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With Our Boys and Girls GirlsIN Girlsc , l c . , IN the UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES Sgt William Walker Wntes Writes WntesFrom WritesFrom WritesFrom From European uropean TheaterThe Theater The following followmg letter was received re recelved received celved ceived this week from Sgt Wll Wil Wllham Wilham Wilham ham Walker who was at a restcamp rest restcamp restcamp camp in m Fiance following followmg some somerough somerough somerough rough service in the front linesFrance lines lmes France Fob Feb 26 26Dear 26Dear 26Dear Dear Bish Blsh BishI BlshI BishI I have been going gomg to write wnte for forsome forsome forsome some time but you know how howIt howit howit It goes You think well I 111 III 11 walt wait waltand waitand wai waiand < and write wnte tomorrow and tomorrow to tomorrow tomorrow morrow never comes So I I11 I11write 11write 11 11wnte ] wnte write today todayI I want to thank you for the the.home thehome thehome .home home . home paper You don t know knowwhat knowwhat knowwhat ; what it 11 means to a fellow to getit get get'It gelit , 'It It ' it even if it s two or three threeImonths threemonths threemonths Imonths months old it s still news That Thatright iright s sInght right I got one yesterday datedin dated datedm datecin Inght m in December but I enjoyed it as asmuch asmuch a ; much as if it had just come offthe off offthe ofthe ! the pressRight press pressRight Right now I am at a rest camhere camp camphere caim cam p : here in 111 France I did see plenty plent plentyof plentof plentyof y of action in m Luxembourg Bel BelglUm Belgium Belgium glUm gium and into mto Germany It was wasa waa wa s ; sm a damn tough campaign frorr from fromstart fromstart m start to finish flmsh The weather waf was wa wasthe wathe s the worot wort " , we had to contenc contend contendwith contendwith with to my notion The snow snowwas sno snowas snowwas w was from 14 to 18 inches deep deepWhile deepWhile deepWhile While you were digging dlggmg a fox foxhole foxhole foxhole hole the wind wmd would blow snowin snow snowm snowin m in about as fast as you could dig digIt diiit di diit gd g It out We had to put straw and andpme an anpine ancpine d pme pine boughs over it after we did didget di diget dieget d dv get it finished fmlshed fmished to keep the snow snowout snowout snowout v out Sometimes the men would wouldabout woul woulabout wouleabout d ds about freeze up and the fellows fellow fellowsthat fellowthat fellowithat s that could get out of theirs theirswould theirswould theirswould would go around and help the theothers th thothers thothers e ( others outDue out _ _ Due to army drmy regulatIom regulations regulationscan regulations I Ican ' . can t tell much of what happened happen happened I ed in combat but we did maka mak make makea e ( a good account . { ) tit of f ourselvesYou ourselves ' You can t beat the Amcncar Amencan Amcrica Amencanarmy Amcricaarmy n I army any placeI placee place I heard about McBcth McBeth Scharf Schar Scharfand Scharand f . I and that was tough to take One OneIthlng On Onthing Onthing e ( thing that makes mah.es mahes . me feel good goodthough goodthough goodthough Ithlng ! though we are getting gettmg about abou aboutIflVe aboufive aboufive t five times hmes as ri many any of them IflVe I don t t know how long I wil will willbe wilbe 1 be hel heie here e in the rest area but I : Ihope hope its it s long enough to regaira regama regaina regam regain a little httle weight welgh't welght ' I lost while m mcombat r rcombat ircombat q , combat I am in the Red Cros Cross Crossand s ; /combat combat / and the line Ime is forming formmg 'for for 'fordoughnuts 'fo fo 'fodoughnuts * ' fodoughnuts r ) doughnuts and coffee and that s i a treat here and I can t miss It ItYours itI itYoursBILL 'a a I ' Yours YoursBILL BILL BILLHas Has lias Seen Extensive 'denSlve denSlve ' ServiceOn ServiceOn Service ServiceOn On USS CowpensSeaman CowpensSeaman Cowpens CowpensSeaman Seaman First Class Dale V VPeterson VPeterson VPeterson Peterson son of Mrs H S Rut Rutledge Rutledge Rutledge ledge has seen very heavy com corn combatant cornbatant cornbatant batant service in the Pacific as asa asa asa a member of the crew of theUSS the theUSS theUSS USS Cowpens This carner carrier carnerhas carrierhas carrierhas has had a brilliant bnlliant record andevery and andevery andevery every member of its crew hasbeen has hasbeen hasbeen been highly commended SinceJan Since Smce Jan 22 1944 Seaman Petersonhas Petersonhas Peterson has been stationed on this ship shipand shipand shipand and following followmg is a resume of theoperations the theoperations theoperations operations in m which he has taken tak taken en part partJan partJm Jan Jm : 22 1944 QualifiedShellback Qualified QualifiedShellback Shellback ( crossed the equatorthis equator equatorthis this date ) Feb 25 Served on onboard board Cowpens during durmg mvaslOn invasion invasionof invasionof of Marshall islands 28 Jan 1944 1944to to 4 Feb 1944 during durmg operations opera tions against agamst Truk island 16 17 17Feb Feb 1944 and during opera operations operations tIons against agamst Marianas Islands islands22 22 Feb Fob 1944 23 March 1944 1944Certified Certified entitled enhtled to Asiatic ASlahc Pa Pacific Pacific clflc cific campaign medal for serviceat service serviceat at Cowpens24 sea on board USS Cowpens 24 March 1944 Crossed International Inter International International national date line lme this tillS date 25 25March 25March March 1944 Qualified Quahfled Shell Shellback Shellback back ( crossed the equator this thisdate thisdate date ) ) 6 April 1944 Served on onboard onboard board Cowpens during durmg task taskforce Iboard force operations against agamst Palau Palauisland Palauisland Island 30 March 1944 Yap IS island land 31 March 24 April Apnl 1944 1944ParticIpated 1944Participated 1944Participated ParticIpated in the invasion of New Guinea Gumea 21 23 April Apnl 1944against 1944 1944agamst 1944against agamst against Truk Ponape and Sata Satawan Satawan wan islands 29 April Apnl to 1 May May2 2 May 1944 Served on board boardCowpens boardCowpens Cowpens operations1 during dunng operations 1 June 1944 Serving Servmg beyondthe beyond beyondthe beyondthe the continental contmental limits l1mlts of theUnited the theUmted Umted United States this date 15 June June1944 1944 Served on Cowpens dur durmg during during mg ing againstMarianas task force operations agamst against Mananas Marianas islands ( ( Saipan Smpan Tm Tin Tinran Tinian Ian ran and Pagan-pre Pagan pre Pagan - pre In\ In Inas in invasionstrikes \ as anon IOn stnkes strikes ) 1114 11 14 June 1944 17 17June 17June June 1944 Served on Cowpensduring Cowpens durmg during task force operatIons operationsagainst against the Bonin Bonm islands ( Iwo ( ( Iwo IwoJima 'against against ' Jlma Jima and Chichi Jima Jlma ) ) 1516 15 16 [ ( Continued Contmued on last page - - With Our Boys in the theArmed theArmed Armed ForcesContinued Forces ForcesContinued ( ( Continued Contmued from first page ) ) June 8 July 1944 Served on onboard onboard board Cowpens during durmg invaSIOn invaSIOnof invasionof invasionof of Saipan Salpan islands and during duringsupporting duringsupporting supportIng strikes against agamst the theMarIanas theMarianas theMarianas MarIanas isl islinds Ishnds mds ( Guam Tin TinlaIV Tinian Tinian laIV ian , Rota and Pagan ) 17 June to to4 4 July His performance of duty dutyIn dutyin In these actions achons against agamst the en enemy enemy encmy emy reflects credit upon lumseIf himself lumseIfand himselfand himseliand and the naval section Partlci Partici Partlcipated Participated Participated pated in m naval operations durmg during durmgpre duringpre duringpre pre invasion strikes against agamst Pal Palau Palau Palau au islands 6 8 September 1944 1944Engaged 1944Engaged 1944Engaged Engaged in m naval operatIons operatIonsagamst operationsagainst operationsagainst agamst against the following islands of ofthe ofthe olthe the Philippine PluhpPIne group Mll1dan Mirldan Mll1danao Mirldanao Mindanao ao ( Digon Dlgon Cagayan ) Negros NegrosCebu NegrosCebu NegrosCebu Cebu Mactan Mindanao ( Sara Saraagam Saraagani Saraagam agam agani BaiZamboango BayZamboango Bai Bay Ba ) Luzon ( Manial Mamal Ba Bay Zamboango ) Taeoi TacOl Tacoi Masbate 9 924 24 September 1944 PartIclpat Participat Participated PartIclpated ed in naval operations against againstCelebes againstCelebes againstCelebes Celebes N NEI E I and Halmahera HalmaheraIslands Halmaheraislands Halmaheraislands Islands of the Moluccas group 15 group15 16 September 1944 Partlci Partrci Partlcipated Partrcipated Participated pated in naval operations operationsagainst operationsagainst operationsagainst against the enemy Nansei Nansel Shoto ShotoSakIshIma ShotoSakishrma ShotoSakishima ( ( SakIshIma Sakishrma island ) ) 10 October OctoberLuzon OctoberLuzon OctoberLuzon Luzon ( Aparn AparrI ) ) 10 November NovemberFormosa NovemberFormosa NovemberFormosa Formosa ( Reigaryo Relgaryo Kato Kagl Kagi Kagi)10 Kagi10 ) 10 12 December 1944 Repulsed Repulsedenemy Repulsedenemy Repulsedenemy enemy air attacks on 12th 13th 13th14th 13th14th 13th14th 14th 15th 16th and 17th Octo October Octoher Octoher ber her 1944 Participated in action actionagaInst actionagainst actionagainst agaInst the Japanese fleet 25 26 26October 26October 26October October 1944 Participated In Innaval innaval innaval naval operations against north northern northern northern ern Luzan and Manila Mamla bay 5 20 20November 20November 20November November 1944 Participated m in minvaSion ininvasion ininvasion invaSion of Mmdoro PhilIp PhilIppine Philippine Philippine pine islands 1416 14 16 December December1944 1944 Commended by command commandIng commanding commanding Ing officer for heroic perform performance performance performance ance of duty during durmg a typhoonin typhoonm typhoon m in Philippine Phlhppme sea on 17 18 De December December December cember 1944 Participated in na naval naval naval val operations against agamst the en enemy enemy enemy emy Formosa ( attack ) 3 4 Jan January January January uary 1945 Luzon ( invasion ) 6 68 8 January French Indo China ChinaSaigon ChinaSaigon ChinaSaigon 61 ( Saigon Tourane ) 12 13 Janu January January January ary China Chma ( Canton Amoy Arnoy Swa Swa16 16 Januar January Formosa ( attack attack)21 attack21 ) 21 January Nansei Nansel Nanser Shoto ( Ryu Ryutow Ryutow Ryutow tow ) and Hong Kong island 15 15kus 15kus 15kus kus group ) 22 January During Duringthe Duringthe Duringthe the period of operations 1 25 25January 25January 25January January 1945 the Third fleet fleetwas fleetwas fleelwas was in 111 the South China sea and andNansel andNanser andNansei Nansel Nanser Shoto area The secre secretary secretary secretary tary of the navy highly com corn commends cornmends cornmends mends and says all hands again againtake againtake againtake take hats off to the Third fleet fleetCommander fleetCommander fleetCommander Commander Third fleet passe passes passesalong passesalong ; along adding To every offIcer offIcerand officerand officeand ! and man in m the Third fleet It Itwas itwas i1was was an all hands evolution wel well welldone welldone : done ( Cowpens first comba combatant combatant combatant tant carrier to enter South SouthChma SouthChina Soutl-China Soutl China - Chma China sea in this tlus thus war ) |