V \ PORTLAND INQUIRER Pag* Eight Friday. March 22. 1946 “Command car hit a land mine,” to see what the commotion was. been forced to leave any skill in as physically unfit. It was natur go was—ammunition. NEGRO VETERAN Sitting next to Bill was Chuck he said quickly, “It’s laying on its “Did you hear us?” Big Bill ask which they became too adept al that Southern States should (Continued from page 7) which they could not share. He There was a backlog of hard have a higher number of rejec Tate, the assistant driver, and in side about twenty yards down ed. They both nodded. “O. K.” Bill himself had seen the shameful earned experience and American tions among Negroes because the body of the truck were two hill.” “Anybody in it?” said. Anybody wants to get out, record written in the pages of mechanical ingenuity in Negro those States had a higher Negro men guarding the ammunition. “Just the driver, and it looks now’s the time to do it.” history books. All the glowing troops waiting to be channeled population than the rest of the But Bill felt alone. His truck had “It’s pretty comfortable back words about equality coming out into specialized skills. The Army country. But it was not natural been separated from the long line like he’s passed out. But there’s that there should be a higher per of one-and-a-half tonners when a somebody else—I saw bushes here, Sarge" one of them said of the mouths of politicians had provided the channel. Bill Sanderss went through centage of rejections. That per flat tire had forced him to pull moving on the other side of the casually, “I guess we’ll stick meant nothing to him but a ser around.” and the other nodded. ies of shattered hopes. The only thirteen weeks of basic training centage was a reflection of the out of the convoy. The responsi road above us.” “That wouldn’t be our boys,” Bill turned to Chuck. “How a- reason Bill Sanders reported to in which he learned how to be opportunities afforded Negroes to bility of his cargo and his men Bill said. He was thinking as fast bout you,” he said, “you want the Army was because he had come a soldier. He crawled on get adequate housing, food and weighed heavily upon him. Chuck Tate proved to be some as he talked. “They'd be down by out?” his belly through mud, learned medical attention. to. It was the law. Bill was thankful that he had distraction with his constant the Command car helping the The Army, however, felt no how to use a rifle, how to throw “I'll stick," Chuck said. “I don’t like it but I’ll stick. such antipathy towards William a grenade, and felt the impact of somehow stayed healthy enough stream of jokes and stories. Chuck driver. Let’s go.” "Gonna make a run for it?” Sanders. In fact, he was regarded a Bazooka against his shoulder. to pass the Army physical. Dur was telling a story about the “Okay,” Bill said, “grab that as good soldier material. Sanders After a screening test, Bill was ing his first year, he had learned Louisiana cotton fields when they Chuck asked. “It’s a short stretch rifle and keep pumping lead out of road up ahead and then there’s the side window. Johnson, man was physically fit, iptelligent and sent to Auto-Vehicle Recovery about machines and had learned heard the explosion up ahead. Big Bill jammed down on the another turn. We can be out of the anti-aircraft on top of the had enough education to read School. Here, he saw trucks being how to translate that knowledge and write. The last factor was rolled into ditches, smashed be into leadership. For this he had brakes and had his truck stopped their range in less than a min truck. Turner, keep that machine very important because the fore their eyes. He had learned been made a Sergeant and had to before the thud of the explosion ute.” gun going out of the back. Don't “We’re going,” Bill said softly, fire until they give us their posi Army could not begin to make a long ago how to recover those learn how to assume authority— had died. Bill’s command was fast and business like. “but we’re taking that guy in the tion.” soldier if a man was illiterate. trucks, how to repair them and and responsibility. “Chuck, run up and see what Command car with us.” Even his name had changed. Hundreds of thousands of Ne set them back on the road in He swung the truck around the “Are you crazy?" Chuck yelled. bend and then shifted the gear to groes were rapidly being induct running condition. Now he learn His friends called him Big Bill. happened.” Chuck was out of the truck and “If those Krauts hit our ammuni extra low and turned the wheel Other soldiers called him Sarge. ed into the Armed Forces, Bill ed more. knew. But he also knew that a Bill Sanders learned about Instead of driving a circus tw :k flattening himself against the tion we’ll go up like a keg of dyn sharp left. He could hear the large percentage of them had to machines. For the first time in througii one night stands, Bill wall where the road had been cut amite.” chatter of a machine gun from be sent to Special Training Pro his life he had an experienced was driving a one and a half ton through. Then he disappeared Bill turned and looked through above and then saw the splash of grams until they had attained a instructor who wanted to teach truck northward in the rugged around the bend. A moment later the back glass of the cab. The two bullets in the dirt ahead. literacy equivalent to the fourth him. The Army was saying to mountain terrain of Italy. His car he was back. men in the truck had moved up (To be continued) grade of school. Whites also had him, “Go ahead— learn. The more to have Special Training, but the you know the further you’ll get proportion was about eight Ne in this man’s Army.” It was a groes to every wi.ite. new experience for Bill. It was Records show that the greatest wonderful. number of illiterates, both in the From the day his mother told Negro and white groups come him he could only go to the mov from the Southern States. Thus, ies on Sunday, Bill Sanders had the Army, with its system of been conscious of segregation. He mass tabulation, has proven con accepted the fact that he ate and clusively that the degree of liter slept with Colored troops. But in acy among Negroes depends on the Army’s school it was differ the educational opportunities a- ent. White and Colored troops vailable. were mixed and the amount of The Army experiment in mass progress made depended solely education showed that a slightly on the individual’s ability and higher percentage of the Negroes willingness to learn. than the whites successfully com Bill was developing a kindlier pleted the Special Training Pro attitude towards the Army than gram. Further study showed that he had at the time of his induc the speed at which Negroes ac tion. He heard that in some Offi complish the desired standards cer Candidate Schools, white and was approximately as rapid as Negroes were eating and sleeping the rate of the whites. together as well as attending the Teaching men to read and same classes. He began to see a write watf-only the beginning of reason for his being in the Army. -th e Army’s educational task. He began to acquire a thing brass Very few technicians were sup hats called “morale.” To Bill plied to the Army from civilian Sanders it meant liking his job. occupations. While the' shortage With intense interest in his of specialists in the over-all pic work, and a feeling o f being part ture was great, it was even more oi a something big and important acute in connection with the Ne Bill Sanders finished among the gro selectees. first ten and had an extra stripe During a specific period—in on his sleeve when he graduated | every thousand Negroes inducted from the Auto-Vehicle Recovery —there were approximately six School. auto mechanics, three construc Those stripes meant a lot. They tion carpenters, less than one stood for the first time in his plumber, and a negligible number life he had ever been allowed to of draftsmen, machinists, and step out in front just because he kelders. The needs of the Army could do a job a little better than could not begin to be met by somebody else. They stood for an this small number of specialists. equal chance— regardless of race, The only answer to the prob color, or creed. lem was more training. The Ar A lot of changes had taken my had to teach men to be mech anics, plumbers, carpenters, line place in William Jesse Sanders by Democratic Candidate for Democratic Candidate for men, cable splicers, to do any the time he had a year of Army job that a modern army geared in him. His neck had filled out for war has to know how to do. and his muscles responded quick The greatest asset to the train er. He knew this was due to reg ing program were the thousands ular Army life with good food of “Bill Sanders” who had been and top medical attention. But inducted. The thousands of Ne Bill sometimes wondered about groes who had worked and the Negroes who hadn’t had the fought for the chance to be near same opportunities as he, the machines. The Negroes who had thousands who had been rejected The Portland Inquirer AND THESE CANDIDATES URGE YOU TO REGISTER BEFORE APRIL 16, IN ORDER TO VOTE M ay 17th OLIVER E. SMITH NICHOLAS GRANOFF State Repre^niative State Representative ★ ★ ' CLIFFORD (Cliff) HOWLETT A full College Course for you with expenses paid _ Here's important news for young men 18 and over (17 with par ents’ consent). Under the GI Bill o f Bights, if you enlist in the U. S. Army before October 6, 1946, for 3 years, upon your dis charge you will be entitled to 18 months o f college, trade or busi ness school education. Tuition up to $500 |M-r ordinary school year will be paid. And you will receive $65 monthly living al lowance— $«0 if you are inai- ried. Get the fa cts at your nearest U. S. Army Recruiting Station. U. S. ARMY RECRUITING STATION 614 S. W. ELEVENTH, PORTLAND, OREGON Democratic Candidate for CHARLES W. BAKER Democratic Candidate for Clerk of the District Cout State Senate Multnomah County ★ SAMUEL WHITNEY Democratic Candidate for State Representative