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Show Local National Guard Unit Receives Quarterly Payroll; New Weapons Will Increase Power Editor's Note: This is the sixth of a series ol articles prepared by the headquarters of the 202nd Field Artillery Battalion in an effort ef-fort to acquaint the residents of this community with the organization, organi-zation, function, and activities of their local National Guard Unit. This week marked the pay period per-iod for the first quarter of 1954. The local unit of your National Guard had a payroll of $1,918.96. This figure is below the amount the unit could have received had it been up to full strength. If the unit was at full strength $605 would be added to the income of Cedar City every time the battery drills. This addition for the community com-munity in income has a decided effect upon the welfare of both individuals and business. Especially Espec-ially in this time of business cut backs, labor lay offs, and economic conditions your National Nation-al Guard is helping to relieve a cramped money condition. This week also terminated a concentrated effort of the entire Utah, National Guard to increase the strength of t lie state to over 3,000 enlisted men. The local unit and its battalion wound up being the top recruiters in the state for battalion size units. At the end of the drive Hq. and llq. Batery of Cedar City had a total strength of 40 enlisted men and nine officers. This gain has been r since the 6th of October when the unit started with only six enlisted en-listed men. Many prior servicemen service-men have come back to the famed ranks of the new 202nd FA Bn., formerly the 213th. By the end of this month it is anticipated that the unit's new eight-inch howitzers will be in Salt Lake City for processing and will be sent to the units by the middle of April. This event will mark the first time in the history of the Utah National Guard that a guard unit has been outfitted with weapons of this size. The weapon is classed as heavy artillery ar-tillery and is second only to the new 280 mm. atomic cannon that was used to fire an atomic warhead war-head in Nevada last year. The "eight-inch How" as it is called has a range of about one and one-half times greater than the old 105's that the 213th Is so famous for. Operation of this huge howitzer is much safer than any weapon the army has yet devised de-vised and its great range permits per-mits units to be located at a much greater range from enemy in combat. |