The White Falcon - 01.05.1943, Side 3

3
Rec Center
To Open
Tomorrow
Red Cross hostesses are work-
ing diligently these days as seam-
stresses, picture-framers, curtain
hangers, and what have you, in
order to prepare the “face-lifted”
No. 1 Rec Center for its re-open-
ing.
The freshly decorated build-
ing will open its doors tomor-
row at 1300 hours.
The interior virtually has been
remodeled. Offices have been
moved, floor lifts to permit bet-
ter vision in the theater have been
constructed, and the attractive,
new lobby is certain to relieve
the former congestion inside the
building.
A water fountain—termed
“McCotter’s Folly” because of its
unique style — also will be on
hand to welcome Service men
when the doors are thrown open
once again. And what’s more,
there are plenty of recently ar-
rived hostesses who’ll “make
their debut.”
Since local dance bands were
booked previously for other af-
fairs, there will be no dances
at the -Main Center next week.
However, three movies will be
offered and a local male chorus,
consisting of 40 splendid civilian
singers, will feature Friday eve-
ning’s program.
Local Command Has Its Own Sgt. York,
He’s Cousin Of World War I. Hero
If there’s ever any local action
against the enemy, the local Com-
mand has its own Sgt. York to
emulate the deeds of THE Sgt.
York during World War I.
He’s Sgt. Ralph York, cousin
of America’s hero of ’18. Bui al-
though Ralph “can pick off a
squirrel at 100 yards with his
rifle, the 29-year-old native of
Booneville, Ind., is in the Ord-
nance as a motor mechanic and
inspector, his vocation before
Uncle Sam beckoned in June,
1940.
Ralph’s mother is the proud
bearer of the “Four Star Em-
blem,” awarded by the Emblem
of Honor Assn, in New York City
for having sent four sons into the
armed forces. The count will be
five soon because another broth-
American SubSkipper
Takes Heavy Jap Toll
Comm. Henry C. Bruton, one
of America’s leading submarine
skippers, has been awarded the
Gold Star for his feat of sinking
20,600 tons of Japanese shipping,
it was announced by the Navy
Department this week in Wash-
ington.
The underwater skipper’s lat-
est haul was five ships. To date,
he has accounted for 70,700 tons
of Jap shipping.
er is approaching his 18th birth-
day.
In addition to Ralph, one
brother, Winfield, chose the
U.S. Airmen Prove Japs Lack
Flying Skill In Pacific War
“Jap pilots are cocky to a fault
because they apparently believe
their planes are more maneuver-
able than ours,” commented Lt.
Lawrence M. Faulkner, Marine
Corps pilot who just returned to
the United Slates from the Solo-
mon Islands.
Faulkner is one of 23 Marine
pilots who established the record
of downing 80 Jap planes in air
fights over Guadalcanal with the
War Dept. Sends
New ‘Hit Kits’
To AEF Forces
To meet the demand of soldi-
ers for songs which they can
sing and play, U.S. Army author-
ities have prepared “Hit Kits,”
a special packet of new song hits
each containing words and mus-
ic to six popular songs.
A committee of 25 of America’s
outstanding names in radio and
the popular music field have
agreed to serve as members under
chairman Fred Waring to select
six new songs each month that
will compose the “Hit Kit” for
that month.
The first “Hit Kit” already has
been released and contains such
current favorites as “Praise The
Lord and Pass The Ammunition,”
loss of only three American fly-
ers.
Explaining the overwhelming
success of the American pilots
in battles with the Japanese air-
men, Faulkner said, “The Jap
pilots are supposed to be the
bright boys of their service; yet
they fail to take into considera-^
tion the fact an American Wild-
cat plane will absorb twice as
much punishment as a Zero and'
still be in the air when the Zero
is in flames.”
Faulkner declared lone Jap pil-
ots will bail out of a burning
ship, but bomber crews never
leave their ships. “That may be
because they do not have para-
chutes,” explained Faulkner. “We
have never found a parachute in
an enemy bomber when we
searched those that were shot
down.”
A native of Pleasant Hill, Mo.,
Faulkner was in the southwest
Pacific since October 16, 1942,
Sgt. Ralph York.
Troops In Africa
Receive Air Mail
U.S. Army Postal Service is op-
erating airplane service across
North Africa, with mail being
sorted enroute, Brig. Gen. Clay-
ton S. Adams, Chief of Army
“There Are Such Things,” and Postal Service, disclosed this
others. New arrangements of old week. This marks the first time
favorites will be included from mail has been sorted in air, either
time to time. | in peace or war, Adams said.
Coast Artillery
Offers New Show
“Shells-a-Poppin’,” a semi-
musical show, exploded with
laughs, songs, skits and music in
a local Coast Artillery theatre
last week.
Led by Pvt. Meyer Hyman,
former New York burlesque star
who was the master of cere-
monies, the show traveled at a
fast, spicy clip. Hyman not only
handled the MC duties in a rioti-
ous manner but ground aud
bumped his way through his
own impersonations of a strip-
tease artist.
The most entertaining skit of
the evening was one centered
around Pvt. Maxie Kahn, also a
former New York burlesque star,
who portrayed a “rock-happy”
American soldier with a heavy
Russian accent.
Following Kahn’s laugh-studd-
ed performance, Pvt. Jim Car-
penter, a blond tenor, added a
serious touch to the otherwise
hilarious program by singing
tw’o sentimental favorites.
The music was arranged by
T/5G. Charles D. McCam, while
the band was led by T/4G. Dou-
glas Hamilton. The supporting
cast included Pvts. Rosenblatt,
Fontanetta, Major, Hamen and
T/4G. McGee.
Gl Slum Burners
Now Can Study Book!
An American cookbook deal-
ing exclusively with the prepara-
tion and cooking of dehydrated
food soon will be distributed to
GI slum burners, it was announc-
ed by the War Department.
Army, while two others are loy-
al to the Navy. Curtis is a 1st
cl. petty officer, and Nile is a
gunner’s mate, 1st cl.
The father of the family, Win-
field Sr., is also helping the war
effort, working in a shipyard at
Evansville, Ind. Although only
a cousin, his resemblance to Sgt.
Alvin invariably has people ask-
ing Ralph if they are twin broth-
ers.
Ralph is well aware of the
heritage his cousin established
for the family. “I’m in the Ord-
nance nowT,” he asserted, “but
just let me get my hands on a
rifle if the Nazis try to get tough.
That’s all I ask.”
Lucky Star
Fills Gap
On Shoulders
The most widely used pair of
general’s stars in the Asiatic
theater are being worn by newly
promoted Brig. Gen. William S.
Olds of Uvalde, Tex.
The stars originally were sent
to Brig. Gen. Clayton Bissell of
the Air Force in India and China,
by his wife. Brig. Gen. John Mag<
■ruder, then head of the American
Military Mission in China, pinned
the stars on Gen. Bissell.
Then Col. James H. Doolittle
arrived in Chungking after bomb-
ing Tokyo to find that he was
a newly appointed Brigadier Gen-
eral. So Gen. Bissell pinned the
stars on Col. Doolittle.
Gen. Doolittle encountered
Claire L. Chennault, who had just
been promoted to Brigadier Gen-
eral. Since Gen. Doolittle was
bound for home where stars were
plentiful, he pinned his insignia
on Gen. Chennault.
Successively the stars were pin-
ned on Caleb V. Haynes, com-1
manding the India Air Task
Force; Robert C. Oliver of Max-
well Field, Ala., 40-year-old head
of the Air Service Command in
India, and then on Gen. Olds.
The stars will go back to Gen.
Bissell again when Gen. Olds gets
his own pair.
Board of 3
To Decide
Mine Tiff
The War Labor Board has ask-
ed President John L. Lewis of
the United Mine Wqrkers to no-
minate his selection for the new
three-man committee which
will represent labor, mine op-
erators and the public to me-
diate the soft coal mine dispute.
However, Lewis has ignored
the WLB’s communication. He
has objected to handling of the
case by the WLB on the grounds
that the miners stayed at their
jobs under old contracts with
the understanding that direct
negotiations would continue.
The WLB pointed out that the
labor leader’s failure to partici-
pate in the three-member com-
mittee would not postpone ses-
sion. The committee will meet
with or without Lewis’ presence.
Lewis, meanwhile, will meet
in New York with his policy
committee, composed of district
heads of the United Mine Work-
ers. Extension of the Union’s old
contract expired last night. Mi-
ners in Illinois already have
been ordered to quit work un-
less a new contract is completed.
What’s Doing
LES SHERRIFF’S CENTER
Tomorrow 2000
Dance Band Concert.
Monday 2000
Square Dancing.
Wednesday 2000
Glee Club Concert.
RED KLOAK’S CENTER
Monday 2000—2200
Movie.
Tuesday 2030—2300
Dance—Infantry Band.
Wednesday 2000—2200
Movie.
Thursday 2030—2300
Dance—SSO Band.
Friday 2030—2245
Carnival Night.
Air Colonel
Wins Medal
For Bravery
Col. Karl L. Polifka, survivor
of 19 air encounters with the
Japanese in a U.S. Army Air
Force photographic plane, was
awarded the Air Medal for meri-
torious achievement in the New
Guinea area, the War Depart-
ment announced.
In April, 1942, Col. Polifka re-
ceived orders to make photo-
graphic maps for use in the Ame-
rican campaign in New Guinea.
After studying the distances, he
stripped his single-seat plane of
some of its armament to load
his camera and equipment, and
to give his plane sufficient range.
With three other pilots he
made maps in more than 35
flights. During nineteen of these
flights he encountered Jap com-
bat planes. Col. Polifka said,
“We would just fly headlong at
the Japanese leader and when he
would give way, the others
would follow.”
The unit made a photographic
study of the "entire route of the
Japanese advance from the Owen
Stanley Range in New Guinea
toward Port Moresby. From the
study of these pictures Allied
airmen got a thorough picture
of Jap supply dumps, mule cor-
rals and other targets.
Col. Polifka pointed out that
as a result of the pictures
brought back from these flights,
Allied airmen were able to at-
tack the Jap installations. Ame-
rican pilots methodically set fire
to all the dumps by bombing
and strafing.