PORTLAND INQUIRER
lyse conditions with the idea that
some remedy will be forthcoming
that will help th<* colored people of
this area. If the people of Portland
area. If the people of Portland
thought enough of their own wel­
fare and the wel|^re of the young
people to contribute to things such
as the building of a parish house,
half of the problem would be
solved and there would be very lit­
tle need for any kind of a study.
This idea of sitting back and see­
ing what the other fellow is going
to do is all wrong. Don’t you peo­
ple know anything about CO-
would dig in our foxholes when
the firing got heavy. Sometimes
the men were almost completely
buried in showers of sand.
Saint Philips is still going to
“I’d kid them and tell them,
‘What are we doing here! Come
build that Parish House with your
on, let’s get back to work where
help and mine. We have mentioned
we belong.” Then I’d start back to
it to you before, other papers have
the boats. They came right after
spoken about it. We have seen edi­
me.
torials and articles about it many
“They worked around the clock
times, and yet the response is no­
and did a swell job. Several offi­
think like it should be.
cers congratulated us on the way
Is it possible in this day and
we had the ammunition they want­
time that the Negroes are still so
ed ready when they wanted it.”
thoughtless that they cannot see
All of the dozens of types of
the need of a parish house. Can it
ammunition had t$> be stacked sep­
arately. They ranged from huge
aerial bombs to rifle ammo. Now
divided between scattered inland
dumps, the boxes and road system
approximate the business districts
of several small communities.
The unit unloads all ordnance
from incoming ships. They handled
it for the Second and Fourth Ma­
rine and 27th Army Division dur­
ing the Saipan campaign. Although
still working on a 24-hour sched­
ule, they’re about caught up and
are looking forward to a little well-
earned rest.
Neither Private First Class
Proposed St. Philip Parish House
Washington
nor Private First Class
be that you care nothing about the OPERATION ? It is about time
Witcher
is
actually an ordained
youth of your community? What is you learned and stopped sitting
pastor,
but
both
hope to be after
the reason that you have not con­ back being a holier-than-thou with
the
war.
tributed to this fund to make a nothing but a lot of criticism to
place for the younger people of the offer. Dig out some of that money 1 Washington, son of Mr. and Mrs.
city to spend their spare time?
you have put away for a rainy day. James Washington, Magnolia, Ark.,
The place filled by the parish That rainy day is here now in the conducts regular Sunday night
house cannot be taken care of by presence of your youth of the services, reporting an average at-
any other agency or building. The community looking for some place tendance of 60 to 70. Witcher leads
singing for the Sunday service
need for one is so great in this to spend his time in the atmosphere
and
holds a prayer meeting and
of
decency.
Help
him
and
yourself
area that it does not seem neces­
song
service each Wednesday even­
sary to do more than mention it be­ by giving him a chance to become
ing.
fore everyone would be willing to a real citizen and a credit to the
“I held first services here on
dig down in his pockets and give to community in which he lives. If you
the limit of his ability. Yet the do not prepare for the future now, D-plus-10,55 said Washington, “us­
fund for building the parish house it will be the same as the present ing the story of Daniel, because I
is nowhere near its goal. We offer­ and the present is certainly no thought it fit in best, both from
ed through the columns of the In­ credit to the city, or the race or a morale standpoint and because it
showed that protection is simulta­
quirer to publish the names and to you.
neous
with danger.”
amounts of persons who donated to
We are publishing once more the
this worthy cause, but not one sin­ picture of this proposed parish
Washington lived at 3317 Stan
gle contribution have we received. house along with the floor plans. ford Avenue, Los Angeles, Calif., [
There have been meetings and The beauty of the structure would and worked as a welder for the
meetings with suggestions g?i«re be a> credit to any neighborhood, California Ship yard before enter­
about what can and should be done its usefulness cannot be doubted.by ing the service October 10, 1943.
for the Negroes. There has been anybody. WHAT* ARE YOU GO­ For several months, he was an as­
talk of bringing in trained people ING TO DO TO MAKE IT A RE­ sistant pastor at the Zion Hill Bap­
from the outside to study and ana- ALITY?
tist church, 1319 East 22nd Street,
Los Angeles, conducting services
“PRAISE THE LORD” into front line fighting when Ja- at least once each month. He was
planes threatened American lines
BECOMES REALITY
studying prior to entering the Bap­
and knocked at least one Jap ma-
tist Seminary Theological school at
First Negro Marines Casual- chine gun out of action and killed the time of his induction.
ties in the South Sea
several of the enemy — the first
“Everybody was happy—it seem­
Islands
Japs sent to their ancestors by Ne-
ed
kind of like a big football'
--------
| gro Marines in this war.
game,”
said Witcher of his D-day
Members of the unit stacked the
SAIPAN, Marianas Islands
landing.
“When we were near
(Delayed)—“Praise the Lord “big stuff’ in neat rows and dived
and pass the ammunition” be- into over-regulation foxholes when shore a Ja P mortar shell landed in
cam e an a c tu a lity h e re w hen a j the Japs pattern-fired the beach a ncaJ y ‘alligator.’ The singing
Negro Marine unit including wtth mortar and artillery shells. i an( Jokingr stopped.
I haven’t got time to think
“We dag foxholes and then start-
two men whose ambition it is
about
anything
but
the
Lord,”
said
unloading ammunition. When
to enter the ministry and who
conduct religious services for 19-year-old Private Edward H. the explosions got too close, we’d
the unit moved in with the as­ Heals, son of Mrs. Emma Calhoun, diye into the holes until it slacken-
sault troops to set a record in 1728 Germantown Street, Dayton, ed up. My fox hole was only about
unloading artillery shells for Ohio. He explained that this was two feet deep to start with, but it
prompted by the crash of a Jap was double that depth before the
the front lines.
The Negro Marines suffered plane,—bested in a dog-fight with first night was over.”
Witcher, 20, son of Mrs. Olive
their first battle casualty of the Naval aircraft—150 feet from him
the
night
of
D-day.
Witcher, 910 Anderson Street,
war when one was killed and four
“I prayed night and day after Charlottesville, Va., hopes to enter
were wounded. They were thrown
that,” he said.
Virginia Union University, Rich-1
The Negro Marines set what mond, after the war to study for
Second Lieutenant Howard E. the pastorate. For three years be­
Tucker, son of Mrs. J. E. Dear- fore entering the Marine Corps,
dorff, 1236 Fifth, East, Salt Lake September 26, 1943, he worked
ROBERT N. JOYNER, JR., M. D. City, Utah, *a platoon leader, be­ with the Rev. E. Lord Jamerson,
lieves to be a record unloading sev­ pastor of the Mount Zion Baptist
Physician and Surgeon
eral thousands of tons of ammuni­ church, Ridge and Main Streets.
Offices: 1415 N. Williams Ave.
tion in 38 hours.
Portland, Oregon
Besides the two prospective pas­
VErmont 4404 or BEacon 3181
tors, Private First Class Fred
Washington and Private First
WILLIAMS AVENUE U. S. O.
Class Augustus Witcher, the unit
6 N. Tillamook Street
contained a former professional
HOTEL CAFE
Portland, Oregon
TRinity 46l5 boxer, a dance band leader, several
defense plant workers, a former
electric washing machine salesman,
GOOD FOOD
MRS. BEATRICE REED
and
others with a wide variety of
Licensed Funeral Director
pre-Saipan occupations.
Personal Attention at Holman
First Class Service
“I’m very pleased with the way
Lutz Mortuary
they worked,” said Captain Louis
N. E. 14th and Sandy Blvd.
P. Shine, son of Mrs. Frances
2274 N. Interstate Ave.
Shine (no street address), Osage,
WYATT W. WILLIAMS
W. Va., unit commanding officer.
Open 7 A. M. to 11 P. M.
Attorney-at-Law
Said
the
26-year-old
Guadalcanal
528-4 Lumberman’s Bldg.
HERBERT LEWIS, Prop
veteran:
320 S. W. 5th Ave.—AT. 6871
“I was plenty scared myself. We
Portland’s only Negro Lawyer
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PROFESSIONAL
SERVICES
P ak « 3
q A
store is known
by the
company it keeps
HART
SCHAFFNER
& MARX
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DOBBS HATS AND CAPS
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INTERWOVEN SOCKS
FINE SPORTSWEAR
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