1923

This picture of Captain Bob McMillan, ready for the winter skies over the Sioux City Air Base where his bomber group is presently stationed, marks an all-time first in the sending-picture-in-uniform department and to you, Bob, is hereby awarded the medal of thanks with '23 attached. We have no statistics available but being an ardent selecter of sure-shots we'll wager the family's ration card that the about 60 men who now make up our Honor Roll lands us near the top in percentage figures of members in service for all classes of our era. We are all awfully proud of you fellows and wish each one of you would send along a letter or card and a picture or snapshot so we could hear from you and see you in these notes. Will you? Please!!

And, Bob, by the way, there are several of us from fuel oils critical eastern area who look green-eyed at your latest habillement and would appreciate a letter of introduction to your tailor.

While on the subject of our delight in hearing from you fellows serving Uncle Sam will prove our point with this letter from Uncle Win Weser:

D Battery—12th Battalion Fort Eustis, Virginia

Dear Sherm:

The last issue of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE which I had the good fortune to see contained an imposing list of 1923's Naval and military talent. It started off strongly with a few lieut. colonels and lieut. commanders, it held up well in the middle with a couple of captains and gently sloped to some lieutenants and ensigns. I am now about to add the inevitable precipitous drop, by the inclusion in this list of private (nee' Uncle) Winnie "Weser.

You may believe that the only reason I presume to stick in my $50.00 a month (less deductions) is to give those members of our class who have a tax dollar to worry about and idea of what is happening to that tax dollar.

Gentlemen, your tax dollar is spent 100% for shoe leather—good, serviceable stuff too. Then your bond dollar goes into food. . . .also good, serviceable STUFF! After our trembling tired tissues are restored to a point where we are considered strong enough to learn to walk again, your surplus profits dollar re-shods us. There are, of course, a few items of rifles, ammunition, gas masks, etc but by and large Army financial transactions are as outlined above. Or so it seems to one who thinks with his feet. .. .and our TOP SERGEANT has upon two separate occasions given it as his definite and profane conviction that I do think with my feet. (Any one of a number of words can be substituted for the word "feet").

Before being "persuaded" by the Selective Service Act that the Army was the place for me, I had, of course, read a great deal about it in those periodicals which I never see now. I had braced myself accordingly. . . .but it wasn't enough! Published accounts of Army life are what is known as "glowing!" When civilian life ends and Army life Begins at Forty, there is likely to be Hell to pay. My first two weeks were a period during which I existed in a sort of hazy daze. .. .the suffering was so great as to be endurable, if you know what I mean. That old bromide of better days—"l'M AFRAID I'LL LlVE"—just fits the situation. However, the blow to my physical well-being was as nothing compared to the shattering impact upon my morale of finding myself being addressed by my barracks buddies as "POP"! You can bet I strained my ears to determine whether this was given in derision or otherwise. . . .and finally deciding that it contained at least a faint note of fondness, I yielded gracefully to the inevitable. ... I surrendered my dreams of youthfulness, and—well, "Pop" goes the Weser, to coin a phrase, What?

At this point I am happy to be able to report that the worst is over.... that I can take with comparative ease anything they are likely to ask me to do; that I am in better shape than I have been since 1919-1920; and that for period of my service I expect to be quite content in what is for all of us a new way of life.

My kindest regards to you, Sherm, and any of the lads you happen to meet.

WIN

P. S. The coffee does taste funny!

Swell, Win, thanks a many and of course our best luckl

More additions to our delegations in uniform. .. . early in December Tom McKnight, producer of "Blondie" radio program, joined the Army Special Services with a captain's rating. The "Special Service" group produce radio programs exclusively for the soldiers on foreign service. The public never hears these shows, some are shortwaved, others put on transcriptions and shipped out, dropped by parachute to isolated island outposts, etc., and all are carefully built to the soldiers' tastes. .... Lew Ross, former proprietor of E. M. Chase Furniture Company, of Manchester, N. H., joined up recently as a private in AUS....and a nice promotion to report for Ches Sweney now It. comdr. USNR.

Congrats are in order for Dick Udall who this fall was appointed principal of the Patchogue (Long Island) H. S. Dick received his A.M. from Teachers College, Columbia, in 1932, was vice-principal and track coach at Gardner (Mass.) H. S. for five years and for the past seven years had been vice-principal and guidance director at Melrose (Mass.) H. S.

Ralph Staley checks in with a nice letter informing us that he is now an instructor for the Army Air Corps at the Douglas Aircraft Co., Long Beach, Cal., plant. .. .did you all get your cigars from Dr. Curt Crump on the arrival of Helen who recently joined her brother and two sisters in the Crump homestead in Asheville, N. C. .... George Scammon is director of the Portsmouth, N. H., defense-rental area. He opened up the office Dec. 7, and from it will serve an area covering an estimated war time population of 125,000. .. .a card from George Whiteside tells us that the Parker pens and pencils rolling out of his plant these days are few and seldom but that he's up to his neck in ordnance fuse contracts Art Little wants me to notify you that he and his committee are working on the selection of the new slate of class officers, appreciate the suggestions sent in to them, but will be unable to consider nominations sent in after Feb. 15, so get busy, you still have enough time to get a letter off to Art with your nominations 190 Exchange St., Pawtucket, R. I.

CAPT. 808 MCMILLAN '23 USAAG All set for winter flying at Rapid City, S. D.

EXEC.YJI.YE. OFFICER Capt. James D. Landauer '25 has beennamed acting executive officer of the SanAntonio Cadet Center, which selects, classifies, and trains thousands of bombardiers,navigators, and pilots annually.

Secretary, 8 Fenimore Rd., Worcester, Mass.

WILLIAM BERTON ANDROSS August 8, 1941 HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT Thus goeth another of our legionto the beginningLet his ever be eternal peace.