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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (July 3, 1956)
! . ; Guardsmen Undergo Rugged Invigorating Training Period (Edilor'i note: The follow ing article gires a rookie's eye riew of the recent Nation al Guard encampment. Its author, who is relatively new to the agariei of military dis cipline, would prefer, for rea sons obvious to every former private, to remain anony mous.) By PRIVATE 'JOHN DOE' It first became apparent that the National Guard companies from Medford, A and Headquar ters companies, were involved in a "Military situation'' during the night of departure for their two week summer encampment at Ft. Lewis last June 15. The train was scheduled to leave at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. But before it left Guardsmen were dismissed to complete goodbyes to anxious mothers and sweet hearts. Despite the brevity of the summer camp, the mothers and sweathearts clung to the boys as if it was real. Many of the Guardsmen were embarrass ed and felt it made everything seem exaggerated. Cold Nights Saturday night at camp was Jpent getting situated in one of the nine tents allotted to head quarters company. They were .erected in rows of three, three tents in a row, about 10 men to a tent. At night cold winds came off the nearby sound and chased everyone to their bunks early, and made it uncomfortable to rise in the morning. Oiten at night machine gun fire and ar tillery explosions could be heard miles away being fired by the regulars. Everyone wondered whether it was real ammo or just blanks. The mornings were highlight ed by the booming and tireless voice of M. Sgt. Darold Garman platoon sergeant of the commu nications section. His "OK! Now fall out of those sacks you men! Chopl Chop!'' could be heard all over the area. This happened every morning for two weeks at about 5 a.m. It is a well estab lished rumor in Headquarters company that after every sum mer camp Sergeant Garman is bombarded by phone calls about 3 a.m., each with a slight ly adolescent voice screeching, 'Time to fall out! Chop! Chop!" Out at 5:45 a.m. About 5:45 a.m. each day Headquarters company would fall out for the first formation. Then First Sgt. Bob Messer would dismiss the ' platoons to "police the area." Non-coms like Sergeant Bateman and Corporal Drew were always careful to al low no goldbricking. Chow was ready by 6 a.m. and the work day began anytime between 7 and 8 a.m., lasting until 4:30 p.m. Monday was devoted to a kind of orientation program, but the Guardsmen were not told that until a day before the company left for home. Strangely, it was not until a day before the end of camp that anything about the two-week program was explain ed. Lt. Col. Donald H. Burke, commander of the frist battalion, then revealed that the first week had been devoted to individual soldiering and squad tactics. Classes Held During the first week classes were held for the individual sec tions, and several Guardsmen at tended communications and pro jectionist schools. The pioneer and ammunitions section worked mostly alone and practiced mak ing and detonating TNT charges. The comma section established communications in the area and the intelligence section listened to lectures on map reading and then adjourned to the field to fol low compass courses over un familiar and rugged terrain. As far as the "top brass' were concerned, the Governor's Day parade on Saturday highlighted the summer camp training pe riod. It gave them a chance to review the troops. But for the men in the ranks it was differ ent. For what seemed like hours, thousands of Guardsmen (over 8.000 were at Ft. Lewis) stood rigid waiting for the man at the loudspeaker, who was incoherent anyway, to complete his address to the grandstand. When the marching finally began it was over in 10 minutes. Squad Work Colonel Burke explained that the second week was planned for the purpose of putting squads to work with heavy weapons on the platoon level in tactical prob lems. It as the bivouac that most concerned the men. Early Tues day morning the Guardsmen strung up their packs, filled their canteens with water; checked out their weapons arjd waited for trucks. The trucks were late. The gear was heavy and the mid morning sun beating down made (HLdDSIEnD July 4th and 5th Sims Cycle & Hobby Shop 23 North Fir Street , the men sweat and wish they were still in their bunks, or any where else. The trucks came at last. The men were loaded on, about 30 to a truck. There were as many trucks as it takes to carry 500 men, all of the 1st bat talion. Everybody had to stand up and there was barely room to move. 14 Miles The trucks carried them about 14 miles, winding down gutted roads, where low hanging branches on nearby trees would swoop down and clear the truck of field hats on men who were too lazy to duck. The trucks stopped in a wooded area with tall trees and foliage that made the tactical combat situation seem like a likely place for camping practice. Small pup tents soon were being busily erected, jeeps skidded over the muddy road and occasional out burst of military profanity were heard that would scare many novelists. It was hot, and the sun came bursting through the tall firs in uncompromising rajs, but there was no time to appreciate it. At noon the camp was completed and everybody grabbed his mess Foresters Remind Residents of Fire Season Regulations No Smoking While Travel- ing" and "Forest Fire Tool" re-1 quirements became effective July j i areas in Oregon and Washing ton, and remain in effect until October 31 unless terminated earlier. Regional Forester J. Herbert Stone reminded resi dents today. The ban on smoking applies to anyone traveling inside the na tional forests except when on paved or surfaced highways. The camping tools needed consist of an axe with a handle at least 26 inches long and a head weighing two or more pounds, a shovel with a blade not less than eight inches wide and a handle 36 inches or longer, and a water container of one or more gal lons capacity. The tool require ment applies to campers or pic nickers using forested areas out side of the regular improved for est camps, if traveling by auto mobile or with pack horses. Many People Expected According to Stone, the lim ited camping and picnicking fa cilities are expected to be filled to overflowing over the Fourth of July holiday. "We welcome these forest recreationists and hope that they will enjoy a safe and happy visit to the national forests." In the national forest protec tive areas in Oregon and Wash ington, campfire permits are needed only if building a camp fire within the old Yacolt Burn on the Gifford Pinchot National forest. Elsewhere they are not required. However, forest offi cials point out that state law and federal regulations prohibit the building of fires in unsafe places or failing to extinguish them. "To build a safe fire is to build it small in a spot away from stumps, logs, roots or other de bris, and cleared to mineral soil," Stone said. "The fire should be completely extinguished with water and stirring the coals while soaking them." He added that water should not be used in masonry stoves. Total Number of Fires The total number of fires for the first five months in 1956 in the national forest protective areas of the Pacific Northwest region was 96 as compared with 41 at the same time last year. This was due to the early season fires set by lightning storms. The first five months of 1956 brought only 16 man-caused fires as against 37 for the same period last year. Moisture content of forest fuels was greatly reduced during the dry weather of April and May. Since this moisture content has never been fully re placed, the reduced number of man-caused fires is very grati fying," Stone said. Foresters give much credit for reduction in forest fires to wide spread forest fire prevention campaigns, increased public co operation, and awareness of the value of forests and the danger and losses when the forest burns. RECOGNIZES RED CHINA Cairo !U.R) Syrian Premier Sabri Elassaly has announced j recogition of Communist China. ; by Syria, the Mideast News agency reported from Damascus today. j gear and was served a surpris- ingly adequate lunch. Into Field The next day the troops were in the field. One platoon had buried about 50 live TNT charges, and hypothetical ag gressors and defense positions were established for tactical I combat purposes. In the evening the troops hitched on their packs, slung arms and started along the dusty and rocky road that led to the main camp. Colonel Burke and Capt. S. P. Fagone, commanding officer of headquarters company, led the march. About two hours, or six miles, later, trucks picked up the weary men and carried them the rest of the distance This completed the military program of the encampment. Thursday was devoted to rec reation and Thursday evening two Medford boys from A com pany, Adrian Van Horn and Luther Fisher, battled for the heavyweight championship of the 41st Division, the Oregon and Washington National Guard. Van Horn won. Another Medford boy, Bobby Lyons of headquar ters company, won the feather weight championship. Company A of Medford won the 41st Division Softball crown. Excellent Grades Colonel Burke said that the battalion had received 266 ex cellent grades from Army in spectors who were covering the area. The battalion received most-of the excellents on good housekeeping, he said. Colonel Burke added that there were still areas needing improvement, which include recognition of offi- cers insignia, quarters needing be shined, poor display of clothes, bunks not being tight enough and the chain of com mand not being memorized. Col onel Burke concluded that the 1st battalion had the smallest number of Guardsmen report for sick call. Many of the new Guardsmen, the privates, came in contact with a new set of words at camp. They were, "Standard Operat ing Procedure," more commonly expressed as "S.O.P"'. It is this which determines that some day boots would be placed at the foot of the bed or the head of the bed, that boot laces would al ways be tied and tucked in so they wouldn't show, that bunks would either be an inch from the tent wall or a foot, that some day field jackets could either be worn or not worn, that all clothes on the tent clothes rack would be placed in a certain order, that buttons on those clothes . would always be but toned, and that articles that hung from a soldier's cartridge belt would always hang from a cer tain location for everybody. LVs Simple Sgt. Ray Bowler of the intel ligence section explained it: "It's really very simple. You have a job to do. Do it. Don't ask ques tions." Although the Guardsmen sometimes find the discipline of the S.O.P. unpleasant, most rec ognize its meaninfulness and necessity. Capt. Tom Engles, in a letter addressed to the entire company last week, explained the purpose of discipline when he said, "The Army demands the subordination of the will of every man in it for the good of the company to which he is at tached." After a hectic Friday morning attending to details pereparing for the trip home, the Medford Guardsmen left Ft. Lewis Fri day about 8 p.m. The train final ly stopped in Medford about 1:15 p.m., Saturday. This time there was band music to go along with the anxious faces of wait ing mothers and sweethearts, which again made the sojourn to Ft. Lewis seem like a far-off experience. Court Records DISTRICT COURT Robert Carl Flanery, no operator's license, $10. Roy Douglas Reagan, no operators license, S6. APPLICATIONS FOR MARRIAGE LICENSE Richard Newman Wallace. Route 2, Box 390. Central Point, and Miss Mar vena Rae Nelson, Route 1, Box 160, Eagle Point. Raymond Allen Head, Trail, and Miss Verna Marie Bobbins, Prospect. WHY PAY MORE? FOR REPRINTS 5c MISS GUIDED MISSILE Dee Hill of San Francisco will fit that title if she is still hanging onto that rocket when it takes off. That fancy Gantner bathing suit she is wearing is titled "Safari." Man Suffers Minor Injuries in Accident Donald House. Fern Valley rd., Medford, suffered only min or injuries Sunday afternoon when a tractor he was driving over an irrigation ditch bridge near his home went out of con trol and overturned on him. Members of the family report ed the tractor went through a barbed wire fence before over turning. House was pinned be tween the tractor and the fence until a wrecker could arrive to free him. The accident occurred at about 4:37 p.m. He was taken by Medford Am bulance service to Community hospital, where he is reported in satisfactory condition. House is suffering from minor cuts and bruises, but no broken bones, and was expected to be released from the hospital shortly. Need Seen To Break Up Hold by 'McKay Clique' Salem U.R) Monroe Sweet- land, Democratic nominee for secretary of state, told a group of Marion and Polk county Democrats here recently that a major issue of the 1956 I Oregon campaign is the urgent j need to break the stranglehold ' on the McKay clique on Ore gon's government." I Sweetland said the ''Republi- cans have offered the people a ; continuation of the same McKay clique control in their 1956 ticket. It is headed by the re actionary leader himself," Sweet- land said, "and offers a pallid carbon copy for governor, and youthful duplicate for secretary of state." Washington (U.R) The House has passed and sent to the Sen- 1 ate a bill authorizing transfer r no, ' . . , i t - I oi ioo acres oi ieaerai iana in Clackamas county. Ore., to that state for use as a National Guard target range. (Vodka in orange juice) It leaves you breathless mirnoff te crtaktt mt SO Proof. Dist. from f rain. St. Pierre Smirnoff Fls. (Div. of Heublein). Hartford. Conn., U.S.A. i.W' V': Study of People Gives Clue as to Ailment of By DELOS SMITH United Press Science Editor ftew York (U.R' How a doc tor can get an idea of what's wrong with people without look ing down their throats or push ing at their stomachs, is de scribed by a scientist who has studied people as well as science. When a husband makes a doc tor's appointment for his wife. the doctor is justified in sus pecting she is "a nervous and inefficient type of person." The reason is that husbands aren't "supposed" to do such things. But if the wife makes the ap pointment for her husband, nothing can be made of it wives are "supposed" to give such services. If the husband ac companies the wife to the doc tor's office that's okay only if he looks unhappy about it. Abnormal Makeup But the husband who insists upon being present while the doctor is looking the wife over, "has a very abnormal makeup, and the wife may have a func tional disease with good rea son." If the wife accompanies the husband to the doctor, it's probably quite normal. "However, the marital combi nation of a meek, mousy little man and a robust, rigid wife who answers all the questions before the poor fellow can reply, prognostically, is considered to be a bad combination, indeed." The speaker was Dr. Leonard L. Lovshin of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, lecturing a medical audience. He said that "almost anyone can develop a fairly gooci neurosis all by him self, but in order to develop a really good one, the help of the spouse is invaluable." For instance: "A hovering, worried, over solicitous husband is one of the greatest assets a neurotic wom an can have from her stand point, that is." However, from the standpoint of the physician who wants to get at her ailments and make her well, this husband is "a grave liability." "When, by whatever means, a woman receives the attention ' Quick, friendly service... You'll enjoy every visit to a savings window at First National. Smiling, alert tellers give you a friendly welcome every time. It's fun to watch your First National savings grow. Save NOW! Savings deposits made on or before July 10th at First National earn interest from July 1st! ' Tuesday, July 3, 1956 she craves, there is little reason why she should get well, and woe betide the physician who Harvey Firm Files S44,000f'000Morlgage The Dalles (U.R) The Har vey Machine Co., Inc., of Tor rance, Calif., filed a $44,000,000 mortgage here yesterday, the largest chattel mortgage ever filed here and one of the largest ever filed in the state of Oregon. The mortgage is in connec- nection with the Harvey com pany's proposed construction of a $65,000,000 aluminum reduc tion plan at The Dalles. Con struction on the long-planned plant is scheduled to get under way around the first of next month, according to an agree ment reached between the Har vey company and the Bonne ville Power administration. Three banking concerns, the Bank of America Commercial Trust and Savings, Inc., the Chase-Manhattan bank of New York and the National City bank of New York, figured in the promissory note. Construction will take an esti mated 20 months, spokesmen said. ' Klamath Mother, Son Killed in Accident Portola, Ore. (U.R) A one car accident about 30 miles north of Reno, Nev., Sunday, took the life of a mother and her son from Klamath Falls, Ore. Dead were Mrs. Parlee Mc Williams, 65 and her 40-year-old son, Virgil D. Lazarus., A third occupant of the car and son of the fatally injured woman, 38-year-old Kelley Lee Lazarus, also was injured in the crash but hospital attendants de scribed his condition as not ser ious. Police report that the accident occurred when the car hit a soft shoulder and overturned. Extra convenience Handle all your banking needs . . . including savings, checking, safe deposit, and many other services . . . with just one visit to Oregon' favorite bank. And. ..wherever you go in Oregon, there's a First National Branch nearby. ..to sent you better. lllir3Sji Doctors Spouses 'tries to cure her," he said. Little skill is needed, he said, to know the meaning of "the brave, sweet smile of the hys terical woman who is being hov ered over by a husband, and sons and daughters" when she goes to the doctor's. If a young, married woman is accompanied by her mother to the doctor's, it means nothing unless the mother answers all the questions before the young woman can speak for herself. From that the doctor "learns much about the stresses imposed on the young patient." Dr. Lovshin was lecturing doctors on how to tell a "func tional disease" from an "organic disease." About the latter, there usually can be no doubt some thing is wrong with an organ and it's plain to see. A "func tional disease" can arise from the emotions and often does. But it can seem to have an organic basis and fool even doctors. "f'saaaiffisaaE 80 MERCURY l i V- . IN ED '425,000 MERCURY CONTEST JUNE 11th AUGUST Ath 1st PRIZE: MONTCLA1R PHAETON one each week 2nd-10th PRIZES: MONTEREY PHAETONS-9 each week PLUS 200 G.E. PORTABLE TELEVISION SETS-25 each week 2400 ELGIN AMERICAN LIGHTERS 300 each week MERCURY CAR BUYERS DURING CONTEST MAY WIN A $10,000 CASH BONUS (See OKdal nlry Hank for detail) First National is Oregon's favorite place for savings! Bank safety... There's no substitute for a bank savings account. At First National, you have the extra assurance of a 91-year history of complete safety for the savings of every First National customer. . . . t FUEidr RATIONAL DANK Or PORT1ANO tars mmo occgon togejw 73 STATEWIDE IANKING OMICES TO SHVf YOU MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE THREE Sweetland Names Two On Campaign Committee Milwaukee, Ore. (U.R) Mrs. Olga Freeman of Eugene and Alton John Bassett of Port land have been appointed as co chairmen of the Sweetland for Secretary of State committee. State Senator Monroe Sweetland said yesterday. Mrs. Freeman is treasurer of Lane county, having succeeded to that office in 1953. Bassett is a Portland attorney, a graduate of the University of Oregon Law school. EARM FROM THE HAX.... I WINGS S lOAti ASSOCIATION 5INCE l09 ' PHAETONS SULLIVAN'S BRANCH PENN YWISE 323 EAST MAIN
