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About Camp Adair sentry. (Camp Adair, Or.) 1942-1944 | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1944)
*» X n OPFfiOM «“Ta TF 1 IRD ADV Camp Adair Sentry 10. 1944 Page Five Their Names Were Once In Lights; Now GIs Give 1 heir Talent to Entertain Buddies at Our Post Lodged in the nooks and crannies of the army there are hundreds of stage, screen and vaudeville stars who have tourned from the footlights to Army duties far remove»’ from their professional lives*--------------------------- ■ - - Four of the best "Backdrop" ar tists in the business are now in the 91st Division. They are not “the only oqes; but before they entered the army they were tops in their Stein, top-notch master oí cere monies who has worked tiie North western circuit for something like ten years. Ia; tile St. Louis Municipal Opera House. H e was also with Patricia Bowman, Harriet Hocter. Vera Zorina and Gypsy Rose Lee. lie was starred in "I ouisiana Pur W ith Ballet Queens George Sehwable, now in the chase,’' "1 Married an .Angel,” “By There is 1st Sgt. John Burton. I entertainment section of the 91st lupiter” and “Star and Garter.” who used to execute those effort- ' Division Special Service Office, and a dozen other shows on Broad less impossible twists and turns was one of the top ballet artists way ami every other legitimate 110 feet above the ground on a in the country , before he joined stage in the country. But in .his last swinging trapeze. There is also the army, barring none. Born in -how, the musical comedy "By Ju Teco George Sehwable, graceful the show business and dancing at piter” he quit his job to danc^ with ballet dancer who did "pirouettes”; the early age of nine. Sehwable his new wife, the former Miks Cav with Vera Zorina, famous screen has been at one time or another anaugh. The couple were featured ballerina. And there are S Sgt. the dancing partner of all the in Los Angeles in exhibition ball John Ratekin. actor, director, play leading feminine ballerinas in room and ballet adagio dancing. right and dancer from Hollywood the nation. Sgt. Burton, i now in the .')62ml and Los Angeles and 1st Sgt. Ben In 1939 he danced with Vivian Infantry, spent seven years under the big tops on the proverbial fly ing trapeze. He bus traveled ail of the well-known circuits and had some close calls as he chilled the crowds with his daring antics in the’clouds above a circus ring. He played at the San Francisco Fair, the New York State Fair, the Los Angeles Exposition and a dozen other top billing throughout the nation. Fell From Heights “It’s a tough business,” he re fleeted. "1'11 never forget ih» night I »as playing in Celina. Ohio. We were working 110 feet above the ground when a guy cable broke. The snap threw one fellow all the way down and put him in the hospital for several months. But 1 was lucky. When the cable broke, I went too, but I fortunately caught another guy wire and was able to break my "But ! suppose the toughest show we ever did was the night we wer< doing the finale at the Loa Angele- Exposition. The “riggin" was dam, and as slippery as Oregon mui Anil then just before we got oui cue from the band, one of th< cables kinked. The crowd was wait ing and we had to go through with it. But I was plenty scared his there was a cold sweat on my fact I always carried a lemon in my wrist band and 1 hit on that. Luck ily however, nothing happened ami the act went over with a bang. But the crowd never did know what had been taking place tip there where we were." From the environs of the caliupy and canvas, if is a far cry to the profession of Sgt. Ratekin. HoJI;- wood theatrical director ami actor. I Continued on page 11, column • ip, 1*5.1. ” : * ■ AN ABBREVIATED Gl IMFSE of four out of the many pretarmy professional thespians now in the 91st Division. Diving outfit the upper left corner is 1st Sgt. John Burton, big time aeitnlL-l of the Big Top. ar.d the man holding Teel Jerry l.ake- fish (ihviously a stand-in only) is Tec.l George Sehwable. ballet artist. Directing Tec5 Gergory Estrada and Pvt. Vern Albertson in the immortal scene from Borneo and Juliet is S/Sgt. John Rate- kin who used Io do better directing for timee McPherson in Holly wood. Playing the piano, singing .and composing all at once is the versatile 1st Sgt. Ben Stein. Oregon entertainer. --------* Under Combat Conditions, 316th Bn Builds 76-Foot Bridge in 4% Hours on as the men worked quietly By Teel Thomas C. Fesperman Despite blackout, rain and the with the heavy steel were Major hana-.-ing of "enemy" soldiers, of- > General William G. Liveway. com ficers and men of Company* B.; manding general of the 91st Divi 316th Engineer Battalion, erected sion. and hi« side. Captain Fred S-3 operatives were loose, and "commandoes" were using dyna a 76-foot. 40-ton Bailey bridge in F. Lash. four hours and 15 minutes of com-1 At dusk the Engineer» entered mite sticks as artillery. Booby traps bat-like action last Friday night in the bridge area, quietly dispersed were also in abundance. Before the job was done, mo-t their trucks and equipment, put Area One. The construction of the heavy out security, and set to work. They of the "enemy" had been rap bridge by the Engineers brought observed strict blackout discipline, tured. The bridge was completed the 91»t Division soldiers well into kept the noise of such heavy work about 0115 Saturday. After the men had finished the their advanced combat training. , at a minimum, and kept constantly erection, they dismantled the big and marked a new phase in front on the alert against “attack." Not knowing just what Action to bridge, reloaded it on their trucks, line schooling. • When the Engineers had com expect, but prepared for anything returned it to its place in the En pleted their iob. it was nearly 0500 that might he thrown at them, the gineer training area, and turned in Engineers weren’t too surprised a few minutes before 0500. Saturday. when, in the course of their work,. Company B's area was the quiet- Interested Onlooker - * the ipkasvf-ted fouker«- they were targets at C9to«4v*Uakt-tn kpeVH y that Saturda.. ‘55 MILLION OWN BONDS Washington (CNS>- Fifty five million Americans have purchased one or more war bonds since Pearl Harbor, the Treasury Department announced recently when it re leased figures of the nation's con tribution to drives. Individuals at home, backing the the limit, ________ have ac- war overseas to ____________ counted for nearly 29 billion dol lars of fh> 70 billions raised since May, 1941, under the savings bond program, the Treasury Depart ment disclosed. I