1
Saturday, December 11, 1943
LEGION BEAUTIES IN TRAINING
6 J6 0 Cases
To Attention
Of Red Cross
A total of 6,760 cases were
acted upon by the field office of
the American Red Cross, at
Camp Abbot, during the month
of November, Frank J. Dunning,
field director, reported to Col.
Frank S. Besson, ERTC com­
mander yesterday. The number
of soldiers calling in person at
the field office, and who were
stationed at Camp Abbot, and
who received assistance other
than financial totalled 1757 dur­
ing the 30-day period.
Of the 2122 cases acted upon
by the field director’s personal
staff, loans were made to sol­
diers in the amount of 514,058.65.
Fifty-one grants in the amount
of $1,824.00 were made to sol­
diers whose allotment commit­
ments would have made it im­
possible to repay a loan.
In addition to the cases handl­
ed by the field office personnel,
the Station Hospital office handl­
ed 221 social welfare cases in ad­
dition to carrying on a complete
recreation program. The Red
Cross now has three full-time
recreation workers administer­
ing the program at the hospital.
The office also handled seven
Wac cases and made one loan in
the amount of $45.00.
The fiel doffice also wound up
its final month in administer­
ing service to IV Corps troops,
stationed in this area, in connec­
tion with recent maneuvers. The
office had supervision of 4417
cases which included loans in
the amount of $50.00.
The month was one of busiest
in serving Camp Abbot troops
since the post wras activated.
Abbot Face!
By Pvt. Jack Dement
Co. B, 52nd Bn.
There was a strange collec­
tion of men on K. P. Saturday
night. It all dates hack to the
previous Monday, the «lay Co.
B. was working on booby
traps. Anyone setting one off,
of course, lost his dog tags.
_The strange situation arose
in that the cadre and the
captain were the principal
ones who lost their tags. So
among the faces on K. P. Sat­
urday were Capt. Fritsche,
Sgt. Lawrence, of the third
third platoon; Sgt. Reese,
fourth platoon; Cpi. Keltner,
third platoon; Cpi. Abrams,
fourth plat's >n, along with
many others. Lt. Wilson, of
the third platoon, escaped by
sheer luck, in spite of many
narrow escapes.
Rock Springs, Wyo. < CNS)—
group of men here bought a
herd of buffalo from a nearby
rancher. Buffalo meat Is ration
free.
A
The first ¡»ostwar convention of The American Ix-gion will be a
lulu! It bids well to eclipse all the great Legion gatherings of the
past. The drum majorettes are in training for the colorful new
Legion era. Here is a group of the prettiest, each of whom is look­
ing toward strutting ahead of a Legion drum corps in that tremen­
dous first postwar American Legion grand parade.
ERTC Trainees Learn Value
O f Bangalore Torpedoes
Although the engineer soldier is trained in all phases
of combat, one period in use of demolitions—the Bangalore
torpedo—has proven of unusual interest to the new trainee
and it is permitted to be disclosed publicly for the first time.
The Bangalore-torpedo is ‘
not an entirely new explosive end of the tube to act as a
used by the American army. booster for the amatol which
In fact, it first came into promi­ constitutes the main part of the
nence during the first World
war. It is used primarily to blast charge. It is effective against
a gap through barbed wire tanks and torpedoes may be as­
aprons. The torpedo is five feet sembled in sections of any length
in length and two and three- desired. Some of the most recent
eights inches in diameter and innovations in the use of the
has a metal case 2.5-1000 inch in Bangalore is employing them in
thickness.
such lengths that this usage is
Its most recent successful use referred to as a “snake." The
in the present conflict was by main effect of their explosion is
the Marines on Guadalcanal. upward and relatively little dam­
Digging into past experience, age is done on either side of the
the Leathernecks improvised the spot in which the torpedo is
w'eapon, using bamboo poles. placed.
Since then the W ar Department
has manufactured and issued the
metal cased ones. Advantage of Ex-Windy City
the metal casing is that in the
explosion the case fragments cut Court Clerk Is
the wire.
In the demonstrations at Camp Engineer Here
Abbot the trainees first view the A form er bailiff and deputy
barbed wire apron under which clerk of the Municipal Court,
one of the ten-pound torpedoes
is placed. They then retreat to a Chicago, is learning the tricks
place of safety and the torpedo of being a combat engineer at
is detonated. On return they find Camp Abbot.
that the terrific explosion has Not many weeks past Pvt. Sal-
completely cut and thrown aside vatore B. Bonefede Co. A, 51st
Eng. Trng. Bn., was worried
the wire.
The torpedo can also be used with no more work than prepar­
for cutting wire gaps, or as an ing dockets, listening to pleas of
anti-tank mine or for booby those who happened in clutches
traps. Adding to its effectiveness of the law, and keeping up with
as a booby trap is the fact that Windy City politics.
it can be detonated by blasting He is well known in Chicago
caps, prima cord, electricity or political circles, but is as good
any other standard firing device. an engineer soldier as he was a
The torpedo is constructed courthouse attache, according to
with four inches of TNT in each his superior officers.
Male Call
'
WWATS WITH THt£
HERE CORPORAL
5AN60NE - ALWEE2
DPAWiN U6 Q .V 6
LOOKIN' LIKE WOLFE?
A B B O T EN G IN EER
Page Seven
Gate Picture
Gets National
Publicity
The picturesque entrance gate
| to Camp Abbot has attracted
nation-wide attention. The pho­
tograph taken by Dale Vin­
cent, staff photographer, which
appeared in the last issue of
the ABBOT ENGINEER, will
grace the picture pages of Yank
and Army Times, the two week­
ly publications for military per­
sonnel.
The structure was designed by
Capt. John V. Banks, und the
Engineer Section branch of the
Training division. It was built
by students of the carpenter
school, under direction of Sgt.
Caress. It varies from the orig­
inals plans drawn at Fort Leon­
ard Wood, in that those were
found too elaborate and the pres­
ent structure was designed so
that only materials and work
originating in the training divis­
ion were used.
Cookie Canteen
For Patients
A home made cookie canteen
will be a feature of the entertain­
ment schedule of the Red Cross
recreation department at Station
Hospital next week. On Monday
and Thursday afternoon mem­
bers of the Womens’ Junior
League at Bend will bake cookies
in the kitchen of the recreation
department and serve them hot
from the oven to hospital pa­
tients. Other features of the
week's entertainment provided
by tho recreation aides includes
a talent show on Monday eve­
ning. at 7:15, under direction of
Sgt. Roy L. Rider; a perform­
ance of "Khaki Capers,” Thurs­
day night at 7:15, and a classical
music hour in which Christmas
carols will be featured, Wednes­
day night at 7:15. Movies will be
shown Tuesday and Friday
nights and Saturday a “Track
Meet,” a novel entertainment
stunt arranged by Miss Olive
Greaves, principal re c re a tio n
aide, w ill be staged. Sunday will
be open house. This afternoon
hospital patients will witness a
performance of “The Young in
Heart," by students of the Bend
High School, and a Bingo party
will be held tonight.
Gift Problems
Solved by USO
If soldiers have difficulty se­
lecting Christmas gifts or wrap­
ping them for mailing, it won't
be the Bend USO’s fault. Host-
esos are on duty from 2 to 5 p. m.
daily in the downtown club-
rooms. and materials, including
paper, ribbon and stickers are
available to soldiers whenever
the club is open. Hostesses also
have volunteered to aid in the
selection of gifts.
by Milton Caniff, creator of Terry and the Pirates
YEAH-MV GUCL
« WORRIED THAT
I’M MEBBS GETTIN
rT AIN'T Y CIV-VIL-YUNS COULD
J GET TH' WCONÛ IDEA
/ \ ABOUT TM' ARMY...
I POINTED EARS AN
A POIMANEVT PIVE
O ’CLOCK SHADOW.1
BATTLE STATIONS'
-UNESCORTED
CONVOY COM IN' UP!
War Hardships
Described in
Bond Program
The hardships faced by Ameri­
can soldiers in the fox holes of
fever-infested New Guinea ai d
tho importance of buying the
war bonds which enable Uniti 1
Nations forces to carry the fig t
to the enemy were outlined by
Capt. Ralph Reed, Training 1 i-
vision officer and veteran of the
New Guinea campaign, at i
meeting of Camp Abbot civili; i
employes at the Post theat.e
last Friday,
In describing the Battle of ti e
Beaches at the outset of the New
Guinea campaign, Capt. Rc< d
pointed out that United Stat- s
troops were forced to live in s' it
trenches for dqys on end or risk
being shot by an unseen foe. Con­
ditions are better imagined th< n
described, he said. There were
no sanitary facilities and wab r
obtained from holes dug near the
trenches could not be purified.
As a consequence, disease w. s
as great a threat as the enemy.
Yet, despite these difficult»
the men displayed amazing
courage, refusing to quit the
fight even when sick and weak
from fever.
“The American soldier is d e ­
ferent from any other fighting
man," Capt. Reed said. “O ther
soldiers can stay in trench- s
playing a waiting game until
they discover what they’re up
against. This is difficult for our
forces. After a couple of hom s,
the American soldier iiegins *o
fidget and wants to tear into the
enemy no m atter who or w hit
he is fighting.
"Troops soon learn what h s
become a slogan in this wai —
‘it's either kill or l>e killed.’ A
man fighting the Japs doesn't
consider them human. They'live
like rats; they act like rats, and
they are rats.”
Lt. Col. Russell R. Turrill, Di­
rector of Personnel, compliment­
ed civilian workers for the co­
operation in buying bonds ar.d
exhorted them to give still fur­
ther support to the bond pid-
gratn. He pointed out that the
goal for arm y installations is 90
per cent participation with sal­
ary allotments of at least 10 per
cent and that Camp Abbot :s
striding to reach the 100 p* r
cent mark.
The program here has mad"
great progress during the past
few months, he said. At present
88.2 per cent of post personnel s
purchasing bonds, and salary I-
lotments total 7.8 per cent.
Music for the program was
provided by the Camp Abt ,t
band, directed by W arrant Of:i-
ccr Charles S. Spalding.
Surfimerfield, Mass. fCNS) —>
Pupils of Summerfield schc- I
filed out of the building in th< r
routine monthly fire drill. Out­
side they took a nonchalant lo< k
at the building. It was ablaze.
You're Ridin', Now, Red!
V
n