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Show News from Our Washington County People At Service Camps and the Nation's Battle Fronts By MABEL JARYIS Receives Bronze Star Medal On June 4, 1945 in Germany, Lt. Howard A. Morris was awarded award-ed the Bronze Star Medal with a citation commending him for "meritorious service in action from Dec. 10, 1943 to May 6, 1945 in Italy, France and Germany." The citation states further: "As a survey officer of the battalion, bat-talion, Lt. Morris displayed an a g g r e s siveness and willingness which became an inspiration to the battalion and resulted in ex-" ex-" celent work at all times. His reconnaissance of new positions for the battalion, often performed under enemy fire, was of vital assistance to his battalion commander. com-mander. His untiring effort and devotion to duty reflect great credit upon himself and the military mili-tary service." A coincident of the citation was that it was issued by a man of the same family name as the recipient, re-cipient, Major Gen. W. H. H. Morris, the commanding officer. Lt. Morris' wife, Mrs. Roma N. Morris and their small son live in Washington. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clair Morris live in St. George. B B B Graduates Among the July graduates at the Davis Monthan Field. Tucson, Arizona, was Sgt. Loyd A. Hewitt, son of Mr. and Mrs. Don W. Hewitt Hew-itt of St. George. He is now a fully qualified radio operator-gunner on a B-29 Superfortress team, and "Will soon be winging his way over Japan's diminishing empire to' further devastate it by aerial bombardment," says the official report. He and his crewmates belong to the fourth B-29 class to graduate gradu-ate from Davis Monthan Field, and achieved a high standard of training proficiency. They were trained by veteran fliers who learned their lessons in enemy skies. The graduates have been hardened for battle by long missions mis-sions under simulated combat condition. con-dition. Sgt. Hewitt graduated from the Woodward high school in May, 1941 and was employed as an aircraft air-craft template engineer before entering military service in July, 1943. His wife, Arida, lives in Ogden. BBS Returns to Post Cpl. DeWayne Schmutz returned return-ed last week to his newly assigned post at Albuquerque, N. M. after spending four days in St. George with his wife, Shirley Schmutz and their infant daughter, Sue Anne, whom he had just moved down from Ogden. They have been living with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Seth Harper, but will remain in St. George. Until recently Cpl. Schmutz has been training with B-17 Flying Fortresses. He has now been assigned as-signed to the B-29 Super Fortress and says the job is much more exciting. He expects to receive at least eight weeks of schooling at the Alburquerque post. nun Philippine Explorers Exploring and pioneering in grimmest reality are playing major ma-jor roles in the retaking of the Philippine Islands from the Japs. With the 31st Infantry or "Dixie" division engaged in this terrific struggle are six Utah boys, one of them Pfc. Clarence J. "Clare" Brooks of St. George. He is a son of Postmaster and Mrs. William Wil-liam Brooks of St. George. In the longest inland water thrust of the Philippine campaign, the six Utah Infantrymen were carried 80 miles up the twisting Agusan River and its tributaries with their 31st division unit, "to deny the Japs a place of refuge even in Mindanao's mesquito infected in-fected swamps," says the report. ' In less than two weeks their combat teams had accounted for more than 100 of the enemy in scattered contacts. They found no head hunters or crocodiles as they had expected. Instead there were hundreds of organized guerillas, eager to aid in ousting the enemy. Artillery pieces were hauled off barges up the steep river bank, tons of supplies were unloaded by hand, and a muddy banana grove became be-came a base camp. Rain was needed almost daily to make the upper reaches of the shallow river navigable for the 20 shallow bottom barges. Hut the mission of the GI's and their Filipino comrades-in-arms in this remote spot remained the same -"to slay until their objective of cleaning out all of tne Japs was accomplished," accom-plished," say the officers. Bond Drive in Pacific Seeing pictures of the Washington Washing-ton county War Bond queens in recent issues of the News brought this comment from Chief Pharmacist Pharm-acist Richard C. Morris, to his mother, Mrs. Nettie K. Morris of St. George. "Here's a little mark that the citizens of St. George might like to shoot at. In the 7th War Bond Drive held on the Island, our medical department won the drive with over a 500 per cent showing. The island as a whole had an almost 300 per cent rating. As to queens, he admits that it has been so long since most of the men there have seen women wo-men that if the "Hunchback of Notre Dame were put up for queen, we would all probably vote for him." Fishing there is good in a way. Four of them caught around 40 fish in a couple of hours. However, How-ever, "they don't put up a fight here like our Utah trout do, so I don't get as much fun out of it," he says. And reading of the part the "Iowa" is playing in the shelling off the coast of Japan, he feels plenty lucky. He came near being assigned to that ship but figures he is doing better at the island base and says he can't complain at the duty, but would like to trade some of their wet heat for the dry burnng heat of Dixie. B B B Receives Citation Sticking to one's gun is an order of long usage. Commendation Commenda-tion for doing just that was received re-ceived recently by Lester Blake. Slc of the U. S. S. Montpelier, and son of Mr. and Mrs. Royal Blake of St. George. His citation from Harry M. Hoffman, captain of the U. S. Navy, reads: "As a member of a 40 mm gun crew, on November 27, 1944, in Leyte Gulf, Philippine Islands, when your ship was attacked by four diving enemy planes in quick succession, you remained at your gun and kept firing until all four enemy planes were shot down and crashed close aboard. "You are commended for your courage and fighting spirit at your battle station in the face of the enemy. A copy of this letter will be placed in your official records." B B H Brothers Meet In Philippines News a month to six weeks late is still very acceptable "away out here in the Philippines," wrote Wendell Hall of Hurrincane, Carpenter's Car-penter's Mate 2c with the Sea-Bees, Sea-Bees, in a recent letter. He receives re-ceives his copy of the News regularly. reg-ularly. During the first part of July he was surprised one afternoon to see his brother, Pvt. Roland Hall, come walking up the road. Roland Ro-land is with the Para Glider- Infantry. In-fantry. Though they hadn't seen each other for a long time, each knew through letters that the other was on the island, and incidentally, in-cidentally, that both had landed the same day at different ports. The two were joined by another Hurricane boy, Duaine Neilson, who took them for a ride on the I ocean so they might enjoy more privacy. There were many things to discuss. On the evening of July 12, 45 boys met at the tent of R.cx D. Terry SClc of St. George, from where they went to the beach and spent the evening swimming, eating eat-ing and visiting, and listening to musical numbers by both American Ameri-can and Fillipino boys. In closing he says, "So far, I have heard no comment on one part of your paper, so I'm going to mention it. I really like the heading design which you use on the front page. I think it pictures so well the thrift and industry, the beauties of nature, and the importance of their religion to the people, indicating aptly that in Washington county is found everything necessary for complete and happy living. In all my travels, I haven't seen any place which would rate so highly with me." |