The White Falcon - 27.01.1945, Blaðsíða 4
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THE WHITE FALCON is published weekly by and for the
American Forces in Iceland, under supervision of Special Ser-
vice Section, Iceland Base Command. Some material is supplied
by Camp Newspaper Service, New York City, republication
of which is prohibited without CINS approval. THE WHITE
FALCON has been passed by the censor and may be mailed
home for one-and-one-half cents.
IBC Special Service Officer .Lt. Col. Lee F. Gilstrap
Supervising Officer .......Lt. David Zinkoff
Editor ....................Sgt. John Moran
Associate Editor ..........Sgt. J. Gordon Farrell
News Editor ...............Cpl. Robert Hill
Staff Reporter ............Pvt. E. C. Gray
AN EDITORIAL:
Think it Over,
Soldier
If you're busy every night there’s no point in reading
this. However, if you’re faced with a spare hour, or
perhaps a spare half-hour, a few nights a week, maybe
there is. If you are, you may find it worth your while
to enroll in one of the correspondence courses offered
by the Armed Forces Institute. (No, we’re not kidding!)
Although almost all of us are sometimes inclined to
think that the war will last another 50 years at least,
chances are that the world will be at peace again before
we’re so very much older. And when that time comes
there won’t be many GIs who’ll want to stick around
for their 30-year pensions.
Yet, it isn’t likely that the civilian life we return to
will be — immediately at least — quite the dream world
currently being envisioned in so many crystal balls.
Despite the mustering-out pay we’ll get and the bene-
fits available under the G1 Bill of Rights, all realistic
gropings into the future indicate that it'll be a world in
which we’ll still have to work — and work hard — to
gain security for ourselves and for our families.
As always, the man who’s most skilled in his job will
be the one whose services are most in demand. Maybe
you’re already skilled in some trade or profession; mam/
soldiers are. But even if that is the case, the chances are
that all of us will need a little “brushing up.”
The Armed Forces Institute is no makeshift affair.
Through it many of the nation’s lop colleges and uni-
versities offer you the same opportunities for study that
you’d get if you were a regularly-enrolled student on the
campus. With few exceptions, the USAFI offers courses
in every branch of learning — technical, commercial,
scientific and cultural, and most of them cost but two
dollars apiece-
There’s a complete USAFI catalogue on hand at The
White Falcon office. If you’'d like to consult it, stop in.
If you'd like to have one for yourself, drop a note to:
European Branch, USAFI- Headquarters; Services of
Supply; European Theater of Operations; England.
"Perseverance Will
Carry Us Through/'
German Newsmen
Tell Nazi Homefroni
Nazi radio commentators,
while admitting that the
situation on the Eastern
Front is “very serious,” are
nevertheless still detecting
rays of light in what most of
the rest of the world con-
siders an impending German
catastrophe.
A Berlin commentator cit-
ed the threat which faced
Germany last summer when
“the Western invaders broke
through to Avranches and
could not he stemmed, and
when the Red Army broke
into the central area of the
Eastern Front.”
“Our perseverance saved
ns then and it will save us
again,” he said. Other com-
mentators are apparently
hoping to quiet the fears on
the German home front by
claiming that reserves are
being rushed up, defense lin-
es are being formed, count-
er-attacks are underway,
and disengaging movements
are proceeding according to
plan.
Berlin agreed with Mosc-
ow on only one point: “This
time the Soviets are out for
a final decision.”
Writing jn the Soviet Army
newspaper, Red Star, Ilya
Ehrenberg declared, “Berlin
is still alive, hut it has not
long to live.”
“Meanest Man In Town!”
Citizens in Omaha, Neb.,
say the meanest man in
town is the unidentified low-
life who swiped a steak from
a local icebox and later sent
hack the hone.
GI PHOTO 07 THE WEEK
STREET SCENE
A carton of cigarettes and a free 8 X 10 enlargement this week go to Capt.
E. A. Grabar stationed with the Medical Corps here for his photo of a street scene
in. downtown Reykjavik.
BROOKLYN SOLDIER WRITES
PRIZE-WINNING ESSAY
The following essay, written by Pvt. Iscidore Rubin
of Brooklyn, N.Y., won first prize in a recently-con-
cluded contest in the Mediterranean Theater on the
subject: “What Victory Means To Me.” We thought
you might like to read it-
At the moment, it’s /difficult to think of victory as
meaning anything but,an end to fear, to loneliness and
death, and a chance to go back to pick up the strands
of interrupted lives. Henceforth, each simple pleasure,
each right we always took so lightly will take on rich
meaning. We know what it cost to keep them, and we
know too that we’ve really earned a share in them.
But victory means much more. With victory we stand
on the threshold of limitless- inventions and comforts.
We possess the resources to extend our horizons in every
field of endeavor and every aspect of human relations.
However, ancient and stubborn enemies are still to be
conquered. Enemies which must be overcome not by
armies, but by minds and hearts and talents set wholly
free- Such enemies are poverty, insecurity, prejudice, dis-
unt-y. These too shall be conquered. For we have begun
to think more deeply and more dynamically. And if we
sweep aside untold obstacles to smash the most ruth-
lessly efficient machine of destruction ever devised, surely
we possess the vision and the practical genius to organize
for peace, security, and a world designed lor living. Till
now, many have ruled because of accident of birth or
power of wealth. But throughout the world, the unfit,
the weaklings, and the traitors are falling by the way-
side; New leaders are rising from the people—those who
never sold their heritage of courage, faith, and simple
human dignity.
With victory we shall have destroyed those who would
have enslaved the world. Our sacrifices have been great,
but we have won the. opportunity to emerge from the
animal kingdom and enter the kingdom of man. 1 look
forward to living in such a world.
“NOTHING TO WGRkY
ABOUT, THE DEPTH
CHARGE CAN’T GO
OFF”—BUT IT DID
Hearing a buzzing sound
behind him, the pilot of a
combat cargo plane flying
from India to China, investi-
gated and found that the
noise was coming from a
depth charge which made
up part of the cargo.
Asked what to do, the
plane’s home base replied:!
“Nothing to worry about.
Depth charge can’t go off.”
But when the buzzing con-
tinued, the pilot decided to
act. Leaving the co-pilot to
handle the plane, he opened
the transport door and push-
ed the depth charge over-
board. It exploded almost!
immedialelv.
-
Soon after, the ground
radio called the plane again, j
I “Mistake made on previous
message,” said a voice.
“Drop defective depth
charge immediately. Explos-
ion possible.”
Newpaper Ads In
Houston, Tex., Arc
Oflering Babies For Sale
In Houston, Tex., hundr-
eds of babies are being ad-
vertised for sale in the local
newspapers. Mrs. Margaret
Markle, probation officer
here declared recently. She
said that in one case a baby
was sold for $132 and later
resold for $216.
Vets Getting Pensions
At the close of 194-1, a to-
tal of 208,510 veterans of
i World War II were receiv-
■ ing pensions for service-con-
| nected disabilities-
NAZIS REMOVE DOG TAGS FROM AM. PWs,
THEN THREATEN TO SHOOT THEM AS SPIES
How treacherous an en-
emy the German is may be
gathered from a method
which he is now employing
to extract information from
American prisoners-of-war.
A CNS report stales that the
Nazis firs), strip their cap-
tives of all identification,
including passes, dog tags
and identification cards.
I
Then they set up an opening
for an escape. When the Am-
erican takes advantage of
the opening, he is “tailed”
arid recaptured before lie can
reach his own lines. Then
the Germans threaten to
shoot him as a spy, unless
he gives them the informa-
tion they want.