The White Falcon - 08.11.1941, Blaðsíða 5

THE WHITE FALCON
PAGE 5
U.S. MARINES CELEBRATE 166™ BIRTHDAY
Oldest Armed Force Has Fought
Ninety Years and Never Lost
On Monday November tenth, Marines, from Iceland to
Pago Pago, from London to Shanghai, will celebrate the
166th anniversary of the founding of America’s senior ser-
vice.
Congratulations
6 November, 1941.
Brigadier General J. Marston,
Commanding General,
Marine Forces in Iceland.
Dear General Marston:
I wish to convey to you and
to the officers and men of
your command the congratu-
lations of your Army associat-
es of the Iceland Base Com-
mand upon the occasion of the
one hundred sixty-sixth “Birth-
day” of the United States Mar-
ines.
Your long record of ever-
ready service to your country
is familiar to us all, and we
are proud, as are all Americ-
ans, to remember November
tenth as the anniversary date
of the Marines.
Many happy returns of the
day!
Sincerly yours,
C. H. Bonesteel,
Major General,
Commanding United States
Army Forces in Iceland.
WITH THE MARINES
•
Throughout the Marine
camps we found an intensive
training program going on
among boxers. The Marines
ashore have accepted a chal-
lenge of a British outfit for a
Nov. 16th engagement, and an
Army infantry organization
for a series of bouts on the
23rd of November.
We found some of those
champions from the old Camp
Elliott smokers doing road-
work and punching the bag,
and some promising new ma-
terial. Lt. W. N. Loftin and Sgt.
P. T. Kujovsky are training a
likely lot of sluggers including:
D. L. Johnson, Willard J. John-
son, C. Lienkiwiz, Gino Seppi,
Harbolt, Skidgel, Haslaver and
James McGee.
Christmas week will see one
hundred fifty marines, sup-
ported by Army nurses, in a
Christmas play written and di-
rected by former Hollywood
playwright Captain Franklin
Adreon.
On Nov. 10, 1775, the contin-
ental Congress authorized the
organization of a battalion of
Marines. On the streets of
Philadelphia the men were en-
listed, sometimes — tradition
says — forcibly, and the Corps
was founded.
During those 166 years, the
Marine Corps has been at war
for over 90 years. Fighting
Uncle Sams little wars which
do not require a force so large
as the Army. Quelling South
American rebellions, opening
up trade routes in China, pro-
tecting American lives and
interests all over the world.
The brilliant record of this or-
ganization of fighting men is
that in those hundred and six-
ty six years of history and
ninety years of fighting they
have never lost a battle.
The high state of morale,
education and physical condi-
tion maintained through the
years by men of the corps has
caused them to be recognized
all over the world as a superi-
or fighting force. German High
Command records, reviewed
after the war, revealed that
after three weeks at the front
that authority listed the Mar-
ines of the Fourth Brigade as
“shock troops”, the highest
peroration in the German mili-
tary language.
Early in American naval
history the Marine Corps won
the admiration of the world in
quelling pirates in Tripoli, and
opening the Mediterranean for
free trading.
In the Spanish-American and
Mexican wars, the World’s
War, in campaigns in Nicara-
gua, in Haiti, in the Phillipin-
es, in Japan and other parts
of the globe too numerous to
mention, the men of the org-
anization have carried a fight-
ing spirit exemplified by the
Corps mottos Semper Fidelis
— Always faithful, and Feurs
et Femme — First to fight.
The Corps, in the present
emergency, is a streamlined
landing force unit. One organ-
ization with each of the Amer-
ican Fleets, a potential strik-
ing force in any part of either
the Atlantic or Pacific. The
Corps is commanded by Maj.
Gen. Thomas Holcomb, the
Major General Commandant,
and the Atlantic and Pacific
forces are commanded by Maj-
ors General Holland M. Smith,
and Clayton B. Vogel, respect-
ively.
The Marine Corps is tradi-
tionally a part of the Navy, but
on at least two occasions has
served with the Army — in
France in 1917—1919 and in
the present force in Iceland.
Father of Dive
Bombing Promoted to
Major General
Gen. Boss E. Rowell, origina-
tor of dive bombing, has just
been promoted to Major Gen-
eral in the United States Mar-
ine Corps.
General Rowell, now on duty
in the office of Naval Intellig-
ence, Washington, is known as
the man who led the first dive
bombing attack in the history
of naval warfare.
For leading his “Ace of
Spades” squadron of five old
De Havilland biplanes in a
diving attack that saved a Mar-
ine garrison at Ocotal, 'Nicara-
gua, from almost certain anni-
hilation in 1927 he won the
Distinguished Flying Cross, the
Distinguished Service Medal
and a special letter of com-
mendation from the Secretary
of the Navy.
Gen. Rowell was appointed
a second lieutenant in the Mar-
ine Corps August 27, 1996. He
has seen foreign duty in Cuba,
and the Phillipines, Nicaragua,
Haiti and France and is only
recently returned from a tour
of duty as observer in Asia,
Europe and Africa.
He has been in aviation cont-
inuously since 1923. From 1935
to 1939 he was director of Mar-
ine Corps Aviation with head-
quarters in Washington.
Also promoted to Major Gen-
eral was Brig. Gen. Philip H.
Torrey, commandant of the
First Marine Division, Quanti-
co, Va.
CASTLE
~1 CAPERS
Our First Sergeant is having
his troubles keeping his clerk
in the orderly room. Anyone
who knows Private Steve Alex
can readily understand. Every-
time a new job appears, the
name “ALEX” is shouted in
all directions. Alex, however,
is frequently found in the kit-
chen where one would least
expect to find such a famous?
— dietitian.
Let it be known by every-
one, and we hope appreciat-
ed, that we “rednecks” are do-
ing our utmost to make living
here more comfortable for all.
If the results are slow in com-
ing, investigate and compare
the odds; we feel sure you will
give us some credit.
Privates Hull, Forman and
Brace would appreciate sug-
gestions for holding on to their
mess equipment. The boys are
so bad that they have come to
eating in shifts. In the near
future we suspect they will be
sleeping in turn.
Pfc. Paul Wagner.
★ ★
Staff Sergeant Aspberrv R.
Ridner is the first man in our
outfit to re-enlist in Iceland.
Our congratulations.
We have a sad story to tell.
Our hero is a Pfc. who was
granted the privilege of living
in a hut with only three other
men. His joy was short lived
for he is completely outranked
and has become a combination
room orderly, coal and water
boy. Ah, for the life of an as-
sistant clerk.
Put. B. Frank Poustansk.
* *
•
We wish to congratulate at
this time T/Sgt Mason who is
now a master and Staff Serge-
ant Nitka who has been pro-
moted to fill the vacancy left
by Mason’s move.
Our new permanent mess
hall was put into use last week.
The honor of being first to eat
in it goes to Pvt. Okonieski.
Praise for the rapid completion
of this building we give to the
company maintenance group
composed of Sgt. Michalowski,
Corp. Stains, Pfc. Patterson
and Pvt. Kosky and Hall.