1940

Following one month of suspended publication and one month of statistics in lieu of news, the '40 scrivener finds himself, for the first time, in possession of three months' news and one month's space. To avoid charges of favoritism or slights., the decision was reached to present the '40 chronicle chronologically, resulting in practically every item being old stuff.

By all standards of greatest importance to the class is the latest casualty list, a tough one to take. Since our last report Phil Eddy and Rog Herrick have been reported killed in action, Dick Ellis' status has been changed from missing to missing and presumed lost, BillButtfield, commanding a B-29, was reported missing over Nagoya, Japan, on April 7, SamCarver is missing from an April Bag raid on Japan, Capt. Jim Murphy is missing over the North Sea since April 4, and Capt. Bob Hale has been missing since February 21. A gunner on Bob's plane stated that there is little hope for his survival, since the plane was seen to crash, but the Army, after investigation, has not changed its original report.

In this list are friends of practically every member of the class. It gets rougher as the months go by and '40's list is lengthened. And as the price of war increases, so will our deter- mination multiply to the end that we shall be active participants in the constant battle to eliminate the causes of man-made war.

It is difficult to turn from this kind of news to the daily doings of Joe '40. Perhaps the following story and tribute to Jerry Sullivan, who was reported missing last spring, will help to bridge the gap.

We have had all too few opportunities to record here the details of '40 at war. These excerpts from a letter by Jerry's commanding officer indicate the high courage of one of our fighters:

Jerry is missing after a rescue mission he led to recover his section leader, Lt. Kit Bahr, who had been forced to bail out over Camranh Bay in French Indo-China..... Jerry and Hearne went in over Camranh Bay to try and spot Bahr so as to direct rescue units to him. In accomplishing this is was evidently necessary to make strafing runs against some of the enemy installations. There was a low cloud layer and .... after one of these runs Hearne could not see Jerry nor could he contact him on the radio There seems to be no answer at all to the question of what happened .... (Jerry's) readiness to help at all times, and his thoroughness in everything he did made him a valuable asset to the squadron. His fine and sincere regard for duty remains an inspiration to us all. That he volunteered to lead the rescue mission is typical of Jerry's fine character His absence causes a truly irreplaceable loss .... Jerry has been repeatedly recommended for decorations for exceptionally courageous conduct in aerial combat against the enemy.

The Alumni Fund campaign, always an urge to the class secretary-fund agent to get going, has resulted in a few news bits that, impossible though it may seem, missed Rourke's grand Indian Drum. Nick Turkevich writes from Philly where he continues with GE at their switchgear plant there, at the time working on war contract termination. Nick saw Capt. BillCleaves on his return from Europe, and says Bill was at Atlantic City awaiting reassignment in April. Kim Flint is still with Tennessee Eastman Corporation in Kingsport where he works in the same production department with Chet Berry. Kim reports of marriage of four years and a son, Charles Kimball III, of three. Dan Feldman is supervisor of all merchandise controls for G. Fox & Co. in Hartford and "hasn't heard from the draft board in three years."

Old news releases that never got in: Ist Lt. Hubert Davis as a P-51 Mustang pilot, has to his credit three Nazis destroyed in aerial combat; Maj. Bud Campbell has received the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in support of combat operations in France as communications officer of a troop carrier group of the 12th Air Force; Lt. Dick Kenney was recently stateside after a tour of duty as pilot of a dive bomber operating from a large carrier in the Pacific during which he participated in strikes against Formosa, Okinawa, the Philippines, Hong Kong and French Indo-China.

We'll have to make room for those important announcements of marriages and engagements; so, to bring the record up to date, we report: the marriage of Lt. Don Rainie and Ruby Monell at Concord, N. H., June 2, followed immediately by a Hanover Honeymoon; the engagement of Ens. Virginia Bogert, Wave, to Lt.(jg) Nat Sample, subchaser commander, at the time, March, home on leave from pressing duties in the Pacific; the engagement of Kathleen Ehggaard of Syracuse, N. Y., to Lt. Sid Morley; the marriage of Capt. jackFitzgerald and Alice Reardon of Boston last January; the engagement last Christmas of Jane Eccles of Sharon, Pa., to Sgt. Bob MacMillen; and the engagement of Janet Palmer, British Army Territorial Service, of London, to Maj. Sherwood Burnett, at the time weather officer with the 8th Air Force.

Latest good thing to reach the Vermont hills is Keep Your Head Down, a book of sketches of the war from the soldier's point of view, and written by Walt Bernstein of Jack-o and New Yorker fame, (adv.) Any royalties resulting from sales induced by this unpaid and unsolicited ad will be collected for the class.

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