Racket trials go to New York
Defense withdraws objections at hearing
…
Liberian President guest of both Senate and House
Grandson of American slaves becomes first Negro to appear before Congress
…
After months of bickering –
Government does its bit for coal pay negotiators
Miss Perkins finds a hotel room in war-crowded Washington and meetings begin
By Fred W. Perkins, Press Washington correspondent
…
New tax plan’s benefits given broader scope
Greater relief provided low-income earners, servicemen
…
MacArthur, Eisenhower named honorary knights
London, England (UP) –
King George VI has appointed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Gen. Douglas MacArthur honorary knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in recognition of their valuable services in commanding troops of the United Nations, the War Office announced today.
The honor entitles a British recipient to a title but this does not apply in the case of Allied nationals. The only other American so honored was Gen. John J. Pershing.
Gen. Crockett given post on Allied staff
Expert on Nazi army sent to Europe; invasion note seen
By Robert Richards, United Press staff writer
…
Restaurants get meat price slash
…
Overall makers protest OPA professors’ design
Rep. Halleck charges agency tries to alter U.S. traditional free enterprise economy
By Daniel M. Kidney, Scripps-Howard staff writer
…
Ruhr raids cause Nazis to move industry south
Many of plants wrecked by RAF, U.S. bombings have been abandoned by Germans
By Helen Kirkpatrick
…
Newsman says –
Bombs to fall on Japan soon
African victory opens way, Bellaire claims
…
Nazi lose 269 fighters to U.S. raiders in 8 days
Record set in Wilhelmshaven-Emden attack as Yanks down 74 planes for loss of 12 bombers
By Walter Cronkite, United Press staff writer
…
Labor, management urged to aid in reconstruction
‘Immediate collaboration’ asked by CIO official; corporation head challenges business
…
Willkie looks like ‘the man to beat’ for GOP nomination
By Thomas L. Stokes, Scripps-Howard staff writer
…
Roddy McDowall scores with My Friend Flicka
Futon movie from novel about boy and his horse filmed in color, features Preston Foster, Rita Johnson in fine cast
By Maxine Garrison
…
Roving Reporter
By Ernie Pyle
Allied HQ, North Africa – (by wireless)
Two little profiles of men who fight:
When I first met Charles P. Stone on a Tunisian hillside, he was a major. Within two hours he was a lieutenant colonel. The promotion consisted of nothing more than his regimental commander walking up and telling him about it. Stone is a West Pointer and a Regular Anny man. So was his father before him.
He says proudly:
I beat my father by 13 years. He was 40 when he got his lieutenant-colonelcy.
Col. Stone goes by the name of Charlie, and he calls his officers by their first names. He is tall and slender, his hair is short in a crew cut, and he has a front tooth missing. He had a one-tooth bridge but it came out in battle and he lost it. Despite his rank he sleeps on the ground in the open, with only one blanket. He is friendly, but his decisions are quick and positive.
Rebukes friend’s disrespect
I remember one night one of the other officers was speaking of “a dead stiff” they had found in the grass that evening. The office speaking was one of Stone’s best friends, but Stone instantly stopped the conversation and said:
After this it will be “dead soldiers.” None of this “dead stiff” stuff.
Stone carries a couple of dozen big snapshots of his wife in his pocketbook. His home is at New Brunswick, New Jersey. He writes one letter a day no matter where he is. He manages to shave every three or four days.
He paid almost no attention to little happenings around him such as wounded men coming up, prisoners passing, and shells landing too close. Where the rest of us would look foe a long time, and ask questions, he took one quick glance and then lay down.
You can’t cross up this man
He has the ability to ignore all the little clutterings of war that have nothing to do with the action. He is a hard man to rattle. You could see that the whole complicated battle area and its hourly confusing changes were as clear as crystal in his mind.
At 27, a battalion commander and a lieutenant colonel, with four big engagements behind him, I would wager heavy money on him to be a general before the war is over.
Sgt. Jack Maple is one of those funny guys. The boys of his infantry company say Maple is about a 120%. While he’s around, he’s the kind who makes himself the butt of his own jokes. When a visitor shows up, the others gather around just to hear him perform.
Sgt. Maple says he fully intends to be a hero every time he’s in a battle but somehow there’s always so much suction in his foxhole that he can’t get out of it. Sgt. Maple says he expects to be the Sgt. York of this war, but since he’s a little slow in starting he has nicknamed himself Sgt. Cork.
‘Cork’ demands the headlines
He asked me:
What kinda headlines they gonna put on your piece? Can you get ‘em to out a big headline clear across the front page in San Francisco or Los Angeles saying “Sgt. Cork Maple Is Hero of Tunisia”?
I told him I would use my influence.
Maple lives at 8885 Carson St., Culver City, California, in case you want to know the hero’s home address. He says that if he gets killed, he doesn’t want any of this nonsense of sending his money home. He has already made a verbal will – his friends in the company are to take whatever money he has and keep it till they’re in a rest period, and then all get good and drunk on it.
Cork says he has all the hard luck. He pulled a tiny piece of shrapnel out of his pocket. It was paper-thin and about the size of a pinhead. He said:
That’s my souvenir. It landed on top of my hand and didn’t even break the skin.
When I saw it, I just looked at it and said:
Cork Maple, you unfortunate SOB, if it had been anybody else in the company it would have gone clear through his hand and he’d have got the next hospital boat home. But you can be smothered by 88s and they won’t even draw blood on you.
‘88 Club’ all planned
Maple has his after-war career all mapped out. He’s going to open a sort of nightclub in Los Angeles. He will call it the Eighty-Eight. All the drinks will have war names, such as Airburst, Stuks, Bouncing Baby and so on, the booths will be foxholes in the floor, and the place will be full of boobytraps that will go off and scare people.
He says:
I oughta be able to get somebody to back it. There’ll still be more suckers left after the war.
I said:
It sounds good to me, but if I put it in the paper some patriot will steal your idea and have the club before you get home.
He said:
That’s all right. If you put it in the paper, that’ll be a record that it is my idea. Then if somebody steals it, I can sue him. Maybe I’d make more money that way anyhow. Go ahead and put it in.
And as I walked down the hill, Sgt. Cork called after me:
And don’t forget the big headline now! Clear across the front page!