Camp MacKall: The Thirteener

-*2 *P* VOLUME 1, NUMBER 3 CAMP MACK ALL, NORTH CAROLINA FRIDAY, 11 FEBRUARY 1944 OFFICIAL 13TH AIRBORNE DIVISION NEWSPAPER Lt. Col. и* T Claude R. Ingram Hpv Ш i Dlv. Chaplain Farmers are very busy plow¬ ing the fields. They are turn¬ ing under the old earth and bringing to view the new, clean, fresh dirt. Turning under the old to make rich the new. Ever it has been that man could better himself thru the exer¬ cise of experience. Lives are always richer and more com¬ plete when experience, gained at great cost, is used as a basic guide in life. The farmer plows that he might prepare the ground for the planting season. Seeds are sown in the earth with the full hope that in due season they will spring forth in new life and yield a bountiful harvest in their time. No greater evi¬ dence of man’s faith in God ex¬ ists than this prevelant idea of sowing to reap. Man trusts the Almighty to maintain the sea¬ sons in their regular cycle, to send the rain and to keep the sun shining. Man may by his mouth disown God and refuse by his actions to recognize Him but the irrefutable truth is apparent when he sows be¬ lieving that he will reap a har¬ vest. Tolstoi has remarked that ‘faith is the force of life’. It goes without saying that man lives by faith and not by know¬ ledge. It life were run on the knowledge basis little would be accomplished for the benefit of mankind. The great advances of science, industry, medicine and government are the pro¬ duct of faith. The unseen force that propels man toward the goal of success is the basic faith or belief that the undertaking is intrinsically sound and has large opportunity for success. Man is not able to show forth the greatness of God. Faith alone is able to clear many indistinct and diffused issues. Man must and does be¬ lieve that ‘God is and that He is a rewarder of them that dili¬ gently seek Him.’ With reason’s eye we see£ out God, And catch sweet glimpses of His face, But when we cannot see, Faith comes And trusts Him where it can¬ not trace. Foreign Language Knowledge Sought In Camp Libraries As though jumping out of airplanes, and toying with mor¬ tars, machine guns and rifles weren’t sufficient training for a day, the soldiers of Camp Mackall have proved them¬ selves enthusiastic devotees of the fine art of self-training foreign language instruction. Any day or evening, at either of the post libraries’ music rooms, a casual visitor would be impressed by this thirst for “lingo” knowledge, as officers and enlisted men alike listen to phonograph recordings of Jap¬ anese, Burmese, Russian. Ger¬ man, French, Italian and Span¬ ish. Mrs. Hallie Sykes Bacelli. chief librarian at Post Library No. 1, reveals that by conscien¬ tious adherence to the manual provided with each set of re¬ cordings, it is possible to con¬ verse intelligently in any of these languages. . Now, many Mackall soldiers, with homes from Maine to Cali¬ fornia, and Texas to the Dako¬ tas, are able to converse in foreign languages, tinged ever so slightly with a touch of a “drawl” or “brogue”. War Bond Drive Response. Is Good In 13th Division Infantile Paralysis Fund Receives Voluntary Contributions Personnel of the 13th Air¬ borne Division responded to the 4th War Bond Drive to the ex¬ tent of $12,165.75 in cash pur¬ chases of bonds during the month of January, with many additional thousands in cash purchases expected by 15 Febru¬ ary when the drive is scheduled to end. Cash purchases within the Division represents approxi¬ mately 50 percent of the total bodns reported sold for cash at Camp Mackall during the pe¬ riod. In addition to the cash pur¬ chases, 3715 Class “В" allot¬ ments for War Bonds are in ef¬ fect in the Division. These al¬ lotments total in dollars many times the amount reported in cash purchases for the same period. Officers and enlisted men of the Division demonstrated their generosity in responding by vol¬ untary contribution to the ark nual Infantile Paralysis Fund Drive. Of $2.732.35 reported for Camp Mackall $1,602.65 was con¬ tributed by personnel of the 13th. Several small organiza¬ tions at the station are yet to be reported and it is expected that the total for Camp Mackall will reach more than $3,000. Enlisted men of the Division have been comm elided for their spirit in contributing to this worthy cause. Containers were provided at pay tables and in orderly rooms where they could drop in as much or as little as they desired. Their' response was very commendable. Increase in War Bond allot¬ ments is being urged as a meth¬ od of saving for the future and as the best possible investment. Your unit War Bond Officer can provide full information and will accept your increase allot¬ ment for bonds. Generals Congratulate Golden Gloves Winner жш Ш $ m r 1 ,,,, < •,ю“' Major General E. G. Chapman, (center) Commanding General of the 13th Airborne Division, and Brigadier General Stuart Cutler, (right) Assistant Division Commander, are shown admiring the trophies won by Private Robert Lopez (at left) of the 513th Parachute Infantry at the Pied¬ mont Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament in Greensboro last week. The small trophy being held by General Chapman was awarded Private Lopez for winning in the 159 pound weight class at the tournament. The large trophy which is being held by the Paratrooper was presented to him for being the outstanding boxer in the tournament. Both Generals have just extended their con¬ gratulations to Private Lopez for his accomplishments. — U. S. Army Signal Corps Photo by Finley. Paging “Section 8” Board; GI Gives Carol Landis “Brush-off’ He Says CHARLOTTE CITIZENS FAVOR THE BAZOOKA’ With “Oscar” the parachuting dummy, the famed “Bazooka” rocket launcher, a 60 mm mor¬ tar, parachutes and other e- quipment furnished by the 13th Airborne Division, as stellar at¬ tractions, thousands of bond¬ purchasing civilians crowded Ivey’s Department Store in Charlotte all last week. Exactly 8,776 people visited the ordnance show at the store during the five and a half day exhibit, and purchased $34,- 150.00 worth of war bonds at a booth provided especially for the purpose. The "Bazooka" rocket launch¬ er proved the most popular of all equipment on display. MOVE IT OVER” “Move It Over" is rapid¬ ly becoming the theme song for GIs working in Division Headquarters. After com¬ pleting their second major headquarters transfer in a month whenever an ener¬ getic soldier so much as moves a wastebasket from its original position some¬ one is bound to break out with strains of “Move It Over", a popular song which broke on the public last summer. LT COL GUIBAULT ON NEW PX BOARD A new board of officers was today appointed by Col. Vernon G. Olsmith, to direct the man¬ agement and activities of the Post Exchanges at Camp Mac¬ kall. Succeeding the Post Ex¬ change Council of five appoint¬ ed last May, the new Council includes Col. Ralph E. Bower, Airborne Command and attach¬ ed units; Lt. Col. Harry E. Wil- let. Station Complement and ASF Units; Lt. Col. Leo Gui- bault, 13th Airborne Division; and Major Dan C. Byck, chief of the Exchange section. The board meets monthly. Veterans of Guadalcanal and North Africa in Service Co, 326th Gli Inf By Cpl John J. Begley Two Veterans from overseas, j one from North Africa, the other from Guadacanal, are now assigned to Service Com¬ pany, 326th Glider Infantry ; Regiment. S Sgts William Dix¬ on and William Lyons have a year or more of battle experi- ! ence. one against the Nips on Guadacanal, the other in North Africa against Marshal Rom¬ mel’s Afrika Korps. Both men are now giving their Company the benefit of experience gained in actual combat. S Sgt William Dixon was with the 7th Infantry, of the 3rd Di¬ vision when it attacked Casa¬ blanca in the initial assault in j that area. Dixon’s Company was one of the first organiza¬ tions to land on North African 1 shores and was also one of the first to establish a beachhead. In the initial assault Sgt. Dix¬ on's platoon leader was killed and the Sergeant took com¬ mand of the organization for the next seven and a half months. Dixon’s ship, which trans¬ ported his outfit across the At¬ lantic, was sunk in Fedula Bay near Casablanca as soon as his company disembarked. All the men’s clothes and belongings were lost on the ship but were replaced a week later. After the beachhead was se¬ cured and Casablanca captured his outfit continued to fight against the Germans for 7 V2 months. They were in the battle of Kassarine Pass, one of (Continued on last page) -f - By Pfc Alec P Dobish Some time ago while in ASTP at the University of Connecti¬ cut, Pvt Billey G. Henley, now of the 513th Airborne Signal Company, had an urge to see New York. Strictly a small town boy from Nappanee, Indiana, Henley ap¬ plied for and recieved a week¬ end pass. Thus, with ASTP studies far from his mind, he and another GI called Chuck departed for the big city. "First on our ’must see' list was the Stage Door Canteen which we had heard so much about,” says Henley. "But we hadn't the faintest idea where the thing was and since I’m not from the city we asked every¬ one we saw as to it’s where¬ abouts. “After a couple of hours we weren’t any nearer to the Can¬ teen than we were when we ar¬ rived in New York and so we had to ask again. “This time we picked on a couple of gals who were dressed like they had just got out of the Stork Club. Both were nice looking and we decided to ask them to assist us in our search. "Both girls were very agree¬ able. One of them, called Carol, even said that they would take us three. So we took a taxi, at their expense, and were off. "Now taking a taxi at a girl's expense is strictly against my ethics but they looked like they could afford it so I pushed my ethics aside! "We got to the Canteen and here we were torn by two de¬ sires. We knew that unless a girl worked there she could not enter even with GI escorts. At the same time we wanted to see the Canteeen, but then we didn’t want to lose the gals. "But that problem was solved when this Carol opened the door, said hello to the doorman and drew US inside. Things be¬ gan to look mighty suspicious! “We stayed at the Canteen for perhaps an hour, then Chuck, decidedly wolf, suggest¬ ed that we leave and tackle a club somewhere else. And to my surprise the girls agreed. "So off we went. But I was still suspicious. I’m from the hills and I had heard how many a GI has been taken and rolled by clever women. I be- (Continued on last page) BLOWTORCH IS OUT AS DECORATION AID Esthetic tastes of amateur artists of the "blowtorch” meth¬ od of interior decorating were blasted yesterday by an order from Camp Mackall headquar¬ ters prohibiting the use of blow¬ torches for beautifying walls, ceilings, counters and other in¬ teriors of frame buildings. The order was made as a fire pre¬ vention measure, and the prac¬ tice described as a hazardous one. At Camp Mackall, as in other camps throughout the country where plain frame in¬ teriors are used, soldiers have heretofore used the blowtorch to slightly scorch walls and cre¬ ate various beautifying designs. SOUTHERN PINES USO HOLDS DANCE PARTY Southern Pines USO Club played host to men of Mackall and the 326th Hill Billy Band last Saturday night at a formal dance held in the club. The citizens of the town provided refreshments and the ladies while the servicemen provided music and men. The hostesses at the club ex¬ tended the invitation to “Rus¬ ty” Gabbard and his crew to come in and play for the ser¬ vicemen and their girls. The band played request numbers from the crowd and staged an impromptu floor show during ont of the intermissions. 13TH AB DIVISION BOXERS MADE FINE IMPRESSION ON CITIZENS OF GREENSBORO QUICK RECOVERY Within .^: hours; after the main Poet Exchange in the North Area at Camp Mac¬ kall had burned Friday, a temporary exchange for ser¬ vicing soldiers in the post area headquarters had been opened. The main exchange fire, of undetermined origin, destroyed the interior and most of the stock of cloth¬ ing and other supplies, the soda fountain and dining room. No estimate has been made of the damage. 13th AB Men Are Praised For Help In Selling Bonds A letter of appreciation for the work of/the men of the 13th Airborne Division who last week helped to raise $100,000.00 in war bond sales, was received to¬ day by Lt. Col. Harry E. Willet, post executive officer, from J. B. Hood, campaign chairman of Scotland County War Bond Committee. "Words cannot express to you our fullest appreciation for the cooperation of the base and the effort of these men in doing such a swell job,” the letter said. Pfc. Arthur “Rusty” Gabbard and his 32«th Glider Infantry “hill billy” band, ably assisted by Corp. Arnold J. Stern as autioneer, helped to entertain local bond buying audiences in Gibson, Laurinburg and Wag- ram, with the cooperation of the Post Public Relations Of¬ fice. S SGT COATS ON NEW PX ADVISORY BOARD To make certain Post Ex¬ changes operate in a manner most acceptable to the enlisted men, an advisory board of three non-commissioned officers was recently appointed by Colonel Vernon G. Olsmith, post com¬ mander. On the board are re¬ presentatives of three organiza¬ tions now on the camp — Master Sergeant Joseph DeMarco, ASF units; Master Sergeant Martin Allgier, Airborne Command un¬ its; and Staff Sergeant Elbert F. Coats, 13th Airborne Divi¬ sion. The board succeeds one of five members established for a similar purpose July 20, 1943. and will meet each quarter or more often if the commanding officer requires it. Members will present suggestions for better¬ ment of Exchange service, or criticism of it, as voiced to them by the enlisted men. Popular “Hill Billy” Band of 326th Was Recently Reorganized by “Rusty” By Cpl John J. Begley The reorganized Hill Billy Band of the 326th Glider Infan¬ try led by "Rusty” Gabbard, is one of the best and most popu¬ lar groups of entertainers ever formed at Mackall, The band was reorganized less than a month ago and has, in that short time, managed to sell more than $55,000 in War Bonds at rallies in small communities in addition to appearing at two USO Shows i n surrounding towns and playing for the men of the 13th at Service Clubs 1 1 and 2. The band is made up of eight men who play gui¬ tar, violin, banjo, bass, accor- dian, and harmonica. “Rusty” Gabbard, maestro of the octet, left high school when he was fifteen to lead his own combination of cowboy and hill¬ billy musicians called “Rusty” Gabbard and His Plainsmen. The band toured, the States for the next ten years, making eight trips through the South, Southwest and Far West. They played in such cities as Cincin¬ nati, St. Louis, Chicago, Dallas. Los Angeles, Fort Worth, and Baltimore. The combination toured the Southern States with Roy Rogers in 1939 whoa Rogers was beginning to become a star. Rusty’s band played for three years over KMOX in St. Louis and for programs in the towns and cities they visited on Tour Gabbard has been in the 326th since he was inducted and is a mortarman. He wants to take his combination over to Europe Continued from first page) Conduct of Fighters At Piedmont GG Tourney Is Commended That the two 8-men boxing teams, their handlers and the officer in charge, Lt John Mis- kovski of the 458th Parachute FA Battalion, left a fine im¬ pression on the citizens of Greensboro - ’ en they partici¬ pated in the Piedmont Golden Gloves To' rnamert last week is- evidenced bv a Jo’ ‘er received- by Major Genera ' E. G. Chap¬ man, Commandin'* General of the 13th Airborne "’•'ision, from Lloyd C. Goodman, Tournament Director. The two teams representing the 13th were one each of Glider Troopers and Parachute Troop¬ ers. Their conduct in and out of the ring as soldiers, boxers, good sports and gentlemen has done much to create the kind of re¬ lationship so desirable between the military and civilian. The letter of commendation to General Chapman on their conduct while in Greensboro follows in part: Major General E. G. Chapman Commanding General 13th Airborne Division Camp Mackall, N. C. Dear Sir: We were indeed happy to have the 13th Airborne Division rep¬ resented in our Piedmont Gol¬ den Gloves Boxing Tournament. I afn sorry that you couid nos attend the bouts. With spirits high and decisions close, your men left impressions on the people of Greensboro that will live in their hearts for many months. They conducted themselves as gentlemen and true soldie»3 from the time they hit Greens¬ boro until they left. Being just- an observant civilian, it would be my guess that the leader¬ ship sent with these boys was the best. Greensboro stands ready to welcome you and the 13th Air¬ borne Division any time you see fit to pay us a visit. Very truly yours, Lloyd C. Goodman Tournament Director Piedmont Golden Gloves. Much credit for the orderly manner in which the 13th box¬ ers conducted themselves both- in the ring and around Greens- (Continued on last page) New Muster-Out Pay Received By Mackall Soldiers Ten soldiers, the first from Camp Mackall to recieve the new mustering out pay recenfly authorized by Congress, were today honorably discharged by the Chief of Military Personnel. Each received $100 from the Camp Mackall Finance office, and will receive another $100 at the end of 30 days, to complete the total of $200 authorized for all honorably discharged men who have served in the United States for 60 days or more. Those with an overseas service record will receive $300 each, and those serving less than 69 days in the United States $100. Before recevlng final dis¬ charge pipers, the men were given one of the gold-eagle- crested honorable discharge but¬ tons by Technical Sergeant H. L. Leinwahl, and a talk regard¬ ing aids the government pro¬ vides for them in their effort to recapture their places in ci¬ vilian life, advice and instruc¬ tions on their future conduct. In recent months, Sgt. Lien- wohl has given parting instruc¬ tions and advice to more than 1,900 honorably discharged sol¬ diers.