Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 13 March 1945 — Page 11

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IN THE MARIANAS ISLANDS— (Delayed) —One three-day pass you'd probably spend it ving on your

thing that might help’ youl visualize’ what life is like out here, is ta realize that even a little island is lots bigger than you think. Thére are many, many thousands of Americans scattered in camps and at airfields and in training centers and harbors’ over’the three islands which we occupy here, “Rarely does a man know many people outside his own special Unit. Even though the islands .are small by our 'standards, they're big enough that the individual doesn't encompass them by any means. It would be as impossible for one man to see or know everything on one of these islands as it would to know everybody In Indianapolis. You could live and work in your section, and never visit another section for weeks or months at a time. And that's exactly what does happen. For one thing, transportation is short. We are still building furiously here, such fast and. fantastic building as you never dreamed of. Everything that runs is being used, and there's little left over just to run around in for fun. And anyhow, there's no place to go What towns there were have been destroyed. There is nothing even resembling a town or city on these islands now. The natives have been set up in improvised camps, but they offer no “city life” attractions.

Like All Destroyed Cities

AS WE drove around one of the islands on my first day here, we went through one of the Marianas towns that had been destroyed by bombing and shelling. It had been a good-sized place, quite modern too in a tropical way. It had a city plaza and municipal buildings and paved streets, and many of the buildings were of stone or mortar. In destruction, it looked exactly as destroyed cities all over Europe look. ‘The same jagged half-standing wails. the stacks of rubble, the empty houses you could see through, the roofless homes, the deep craters in the gardens. There was just one difference. Out here tropical vegetation is lush. And nature thrusts up her greenery so swiftly through rubble and destruction that the ruins now are festooned with vines and green leaves, and it gives them a look of being very old and timeworn ruins, instead of {fresh modern ones, which they are. An American soldier in Europe, even though the towns may be “off limits” to him or destroyed completely, still has a sense of being riear a civilization that is like his own. But. out here there is nothing like that. You are on. an .island The nafives are strange people. Theres no city and no plyre to go. If you had a

Inside Indianapolis By Lowell Nussbaum

BILL SHAW, who lives in Marcy Village, is quite upset because the Monon has discontinued its 5:15 p. m: train to Chicago. Mr. Shaw, who is assistant production manager at E. C. Atkins & Co, used to catch the Monon at the Union Station and, for “a nominal fare, ride to 38th st. Then he would cut across the Deaf school grounds and be home long before his neighbors could make it on the bus . Mrs. C. RH, Regula, 2062 Carrollton, read a comment here the other day about the shortage of white shirts, came right back with: “Try finding some, night shirts—any color. If you do, let me know.” . D. B. ‘Kennedy, a retired grocer, has an idea for helping out °in the tin salvage drive. The idea, prompted by the sight of basket after basket of, tin cans going to the city dump, is provide grocers with wall comm openers. Then, Cusfomers could bring their washed cans there and the grocer Would process, them in his spare time. ‘It might work, but I hate tw think what the average, overworked grocer would have to say about the plan... . Nick Longworth, 744 Woodlawn, a student at Manual, suggests that more

boys and voung men would get up and give streetcar,

and bus seats to women, if the women accepting the seats would be more considerate. Nick got up and gave his seat to a woman on the Beech GroveRaymond bus. the other day. < But did the woman return his thoughtfulness “by offering to hold “his school books and packages? No. She just let him struggle with them. Lots of people are just as thoughtless as she.

I's Aluminum Foil

IF . YOU MANAGE ta beg, barrow or steal a foil, don't think vou've heen gvpped. The reappearance of foil wrapped packages has led smokers to think the packages had been in storage a couple of years and probably were stale, It's not necessarily

World of Science

EITHER THE Japanese metallurgists are very poor technicians or else they have such abundant supplies of alloying elements that they can’ afford to be utterly prodigal with them. This is the conclusion of experts at the Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, O., who have been analyzing captured enemy material for the army, navy “and office of scientific research and development. The Japanese items show an exactly opposite trend to that of the German weapons and armor. Apparently the Germans are hardpressed for copper and for all the important, alloying elements that go into steel alloys. Accordingly they are holding the use of these elements to the very minimum. The significant fact about Jap materiel is the wasteful use made of steels from scrap carrying a high level of residual metails. This indicates a complete indifference to waste of alloying elements, the Battelle metallurgists report.

U.S. Conserves Alloys

EVEN THIS NATION whose ottput.of alloy steels is greater than Japan's total production of steel has felt the need of conserving alloying elements and has developed the so-called “national emergency” or N. E. steels. These make use of smaller percentages of a number of alloying elements in place of higher amounts of one or two,

My Day

RALEIGH, N. C, Monday ~Yesterday, after re ceiving the Canadian Wrens at 10 o'clock, we’ had a number of luncheon- guests. At 3 o'clock I received the graduates from the first group of veterans at‘tending American university who will’work with the disabled American veterans organization.’

In the evening Miss’ Thompson and I left on the night train to ‘come to-:Raleigh., ' We are now. at Josephus Daniels’ house. 1 want to tell you a little about what the American people have been able to do. through the organization’ of Ametioan relief . for Italy. : Last December and January, the first shipments of clothing, milk, - vitamins, medicines and ter supp donaed ty pedple in us sousy

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cot. Eventually, boredom and the * starts to take hold, For that reason the diversions SUpplied by the army are even,more important out here than in Europe. Before I°left America I heard that one island out here had more than-200 outdoor movies on i, 1 thought- whoever told that must be crazy, for’ in Europe the average soldier didn't get a chance to |

‘island complex”

There Are Shows Ever y Night

BUT THE guy wasn’t crazy. These three Marianas islands have a total of 233 outdoor movies on them. And they show every night. Even if it isn't a good ‘movie, it-Kkills the time between supper and bedtime. The theaters are usually on the slope of a hill, forming a natural amphitheater. * The men sit on the ground, or bring their own boxes, or im some of them the ends of metal bomb crates are used for chairs. You can drive along and sometimes you'll pass three movies not more than 300 yards apart. That's mainly because there is not enough transportation to haul the men any distance, so the movie has to come to them. There is lots of other stuff provided besides movies, too. On one island there are 65 theater stages, where soldiers themselves put on “live” shows, or where U. 8. O. troups can perform. Forty pianos have been sé@ttered around at- these places In Europe it was a lucky bunch of soldiers who got their hands on a radio. Over here in these small islands, the army has distributed 3500 radios, and they have a regular station broadcasting all the time, with music, news, shows and everything.

Boxing Proves Popular

THE SPORTS program is big. On one island there are 95 softball diamonds, 35 regular diamonds, 225 vollyball courts and 30 basketball courts. Also there-are 35 boxing arenas. Boxing is very-popular. They've had as high as 18,000 men watching a boxing match. In addition to all this program, which is deliberate and supervised, the boys do a lot to amuse themselves, The American is adept at fixing up any old place in the world to look like home, with little picket fences and all kinds,of Rube Goldberg contraptions inside to make it more livable. “All this-uses up time. Just as an example, the coral sea bottom inside the reef around these islands abounds with fantastic miniature marine life, weird and colorful. Soldiers make glass-bottomed boxes for themselves, and wade out and just look at the beautiful sea bottom I've seen them out there like that for hours, just staring at the sea bottom. At home they wouldn't have gone to an aquarium if you'd built one in their backyard. Pleasures are all Why don't I shut up?

relative. Joy is proportional

By Ernie Pyle

"The Indianapolis

\

SECON D SECTION

TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 1945

PRISONERS OF WAR SOCIETY HERE POOLS’ INFORMATION ABOUT MEN HELD BY JAPS—

Waiting, Hoping, Praying.

(Continued From Page One)

heard of good news for some of their members .,, . news that a few Indiana military men and civilians were liberated after three years’ imprisonment and nearstarvation. ¥ The. society began last June when Mrs. A. E. McConnell, 2838 N. Olney’ st., called together Mrs. Ralph Rumbold, Mrs. William Gochenour, Mrs, Walter Strong, Mrs. Collin Whitehurst and Mrs. R. C. Herring at the Indianapolis Athletic club. ” » » ALL BUT Mrs. Whitehurst had lived in the Philippines before Pearl Harbor and came back to Indianapolis when . women were ordered home, These five, led by Mrs. McConnell, society president, are the backbone of the organization, They are the ones who knew the Yanks would invade the Philippines any time after October because the typhoon: season would prevent a successful landing before this date. They are the ones who could visualize the location and surroundings of prison camps dt Cabanatuan, Davao, Santo Tomas Bilibid and other headquarters. » on » THERE are all kinds of members in the Pacific society, Most of them were notified, however, that their relative was captured after the fall of Bataan or Corregidor or Manila. Mrs, McConnell’'s husband, Col A. E. McConnell, was reported missing after the surrender of Corregidor. She has never heard from him but she still has hope that he is alive. On Feb. 2, 1945, Mrs. McConnell received a long distance call from Chicago and learned that a friend

| on the West coast had talked with

80, says 8. T. Linn of the P. Lorillard Co. He says| nis company--and perhaps some others—has been using government released aluminum foil for several weeks. Incidentally, you can find a clew to the| age of cigarets on the government stamp. Just below | the big “20” on the stamp is the series number, For | instance, series 114 means the stamp was printed in 1944, series 113 means 1943 The cigarets being manufactured now, I'm told, mostly bear the 114 series] stamp. . . . One of my agents noticed a sizable crowd | standing around a tree in University park yesterday and, being a good agent, went over to investigate. He

pointer, The critlfer was pointing a squirrel in the tree. The dog stood frozen to the spot. The squirrel, just high encugh in the tree td be safe, likewise kept quiet a while. Then it got tired and took a short stroll around the tree. Finally, it, was my agent who gave up and left. And 1 nevei did find out| who outwaited who. . . . Seen at Washington and | 1llinoye: A blind mendicant-wal¥mg along with a portable phonograph strapped around his neck. You had to be up close to hear what it was playing.

Modern Youth

HENRY W. MOESCH Jr, a member of the state conservation department's educational division, seldom is stumped for an answer. But he met his match the other day. Mr. Moesch, whose nickname is- Heinie and whose last name is pronounced “Mesh,” was | giving a lecture in a certain sc¥bol here—a school | where emphasis is placed ‘on free expression by the pupils. Heinie- was showihg some slides ang deseribing the jobs of nature when, to his annoyance, a youngster Just inefront of the slide projector began talking to a companion. Heinie stood it as long as| he could. And then, recognizing the lad as the son | of a friend, he tapped him on the shoulder and said: | “Look, skipper, don't. you think it’s rude to whisper when. I'm talking?” The,boy—he was about 10 or 11—] turned around and replied airily: Heinle; I was just telling him how lousy you are.’ Heinie tried, but couldn't restrain a loud guffaw.| He had trouble getting back to his lecture

By David Dietz

d a bird dog which he logically assumed was a|

“Oh, that's okay, L { Phillips,

a nurse on Bataan. Asked "if she knew Col. McConnell, the nurse said yes, that she “knew him well” She said that he and. several other officers went up into the hills a few days before Bataan fell. The colonel was promoted to his present rank after he joined the guerrilla fighters. on » »

MAJ. RALPH RUMBOLD, husband of the society's secretary, sent, his first letter home last week via a liberated ‘ prisoner. It was written Dec. 13, 1944," on ‘the morning of his departure to Japan along with 1600 other officers and enlisted men. During his transfer from the Philippines to the -Japanese mainland, his ship was bombed but he -was not reported a casualty. Maj. Collin B. Whitehurst Jr, whose parents Iive at 1445 N. Delaware st, apt. 102, was at camp No. 1 in the Philippines when he wrote his last card home July 10, 1944. No news has come from him since the Yanks began their liberation. ” n n WHEN" BATAAN “and Corregidor fell, 14 other Indianapolis families were sent the now-famil-iar war department telegram announcing the internment, These messages contained names of Capt. William Gochenour, whose wife is social chair- { ‘man of the society and lives at 410 E. 56th-st.; Pfc. William P. son of Mrs, Elizabeth Phillips, 2424 N. Illinois st.; 1st Lt. Walter S. Strong, son of Mrs. Walter S. Strong,’ 131 E. Fall Creek blvd.; Lt. Ralph C. Herring, whose wife lives at 946 E. Minnesota st.; Capt. Raymond H. Knapp. son of Mr, and Mrs. John

| P. Knapp, 43 N. Vine st.; Pvt.

“Apparently Japan has felt no need for attempting such savings. Unlike the Germans, who have insufficient copper for the production of brass cartridge cases or the use of copper driving bands on shells, the Japs are continuing to make their cartridge cases of brass and| to use copper driving bands. However, analysis of the Japanese materiel shows | a lack of inventive skill such as the Germans have shown

“IN THE MANUFACTURE of highly stressed parts

Milvin Nuckles, son of Mr. and Mrs. M. D. Nuckles, 820 Beecher st.; Pvt. Paul Byers, brother of Mrs. G. W. Hutton, 2839 N. Delaware st., and Hubert Byers, 1260 Eugene st.

\

a 4 8 OTHER HEROES subjected to

i the infamous death march by the

Japs were Pvt. Joseph Marion Garlandy son of Mr. and Mrs. Mike Garland, 914 N. Belmont ve.; Pvt. Rutherford Begley, son

internment

I'he Pacific Prisoners of War Society, . . .

Phillips . . . Killed in ship sinking:

Begley . . . Killed in ship sinking.

Ingels . . . Missing over Kavieng.

Scamman . . . Missing over Rendova.

Atha . . Prisoner in Philippines.

_ Massey . . Prisoner in Philippines.

Ricketts © Prisorier in Tokyo.

Whitehurst . , , Prisoner in Philippines.

of Mr. and Mrs. McKinley Begley, 1233 Bldine ave.; Pfc. Joe Hayden Wheat, son of William -L. Wheat, 3320 Collier st.; Sgt: Roy E. Hampton, son of Mrs. Meivin. C. Frazier, 1641 Ingram si, and Stephen T. Hampton; S. Sgt. Howard Massey, husband of Mrs. Howard J. Massey, R. R. 13, Box 245, Pfc. Leon PF. Atha, husband of Mrs. Jeanette Atha, 1702 Montcalm st., and Pvt. John W. Dorrell, son of W.. G. Dorrell, 3280 N. Bancroft st. n » » OF THESE, two are now dead. Pvt. Phillips and Pvt. Begley were held in camp No. 2 until August, 1944. Then a Japanese freighter carried them and 748 other American prisoners to Japan. On Sept. 7 this ship was sunk by torpedoes off the west coast of Mindanao. Few of the prisoners had an opportunity to leave the sinking ship, and those who did were fired ony by the enemy.

Le-¥

of airplane engines,” they report, “the Japs sometimes

show their lack of great experience with technology and precision manufacture.

“A glaring example is the deep stenciling of serial | numbers on lightly polished airplape connecting rods. This shows a lack of understanding of the effects of stress conrentration. The more erudite Germans would never be guilty of such a blunder. “Japanese ball bearings of conventional composition, but with improper heat treatment, have also been found. It appears that the Japs are heating small articles en masse’ in quenching and tempering and assuming that each piece is uniformly heated. However, their “inspection is inadequate to pick out | pieces not properly treated, “Outside of certain glaring examples, Jap work-| manship is generally adequate, although much more| hand Work is done than in more industrialized coun- | tries.”

|

By Eleanor R —

were distributed to the six provinces of central Italy most damaged by the war-—Pescara, Chieti, Aquila, Campobasso, Littoria and Frosinone. The allied armies and the allied commission helped with trans portation when. it- was not available by train,

More than one-fifth of ‘the total population’ of these provinces was provided with clothing, which was distributed on the basis of four garments and a pair of shoes to esch individual. In this Way 128,030 men, 133,164 women, 72,352 boys, 72,768 girls and 85,422 "infants were helped. . The distribution was made without regard ta race, nationality, - religion or political belief... Later, distributions of supplies were made in Foggia, in the districts of Naples, and in the province of Rome.

This relief has been ' continuing systematically. The February. shipments alone are estimated to have | been 3,000,000 pounds, so I think we may feel that Italy has'had some tangible evidence of our interest in the People’s Weliate, 3 »

Up Front With Mauldin

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months, from Japan.

Maj. Ralph Rumbold . . . He's been shipped to Japan with 1600 other internees after three years in a Philippines prison camp. His ship was bombed but he was not a casualty. His wife is secretary of the Pacific society.

Garland . .. Prisoner in Japan.

Wheat . . . Interned in Philippines.

Bakery, es Interned in Tokyo.

Hampton... Prisoner _in Japan.

Most ° of Pvt.

them died, Phillips and Pvt. ” » ¥

CAPT. KNAPP is among “the more = fortunate ones,’ He “was among the first 513 allied prisoners to be rescued by the Yanks from Cabanatuan Jan. 30 and already is back in the States. In January, 1941, he was sent to the Philippines, leaving his wife and son in San Antonio, Tex. Two days after Péarl Harbor he was promoted to captain and a few months later he was captured. News also come last month that Capt. Gochenour was freed from Bilibid. The fan himself has written home veral Limes and expects to be back here soon. Five of these Bataan or Corregidor heroes .are known to be in prison campg in Japan. o » n

IN MAY, 1942, Pvt. Dorrell's father was notified that his son was missing in action. A year later he was reported dead. Three days after the second notification the Red Cross reported that Pvt. Dorrell was a Japanese prisoner in the Kawasaki islaid camp No. 5, Tokyo area. It was after the fall of Luzon that Sgt. Hampton was put in prison camp No. 8 iii the Philip- | pines. Later, however, he was | sent’ to Fukuoka camp, island of Honshu, Japan. | Until February, 1943, Pvt. Gar- | land was missing in action. After | he was reported a prisoner in the Philippines, he was taken to | Manchukuo wheré he was allowed to send his family two postcards and a cablegram, Now he is interned in a camp in Japan. “I received your box Dec. 4, 1943, and was most grateful and happy,” Pvt, letter dated Feb. 2, 1045. “Also I | received some American Red Cross | boxes New Year's day..So I had | a fine Christmas and New Year.” But there are others in the Pacific society who mever heard from their son or husband,

including Begley.

LT. GEORGE E. SCAMMAN, a navigator on a B-24, has been missing in action since June 30, 1943, While on .a reconnaisance flight in -the vicinity of Rendoya island, his plane was forced to make a crash landing. It is’ believed that the crew got into life boats. but his wife, Mrs. Mary E. Scamman, 234 Ohmer ave, has

A night invasion over Kavieng, New Ireland, in the South Pacific, | resulted in the —"_— news for

Nuckles wrote in a | |

Col. E. A. McConnell, . . . He's been hiding in the hills on Bataan since 1942, but the war depariment lists him as “missing in action.” His wife is president- of the Pacific Prisoners of War society.

Herring . . Interned in Philippines.

Strong . . . Interned in Philippines.

Nuckles , . . Prisoner in Japan.

Byers . . . Prisoner : in Japan.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Ingels, R. R. 9, Box 482. Their son, marine Lt. Charles L. Ingels, a pilot~-on a bomber, volunteered to participate ‘in this invasion but never came. back. His parents, however, hope to hear from him sometime, perhaps through the Pacific Prisoners of War society.

» » . NAVAL ACTION also has caused the prisoner society to grow. Fireman 2-c¢ Cecil E. Baker, son of Mr. and Mrs. Chester G. Baker, 1638 Carrollton ave., was captured by the Japs during submarine action in the Pacific in May, 1943. Other sub action in the Pacific resulted in the internment of Motor Machinist's Mate Edward Forrest Ricketts, son of Mrs. Beulah Shingleton, 332 Koehne st Both the sailors are held in Tokyo. » n .

TWO MORE naval men

were

captured in the Philippines, but’

no word has heen received about them since the liberation of the various camps there. Pharmacists Mate 1-¢ Ralph C. Koehler, son of Mr. .and Mrs.: Carl Koehler,

> HANNAH

.For News From the Pacific -

It's members have been waiting for three years for good news from the Philippines and, in recent

Reed . . . Freed from , Santo Tomas.

Freed: in Philippines,

Gochenour . . . Liberated from Bilibid.

Shouse . . Freed from Santo Tomas,

Tyson el. “ Liberated in Philippines.

Mrs. Tyson and son... Freed in Philippines.

Koehler . . . Prisoner im’ Philippines,

Dorrell . . . Prisoner + Ir” Tokyo.

7605 Pendleton Pike, was interned in camp 3, Bilibid, after the Japs attacked in 1942. Previously he Jad been on duty at the naval hospital, Canacao, Philippine islands. " The jast word of Pharmacist's Mate 2-¢ Jesse Linville, son of Mrs. Karris E. Linville, 310 E. North st., apt. 6, was a card dated _Jan.- 19, 1943, and sent from headquarters military prison camp No. 3 in the Philippines.

= » »

THE LONE member in a prison camp in Shanghai, China, is ‘Raye mond J, White, brother of Mrs. John Hurley, 6145 Kingsley dr. Mr. White - was captured on Wake island in December, 1941, and since that time has never been able to contact his relatives, More fortunate civilians were Mr. and Mrs. James Douglas Tve son and their young son, James William Tyson; Dwight Shouss and William Philip Reed. They have been liberated and are wait= ing to come home Mr, Tyson's father is James William Tyson, 3546 N. Capitol ave, » = a

MR. SHOUSE, brother of Mrs C. R. Farmer, 3362' Washington blvd., was released Feb. 4, 1945, after three years’ internment at Santo Tomas. He has written his sister that he is “lucky to survive the unbelievable starvation” and that he hopes to re-enter the army as a member of the intelligence service, He served, as assistant military attache to the minister to Switzerland in world war I and can speak seven different languages. ” » n - . from Mr. Reed alse have arrived at the home of his sister,” Mrs. Lester Groth, 3544 N. Temple ave A mining engineer in the Phil« | ippines before his capture Jan, 6, 1942, he was a hostage in the education building on the Santo Toe mas campus. : During his first year of interns ment, Mr. Reed wrote his sistgr I’ that he had had an appendectomy |. and was released from the prisop | for four months to recover and live with friends. The last two years of his imprisonment he worked ‘as a technician in the

LETTERS

| clinical laboratory in Santo To-

| mas.

These letters from liberated

| prisoners are what give all mems« |” pers of the Pacific Prisoners of | War society. Somes i . » + they | hope that some day all

‘boys WA. a