Tha OREGON STATESMAN, Sclenu Oregon Sunday Morning, August' 22. IS 13
'Destination Unlmown'
: A Salem Soldier's Experiences in the
Tunisian Campaign
Editor's Note: Under the headin
Disti nation Unknown," S(t. Timothy
Campbell, son of Mrs. Alfred Frykberg
who lives tt 37t Evergreen avenue,
has written a letter, excerpts from
'which follow. A second -Installment
will appear next Sunday. The same
letter was sent to relatives of other
members oi the personnel section of
an armored field artillery battalion
in order to provide them all with a
detailed description of the men's ex
perie rices. Sgt. Campbell graduated
from Salem high school in the 1940
class and entered the army January
SO. 1942. ... .. .
By SGT. TIMOTHY CAMPBELL
We embarked Sunday afternoon,
November 1, 1942, In New York
harbor DESTINATION UN
KNOWN. The ship sailed in the
early Burning hours on the fol
lowing day, so we were unable to
catch a last glimpse of the Statue
of Liberty. The ship was not too
crowded with soldiers, but it did
not have the appearance of a lux
ury: liner as it had been in its
former days. '' .y y ': -.' '
By luck, three men from the
section, were able to get bunks in
a six-bunk stateroom, and the rest
of the section had hammocks on
C deck up front where the full
sway of the ship could be felt at
every little wave, The stateroom
was to have ; been' the means of
accomplishing . our work on the
voyage we clerks of the person
nel section having been roped in
to do all the work in troop head
quarters but very little work was
actually : . accomplished. Instead,
the room was more or less a gath
ering place, poker being one of the
, reasons for a packed room. Anoth
er reason being that the ship rode
much easier on this deck, and the
boys were able to catch up on their
sleep. Thus the btmis were oc
cupied 24 hours a day. .
The voyage was uneventful as
for r enemy submarines and air
craft action; but nevertheless we
. had our troubles, these being sea
sickness and food.: Not one of us
had a severe case of seasickness,
but there were slight cases, espe
cially once when we weathered a
storm for a full day. . . I Because
of the number of troops, we had
only two meals a day. So we were
never overfed, but one means of
- rescue was candy. Each of us con
sumed dozens of candy bars dur
ing the trip. We discovered,' too,
that steam-cooked food soon be
came unpalatable.
, After a few days out in the At
lantic ocean, we were informed
that ' our destination was to be
Africa, and that we would land
at Casablanca, French Morocco,
if possible. As none of us had
ever been to this part of the world
we were looking forward to the
new and interesting sights we
were .to see. We. had heard that
an invasion force had left the
United States a few days prior
to our leaving, but there was
notice that we might have to
force our way so as to land. After
sailing around in circles off the
coast of Africa, we received word
that the invasion was successful;
and after being on the ocean Tor
17 days, we sailed into Casablan
ca harbor on November 18, dis
embarking on the 19th. An ad
vance party went ashore the even
ing of the 18th and discovered
that a . number -.. of snipers . were
still lurking about the city but
that the, Americans had every
thing well in hand. At a later
date an MP detail from our unit
was successful in routing out the
last of the snipers. (-
With all of our equipment and
one barracks bag over eur shoul
ders, we ' put our feet on this
strafege land'at o'clock "in the
morning and started to hike 'to
the bivouac area. After, a short
walk, we disposed of the barracks
bags to be picked up later and
continued our march to the biv
ouac area about six miles from
Casablanca. -
We arrived at the area that ws
to be our camping ground for the
next three months, around noon,
very exhausted and hungry, so
we relaxed and proceeded to eat
a K ration. As not much supplies
were in Africa at the time, , we
were to continue to eat the K
ration, changing off to the C ra
: tfon, which was either a . small
can of beans, hash or stew - with
a few biscuits, hard, candy and
soluble c o f f e e, for about two
weeks, until it was possible for
the., kitchen to set up. After eat
ing, we pickedi a location for our
tents but before, we were able to
get them up it started to , rain.
Rain or no rain '-we-proceeds to
put up our tents. Late in the
afternoon our bags a m e, but
everything was wet, including the
blankets, so we s p e n t a , very
miserable night sleeping on the
damp hard ground under wet
blankets. . ' - ;
The following morning the bat
talion continued its training where
it had left off in the -United
States, and we continued our
. routine work,! making out insur
ance, allotments, payrolls, service
records, morning reports, and tak
ing tare of aH the letters, papers
and packages which came to the
battalion from; the states. Our
.type of work prevented us from
-participating in the important
: events and, kept us a few miles
: behind the lines in the campaigns
f that were to follow; but neverthe
: less, we had our own experien
'V.,; ces " ' . ,...--." ? je -
Soon after landing, in Africa we
were looking forward to our first
fpass to visit Casablanca we
were given a pass for only six
hours . V and "with the best
transportation available walking
started for Casablanca.
Our first stop in the city was a
' small bar ; . y Since no one
could speak French, we began to
experience difficulty in trying to
figure out the franc denomination
of currency . . - "But, as time
IS)
r - ; , I
i . -1
y - ' 1
SGT. TIMOTHY CAMPBELL
; .
.1 - ' : ! ' ......
went on, we began to acquire a
little knowledge of the French
language. Most surprising to us,
was the speed with which the lo
cal townspeople learned our lan
guage, especially the Arab child
ren.; As we continued our sight
seeing . trips around the city, we
were rather amazed , to see such
modern buildings .
We were on the lookout for
souvenirs to send home. Informed
beforehand, we were told not to
pay the prices asked for the arti
cles but to cut the prices in half
. 4 . At first it worked but . . .
the Arabs began to catch on, and
they began to stick to 'their prices,
so a new way had to be figured
out." That was to offer a certain
sum and, if it was not accepted, to
walk slowly away, turn around
and offer a little higher sum. This
worked for awhile, but as more
and more soldeirs came . . .
they began to have set prices . .
Tired of walking, we hired a
hack and began a general tour of
the city. ... Our only regret was
that we were unable to visit the
two Medinas . . . the old Medina
and the new Medina ... native
sections of the city and are off
limits to American soldiers. From
the few that did find a way to
get in we were told of the very
beautiful palace' the sultan of Mo
rocco has, and of the love gar
dens, or institutions, that are con
trolled by the civil government.
Our next few weeks were spent
in the army routine, but in De
c ember it was interrupted twice.
First, when President Roosevelt
came ... for the famous Casa
blanca conference; although none
of the personnel section saw any
of the prominent figures who were
there. The battalion was honor
guard for the caravan of automo
biles for one day.
sThe second interruption occur
red in the early morning hours of
December 31 when we were visit
ed by Germon bombers. With the
gleaming searchlights and anti
aircraft tracers lighting up the sky,
it had the appearance of a Fourth
of July : night display, but we
didn't - have' the feeling of such.
Unfortunatly we had no foxholes
dug;- so there was no protection
other than to lie on the ground
if any bombs fell nearby. Luckily
enough, no . bombs were dropped
in our vicinity. This excitement
lasted over an hour, and so we
had a preview of what was' to
come.
(To be continued next Sunday)
Stricken Mexicans
Still in Hospital
f GRANTS PASS, Aug. 21 -(Jfy-All
but eight of the Mexican hop
pickers who became ill Thursday
after eating prepared lunches re
mained in the hospital Saturday
and they were well along to re
covery.
(V. C Wood, federal representa
tive, is here investigating federal
hop picking camp conditions and
management., and ; Dr. S. B. Os
good, Josephine county health of
ficer, is awaiting final analysis of
the feed to definitely determine
cause of the outbreak.
; At its height the poisoning ef
fected 280 imported farm workers.
All had eaten lunches prepared at
a war food administration camp
here. : ...
70o OH .;
By ETHAN GRANT
Wise or Otherwise Sun FeatL,
Once again the Navy is shipping
some of its lads off to university.
These are the brilliant lads. The
Navy has seen to it that not a
dunce is among them. When it was
decided to send the boys to uni
versity, I've an idea the admirals
talked it over.- y-
"Well send no dunces," the rear
admiral said, s y;
"Absolutely no ; more ' dunces,
the front admiral emphasized.
"Like the Grant we sent to Har
vard during : the last war," the
vice admrial added. y
How I happened to be sent to
Harvard was one of , the major
oddities of 1917, ranking with such
mysteries as what became of the
Cyclops," who killed the Czar and
what was in the hash. For only I
know, and I've never ) told. The
indirect . cause was a .. malady at
first diagnosed as measles but. af
terward discounted on grounds I
was to slow to catch measles.
Anyhow, Fm presumably the
only nan ever admitted to Har
vard because of a tommy rash.
In April of V917, I was one of
5000 boots at the Norfolk training
station. I was a unique boot be
cause : of my 'perpetual :, state of
complete relaxation. I was some
times so relaxed that spiders spun
weeks and caught various ento
mological species : between my
chin and my knees. The CPO who
drilled us pointed me out as the
cause of buzzards hovering above
the station. He said buzzards were
unknown in the Navy before it
happened to get me. ,
The truth is, I was tired. Calis
thenics, toting a rifle and saluting
just kept me worn out. I was tired
all day. And sleeping in sr ham
mock kept me tired all night.
Tired from fear of falling out and
breaking my neck. Fd thought the
Navy wanted me to help take a
battleship to Berlin and bump the
Kaiser off with some 16-inch
buckshot.
But it wasn't till the manpower
situation became drastically acute
that a battleship decided to take
me. She was the Oklahoma, then
a new ship. And we heard a rumor
she had bunks, instead of ham
mocks. She came into the harbor
and we were to go aboard that
night ,
Bat someone, probably a
fifth columnist, spread hints of
a measles epidemic In the mak
ing. As a dirty consequence ef
this, the whole 5009 of as were
lined vp en the drill field for
inspection. This consumed the
afternoon, for only one doctor
.was available and he had to
see each of ns personally.
He traveled slowly up and down
the ranks giving deliberate scru
tiny to the bared tummy of each
of us. With him were the station
commander, the officer of the day,
the officer of the night, a bugler,
an orderly and a squad or so of
others, including ; for all I know
the secretary of - the Navy : and
William Jennings Bryan. They
were looking for a case of measles
and they didn't stop until they
came tome.
They halted abruptly as if
someone had shouted, "Germany's
surrendered! The doctor's stare
turned to a horn-rimmed glower.
They all glowered. He then raised
an arm, pointed toward the cainp
and issued a piercing command.
Napoleon himself never issued a
command like it. :. - :
"Fall out! Return to your quar
tors! Take your , bag and ' ham
mock and report to the sickbay!
And don't come in contact with
your fellow men!" -
like a worn, like a mangy dog
with ticks and fleas and hydro
phobia, I slunk away, banished
and disgraced. And from the sick
bay I was convoyed -by an armed
guard 10 paces ahead and another
10 paces to the rear, to the dock.
Here I was ordered , into a boat
thoroughly covered with heavy
canvas, a conveyance, specially
designed for contaminated cargo,
Attached to a motorboat by a 100
fathonv or so of line, X was then
towed to the Portsmouth hos
pital's contagion ward. - y
While waiting for the staff doc
tor to come and take a look at
f i :
t o .
me, they tried giving me things to
cheer me up. This is an effort to
disprove 'man's inhumanity to
man. They gave me things lace
doses of salts and half a half-
cooked egg on a half slice of soft
toast. It was 8 o'clock next morn
ing when the staff doctor finally
got around to me. He seemed, sur
prised to discover it wasn't meas
les I had.
"I knew It, sir." I said. "I've
already-had 'em."
i Se after my belongings and I
were thoroughly famigated, I
was dispatched back to - the
training- station. My eetftt had
meantime gene aboard the Ok
lahema and my spirits had gene
-to pot. My life was a wreck net
worth salvaging. As the ripe
are of 17.
The station bulletin board an
nounced that 15 boys were to be
chosen for training at the Navy's
radio school at Harvard and we
were invited over to the armory
to' prove we .were smart enough
to qualify. Having nothing to lose,
X strolled over, relaxed and bared
my low LQ. It turned out to be
so flat two weeks were required
to analyze it I think they sent it
to John Hopkins or the .Walter
Reed hospital.
And even then you could tell it
was a four-five decision. They
never did issue anything definite.
They merely said if I did manage
to squeeze through the Harvard
course, it would become, one of
the miracles of the war.
Ardunti rprcgoa
By th Associated Press -
Big Fish, Strange
Place, Yonthfal Angler
MARSB3TELD, Ore, ' Aug. 21
-Wr-A 55-inch barracuda, rare in
these northern waters, was dis
played here Saturday. It was
caught from shore by . a seven-year-old
girL
Continued operation of 11 nur
sery schools and 20 summer-care
centers for older children in Port?
land was assured Saturday after
the federal works agency assumed
responsibility; previously lack ef
funds, had threatened -their clo
sure . . . " - ; v
- j County Judge Wi A." Johnson
and sons announced Saturday at
Grants Pass they would reduce
their dairy herd 24 per cent be
cause of the OPA celling prices
on fluid milk . ? ) ' ; .
' Earl J,' Kennedy, 51, junior cus
todial officer at McNeil Island
federal penitentiary, is held on a
charge oi stealing government pro
perty, US Commissioner ' Rpbert
A. Leedy said in Portland Satur
day. Kennedy's home Is at Steua
cooxn, Wash. ...
i Freeda O. nartzfield, formar
Yakima ' USO director, has been
appointed dean of women at Lew
is 2c Clark college in Portland . .
At Wallowa Fred Felconer, sheep
man, announced he had traded a
3400-acre ranch at Heppner . and
a 780-acre ranch at Boardman for
10,000 acres, owner by Bruce Den
nis, in the Wallowa valley, and
for 3209 head of sheep ... V-:
Oregon ? Shipbuilding Corpora
tion at Portland Satu r doy
launched 1 its 239th Liberty ship,
the David F. Berry, and will
launch Sunday its 240th, the Tho
mas J. Walsh. : 1 - - - f
Blrs. Brown Better
ELDRIEDGE Mrs. ' Julia
Brown, who has been ill at the
Deaconess hospital for the last
two weeks, win be removed to
the home of her son, Karl M.
Brown, as soon as her condition
warrants.
Vetch Yield Heavy
On Blolenaar Farm
PERnYDALE John Molenaar
has one of the best yields of spring
sown oats and vetch in these parts
so far reported. He got- 475 sacks
from 28 acres, the sacks averag
ing 110 pounds each.
Mrs. Maxine Tilton is working
in.Houk'a store She Is going to
work there indefinitely. Her hus
band, William TH ton, joined the
navy and she will make her home
with her parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Fay Morrison, for the duration.
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Morrison of
North Bend are visiting relatives
here this week.
Visits at Qatskanie .
ELDRIEDGE Mrs. A. W. Nu
som Is spending a week with rela
tives near Clatskanle. .
You Like It - It Likes Yom
Sol em I, ,--v-w.-
Oreqoa
-.If i 11,1. ' iin ii iiiiiii-n ii i iiiiii i .i imiii m ivi l-l ' ' i in ii'iiiii i
,!' '. , t, ' ' . . - ',- I
J?-iI: QjumOiraai . . .--;-y ' . '!
WM FT tp.c; J. i
fcSits;- . f . . ... .;..( If .
V . V' -
:;Z:';'-rJ las weoribffitr, . " : ,
810 II. LQMrty St
Faone 4751
p i
X 5
a.
4
--i.
$
5 W
Z. -
PURCHASE the fur coat of your choice from our
quality-wise selection ... and know that you
have the best for your fnoneyl Each coat hers been
styled for fashion-right versatility and created wish'
the expert craftsmanship that assures you of lon9-
lastin? wearabllity.
9850
to
79500
FUR TRIMS
. .1 t ym
ys '.y
i - ., (
. v
j
PERFECT coat for a one
coat wardrobe! The fur
trim of course. It goes
-with your suits as well as
your fussiest "dresses," be
cause the lines are appro-
priately smartl
39
75
To
CASUALS
WHAT wonderful coats
... the casuals at Schles
inger si It will be the pride
of your wardrobe to have a
coat bearing the Schlesinger
label, t See the wide selec
tions tomorrowl r ,
1975 49"
129
50
BUY"
: BONDS . ' .
h '.FIRST!
USE SCHLESINGER'S
LAYAWAY PLAN!
cm
J : j 1 i 1