1940

The war certainly drains 'em off, for now—with Dave in new work which will carry him far afield, the monthly column, and, I presume, other duties, have been handed to me.

First off, I want to put in our word of thanks to Dave for a job well done. His achievements and those of predecessors Tom Braden and Scotty Rogers are objectives which will be hard to hit.

This first one is largely Dave's work, for most of the stuff appearing below was gleaned from letters and news items forwarded to me with the job.

ARMED FORCES

Overseas—A news article reveals that Walt Bernstein, in Cairo, at the time of writing, has been with the Middle East edition of Yank, holding down a staff sergeantcy, and traveling, among other places, to Teheran and Sicily Lt. Ch'et Garrison, parachutist with Patton's Seventh Army, came through Sicily o.k. save for a twisted knee, has been back to Africa since, and is now with S-i (personnel) Lt. Web Whitney, off in China-Burma-India, writes, "Two important things happened to me today . . . . I received my initial and only ration of American canned beer in nine months, along with a March ALUMNI MAGAZINE." A first looie now, Web feels that life would be complete if, with the two foregoing, he could have his wife with him Lt. Bob Bedell recently was decorated in England by Secretary Knox (D.F.C.). Among other things, Bob swam fifty yards to tow back a dinghy to his wrecked Catalina, to assist the pilot and a wounded lieutenant into it Jim Tredup, now a captain, is up and about again after licking malaria. It's the first time off-duty Jim has had to take, since joining up way back in '4l Ed Giorchino, upped to first lieutenant the first of October, was awarded the D.S.C. Ed is now flying Liberators out of bases in England. .... Capt. Jay Stout was prominently mentioned in dispatches from Salerno. One A.P. dispatch described him as "hero of the day" at that important battle.

In this country—First Lieutenant Ray Dau has returned from down under, where he served successively as Flight Leader, Squadron Operations Officer and Group Communications Officer for a B-17 group. Ray is now assigned to Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho, where he will help in the heavy bombardment training program of the Second Air Force. Ray has collected the Purple Heart, D.F.C., and Air Medal in his travels Scotty Rogers is now stationed at Camp Gordon, Ga., with the 10th Armored Division. . . . . Maj. Fred Eaton recently completed training in the General Staff and Command School at Ft. Leavenworth, before assignment to a combat staff overseas. .... Smock Thompson, senior grade lieutenant, (I think), after two years with the Bureau of Ordnance in Washington, finally achieved a transfer, and is now at New London in a three-months' whizzer for submariners Ken Steele, private in med school, comes up to finals about the time this gets into circulation. As pessimistic as a top-flight football coach, 3.8 Ken writes that he's worried Lt. Don Rainie, now in Boston, transferred from a unit now overseas, writes that Tom Todd and Jack O'Shea were recently encountered in Beantown. Don attended the Holy Cross-Green game (3 to o for us) without seeing any '4o's Copper Nye, OCSing down at Camp Barkeley, Texas, figured to come up with the commission November 1. His outfit is the Medical Administrative Corps, which sounds to me like a use for that factory training at Tuck Lt. Ray Hotaling is now stationed at Daniel Field, Ga., where he's been since commissioning in July.

HOME FRONT STUFF

Dick Babcock, in gross understatement, writes, "I returned from the Middle East last May after about 15 months with the British Armies, 8 months of'it with the gth in Syria, and then I joined the Bth at Alemein. I went with them as far as Tripoli (what a trip—ed. note) when 8 weeks in hospital finished my active duty. Now I'm with the Department of Justice in Chicago waiting for my 4-F classification to change." .... Dwight Meader still Administers the Budget at GE in West Lynn, Mass., to the extent of between 60 and 70 hours per week. He tried the Navy but, I gather, GE spiked the thing. .... Ed Fritz, teaching and studying at Johns Hopkins, sends this along, "I am currently academically and physically tagged and categorized beyond all hope of decent redemption. My friends call me the walking alphabet: A.8., M.A., 4F."

WEDDINGS AND ENGAGEMENTS

Albert Feeley and Martha Chipman, married September 25 at South Weymouth, Mass Alexander Clark and Miriam Smallwood of Ridgewood, N. J., engaged, and, if all goes according to plan, married by the time this gets printed. . . . . Lt. Robert Dibble USNR and Faith Kirkbride of Millburn, N. J., engaged 800 Hayden married, but he doesn't say to whom Ens. Paul Dickerman is engaged to be married to Margaret Gold Swindell, of Raleigh, N. C.

Acting Secretary, 1 Terrace St., Montpelier, Vt.