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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 11, 1956)
Marine Court of Inquiry Seeking Facts on Drowning of Six Men on Night Death March Editor's Note: The writer of the following dispatch on the Marine training tragedy served as a United Press war correspondent with the LS. Marines in assault landing in World War II and the Kurean war. By H. D. QUIGG United Press Correspondent Parris Island, S.C. U.R The bodies of six teen-age Marine re cruits lay in flag-draped coffins today while a court of inquiry got the facts from their buddies about a sergeant's "discipline" that took them on a march of death by drowning. The three-officer court, sitting in the administration building of this 25-square-mile recruit train ing depot, heard testimony from numerous six-w e e k trainees from the ill-fated 71st Platoon. Sitting with his counsel as a party of the hearing now in its second day was quiet, 31-year-old SSgt. Matthew C. McKeon. Last Sunday at 9 p.m. McKeon, an eight year Marine veteran, marched 72 members of the pla toon through the moonless, windy night into a salt creek swollen by high tide. . March Was Unscheduled The march was unscheduled. The sergeant had no authority to order it. That is the on-the-spot pronouncement of the Marine Corps commandant. Gen. Ran dolph McPate. But the recommendations of the court, after all evidence is heard, may cause the proud and combat-tested Marine Corps to take a hard look at its rigorous concept of tough peacetime training. McKeon, who was the junior. will order it. The present in- Truman in Iowa For Farm Speech Des Moines, la. (U.R) For mer President Harry S. Truman returned to the heart of the farm belt todav to eive a "fizhting farm speech" which party lead ers hoped would spark a repeat of the 1948 Democratic victory in Iowa. Mr. Truman, whose "give 'em hell" speeches helped put this traditionally Republican state into the Democratic column in 1943. was slated to eive "a major farm policy address" at the $25- per-plate Jackson Day dinner here tonight. Democratic leaders, boldly claiming "We'll take the whole state" in the November elec tions, saw the former President's appearance as a big boost in that drive. Democratic State Chairman Jake More likened Mr. Truman's appearance to his "give 'em hell" speech before about 100,000 per sons at the National Plowing Contest at nearby Dexter, la., on Sept. 18, 1948. That speech generally is re garded as the real starting point of Mr. Truman's fiery campaign that led to a surprise victory over Gov. Thomas E. Dewey in November of that year. In that election, Mr. Truman, who had been conceded practic ally no chance of carrying Iowa, sored the first Democratic presi dential victory in the state in 12 years since the Roosevelt landslide of 1936. It also was the last time the Democrats made a showing of any kind in the state. Portland Welcome Slated for McKay Portland 0J.R) Douglas Mc Kay, resigning Interior Secre tary and Republican senatorial aspirant, is scheduled to arrive in Portland Sunday and sup porters say they have a big wel come planned to greet him. Lamar T o o z e, Multnomah county chairman of the Elect Doug McKay Senator commit tee, said, "We're planning a real welcome. No matter what time of the day or night Doug's plane touches down at Portland Inter national airport, we will be there." McKay is scheduled to arrive in Portland at 10:10 p.m. Sun day. He plans to stay overnight in Portland and then motor to Salem Monday morning. Monday noon the former Ore gon governor is scheduled to leave on a statewide campaign tour as he opens his bid for the nomination in the May 18 primary. 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WAINSCOTT'S PHARMACY 322 East Main - Phone 2-6440 drill instructor of the platoon, made a mistake. He said he had not realized it was a tidal stream. But he told his counsel that he did lead the recruits into the water "to teach them discipline." "Some change in techniques quiry is merely a lact-iinaing action. h Training Seems Softer Old timers at this famed boot camp say that training of re cruits seems if anything to be softer than it used to be: Re cruits get more privileges now, and those who know him say may be indicated" when the McKeon was not a swashbuck- court gets the facts and assesses them, according to the depot commander. Maj. Gen. Joseph C. Burger. If such is the case, he said "the changes will be made. Burger will get the court's recommendations and if there is to be a general court martial he ling type, but rather the oppo site. McKeon had apparently not realized that the branch of Rib bon creek behind the rifle ranges would be so deep. He marched the men through its wading depth parallel to the main channel. Then he swung them, two abreast, around whiplike in a reversal of direction. The tail of the whip snapped on an oblique into deep water. The last of the six privates who were drowned was located at 3:20 p.m. Tuesday by a Marine frogman diver. The body was in the same hole 10 to 15 feet deep at high tide in which the other five were found Monday. Pate made clear in a news conference here Tuesday that night marches are made, but only as "scheduled things." This one was unscheduled and Mc Keon "positively did not have authority" to order it. Deposits Increase In 1st National Here Deposits at the Medford branch, First National Bank of Portland, during the first quar ter 1956 totaled $30,296,139, ac cording to Vice President and Manager C. E. Hedberg. The total shows an increase of S3,782,715 more than deposits during the first three months of 1955, when the total was S26, 513,424. Loans at the Medford branch total S12,736,003 as of March 31, compared to $10,585,926 dur ing the same period last year. The bank's total deposits for the three-month period were S775,813.986, according to Presi dent C. B. Stephenson. Loans totaled $857,757,217. Wednesday, April 11, 1958 MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE ELEVEN Portland Transit Men, Council Set Meeting Portland (U.R) Directors of the Rose City Transit com pany have been asked to meet with the Portland city council tomorrow to discuss a plan of procedure for negotiating a long term franchise. At a meeting yesterday the council informally agreed to a 30-day extension of the current permit under which the transit company is operating. The transit firm has asked for a new two-year permit, which would guarantee a five per cent profit by permitting fare rais ing or schedule changing with out council approval. 7 C YEAR OLD Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey . 86 PROOF teSEEslB? WATERf ILL AND FRAZ1ER DISTILLERY CO, BARDST0WN. KY. 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