1939

This month two pieces of good news have been received. The first one has already been announced in Moreau Brown's "Thirty-Nine Out," and is the report that Ensign Phil Sanborn has been liberated from a Japanese prison camp in Manila. He was commissioned in March 1941, assigned to Manila in May of that year, and for a time was stationed in the Port Director's Office. Between Christmas 1941 and New Year's Day 1942, he was taken to Corregidor and assigned to night patrol duty. He continued at this duty until Corregidor fell. First reported missing in action June 1, 194 a, he was later reported to be a prisoner of the Japanese. Unofficial word reaching his parents after his capture was to the effect that Phil had escaped from his camp and taken to the hills. It was also unofficially reported that he lived in the hills three or four months before he was finally recaptured, and returned to a Japanese prison. As Moreau Brown reported, Mrs. Sanborn said, "He is whole physically, and mentally normal, but suffering from malnutrition. It is truly a miracle that he has survived."

The other piece of good news is contained in a letter from Virginia Woodward, Bob's wife, She says:

I sent you the wonderful news about his being safe, as a prisoner of war a few weeks ago, but I guess it didn't reach you in time for the last edition of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE.

I don't have to tell you how happy I am just to know that he's alive and unhurt. I had' been terribly worried. Four of the boys in his crew were badly hurt and later abandoned by the Germans when the Russians took over. They are now back in U. S. base hospitals in Italy but we are not. allowed to say anything about their experiences. We're just assuming hopefully that the rest of the boys, who are all in P.O:W. camps, are not hurt.

To offset this goods news, the following information was received from Mary Lou Robinson, Ed's sister:

We received word that my brother is missing in action in Belgium. He's been missing since the thirty-first of January.

The last letter Dad got was dated January thirteenth. He wrote he was well and busy—he was in charge of a mortar platoon. He described the countryside—said he lived with some people in a farmhouse; but later moved on—and took quarters in a: barn—sleeping on straw.

Before he went to Belgium, he spent some time in England, had a really good time there and liked the country.

I hope we have news soon—Edwin was class of 1939—did graduate work at N.X.U.—received his Master's Degree and did further graduate work. Ed enlisted in the Army Medical Corps in 1942—later transferred to the Infantry and went to OCS at Ft. Benning. He went overseas in October 1944.

We have two other brothers. Bill—a lieutenant in the Air Corps—and Adair in the Navy, S l/c —and I'm a junior at the University of Vermont. Anyway—l read the '39 column—and the rest of the MAGAZINE, too, as a matter of fact—reminds me of the good times before.

The mother of Major Lloyd Nash has sent the following information:

We were notified on January 15 that Lloyd was missing over Germany since December 24. We have heard nothing more, except indirectly, from a former crew member, that they felt sure he was safe as he had parachuted. Lloyd went overseas in October and was assigned to the famous Bomb Group of the Bth Air Force, cited by the President for the England-Africa shuttle bombing.

For more than a year he had been commanding officer of the 69th AAF Primary School at Fletcher Field, Clarksdale, Miss. In March 1944 he was sent to Columbus, Ohio, for training in fourengine flying. He had advanced flying there and Rapid City, S. D., where he left for overseas duty in October. .... I have hesitated to write this news because I felt so certain good news would follow. We still feel very sure good news will come. Perhaps some of Lloyd's classmates or other Alumni might be, in a position to send us more news of him.

Lt. (sg) F. Kent Batchford's Father supplied the reprint from a news sheet of a carrier now operating in the South Pacific. Kent's son, whom he has never seen, is eight months old. The article is as follows.

This is the second combat tour of duty for Lt. F. K. Blatchford, flight officer, and a native of Winnetka, 111.

Lt. Blatchford flew many combat missions from Guadalcanal during the really tough days, just after its occupation by our forces._ For ,his many services in these operations, during which his plane was one of the first to bomb the Jap bastions of Keita and Bougainville, Lt. Blatchford was awarded the Air Medal.

Joining in February 1942, and going with it to the U. S. S. he has flown on many strikes in the Formosa, Philippines and French Indo-China areas. In the action over Tokyo the other day, he chose a large repair shop as his target and succeeded in doing considerable damage to the Nips. Lt. Blatchford has more combat missions under his belt than any other pilot in the "bombasters," the official nickname of bombing squadron .

Ralph "Zeke" Hill who has been with the

lnfantry Division of the First Army has received a Battlefield Commission, as second lieutenant AUS. This was given in recognition of work under hazardous combat conditions. Lt. Hill enlisted in June 1942, and was sent overseas in March 1944. He left England on D-Day and spent some time in Normandy and France. For several months he was with the Regiment, the first American troops to enter Belgium and Germany. On February 22 he was commissioned second lieutenant and transferred from Germany to France. Capt. and Mrs. Edward P. Wells M.C.AUS have announced the birth of a son, James Chandler Wells, November 5, 1944. News of the following service promotions has been received:

Ens. Daniel Hull, Capt. Frederic J. Mclntire, Jr., Major William O. Coleman, 3rd, Capt. Philip F. Beaulieu, Capt. John P. Litchfield, Capt. George R. Hanna, Capt. Horace B. Chapin, Lt. (jg) John K. Adams, Capt. John T. Evans Jr., Major Willard W. Morris, Capt. Walter D. Leach Jr., 2nd Lt. Ralph N. Hill Jr., Capt. George L. Miller Jr., Lt. (jg) Ernest R. Bly. and Capt. William W. Goodman.

Secretary, Apt. 4D, 1307 Sixth Ave., New York, N. Y Treasurer, 7815 Maryland Drive, St. Louis 5, Mo.