1939

Word of two deaths were received belatedly last month, one of Lt. Herbert Vander Vate Jr., on August 28, 1944, and the other of Lt. Sanderson Sloane, on February 22, 1944. Both were killed in action, and practically no additional information is available at this time, except for the fact that Lt. Sloane was a pilot of a B-17, and had received the Air Medal with three clusters in addition to the Purple Heart.

Cornie Miller writes from Philadelphia, sending some interesting news:—

Have been corresponding with Phil Sanborn and his family since his rescue (and before, but I guess Phil never got any of those letters limited to twenty-five words). He is recuperating at the 13th General Hospital, A.P.O. 322-1, c/o Postmaster, San Francisco, Calif. You fellows should drop him some mail. He says in one letter, "I was a special prisoner of the Japs, having escaped with two other ensigns one month after capture and then being recaptured three months later. Would have most certainly been executed for this had not extenuating caused a Jap colonel to intervene. We got off with a three and a half year sentence in a Jap M. P. prison. Still can't figure out how we survived that place! At present I'm traveling in Army channels, having not been successful in transferring to a Navy Hospital, as there is none in this vicinity. I'm hopeful of leaving soon."

Then Cleve Spillers wrote a long V-Mail with lots of news and observations: "Congratulations and felicitations on your marriage. (Oh yes, I was married in Chicago on November 30, 1944, to Janet Earl Ray of Clinton, lowa—now living at 307 Old Forest Road, Carroll Park, Philadelphia 31, Pa.) .... While I'm on the subject of families, I've got a son, Robert, a year and a half old, whom I have never seen, and he and my wife, Mary, are currently residing with her family in Tampico, Mexico. While on the subject of Class '39, today ran into Col. Dave Shilling, thereby proving what a small world it has gotten to be in Germany (especially for the Germans). A couple of months ago I ran into Capt. Moose Dudis of the Medics in Nancy. I'm the Message Center Officer for the Tactical Air Command. We furnish air support for the Third Army and 01 General Patton doesn't go any place without us. .... I have been overseas for the past twenty months and while I haven't been shot at very often, I have seen enough of this war business to last me a life time. Europe can only be described aS a wreck, and Germany, you may be gratified to bear is the worst wreck of all. But it's not half what these —'s deserve everything you hear about their concentration camps and what not is the truth. As for sidelights on the war: England looked closer to starvation than any country I've seen in Europe, and that includes France, Luxembourg, and Germany. The Germans are the best dressed and fed. I've seen thousands of German prisoners and they look like a bunch of Stupormen Lately many of them don't look more than fourteen years old, no bull German prisoners may be pampered back home, but all they get over here are : boots in the 'tail.' The nonfraternization program is in full blast and it has the Germans plenty puzzled. Talking to a Nazi girl is like asking the 64-dollar question, only you have to foot the bill."

Cleve's address is Lt. G. C. Spillers, 932 Signal An., Sep. (TAC), APO 141. Dick Brooks also provides the kind of informative letter which will be especially helpful to your new secretary. It is hoped that his letter will provide encouragement for others:

My last year's communique had me in the Atlantic. I.took to the beach last summer with some "hard-to-take" duty at the Washington Navy Yard. Found Capt. Bill Kent USMC at the champagne bowl of an Alexandrian wedding and later on had Bill Webster to help celebrate a wedding anniversary—the third for Phyllis and me—at the Carlton. W. Kent was stationed at Quantico and W. Webster closing hush hush test piloting for Curtiss.

A leave to home-town Gloucester, Mass., and I found Mr. and Mrs. R. Brown and son awaiting Daddy's departure to the West. I shoved off in the fall for the Pacific, arriving on Rich Davidson's ('40) CU in November. Thence via the bag and trolley line to a tanker, and again into the bag for transfer along with ice cream and Hopalong Cassidy to the Waterman.

My indoctrination to the war in the West rode in on the wings of the December typhoon, which this humble spitkit rode out somehow, although surrounded by those that didn't. We could have used some of Pan American rainmaker Hank Merrill's knowledge of the elements to good advantage. (Any news of him?) Ours is typical D. E. duty. Little else can be said. We have swapped searchlight greetings with Lt. Bob Bryant, now "Execking" on another D. E., several times, and later shared steak and beer with him and Lt. Bill Cash ('38) on our tiny beercan.island, which for your orientation sits smack in the middle of nowhere. A bit later I found Lt. Johnny Mitchell under the same cocoanuts. He was heading home at the time. And recently a table of bottles upset in one of the thatched roofed "clubs" and Lt. Bob Schill emerged from the debris and headed back to his big new 88. Your excellent reporting on Phil Sanborn's release from Luzon is much appreciated.

Ensign Holben has also been around in the Pacific. During his nearly nine months at sea he was serving as gunnery officer on a cruiser, his ship was in five major naval engagements.

The best news of the month was the announcement from Mary, Dick, and Dickens Jackson that Mary French Jackson arrived on May 11.

Bob Yeuell's father recently received a copy of Bob's citation:—

"SILVER STAR. For gallantry in action against the enemy in ... . France. On 12 September 1944 during an attack against a rifle company was halted by enemy small arms and mortar fire in an anti-tank ditch. Realizing that the hard-pressed infantryman needed immediate artillery support, Captain Yeuell, artillery forward observer, crawled three hundred yards under grazing machine gun fire to a radio position where he called for screening smoke and artillery fire. As a result of his courageous actions, the company was able to manoeuver under the protection of the covering fire to a position of safety. On the following day, Captain Yeuell from an exposed position, directed both artillery and 4.2" mortar fire upon enemy positions materially aiding the Battalion Infantry in the capture of His actions reflect great credit upon himself and the Military Service.

George Boswell's mother writes that George was seriously wounded in action in Italy April 23. He was with the 5th Array and had been in the fighting near Bologna, and had just crossed the Po River when he was hit by machine gun fire. He was flown, after being hospitalized for some weeks in Firenze, from Casablanca to Miami, Florida. At present he is convalescing in the General Hospital, Camp Ed wards, Mass.

Lt. William Mason USNR now on duty at the Naval Air Material Center, Philadelphia, has been awarded the Air Medal, a Gold Star in lieu of a second Air Medal, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for outstanding bravery and skill as a Navy pilot in the Pacific war zone. He is now serving as officer in charge of flight tests at the Aeronautical Engine Laboratory. He is residing at 210 Park Place, Irvington, N. J.

First Lieutenant Brian E. Abbott, whose wife, Mrs. Vivian C. Abbott, lives at 102 Madison Terrace, Montgomery, Ala., flew with the Bomb Group formations, which have been commended by Lt. General James H. Doolittle for their recent highly successful B-17 Flying Fortress Bombing Attack upon vital marshalling yards at Siegen, Germany. The Bomb Group is the division cited by the President for its England to Africa shuttle bombing of Regensburg, Germany. S/Sgt. Woodrow W. Russell of 10716 Carnegie Ave., Cleveland, Ohio, is a member of the Squadron, a unit in "Cerny's Circus," the globe-trotting Troop Carrier Group. The group has served overseas for more than thirty-two months and took part in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Southern France, in addition to playing an important part in the Burma-India campaign. The organization was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for the Burma-India Campaign.

Secretary, 4 Diverside Drive., Cranford, N. J. Treasurer, 50 Fair Oaks, Clayton 17, Mo.