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Show Hold Mass on A Sunlit Coral Reef (By Staff Sergeant John T. Kirby a Marine Corps Combat Corres-pondent.) Corres-pondent.) Paleliu, Palau Islands Delayed. Delay-ed. With the background of more than a thousand white crosses marking the graves of Marines, soldiers, and sailors who have fallen in the costly fighting for Peleliu, a special memorial requiem re-quiem mass was offered here today to-day in observance of All Soul's Day. From a rough improvised alter al-ter in the center of the uncomplete cemetary less than a mile from isolated enemy positions on the smouldering Bloody Nose Ridge Navy Lieutenant Charles E. Freegard, Catholic Chaplain of Salt Lake City, Utah, celebrated a requiem mass, the final service in the day's commemoration ceremonies. cere-monies. Father Freegard, his neat surplice sur-plice in marked contrast to his tanned, perspiring face, slowly elevated the glittering chalice Into In-to the brilliant sun. A boyish. faced acolyte, clad only in soiled dungaree trousers, I responded to the Latin prayers in a hushed voice that was car-ried car-ried in the light breeze. Maintenance crews halted their work of grading the white coral ,sand over newly-covered graves 'to join with stocky, quiet-voiced Father Freegard in honoring com rades who have been killed in the six weeks of fighting since the battle for the island began. Less than a hundred y;irds away from the altar, shattered amphibian tractors that reached the beachhead in the first assault as-sault waves lay stangely dcsor'.ra on the sunlit reef. While bomb. laden Corsair fight ers roared ominously overhead towards targets on Yap, solem-fac ed fighting men knelt on the burning hot sands in prayer. Following the mass, small groups of onlookers moved between be-tween the neat rows of new crosses cross-es in search of fallen friends and crews returned to the work of beautifying the tiny area. Surrounded on four sides by war-torn stretches of Pcleliu's 10 square miles, the quit cemetary has been carefully prepared as a resting place for the valiant dead who fell before this island's fanatical fan-atical Jap defenders. A small procession of jeeps, circling through the shattered stumps of palms, started towards the busy airstrip, returning Leath ernecks ground crews to later afternoon chores. Formerly pastor of Our Lady of Lourdcs Parish near Salt Lake City, 42.year.old Father Freegard entered the Navy Chaplain's Division Div-ision in December, 1942. |