OCR Text |
Show LEia FREE See Hrp Private Hargrove! nunun nargrove -- - .V. .i..1'-;u-i Edward Tbom TH Marten lwUm Bartrav. letara of 0 CkirlotU (N. C.) Newi, hat sorted his story el a private Ul in couth-lo- p the army y rlvtaf prospective some sclid advice on what court to pursue the dys and nijhu before induction. Ho advises them to "pilot the town red." Oa lettim Into the army ae tells them "to keep your mind open" ai th.- "first three weeks are the hardest." like a Job in civil life, says it's the first impression that Har-(rov- e, counts. Ho has received his own Induction notice and with a number of other has completed the lrst day at camp. He Is stationed at Fort Brass, N. Carolina. CHAPTER II stuck his head through our new dormitory and whistle. "Nine gave a sharp o'clock!" he yelled. "Lights out and no more noise! Go to sleep!" "It has been, withal, a very busy day," I said to Piel, who was buried with his hay fever in the next A soldier the door of bunk. "It sure withal has," he said. "What a day! What a place! What a life! With my eyes wide open I'm dreaming!" "It's been a little hellish out today," I agreed, "although it could have been worse. We actually saw a corporal and he didn't cuss us. We have eaten Army food twice, and, except for the haphazard way the pineapple was thrown toward the peas, it wasn't horrifying." "I am broken and bleeding," moaned Piel. "Classification tests, typing tests, medical examinations. E The old sergeant, his face beam-In- ; sweetly, purred, "You are now members of the Army of the United States. Now, damn it, shut up." I think through I walked eighteen miles those medical examinations. It's a good thing this is July. I would have frozen in my treks with all that walking and exposure. Nothing I had on, except a thin little iodine number on my chest." "Funny thing about the medical examination," a voice broke in from down the line. "Before you get it, you're afraid you'll pass. When you go through the examinations, you're afraid you won't." "I noticed that," I said. "I don't have any special hankering for a soldier's life, but I thought when I was going through the hoops this morning that this would be a helluva time for them to back out." "The little fellow who slept down at the end. gotntclback," said a loud whisper froife' across the room. "One of his legs was shorter than the others .He's a lucky dog." "I'll bet heldoeWrthink so," said Piel.. Of the game, P glad it "was Wfri instead of me." A ttark form showed itself in the doorway. "I told you guys ,to shad-daand go to sleep. Do iti" .;;' A respectful silence filled the room for three minutes." ' "Look at me," said Piel. "Won't the folks in Atlanta be proud when they get my letter! Me, Melvin Piel, I'm a perfect physical specimen." Big Jim Hart, the football star whom I had known in high school, 2Vfc.,tafp p ' up. "Don't go Hollywood about it, Piel' ' Just remember, Hargrove's a perfect specimen too. And just two weeks ago, when we were waiting out in front of the armory for the draft board examiners to get there, he had one foot in the grave." "And the other foot?" "That's the one he keeps in his spoke . tncuth." "Yessir," said Piel, "the Army makes men." So we quietly went to sleep. This morning we took the Oath. One of the boys was telling me later that when his brother was inducted w Alabama, there was a tough old sergeant who was having an awful time keeping the men quiet. "Gentlemen," he would beseech them, Quiet, please!" They were quiet curing the administration cf the Oath, after which they burst forth gain The old sergeant, his face beam-to- g sweetly, purred: "You are now Members of the Army of the United States. Now, damn it, SHUT UP." -- MThis morning our first morning the Recruit Reception Center egan when we finished breakfast and started cleaning up our squad-rooA fatherly old Private, who swore that he had been demoted from master sergeant four times, lined us up in front of the barracks and took us to the dispensary. H the line in front of the mess hall gray-haire- d, T- Kfe 1 - naBi ustralia Aborigines o Still Liver in Crude State II arm and applied the virus The only thing that smallpox kept me from keeling over was the hypodermic needle loaded with typhoid germs, which propped up my arm. From the dispensary right we went to a huge warehouse of a building by the railroad tracks. The place looked like Goldenberg's Basement on a busy day. A score of fitters measured necks, waists, inseams, heads, and feet. My shoe size, the clerk yelled down the line, was ten and a half. "I beg your pardon," I prompted, I wear a size nine." "Forgive me," he said, a trifle weary, "the expression is 'I wore a size nine.' These shoes are to walk in, not to make you look like Cinderella. You say size nine; your foot says ten and a half." We filed down a long counter, picking up our allotted khaki and denims, barrack bags and raincoats, mess kits and tent halves. Then we were led into a large room, where we laid aside the vestments of civil life and donned our new garments. While I stood there, wondering what I was supposed to do next, an attendant caught me from the rear and strapped to my shoulders what felt like the Old Man of the Mountain after forty days. "Straighten up, soldier," the attendant said, "and git off the floor. That's nothing but a full field pack, such as you will tote many miles before you leave this man's army. Now I want you to walk over to that ramp and over it. That's just to see if your shoes are comfortable." "With these Oregon boots and this burden of misery," I told him firmly, "I couldn't even walk over to the thing. As for climbing over it, not even an alpenstock, a burro train, and two St. Bernard dogs complete with brandy could get me over it. There was something in his quiet, steady answering glance that reassured me. I went over the ramp in short order. On the double, I think the Army calls it. From there we went to the theater, where we were given intelligence tests, and to the classification office, where we were interviewed by patient and considerate corporals. "And what did you do in civil life?" my corporal asked me. "I was feature editor of the Charlotte News." "And just what sort of work did you do, Private Hargrove? Just give me a brief idea." Seven minutes later, I had finished answering that question. "Let's just put down here, 'Editorial worker.' " He sighed compassionately. "And what did you do before all that?" I told him. I brought in the pubthe licity work, the theater ushering, and the printer's deviling. "Private Hargrove," he said, "the army is just what you have needed to ease the burdens of your existence. Look no farther, Private Hargrove, you have found a home." t S44S Is in sizes 10. U. 14. clothes or build a shelter other and 10. Sue 11 dress takes 3 yards than a windbreak, says Collier's. kvh material. Jacket lis yards. These people have always been Due to an unusually large demand and looked upon as little more than Current war conditions, slightly more animals. In fact, up to 40 years time is required in filling orders for a lew ago, a settler merely required a! of the most popular pattern numbers. Send your order to: permit to "shoot, poison or other--i Pattern No 16. IB 39 wise yawned and went away, telling us what would happen if we did likewise. He returned soon in a truck. He motioned peremptorily to us and we loaded the cans into the truck. Away we went to headquarers companyand painted more garbage cans. It was definitely suppertime PATTERN DEPT. HI New Montgomery Street Calif. Saa Francisco Enclose 20 cents in coins for each pattern desired. SEWING Pattern "IfT'I-- r 2m Size No Double Knockouts Dooley, at Lisk Of the seven professional Amer ican prize fights that ended in a double knockout, the last occurred during the welterweight bout be tween Pat Kissinger and Al Dor lac in Memorial Hall in Kansas City on April 7, 1941, says Col lier's. In the third round, both boys landed knockout blows simul taneously and went down together for the count of ten. i ' Mother's Tree The white birch has been officially chosen by the American Forestry association as the tree to be planted as a memorial to mother. t. er Dozens of Uses YOU'LL find dozens and dozens for this sleek sports ensemble. Grand for your figure and summer sports. And Nary a Drop Was Spilt Along the Way L-- Scottish couple had moved from their country cottage into a modern house. All their goods and chattels arrived safely with exception of the rain tub. After the wife had pleaded with her husband that this was an asset to her household, he said he would go and get it that evening. As he had not arrived home at 12:30 a. m. his wife became wor ried. At 1:15 a. m. the back gate slammed and there was a dull thud. In a few seconds the door opened to reveal a dishevelled and perspiring man, who remarked: . , j J i ..-- . n. ve au juu wn:.f Hie, iass, lit toob. Thee didn't tell me it were A young Lr.J J Li TT The U. S. Gorwumant has aakod us all to do verrthing posaiblo to confer fueL By serving Kellogg's Cora Flake frequently yon can affect important savings in also tricity, gas and other cooking fuels. Save fme-work-o- FLAKES P iff in m( t IWIogr'i Cent Flakes srs fostered to WHOLE VUIEJ of Thiamia (Vitaroii Bi), Niada sad Iron. tsa gold-brickin- g. iJu IF i q) y a ir rvn g, TO HOME CANNERS The Glass Top Seal Fruit Jar Cap for Home Canning was developed m a Wartime product to conserve metal. It consist! of a Metal Band. Glasa Lid and Rubber Ring. Because of the difference in the nature of these three materials this Cap must be used differently from any other fruit jar cap. If used properly it will give excellent results. If not used properly, results will be bad, failure to seal and breakage of jars. Following are simple instructions for use of the Glass Top Seal Cap and must be followed carefully. ing 1. Do NOT use in Oven Canning. 2. If processing, (cooking in jar), leave 1 inch space in top of jar. If using open kettle, leave 54 inch space in top OttSLD r of jar. 3. Fit rubber around projection on bottom side of lid. 1 1251 ls?? 4. Place lid so rubber lies between lid and top edge of jar. 5. Turn bands tight, then loosen slightly (about turn). Bands must fit loosely during processing (cooking). This is Important and must be done to insure best results. If using Open Kettle, screw bands tight as soon as jar is filled. o s, For emBltte eaaalat lntritctloM seas cata for yaw cT of tt Ball Bio Bak 6. After processing, screw bands tight to complete seal. Remove bands 12 hours after canning. DO NOT TURN FILLED JARS UPSIDE DOWN Csaaaa luncia, India, U. 5, Ball Brotbara semi-skille- d This Information Is pnbliaheo! ia the Interest of home and conservation of food. canning and preset-ration C BALL BROTHERS COMPANY MUNCIE, INDIANA, U. ther foods, tool CORN . citizen-soldier- kill" them at wilL CIKCLE Name Address by now. "Now can we go home, Private sir?" asked Lisk. I looked every time the blindness left me, and I could see the boy was tired. The private sighed wearily. "Git in the truck," he said. Away we went back to our street. We stopped in front of our barracks and Private Dooley dismounted. "The truck driver," he said, "would appreciate it if you boys would go and help him wash the truck." We sat in the back of the truck and watched the mess hall fade away behind us. Two, three, four miles we left it behind us. We had to wait ten minutes before we could It took us fifteen get the wash-piminutes to wash the truck. By the time we got back to the mess hall, we were too tired to eat. But we ate. -t- aIt was through no fault of mine that I was a kitchen policeman on my sixth day. The whole barracks got the grind. And it was duty, not punishment. It was all very simple, this KP business. All you have to do is to get up an hour earlier, serve the food, and keep the mess hall clean. After we served breakfast, I found a very easy job in the dining hall, where life is much pinker than it is in the kitchen. A quartet was formed and we were singing "Home on the Range." A corporal passed by just as I hit a sour note. He put the broom into my left hand, the mop into my right . . . There was a citizen-soldifrom Kannapolis to help me clean the cooks' barracks. For a time it was awful. We tried to concentrate on the floor while a news broadcaster almost tore up the radio trying to decide whether we were to le in the Army ten years or twenty. We finished the job in an extremely short time to impress the corporal. This, we found later, is a serious tactical blunder and a discredit to the ethics of The sooner you finish a job the sooner you start in on the next. The corporal liked our work, unfortunately. Kannapolis was allowed to sort garbage and I was promoted to the polishing section. I was Themos Kokenes' assistant. He washed and I dried. Later we formed a goldbricking entente. We both washed and made Conrad Wilson dry. Pollyanna the glad girl would have found something silver-line- d about the hot sink. So did I. "At least," I told Kokenes, "this will give me back a chance to recover from that mop." When I said "mop," the mess sergeant handed me one. He wanted to be able to see his face in the kitchen floor. After lunch he wanted the back porch polished. -- mWe left the Reception Center mess We This was a lovely morning. hall a better place to eat in, at all devoted and at daybreak began the time until noon to enjoying the beauties of nature. We had a drill sergeant to point them out to us. We marched a full twenty miles without leaving the drill field. Lunch, needless to say, was delicious. We fell into bed, after lunch, determined to spend the afternoon in dreamland. Two minutes later, that infernal whistle blew. Melvin Piel, A, guardhouse lawyer for Company explained it all on the way downstairs. We were going to be assigned to our permanent stations. I fell in and a corporal led us off down the street. I could feel the California palm trees fanning my face. We stopped at Barracks 17 and the corporal led us inside. "When you finish cleaning those "Do we go to California, cor- cans, I want to be able to see my poral?" I asked. face in them." "Naah," he said. "Where do we go?" I asked him, any rate. But KP is like a woman's work never really done. Conrad a little disappointed. "To the garbage rack," he said. Wilson marked one caldron and at "Double quick." He thumbed John- the end of the day we found that we of the had washed it twenty-twtimes. ny Lisk and me to the back barracks. me up the Jack helped Mulligan At the garbage rack we found last ten steps to the squadroom. I three extremely fragrant garbage finally got to the side of my bunk. cans. Outside, we found more. Lisk "Gentlemen," I said to the group stared at and I, around to scoop me to which gathered don't ever want to them. The overcheerful private "I off the floor, whom we were assigned told us, see another kitchen!" "When you finish cleaning those, I The next morning we were clas want to be able to see my face in sifted and assigned to the Field Arthem!" Center. Gene no accounting for tillery Replacement "There's I were classified as and Shumate tastes," Lisk whispered.andNeverthe- cooks. I am a cook, them polished cleaned less we the only egg I span. they say, although them and left them spick and ever tried to fry was later used as "Now take 'em outside and paint a tire patch. The other cooks in Git "White. em" said the private. clerks, tractor sales elude postal 'HQCO-RRthe' black paint and paint men, railroad engineers, riveters, on both sides of all of them!" bricklayers, and one blacksmith. "This is summer," I suggested. I've But we'll learn. "Wouldn't something pastel look learned to make beds,Already sweep, mop, better?" wash windows and sew a fine seam. The sun was affecting the private. When So Congress lets me go home, will said. he "I think you're right," and lettered I make some woman a good wife! we painted them cream (TO BE CONTINUED) them in brilliant orange. soda-jerkin- Although the white "colonization of Australia began in 1783, the majority of its aborigines still do not know how to cultivate land, make I VI c All afternoon, in a blistering sun, we painted garbage cans. The other Charlotte boys waved to us as they passed on their way to the ball park. Happy voices floated to us from the post exchange. The straw-bos- s private woke up, dwindled as rapidly as the one at the dispensary, life would have loveliness to sell above its private consumption stock. First you're fifteen feet from the door, then (whiff) you re inside. Then you're standbetween two ing orderlies and the show is on. The one on my left scratched my adl-- w IT- y oy STORY SO FAR: PRESS, LEHI, UTAH S. A. I |