Show Ze a OR W ON Washington D. D C. C FLYING MINUTE MEN MENThe MENThe The brass ring good for one free Cree ride on the Washington Merry Merry-Go- Round is awarded this week to the Civil Air Patrol This brass ring goes not to one man but to men and women They are members of the Civil Air patrol who have been fighting the war in little single-motor single planes flying fly fly- ing within the boundaries of the United Unite States and who carry the torch for the future of civil aviation in this country How long they will be allowed to carry that torch is the Important question At present they are orphans orphans or or- of at the storm storm carrying carrying military military mili mill tary responsibilities without military military mili mili- tary standing They fight submarines submarines rines but they had to fight for weapons weapons ons first The army and are slowly throttling them by refusing new equipment or rep repair ir parts Thus I in order to keep their gradually deteriorating de machines going the Civil i Air patrol is almost certain to be swallowed by the army anny The army has been wanting to take over because civilian fliers in wartime are considered a nuisance by the military with military with justification In some cases Youths and Fathers But the owners of at private planes thought they had something to o offer The younger ones went into nto military service Others many being married men with families organized the Civil Air patrol which for more than a year has been fling the coastal waters and maintaining a courier service throughout the I United States I These are the Flying g Minute Men Hen At first their submarine parol pa pa- rol was merely a spotting job ob If U they hey spotted a submarine they were supposed to radio a shore base and then hover around waiting for a bomber to come to the scene of action But they had so many heartrending heartrending heart heart- rending experiences that they clamored clamored clam clam- ored for bombs of their own 0 They would dart low over the water discover discover discover dis dis- cover a submarine location radio to a shore base hold the contact hover and pursue pursue and and then sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times lose the prey because the army never came along For months they called in vain for bombing equipment War department depart depart- department ment insisted that no civilians are allowed to carry weapons and thus the Civil Air patrol should not be armed The army would not even release life rafts and as a result several CAP pilots have lost their lives on submarine patrol Finally the restriction was waived and today these little single-engine single planes carry small bomb racks bombs and bomb sights But they have not been allowed to reveal the success of their submarine submarine rine patrol War department calls it military information and insists in insists insists in- in that CAP shall say no more than that they have attacked submarines sub sub- marines without marines without indicating the re rev sult suit Subs Sunk But we can reveal that submarines spotted by CAP observers have actually actually actu actu- ally BUy been sunk The authority for this statement is Maj Gen Follett Bradl Bradley y of the army air corps who also emphasizes that these Flying Minute Men have provided their lown own planes tools radios and other equipment I A year ago German submarines were sinking merchant ships within Sight eight of the Atlantic coast This brazen activity ceased after establishment establishment establishment of the Civil Air patrol The submarines were driven into deep waters for the small planes flying low ow and flying slowly were able to todo todo todo do a better job of spotting than big patrol bombers which whizzed past the he scene too rapidly for close ob ob- ob- ob WIlY WHY THE TIlE JAPS KNOW Here is an excerpt from the interior in In- ter tenor or departments department's annual 1941 report report report re re- re- re port which indicates why the Japs know so much about the Aleutian Islands The floating plant Kosel Kosei Maru with auxiliary craft consisting of 9 trawlers was engaged from May to August 1940 In taking halibut and cod in Bering Sea about miles northeast of the Islands with one additional trawler during the last week or two of the season The vessel was reported to have left for Japan toward the end of August This is the eleventh consecutive year that Japanese floating plants have operated In these waters the number of vessels having varied from one to four tour with the usua usual complement of tenders Note Under international law ItIs Itis it itis is impossible to prevent foreign fishermen fish fish- ermen ennen from fishing in foreign waters ROUND MERRY C. C War Transport Czar Joe Eastman says he gets a n bushel of letters and postcards every week suggesting that he bar Mrs Roosevelt from traveling Old Washington observers observers ob servers who have seen previous Presidents suffer suITer from getting out I of at touch with the nation wish had two Mrs to keep him posted about U. U S. S sentiment Any President who loses contact with the people is finished and every President especially in ht wartime has hasto hasto hasto to keep close to l Ids his s desk |