Friday, July 1 6, 1943
ABBO T ENG INEER
Page Two
Hard-Wcrking Abbot Engineers
r % in s a n ir '
'Top Sarge" to
Hq. ERIC Men
PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FOR ALL UNITS ON THE POST
Founded May 21, 1943
A weekly new spaper published by and for the m ilitary personnel of Camp
Abbot, Oregon, under supervision of the Post Special Service branch. All editorial
m atter pertain ing to Camp Abbot is available for general release and rep rin t in
other publications. All articles represent personal opinions and are not official
news unless specifically credited to the W ar D epartm ent.
All editorial m atter should be directed to the “A bbot E ngineer,” P ost Hqs.
A nnex, Bldg. 202. Telephone E xt. 8.
Copies of this official post new spaper distributed free to cam p personnel. Sub­
scription to the public, by m ail: SO cents for three m o nth s; six m onths, $1; ene
year, f liO .
The EN G IN EER receives m aterial supplied by Cam p N ew spaper Service. W ar
D ep't., 205 E. 42nd St., N. Y. C. Credited m aterial may no t be republished w ithout
perm ission from Cam p N ew spaper Service.
1st. Lieut. P. H. O’Brien...........................Director of Special Service
2nd Lt. S. D. Hopkins...........11th Croup, Special Service Officer
1st. Lieut. Wayne B. Leitzell 12th Group, Special Service Officer
STAFF
Cpi. Morrie C. Cuss.........................................................................Editor
T 1 George S. F ly ...................................................Editorial Associate
Pvt. Mary Graham ...............................................Feature Activities
Pvt. Richard Shearin ..........................................Editorial Associate
Sgt. Roy I.. R id er.................................................. Sports Coordinator
Pfe. Bob H ahn..................................- ..............................Photographer
Cpi. Harlan L. Weeks......................- ...... Hq. ERTC Correspondent
Sgt. Zella I. Alien ................................................................ Circulation
Photography and art work by Publications, Engineer Re­
placement Training Center, Camp Abbot, Oregon.
ARE YOU GOING TO PEDDLE APPLES?
After months of preparation, the first invasion of modern
Europe by American troops last weekend electrified a world cher­
ishing the ideals of Democracy.
We, who are in the Army, should think of our return to civilian
life. Millions of men will return to seek the jobs they temporarily
stepped out of in order to perform a more pressing assignment.
Although most of us have jobs waiting for us, we must realize that
there will be a period of revision and reorganization during which
w ar industries must convert to civilian production. During this
period, most of us will have to depend on our savings to tide us
over.
If we neglect to prepare now tor this inevitable period, we may
find ourselves in straitened conditions. It is true that our in­
comes are in most cases far below that which we enjoyed as
civilians, but nevertheless, preparation tor our re-entry into the
world of business and industry, calls for a consistent savings pro­
gram, even though it may require our giving up certain pleasures
we now enjoy.
War Bonds, guaranteed by Uncle Sam, which over a 10-year
period, return tour dollars for three dollars invested, seems a profit­
able method of making such savings. The various allotment plans
afforded Camp Abbot personnel offers a painless and simple
method of putting aside your savings. But whether you invest your
money in W ar Bonds or put it in an old G. I. shoe in the corner of
your foot-locker, some definite plan of savings should be followed,
to serve as a bulwark against any period of unemployment or
want.
Let’s not have any soldier sell apples on street corners when
we’ve won this war!—M.C.G.
Many soldiers here are forgetting the necessity of maintaining
attractive grounds within battalion areas. Cigarette butts, matches,
and scraps of paper catch the eye of scrutinous officials. When
there’s "policing” to do, bend, down, soldier and pick everything up!
Petty thefts within barracks have been reported. This type of
action undermines the "esprit de corps” of fighting men. If any
article doesn’t belong to you—don’t "borrow” it. Leave it alone.
'I carving, stage designing, sculp­
ture, and handicraft.
MORE ABOUT
Through carefully planned
and conducted tours to nearby
points of historical interest, sold­
iers here will acquire a picture
(Continued • rrom
Page
One)
of the background of the Oregon
• •
range of instruction through cor­ region, its industries, its geolo­
respondence instructions. Ser­ gical formations, its pioneer lore
vicemen enrolling and complet­ and its natural resources.
ing such courses receive credits Group discussions w h e r e
towards their high school or col­ khaki-clad citizens can meet and
lege degrees, and also on their present views on modern prob­
Army Qualification cards. There lems, planning for the post-war
are 64 courses offered by the A. world and develop the proper
"esprit de corps” is another off-
F. I.
Abbotmcn can learn, through duty project to be rormed soon.
dilligent application in a short Informational films, supple­
time, any of 10 foreign langu­ mented by lectures, also will be
ages by means of phonograph presented. In a few days, bulle­
records and printed material. tin boards all over camp will be
These language album sets will decorated with posters on the
be available in the near future. six point educational program.
Mathematics, business sub­ Maj. W alter L. Roche, Ninth
jects and physics are to be Service Command W ar Bond of­
taughe in organized classes, with ficer, who accompanied Capt.
the necessary textbooks provid­ Ivins here, expressed satisfac­
ed free of charge.
tion with the camp-wide re-
Encouragement of h o bb ies sponce towards the various types
among Abbotmcn and women, is of allotments. He. too, conferred
hoped, will result in the early with camp authorities relative
formation of groups interested the campaign, now in process,
in photography, radio, stamp col­ for Army men to begin and
lecting, metat and woodworking, maintain a consistent savings
model making, painting, wood piogram by buying a "share in
G. I. Education
ABBOT
ENGINEER
SUBSCRIPTION
The Abbot ENGINEER can be sent to the home front for
13 weeks at a cost of 50 cents, or 26 weeks for $1. If you wish
the ENGINEER sent home, fill out this blank, enclose money
and forward via Messags Center or U. S. mails to: Abbot
ENGINEER, Public Relations Office, Camp Abbot, Oregon.
Send to .............................
Address
City ......
State...
NOT A FAKE SHOT When the ERTC was emerging from its
construction stage, facilities tor unloading and moving railroad
cars were unobtainable. As a result, these two Abbotmcn, first
ERTC’crs to land here, had to do plenty of rugged work by
brain and brawn. M Sgt. Bill V. Anthony and Sgt. Tommy Sim-
erlink show how they used to move r. r. cars. Looks easy, well,
it isn’t! (ENGINEER Photo by Hahn).
FOUND: First ERTC Men
Here, Anthony and Slmerlink
The old adage, “Necessity is
the mother of invention," took
on a new significance for M/Sgt.
Bill Anthony and Sgt. Thomas
Simeriink of the Motor Trans­
port branch when the two ar­
rived here as a vanguard of
troops from I-ort Leonard Wood,
Mo., last March and began un­
loading equipment lor the new
Engineer Replacement Training
Center here.
Anthony and Simeriink were
the first soldiers from Fort
Leonard Wood to set foot on
Camp Abbot soil—or snow, as it
happened to be. Both tried to be
the first o f t the truck that
brought them out from Bend.
Simeriink won by a narrow mar­
gin.
“When we started in to work,
we had as high as IT carloads
to unload each day and no crane
or heavy equipment of any
sort,’ Sergeant Anthony recall­
ed. “Metal pontons were a big
problem. We finally solved it
by pulling them over the ends of
the coal cars in which they were
shipped.”
“For most of the work, we had
a detail of only about 15 men
from Service Command Units.
That’s not much of a crew when
it comes to unloading 17 box
cars. There were no warehouse
facilities at all, so we just had
to leave the equipment in the
open and protect it from the ele­
ments the best way we could.”
"Housing also was a big prob­
lem,” Sergeant Simeriink point­
ed out. "We stayed in Bend,
came to work at the crack of
dawn and returned to town just
in time to get to l>ed around 9
or 10 o’clock at night. The snow
was more than two feet deep
when we got here, and it start­
ed falling just alsmt every time
you turned around, sometimes
so thick you could hardly see.”
Simeriink formerly was a resi­
dent of Youngstown, O., and was
an inspector in a steel mill be­
fore induction. Anthony, a na­
tive of Earlham, la., formerly
was a truck driver. He com­
pleted his third year of service
this week. Both are members of
Headquarters Company, ERTC.
"Flying Tigers" Ace Visits
Camp to Recruit Air Cadets
Take it from bronzed, smart,
slow-talking Maj. Eric K. Schil­
ling, f o r m e r member of the
heroic air cir­
cus performing
with the “Fly­
ing Tigers” in
China and Bur­
ma, Yanks sta­
tioned in off-
t h e • beaten
posts hypo
their morale by
serv­
Maj. Eric K. frequent
ings of s u e li
Schilling
favorite Ameri­
can d i s h e s as fried chicken,
apple pie and frozen straw­
berries.
Maj. Schilling recently return­
ed from Africa, where he was for
10 months operations officer for
the Army Air Corps. He visited
Camp Abbot last week in connec­
tion with a special recruiting
mission for aviation cadets.
Nearly 40 Camp Abbot soldiers
were interviewed by Maj. Schil­
ling and their applications have
been forwarded to the CAB in
Portland. Ore., for consideration.
“Life in the African desert is
SHâffCF ¡S
no picnic,” he said. “The spirit
among all of the men at our
post and those which I visited
was healthy and enthusiastic.
These fliers and mechanics can
dish it out as well as take it.
Majority of the time—they dish
it out.”
Speaking of "dishing it out”
prompted the form er member of
Gen. Chennault’s staff to extend
praise, “gobs of it” to the Army
Supply Service for ferrying in
foodstuffs from QM depots.
"Food is a vital ingredient to
sustain the proper morale of
troops.” he added. “Frequently,
the men were served frozen
strawberries .fried chicken and
deep apple pie just like Mom
used to bake.”
Despite the variance in cli­
mate, American troops attached
to Army Air repair bases, turned
out the work in typical precision­
like manner.
Enlisted men and officers be­
low the rank of captain are eli­
gible for transfer to the Air
corps providing they pass the
physical and mental exaxmina-
tions.
America’s future" through War day at 1500.
PROTESTANT S E R V IC E S :
Bonds.
Post Chapel at 1000 and 1930.
54th BN. SERVICE: New
C H U R C H RITES trainees
in the 54th Bn. will be
(Post Chapel is Bldg. 208 on allowed to attend this special ser­
Group Ave., near Center Street.) vice in Chapel 1255 at 1830.
JEW ISH SERVICES: Post CATHOLIC CHOIR PRAC­
TICE: In Post Chapel Thursday
Chapel. Friday at 1930.
CATHOLIC SERVICES: Until at 1930.
further notice Mass will be said PROTESTANT CHOIR PR AC •
Sunday at 1630 at the Post TICE: Post Chapel, Wednesday
at 1930.
Chapel.
L. D. S. SERV IC E: At Chapel BIBLE CLASS, Post Chapel,
No. 1225. 11th Gp. Chapel Sun­ Monday at 1330.
By C’pl. Harlan L. Weeks
(ERTC S ta ff Correspondent)
He’s “tops”. That’s what they
say about M/Sgt. Wilmer R.
iBub) Shaffer, first sergeant of
Hq. Co. ERTC. And when we say
“they” it is taking in a lot of ter­
ritory because Shaffer is first
sergeant to one heck of a lot of
men.
At one time, the Hq. Co. of
Fort Leonard Wood, of which he
is a graduate, was called the
“largest single company in the
US arm y”. Today, the Hq. Co. at
Abbot isn’t too far away from
the same figure. Shaffer has a
difficult job coordinating the
whereabouts of a good many
hundred men all assigned to the
various sections of the post, but
only a few to the company it­
self. The actual number of men
assigned to the company does
not total thirty. All of the men
working in the many sections
and divisions “room and board”
in Hq. Co. and are under the
genial supervision of Sgt. Shaf­
fer.
He hails from Russell, Kan.,
where he was a bank cashier be­
fore his induction into the army
on April 29, 1941. He went
through the Fort Leavenworth
induction station and was sent
to Fort Leonard Wood for his
basic with Co. D of the 26th
Engrs. After graduating he was
assigned to the message cental
of the Sixth Gp. and moved
Hq. Co. as a corporal in Oct. ot
1941. After a couple of weeks at
the ERTC message center he
went to the company as clerk.
Later in the same month he was
made personnel sergeant and
moved up the ladder of promo­
tion to sergeant. He won his
staff and later his technical ser­
geant’s rating in Oct. of 1942 in
the same job. Two months later
he was named m aster sergeant
and assumed the duties of first
sergeant of the company. At
that time there were nearly 800
men in the company.
Shaffer is a former collegiate
basketball player, having won
three awards at the University 4T'
Kansas.
KNEW WHAT SHE WANTED
Cpi.: When I told that girl my father
was very wealthy she refused to marry
me.
P vt.: Didn’t make any difference, huh?
Cpi.: She’s my mother now!
A bbotizers
PIN-UPS FOR CHIN-UPS
/
Vi -
W
FF
SO NICE TO COME HOME TO
—Third camp civilian employe
chosen to wear the mythical
string of pine cones symbolic as
an Abbotizer is this winsome
miss who works in the post-
office. VITAL STATISTICS:
Name: Helen Moore. Age, 19.
Weight, 115 lbs. Height 5 5’.
Color Hair: Dark Brown. Color
Eyes: Brown. Home town: Bend.
Favorite Color and Flower: Blue
and gardenia. Hobbies: Dancing,
Singing and Fishing. Favorite
Sport: Badminton. She gets
most of her mail from a “male”
named Jack.