1944
It was really good news to hear a short time ago that both Tom Breen and Jay Downing, who had been on the missing list after action in the air over Germany and Italy, have been reported as prisoners of war. Tom was a bombardier and Jay a fighter pilot.
This month comes a swell letter from Gus Clucas, an aviation radio mate now, whose ship was in port recently after steady action since June. He writes, "I bumped into Satch Revenaugh in the middle of October and he's flying off one of the smaller' carriers on the East coast. I also got a letter from my roommate, Neal Tyler, who had some dope about Willy Marion, Joe McDevitt, and Bob Maclaughry. Joe is in a hospital out in San Diego with a busted leg, sustained in some manner or form, Mac is off to the South Seas with a Marine dive-bombing unit, and Willy is flying another TBF off a new carrier."
Ensign Steve Holmes is now stationed in Pontiac, Mich Fred Daley is in Navy Supply School at Wellesley, of all places. .... Bob Wiley and Sterling Suddarth are in the first-year class in the med school here Cpl. Oscar Goedecke writes and gives his impression of North Africa. He's in a Signal Corps detachment assigned to the Navy' Amphibious Force and as such was in on the landing operations of the Sicilian invasion. He bumped into Van Lloyd '43, an ensign in the Amphibious Fleet, during that time Fran Murphy is now at Tufts med school Henry Merritt is in the Navy, stationed in North Africa in harbor defense work.
Murray Mondschein, still at Camp Hale in a Medical detachment, sends along quite a bit of news; "Bob Blair is in Italy with the American Volunteer Group. So is Bev Chaney (he is with Bob). Joel Coffin is back in the country and is a ski instructor at Camp McCoy, Wise. Don Sheridan is at Walnut Ridge, Ark., and will be commissioned a lieutenant in the Army Air Forces (Flight)—in about eight weeks. Gilly Frank is a corporal in the Air Force (ground crew) in beautiful San Bernadino, Calif. Bushy Salamanowitz is an Aviation Student at Western Ken. St. Teacher's College (also for air crew). The last I heard of Lenny Rieser he was working for the Army -electronics (civilian capacity) at the U. of Chicago."
A chat with Karl Rood the other day revealed the facts that Bill Harrison is now in Washington and that Jack Riley is instructing at Corpus Christi. Karl, incidentally, is now sports editor of the Hanover Gazette Jim Briggs is now at Abbott Hall Johnny Rexford is studying ASTP German at Fordham. He was recently in Hanover, sporting a luxuriant mustache. .... Dan Donovan now has his Navy wings Dick Dargie writes from Harvard, Neb., that he is piloting B-24's and expects to be shipped across very shortly Pfc. Sherm Davis' address is c/o Postmaster, San Francisco Jack Snobble is taking his primary flight training at Decatur, Ala. He writes, "Other '44s I've heard of are: Dick Allenby at Signal Corps OCS at Ft. Monmouth; X. Larrabee, who picked up a commission (second lieutenant) in the Marines, and a wife awhile back; and Ralph Antonides who some time ago casually mentioned flying sweeps over Italy from a base in Sicily." .... Jack Jenness is a communications cadet at Seymour Johnson Field, N. C. From there he will be transferred to Yale for technical training. He sends word of several others: "Ed Bailey is at Chanute Field, Ill., training to be a weather observer. Harry Davis is at Jefferson Barracks, Mo. I just remembered- Tom Crowder is here with me."
Bob Miller writes from Camp Rucker, Ala., "Pinky Corroon and I are in the fightin' 98th. I'm in Anti-tank. Snooky Hughes is now at Nebraska studying German. Hose Craig is casually partying with the smart set at Fordham. Rock Davidson is still in the Infantry, when last heard of, in California. Johnny Eaton is now in Phoenix, Ariz. John Berry ASTP is studying civil engineering in Louisiana." .... Rowley Musser is a second lieutenant in the Air Corps and is Asst. Weather Officer at Goodfellow Field, San Angelo, Texas Dave Wrisley is also a second lieutenant Roy Briggs and Mac Corner are instructing at Thayer School, and Sam Coombs is an instructor in physics.
We've had news of a few of the group of '44s that graduated in December from the Northwestern Midshipman's School as ensigns. Ed Spicer, Bud Rieth, and Paul Cray are now in Miami at SubChaser School. Jim Donnelly and Dan Donahue reported to New Orleans for duty on landing craft. How about a little news from the rest of that bunch ?
Carl Eldridge sends news of a group of '44s recently commissioned second lieutenants in the Marines. Besides himself, they are: Al Barrett, Ted Brush, Fred Campbell, Jake Dahl, Joe Dryer, Penn Frost, Gus Pratt, Wes Shell, and Buck Mansfield. They're stationed at Quantico taking a course in tactics and will receive their first assignments at the end of this month.
In the "Hearts and Flowers Dept." this month: Lt. Jim Bodine and Elizabeth Matthews were married December 29 in Morristown, N. J.; Buzz Bensinger was best man. Ensign Bill Paine was married to Patricia Ann Curtis of West Newton, Mass., on December 26. Ensign Art Pegler and Nancy Hutchinson were married in New York November 24. Pvt. Bud Zetterberg and Betty Saville were married December 17 in Shreveport, La. They are living in De Ridder, La.
Engagements reported are those of: Joel Coffin and Mildred Dorothy Banfield of Toronto; Jim Donnelly and "Tommy" MacNeil of Newton and Smith; Art Kiendl and Jean Sprague, Worcester and U. of Vermont; Bob King and Charlotte West of Brooklyn. Bob is now in ASTP at North Dakota Aericultural College; Dick Murchie and Jean Jarvis of Bay Shore, N. Y., and Smith; and Taylor pratt and Jacquelin Lewis Smith of Melrose Highlands Mass. Taylor is in the V-12 unit here and will be leaving Thayer School this month.
Secretary, 403 N. Fayerweather, Hanover, N. H. Treasurer, c/o Robert J. Holmes 10 Post Office Square, Boston, Mass.
