OCR Text |
Show January, 1945 THE CENTERVILLE Service News and Notes From the Mail Bag Franklin E. Walton, Jr., writes from Luke Field, Arizona: All of you certainly deserve a couple of Oak Leaf Clusters for the grand work you are doing. We, even though we are comparatively close to home, really enjoy this newsy little paper, but we feel that our appreciation is only a drop in the bucket to that felt by those who are overseas. To help make sure this paper continues to reach across the seas, we want to add this check to the other contributions you have received. Thanks again and best wishes to you all. A former Centerville resident, Lt. Col. E. W. Barber, writes a welcome letter from his post on For some months Guadalcanal: Ive intended dropping a note to you and your staff in appreciation of the fine job you are doing with Centervilles own little paper. Mother and Dad Barber have sent me a copy each month and it has been a source of pleasure to read some of the things happening in the old town and renew acquaintance with many old friends of years past. Many pfus still like to consider ourselves native sons of Centerville, although, as in my case, nearly twenty years have elapsed since Ive had more than brief visits there with the family. I have vivid and happy recollections of working for Henry Cleveland when his farm was one of the garden spots of the county and vying with Milton Smith and Austin Duncan for a spot on the baseball team which usually left me benched until, or.e or the other sprained His ankle. From this distance Guadalcanal it is probably safe to confess that a number of the good citizens there were just as happy when I went away to school because I am pretty certain there were fewer melons missed from the farms along the upper road and less chickarees held at night up in the sand hollow above Tingeys. Nearly three years in the Army and a large part of it overseas certainly bring an appreciation of the happier days of peace and plenty in a town as typically American as Centerville. Her effort and record in this war is enviable and it is with real pride I wish my the Seasons best wishes and a hope for an early successful conclusion of the war. fellow-townsfol- ks splinters flying around to convince her shes still in action. The Avenger was mopping up on the airfield when she ran into a buried bombs. The cluster of three 100-ldetonators were up and the explon sion that followed lifted this monster high into the air and set her down 30 feet away, facing the opposite direction. Says Cpl. Milton Kovensky of Brooklyn, who was gunner on the tank, It must have been a terrible explosion because I was knocked cold and came to a day later on board a ship bound for a rear base hospital. All the tanks were firing in all directions, spraying bushes and surrounding hills. A hail of Japanese grenades, mortar and machine-gu- n fire came down upon us. The quiet little jungle spot soon became a section out of Hades. Junior was a member of the crew of The Avenger at the time this incident took place and is now recuperating at a base hospital in New Guinea. b. 32-to- Three others of our service men were home for short furloughs since our last issue. Jarvis Miles, Navy; Art Harris and Ed White, Army. Pvt. Harris is stationed at the University of Utah for ASTP. Home on furlough last month was 2nd Lt. Dwight F. Walton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Franklin E. Wal- ton. a navigator on a Dwight enlisted in the Army Air Corps February 2, 1943, and went first to CDT at the University of Tennessee. Then he was at Nashville; Maxwell Field, Ala., for preflight; Jackson, Tenn., for basic; Newport, Ark., for primary; Kendall Field, Fla., for gunnery; and to San Marcus, Tex., for navigation, where he was commissioned November 18. Now B-2- 4, The Newsette and everyone welcomes home Pfc. Mary A. Holmes from the WAC. Mary enlisted in June, 1943, and received a medical discharge November 9, 1944. during the holidays was SSgt. Robert A. Trump, husband of Mrs. Estella F. Trump. Bob, a member of the 2nd Air Force, was stationed at the Salt Lake AAB until a few months ago, when the force transferred to LinOn fur1 -- coln, Neb. Bob went there until his furlough. It was officially called a delay The Chicago Sun ran an article recently relating the tank battle on Leyte in which Junior Williams was wounded. It follows in part: This is only part of the story of a bitter little tank action in the terrible hills above Pimapoan Pass the kind of fighting that has been going on there every day The since invasion of Leyte. Avenger still sits on the Tacloban airstrip where she died proudly that first day but she didnt really die because shes still in service as air raid shelter and a bomb-prothere are still plenty of bomb of enroute but it was as good as a furlough for Pvt. Floyd I). Pickering, who was home for both the holidays. Pvt. Pickering, of the U. S. Army infantry, is son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Pickering. He went into the Army August, 1944, and has been at Camp Hood, Texas, where he says It was a good place to get away from. Floyd, who qualified as a rifleman sharpshooter, says his greatest thrill was receiving a copy of the November issue of the Newsview of ette giving a birds-ey- e Down there, he re Centerville. Page Three NEWSETTE they have mountains that to us would be just a foothill. It was quite a thrill to show the boys our mountains. Floyd took his guitar to Camp Hood, and also sang in a Protestant choir on the base. marks, Another lucky Christmas was Pfc. Frank W. Duncan, son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Duncan. Frank is a member of the Air Transport Command. He entered the service March 9, 1943, and went to Jefferson Barracks, Mo., for basic. After that it was to the Stevens Hotel in Chicago for aeronautics training; propeller specialist school at Chanute Field, 111., and last to Fairfield Sui fur-lough- er Sun AAB, Calif. On a Christmas delay en route to Texas for advanced training was AC Dale Tingey, son of President and Mrs. Wesley E. Tingey. Dale, who expects to get his wings in late February, enlisted in the Army Air Corps May 20, 1943, and went to Fresno, Calif., for basic training; Buckley Field, Colo., for classification; U of North Dakota; Santa Ana AAB, for preflight; King City, Calif., for primary; Merced, Calif., for Basic Flying School. Sgt. Budd Argyle, brother of Mrs. Louise A. Randall, is reported missing in action over Austria. He was a gunner on a B-1- 7. Robert Ford Rich, whom many of us will remember lived in Centerville some years ago, was killed in a plane crash near Victoria, Kansas. He was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank C. Rich. Cpl. Aloft several thousand feet with the temperature around the Jack Frost level, and flak flying everywhere, has been the position of TSgt. Sutherland W. (Sub) Clayton. Sub, husband of Mavis Clayton, is home after 33 missions over Europe as radio operator on the 4 Liberator The Crows Nest. Our closest call came on a raid over Politz, Germany. One of the crew was wounded, we got 50 holes in the Crows Nest, a couple of engines went dead, and we had to lag to the target. That is when the Luftwaffe usually comes up, like a blow-fl- y attacking a dead animal. Well, we went the rest of the way to the target on a wing and a Musprayer and then four 1 tangs escorted us back across the North Sea to England. Subs greatest raid was when the entire Eighth Air Force, about 2500 planes, bombed Munich for three straight days. Sub was in Paris soon after its liberation with sniper fire still around; he saw General Eisenhower and some of the big shots on an airfield in France; talked to several French people in the liberated area, and was around London frequently and knows what the robot blitz is like. He says he hasnt much to tell your correspondent, but the words above P-5- are a travelogue in itself. SANTA CLAUS PAYS VISIT TO CENTERVILLE The annual Ward Christmas program was held in the Memorial Hall on Friday, December 22. A very fine program was presented by the M.I.A., Ward Choir, Sunday School, and Relief Society. Smaller children of the ward furnished most of the program, and songs and readings were given by Miss Joan Timothy of Salt Lake. Mrs. Gertrude Mitchell and sister, Mrs. Doris Ashley, sang a duet. The highlight of the evening came when Santa Claus jingled in to give candy and nuts and oranges to everyone. PAULINE PETERSEN DIES AT AGE 84 Mrs. Pauline Bransholm Petersen, 84, passed away of natural causes on December 2. Born in Hurop, Denmark, December 31, 1859, Mrs. Petersen was a daughter B-2- Earlier in the war, says Sub, one of the chief dangers on a bombing run was from fighter opposition, but since the Yanks and British have gained such superiority in the air, the weather and fire from the ground has been the chief worry. I found the latter to be true especially on a trip to Hamburg, one of Germanys largest cities. I had just finished 30 missions over Europe, and since 30 was the required amount to merit a furlough, I wrote to Mavis and told her to stop writing as I would be on my way home. But later the air force decided to change the requisite to 35. So just when I thought I was ready to head for home we were sent on a raid to Hamburg. It happened to be a very bright and clear day, and the Heinies on the ground gave us everything but the kitchen stove. It was pretty tough going and we wondered if we would ever get out of it. I wished then I had gone home when I had 30. Strangely enough, however, we got back to England with hardly a scratch. of Mikolaj and Sidsel Marie She Kragh. came to America 55 years ago and moved to Centerville with her son, A. W. Petersen, about four years ago. Mrs. Petersen was an active member of the Church and did a lot of temple work prior to moving here. Her hobby was flowers, of which she grew many. Survivors include three sons, A. W., Peter S. of Hayward, Calif., and Harold X. of San Francisco; two daughters, Mrs. Elizabeth Owens and Mrs. Edith Brower, San Pedro, Calif.; 14 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildre- n. Her hus- band, Peter Petersen, years ago. Funeral services were conducted at the Deseret Mortuary by William W. Tingey and burial was in Salt Lake Cemetery. died 15 |