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Show THE CENTERVILLE NEWSETTE June, 1945 Page Three Service News and Notes From I he Mail Bug One of our fine boys, Floyd Pickering, writes from Okinawa: Hello there! How are you? I just received the May issue of the Newsette, and boy I was sure glad to get it. That paper is really doing some good. It made me a little homesick, but I know now just how much I want to get back there. I remember where you said about boys still being away from home after hostilities and still wanting to get this little paper from home. Well, I will most likely be one of them, considering the new point system and my poor start. And speaking for me I want this paper to continue as long as any of us are away from home. Up to now my mail has been irregular due to so much moving around and the town paper reached me maybe a month or two late, but now Im in a regular outfit my mail comes in a weeks time. I received this one just right. It sure is nice to read about home, things Mother maybe wouldnt mention in a letter. I cant help thinking that while the ward choir was putting on an evenings entertainment I was landing in Okinawa. I sure would have liked to switch places. You sure have made it larger since I left. I have just been overseas a little over three months and am now in a front line outfit, the fighting 7th. I sure will be glad when its over. Its pretty rough. I had a guitar with me that I bought before I left the states, but I sold it back in the Mariannas. When I get out of this I want to get hold of another one. Well I guess I will close for now. I hope this letter finds you well, and good luck with the ganized a quartet of L D S boys and they sang on the Mosquito Network, an American expedi- tionary station. Archer was part owner of a sailboat while in Noumea and did a lot of swimming and deep sea fishing. He tells us about fishing for some of the largest trout he had ever seen while on a trip to New Zealand. It almost broke his heart to throw back the trout he caught because it was too small. (Sounds like a fish story.) He probably saw a record number cf servicemen from Centerville. He met, besides Stuart, Eldon Duncan, Dewayne Ogzewalla and Ralph Cannon of the North ward, and Frank Lange and Golden Allen. 5-l- Islands, islands and more islands. That was the impression of Fireman Wallace Smith, U S M S, who has been recently home on furlough. Wallace joined the Merchant Marine Jan. 25, 1943, and was stationed at Catalina island before going on the water. He saw 1- -c many of the places in the Pacific and far east, including Australia, Ceylon, India, Alaska, New Guinea, Philippines, etc. His favorite pastime was sleeping when there was nothing to do. At one time they docked at a certain port and were idle for 40 days. And on the trip home they went on what he called a pleasure cruise to New Guinea. He described some of the islands as beautiful, but none could compare with home. ART Richard Walton enjoyed a weeks furlough last month, after graduating from and airborne electronics school at Corpus Christi, Texas. He enlisted in the Navy April, 1944, and was at Chicago and Great Lakes before going to Texas. paper. 2-- c Lt. Elizabeth Ann Adams had Being a member of Admiral Halseys staff on New Caledonia has been the experience of Lt. (jg) Archer R. Clayton, on leave the past 30 days. Archer spent one month in the army at Fort Douglas before transferring to the navy March, 1943, when he was commissioned an Ensign. He trained at three bases in the states: Tucson, Ariz., Los Angeles 'and San Francisco, Cal., before going overseas July, 1943. He was stationed until his leave at Noumea, New Caledonia. It was while there that he was appointed president of b. the MorSun- mon church group. Regular day School Fast Meeting, Mutual services, etc., were held, at which an average of 50 to 75 attended. Three conferences were held, and several groups came from adjoining bases. Among these was H. Stuart Steed, who spoke in one of the meetings. Along about this time Archer or furlough last month. She joined the W A C Sept., 1943, and after being at Des Moines, Iowa, she went to Hendricks field, Florida, as a member of the Quartermaster corps. a ten-da- y Ilarlo Randall and Reed Nes- sen were both home on short leaves last month. Harlo was delayed en route to the east from the Alameda Coast Guard station, California. Reed, in the Merchant Marine, was stationed on Catalina island, took a short trip to Guam. o Ward Statistics Blessings: Paul Stanley Even-seson of Mr. and Mrs. Milford L. Evensen. Birth: A daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Vernon B. Carr on May 5, 1945. n, Talk about the hospitality of the folks back in Centerville! Why, this nice chief has just told me hed like very much to have us for dinner tomorrow! Liberated Prisoners Of Japs Relate Experiences For Newsette for the We cannot except their suit cases say enough American soldiers who liberated us on the Philippine islands. They deserve the best of everything. That is just one of the many good reasons why we should all buy War Bonds and More War Bonds. These are the words of Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Bonnemort, recently returned from the Philippines, where they were prisoners of the Japanese. The Bonnemorts are staying at the home of Mrs. Cora Butler in Bountiful. Mrs. Bonnemort is the former Lucille Butler, and lived with her family in Centerville before going to the Philippines. The Bonnemorts have been through many harrowing experiences and hardships. They left Centerville some eight or nine years ago for the Philippines, where Bob worked as a mining engineer for the Balatoc Mining company, one of the largest gold mining companies in the world. Shortly before Pearl Harbor they made their home with their daughter and son-in-la- w, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Jorgensen. When the Japs struck they fled this home and built one further down in a canyon. The Jorgensens home was burned by the pursuing Japs. Mrs. Bonnemort sprained her wrist badly while in the flight, and suffered considerable pain until a doctor arrived. One morning as they were eating breakfast in the new home, a native Filipino rushed in and told them the Japs were only a short distance away. The two couples were forced to leave everything and flee into the hills. They hid out in the hills in an old hut among the natives known is Igorots. These natives were kind and helpful to them. One night, when it was raining very hard, an old Filipino came and told them Japs had moved in again. They fled the hut to the top of a treacherous canyon and stayed in the rain all that night. This was followed by several more escapades for 11 months when they decided to surrender to the Japs. Following surrender they were taken to Camp Holmes, near Baguio. Food was scarce but the situation did not get intolerable until they were moved Dec. 27, 1944, to Bilibid prison, Manila. They were liberated when General MacArthurs forces entered Manila. They received assistance from the army and the Red Cross, for which they still are very thankful. By a strange quirk of coincidence, among the food which they received were large cans of tomatoes from the Kaysville Canning company, eggs from the Utah Poultry Producers association and potatoes from Idaho. Mr. and Mrs. Bonnemort have a deep friendship for the Phil- ippine people and hope to go back someday. Mr. and Mrs. Jorgensen stayed in the Philippines where Mr. Jorgensen, a native of Washington, is helping to rebuild Manila. He was operator of a large sawmill in the Philippines before the Japs invasion. |
