The rest of you, come with me.
(Marine Gunnery Sergeant) - Tracers work both ways.
(US Army Ordnance) - Five second fuses only last three seconds.
(Infantry Journal) - Don’t ever be the first, don’t ever be the last, and don’t ever volunteer to do anything.
(US Navy Seaman) - Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.
(David Hackworth) - If your attack is going too well, you have walked into an ambush.
(Infantry Journal) - No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection.
(Joe Gay) - Any ship can be a minesweeper… once.
(Admiral Hornblower) - Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do.
(Unknown Marine Recruit) - Don’t draw fire; it irritates the people around you.
(Your Buddies) - Mines are equal opportunity weapons.
(Army Platoon Sergeant) - If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn’t plan your mission properly.
(David Hackworth) - Your job is to kill the other person before they kill you so that your national leaders can negotiate a peace that will last as long as it takes the ink to dry.
(Drill Instructor)
23. In the Navy, the Chief is always right.
#############################################################################################
More Military Humor –
#############################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Joe T. Avant – Greenwood, MS; US Army, Korea, Cpl., Heavy Mortar Co./31st RCT, KIA (Chosin Reservoir)
Why Bliley – Richmond, VA; US Army, WWII, PTO, 77th Division
Last Flight
Josephine Boyd – Ochiltree City, TX; Civilian, Amarillo Air Force Base, weapons instructor
Egbert Crossett – Corona, NM; US Navy, WWII, CBI, Medical unit
Kirk T. Fuchigami Jr. – Keaau, HI; US Army, Afghanistan, Warrant Officer, 1/227/1/1st Calvary Div., Apache pilot, KIA
David C. Knadle – Tarrant, TX; US Army, Afghanistan, Warrant Officer, 1/227/1/1st Calvary Div., Apache pilot, KIA
James P. McMahon – Rockford, IL; US Army, Somalia, Sgt. Major (Ret. 30 y.), Delta Force, Silver Star, Purple Heart
Thomas Parnell – Somerset, WI; US Army, WWII, gunner
Rex Ruwoldt – Darwin, AUS; Australian Army, WWII, 19th Machine-Gun Battalion
Dean Weber – Hot Springs, SD; US Navy, WWII
#############################################################################################
U.S. Marine Corps Birthday – 10 November
What does the celebration mean to Marines across the globe? To General John Lejeune it meant a great deal. On 1 November 1921, he issued Marine Corps Order No. 47, Series 1921, which provided a summary of the history, mission and traditions of the Corps and directed that the order be read to every command each subsequent year on 10 November.
The reading of Order 47, Series 1921
To read Order 47 please click HERE!
USMC Birthday Cake
At the Marine Corps Ball, one key piece of the ceremony is to present the first piece of cake to the oldest Marine in the room, who in turn gives the next to the junior Marine. This symbolic gesture is the passing of experience and knowledge from the veteran to the recruit. We should all emulate their example and take part in history.
To all those who are able – Enjoy the fruits of your labor and revel in the spectacle and unabashed camaraderie that is the U.S. Marine Corps!!
Click on images to enlarge.
#############################################################################################
Current News – Charly Priest Review
As I explained to Charly Priest, I am the farthest thing from a poet that anyone could meet, but I am attempting a review of his Kindle/Paperback book. I hope everyone bears with me.
Priest is an unusual sort, and his poetry bears witness to this statement, but he’s humorous, serious and down-right confusing at times. There is no clearer explanation of him than that which is written at the end of the book by himself.
There are some that make you think, such as his poem “The Priest”, but I think he hunkers down and shows more of his true self in Chapter 4, and I was impressed. Such as “Land of the Killers” you can hear his own experiences in the Spanish Legion during deployment. “In Warfare”, that with all said and done, boils down to the last line, “where it’s a day-to-day reality of the insane.”
“Invisible People”, we’ve either known one of these or were one ourselves; “Seven Sins”, he expresses the human condition as he sees it and “After the End” with great advice to all.
To find his book, Click Here!
To locate his blog, Click Here!!
#############################################################################################
Marine Humor –
“Somebody stop that guy and give him a piece of cake!!!”
#############################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Rudy Boesch – Virginia Beach, VA; US Navy, Vietnam, Master Chief SEAL (Ret. 46 y.), Bronze Star
Larry Brown – Columbus, OH; USMC, Vietnam
Thomas H. Cooper – Chattanooga, TN; USMC, WWII, PTO, Cpl. # 295826, 2nd Amtrac Battalion, KIA (Tarawa)
Glen “Bud” Daniel – Belleville, KS; USMC, WWII, 2ndLt., pilot, Purple Heart
Darryly Fleming – Orange Park, FL; USMC, Chief Warrant Officer-5 (Ret.)
Harry C. Morrissey – Everett, MA; USMC, WWII, PTO, Co. B/1/7/1st Marines, KIA (Guadalcanal)
Paul Plasse – Waterville, ME; US Navy, WWII, ETO
Kenneth Ross – Mosinee, WI; US Army, 11th Airborne Division
Thomas Walker III – Gadsen, AL; USMC, WWII, Sgt.
Jack Van Zandt – Danville, IL; USMC, WWII, PTO, Pfc, Co. A/1/6/2nd Marines, KIA (Tarawa)
#############################################################################################
Willie, Joe, and Bill in WWII
A MAN WHO SPOKE FOR THE REGULAR SOLDIER AND KEPT HIM SMILIN’ – BILL MAULDIN!!
Courtesy of a veteran friend I “met” while on JibJab; a considerable amount of my postings on PWE came from e-mails received from him.
Willie, Joe, and Bill in WWII
Get out your history books and open them to the chapter on World War II. Today’s lesson will cover a little known but very important hero of whom very little was ever really known. Here is another important piece of lost U.S. History.
Makes ya proud to put this stamp on your envelopes…
Bill Mauldin stamp honors grunt’s hero. The post office gets a lot of criticism. Always has, always will. And with the renewed push to get rid of Saturday mail delivery, expect complaints to intensify. But the United States Postal Service deserves a standing ovation for something that happened last month:
Bill Mauldin got his own postage stamp.
Mauldin died at age 81 in the early days of…
View original post 1,037 more words
Poems
I think we are all in need of a more light-hearted post by now …..
A FRIEND, YOUR AMERICAN M.P.
When soldiers go out and have some fun,
They always forget about some other one.
That someone’s on duty every day,
To see that these soldiers are safe at play.
They call him names that we can’t print,
But they should sit down and try to think.
These men are detailed for this tough job,
So why go around and call him a snob?
When a guy’s in trouble, and things look bad,
They call on this fellow, and then he’s not bad.
At the end they will say, “this fellow took up for me.”
And the fellow that did it was your American M.P.
One thing to remember fellows when you’re down and out,
There’s a fellow that will help you if he hears you shout.
He will stand beside you and fight like hell.
So do the right thing, and treat him well.
Just remember fellows on your holiday,
One of your buddies can’t go out and play.
You call him an outcast, and other names,
But he’s your buddy, just the same.
We envy no one, try never to do harm.
We’re here to keep you safe, in every form.
So if you see us on duty, please don’t get mad.
Remember we’re here for you, and that M.P.’s aren’t bad.
– S/Sgt. GODFREY J. DARBY
WAR AND HELL
When reception is poor and the signal stinks
And you think of bed and your forty winks
And the PE coughs and pulls high jinks
That ain’t war, that’s hell.
When your grease is cold and your rear guns fails
With a Zero riding each of your tails
And you curse your luck and bite your nails
That ain’t war, that’s hell.
When you’ve hiked all night and your feet are sore
And your throat’s all parched and your clothes are tore
And the C.O. says just ten miles more
That ain’t war, that’s hell.
When you’re climbing a hill and the motor’s hot
And the left read blows like a pistol shot
You hope its a back fire but you know it’s not
That ain’t war, that’s hell.
When the whistle blows for the day’s mail call
And you’re sweating a letter from your butter-ball
And Jones gets a card and they say that’s all
That ain’t war, that’s hell.
When the chow bell rings and you hope for ham
But the guy who cooks don’t give a damn
So all you get is a slab of Spam
That ain’t war, that’s hell.
But when the war’s been won by your nation
And you dream of home with anticipation
But the order says Army of Occupation
Brother that will be hell.
– Sgt. CARL BROOKMAN
#############################################################################################
More Military Humor –
##########################################################################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Bennie Adams Jr. – Barnwell, SC; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Korea & Vietnam, SM Sgt., Bronze Star
H. Carl Boone – Atlantic City, NJ; US Navy, WWII, ETO, LST, Purple Heart
Andrew Curtis Jr. – Yakima, WA; US Army Air Corps, WWII,B-24 pilot, 15th Air Force
John Eilerman – Fort Laramie, OH; US Navy, WWII
George Fuchs – Pinehurst, NC; US Army Air Corps, WWII, 152nd Artillery/11th Airborne Division
Allan Goodwin – Houston, TX; US Merchant Marines, WWII
Michael Hession III – Harwich, MA; US Coast Guard, WWII, PTO
Eileen “Gertie” Joyner – NYC, NY; US Army WAC; WWII, nurse
Ernest Reid – Toronto, CAN; RC Air Force, WWII, Flight Sgt.
Shirley Zumstag – Bradenton, FL; US Navy WAVE, WWII
##############################################################################################
CBI – July 1945
From: the CBI Roundup – the Major has no wish to go home…..
Among the 10th Air Force *wallahs it is highly doubtful which is the better known story, that of Maj. George E. Williams or the crashing, smashing glorious finale of Little Audrey.
We can’t tell you the Little Audrey yarn, for the chaplain would probably raise hell, but we can and will tell you the sad history of “Hard Luck” or “Good Luck” Williams, depending on whether you look at it from your own or his attitude.
Williams is Quartermaster for the 10th, and scheduled to return shortly to the States. He is currently trying to avoid flying Stateside, so before we begin the sad saga of Williams, if anyone knows of a nice, comfortable boat with a fearless skipper who doesn’t ask questions, please inform the major.
Williams, according to the 10th AF PRO, is an affable soul, healthy as anyone can be who has sweated out about two years over here and is a moderately happy-go-lucky Air Corps *wallah. Unfortunately there is no one in the entire 10th who will knowingly ride in a plane with him.
Shortly after his arrival in the then CBI Theater the major had to be piloted to the Arakan. He arrived safely. On the takeoff the B-25 failed to rise fast enough and after hitting a tree the only part left intact was the fuselage which skidded along the ground to a dead stop amidst a huge puddle of gasoline.
The gasoline failed to ignite and out stepped William and the entire crew – unscratched. Williams then entered into the full stride of his “accident” career. Included were several L-5 crackups, getting lost while flying less than 50 miles over flat country on a perfectly clear day, another B-25 mishap and an episode in a C-46 over The Hump.
It was the second B-25 adventure which soured Williams’ associates on flying with him anywhere for any known reason. After completing a tour of Burma bases, he had to be flown back over the little hump into India. The B-25 took off without incident and the plane flew towards the tricky Ledo Pass. But before crossing over into India, Williams found he could get off at a Burma strip just this side of the Burma side of the pass and complete his business.
“Cabin in the Sky” 10th Air Force
Our hero was safely deposited on terra firma and gaily waved goodbye to the B-25 crew as they headed for India. The plane was never heard of again.
Williams’ final air chapter came on a C-46 trip over The Hump. Unable to hold his altitude, the pilot ordered the passengers to bail out. Williams was number two in the parachute line. As number one stood hesitating to gather his courage before leaping, the pilot suddenly changed his mind and decided he could hold the plane in the air.
Williams, keeping his parachute on and gloomily reflecting that he would probably have to jump anyway, “sweated out” the rest of the trip until the plane put its wheels down. “Well, we made it,” commented the pilot, with a grim look at the dejected Williams.
So Williams is now awaiting transportation back to the States. And all things come to him who waits. Or do they?
*wallah – slang for a chap or fellow
HQ., NORTH BURMA AIR TASK FORCE – He is the oldest member of the 10th Air Force, having served three years both in the headquarters of the 10th and its units; he has been in service for more than five years, four and a half of which have been spent overseas, both in North Africa and the India-Burma theaters; but he is not a member of the USAAF nor does he wear an American uniform. He is Squadron Leader W. B. Page, of the RAF, serving as liaison officer with headquarters of Brig. Gen. A. H. Gilkeson’s North Burma Air Task Force, a 10th Air Force combat unit.
Page’s long tour with the 10th began just three years ago when he worked with the Seventh Bombardment Group. From there it was a jump to the original India Air Task Force, under Brig. Gen. Caleb V. Hayes and then to the headquarters of the 10th under the command of Maj. Gen. Howard C. Davidson.
Page is a natural for the job of liaison between the USAAF and the RAF. Although born and raised in England he lived in New Jersey and worked in New York City prior to entering the British forces five years ago.
#############################################################################################
Military C.B.I. Humor –
“Shome dirty shon-of-a-gun shawed my bed in half_____
“THE FOLKS ARE AWAY AND WE CAN HAVE THE SOFA TO OURSELVES.”
#############################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Thomas Braatz – Kenosha, WI; US Army, All-Star Football Team
William V. Fuller – Hadley, ENG; RAF
Albert Madden (100) – Hyannis Port, MA; US Army, WWII, Korea & Vietnam, Bugler 9th Infantry Division
Jason M. McClary – Export, PA; US Army, Afghanistan, Sgt., KIA
Richard Murphy Jr. – Silver Spring, MD; USMC, WWII, PTO, SSgt., KIA (Saipan)
Dennis Norling – MN, TX, & FL; USMC, Vietnam, 2 Purple Hearts
Robert Patten – Holllywood, FL; US Army, Korea & Vietnam, 1st Sgt.
Raymond Plank – Minneapolis, MN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, bomber pilot
Leonard Segal – Bourne, MA; US Army, radio operator
Edward Shapiro – Schenectady, NY; US Army, 2nd. Lt., Dentist
#############################################################################################
Salute to the Home Front Women of WWII
“Rosie to the Rescue”, Norman Rockwell
In 1943, several major magazines agreed to salute the women war workers of America on their September covers. The Post gave the assignment to Rockwell, who’d already created an iconic tribute to women defense workers with Rosie the Riveter.
For this new cover, he wanted to acknowledge the wide range of jobs that 15 million women had taken up as men went off to war. The result was Rosie to the Rescue, which showed a woman bearing the symbols and tools of several trades hurrying off to her next job. The Post editors claimed 31 different occupations were represented on this cover. Some were jobs traditionally associated with women: cleaning, farming, nursing, and clerical work. Others, indicated by tools such as an electric cable and a monkey wrench, referred to industrial occupations that women were starting to enter in great number.
The cover not only acknowledges women war workers, it also recalls occupations of the 1940s that once employed thousands. Post readers of the day would have instantly recognized the bus-driver’s ticket punch, a taxi-driver’s change dispenser, a milkman’s bottle rack, a switchboard operator’s headset, and the blue cap of a train conductor. The railroad industry was also represented by the railroad section hand’s lantern, the locomotive engineer’s oil can, and that round object swinging on a shoulder strap — a clock used by night watchwomen in railway yards.
Here is what the Post editors had to say about this image in the “Keeping Posted” section of our September 4, 1943 issue:
At least thirty-one wartime occupations for women are suggested by Norman Rockwell’s remarkable Labor Day Post cover. Perhaps you can think of more. The thirty-one we counted, suggested by articles the young lady is carrying or wearing, are: boardinghouse manager and housekeeper (keys on ring); chambermaid, cleaner and household worker (dust pan and brush, mop); service superintendent (time clock); switchboard operator and telephone operator (earphone and mouthpiece); grocery-store woman and milk-truck driver (milk bottles); electrician for repair and maintenance of household appliances and furnishings (electric wire); plumber and garage mechanic (monkey wrench, small wrenches); seamstress (big scissors); typewriter-repair woman, stenographer, typist, editor and reporter (typewriter); baggage clerk (baggage checks); bus driver (puncher); conductor on railroad, trolley, bus (conductor’s cap); filling-station attendant and taxi driver (change holder); oiler on railroad (oil can); section hand (red lantern); bookkeeper (pencil over ear); farm worker (hoe and potato fork); truck farmer (watering can); teacher (schoolbooks and ruler); public health, hospital or industrial nurse (Nurses’ Aide cap). —“Keeping Posted: The Rockwell Cover,” September 4, 1943.
When the war began, quickie marriages became the norm, as teenagers married their sweethearts before their men went overseas. As the men fought abroad, women on the Home Front worked in defense plants and volunteered for war-related organizations, in addition to managing their households. In New Orleans, as the demand for public transportation grew, women even became streetcar “conductorettes” for the first time. When men left, women “became proficient cooks and housekeepers, managed the finances, learned to fix the car, worked in a defense plant, and wrote letters to their soldier husbands that were consistently upbeat.” (Stephen Ambrose, D-Day, 488) Rosie the Riveter helped assure that the Allies would have the war materials they needed to defeat the Axis.
The National WWII Museum recognizes the contribution that women played in the success of the Allied victory in World War II and explores that contribution in depth in its newest permanent exhibit, The Arsenal of Democracy: The Herman and George Brown Salute to the Home Front.
Let’s hear about those Victory Gardens and other ways your mothers and grandmothers joined in!!
Click on images to enlarge.
############################################################################################
Home Front Humor –
WHAT THE HECK DID WE DO EVERY EVENING BEFORE THIS WAR?
############################################################################################
Farewell Salutes –
Ruth Apple – North Dorset, VT; Civilian, WWII, ‘Rosie’, aircraft
Angelina “Betty” Cicatelli – Throop, PA; WWII, Civilian, ‘Rosie’
Angnes Clagg – Ona, WV; WWII, Civilian, ‘Rosie’, weapons
Thelma Cook (104) – Pikeville, NC; WWII, Civilian ‘Rosie’, welder & parachute seamstress
Jacquelin Johns – Ft. Lauderdale, FL; WWII, Civilian, Office of Strategic Service
Lois Lenz – Chicagi, IL; WWII, Red Cross nurse’s aide / US Army, Signal Corps
Wand Elliot Matson – Quad Cities, IA, WWII ‘Rosie’, Grumman Hellcats
Mariemma Nelson – Indianapolis, IN; WWII, Civilian ‘Rosie’
Louise Steinberger – Vallejo, CA; WWII, Civilian ‘Rosie’, shipyard welder
Harriet ‘Jean’ Waltuck – Jordon, NY; US Navy, nurse
############################################################################################
Pacific Paratrooper 