Page Four^
CLOUDBUSTER
Saturday, April 8, 1944
duster Bits *..
Cadet Peter Carroll, 47-1-1,
served two and a half years on
tropical duty in San Juan, Puerto
Rico prior to transferring to V-5.
... From the same battalion comes
Cadet Charles Arata Jr. who
served overseas as an Aviation
Machinist Mate Ic. . . . Cadet
Thomas Gibbons, 47-J-3, has three
months of service in the tank de
stroyer force and cavalry, U. S.
Army, to his credit.
Cadet Harvey Marcellus Pow
ers, Jr., 48-K-3, has been partici
pating in tumbling and gymnas
tics since the age of 10. . . . He
has also performed semi-profes-
sionally as a. magician. ... Cadet
Earl Wells, 47-1-2, enlisted in the
Navy in Decembex’, 1941. . . . He
has 20 mbnths of service to his
credit at Naval Air Bases in the
tropics. . . . Twins in the same
platoon are found in the persons
of Cadets Andrew and John Per-
sinko, 48-K-l. ... Both have seven
months of Coast Guard credit to
their record. . . . They have been
in the service for a year, together
all the time.
A PFC in the U. S. Marine
Corps was Cadet Harold Juniper,
48-L-l, . . . Cadet Elbert GrifRs,
Jr., also of 48-L-l, enlisted in the
Navy on January 6, 1942. ... He
was a Second Class Torpedoman
before turning to Aviation. . . .
No reason was given but Cadet
Raymond Blomstedt, 48-L-3, stat
ed on his questionnaire that he
would like duty in China near the
Russian border after he receives
his wings. . . . He plans to make
the Navy a cai’eer.
BASEBALL
(Continued from page three)
will play right field. He is a mem
ber of the 48th battalion, and hails
from Allentown, Pa. He hits from
the left side of the plate.
Either W. A. Gaither dr E. T.
Schneider will be in centerfield,
and C. F. Falk will bat seventh
and play third. He has a nice pair
of hands, and is a fair hitter.
Behind the plate will be C. M.
Miller, Cadet H. R. Hoos, another
catcher, would have seen action
but he has been forced to the side
lines with a minor injury.
Cadet W. H. Burkshiser, an In
ter-State League product, is an
other pitcher who will see action
should either Somerville or Farley
fail to go the route.
Receive Promotions
\
AMONG THE PROMOTIONS at this station during the past two
weeks were those of the two men pictured above. On the left is Carl
F, Byers, Ylc, who was promoted to Chief Yeoman eflfectiye April 1,
while on the right is Chief Pharmacist Thomas M. Lynch, USN, who
was commissioned a Lt. (jg) (HC) USN. Chief Byers enlisted in the
Navy in September, 1941, and received his boot training at Nor
folk. He reported here on May 5, 1942, as a Yeoman 3c, and was
promoted to Yeoman 2c on October 1 of the same year. On July 1,
1943, he moved up to Yeoman Ic holding that rating until April 1
of this year. Chief Byers has been in charge of the Yeoman’s Pool
since June of 1943.
Lt, (jg) Lynch has a record of 27 years of service in the Navy.
He saw action in World War I, and in the Second Nicaraguan Cam
paign, He was awarded the Navy Cross for gallantry in action in
Nicaragua.
SKY PILOT
(Continued from page one)
cerning the fine work of this Pre-
Flight School, give me reason to
look forward to my tour of duty
here with a great deal of pleas
ure,” the new chaplain told a
CLOUDBUSTER reporter,
Lieut. Cummins is married and
has two children, Shirley Ann, age
9, and George W., Jr., age 14. His
home is in Louisville, Kentucky,
and prior to being commissioned
in the Navy he was pastor of the
Highland Park First Baptist
Church in that city.
A soldier from Florida was
transferred to a Colorado camp.
When the first snow fell, he wrote
home about the beautiful two
inches of snow. Later he wrote
his folks about the ten inches of
snow that now covered the coun
tryside like a beautiful white blan
ket.
In about three weeks his parents
received another letter; “Remem
ber the snow I told you about in
my previous letters? Well, we
now have three feet of the damn
stuff.”—Reader’s Digest.
44th Battalion
To Dance Tonight
In Pine Room
JVIembers of the 44th Battalion
will hold their Senior Battalion
Dance in the Pine Room of Lenoir
Hall tonight from 2100 to 2400.
Liberty for the occasion has been
extended to 0030 with taps coming
at 0045,
Music will be furnished by the
swing section of the Pre-Flight
band, and refreshments will be
served.
Uniform for the 44th will be
service dress blue, able.
Cadets L, L. Rawald, R. Zelvin,
R, W, Golibart, G, W. Coleman,
M. M. Yamarik, and H. A.
Weatherhead, who represent the
44th Battalion on the Welfare and
Recreation Committee, are in
charge of arrangements for the
dance.
Cadets Invited
Cadets are invited to a cello
and organ recital at Hill Music
Hall tomorrow afternoon (Sun
day) at 1600. Artists will be Es
ther and Rachel Pierce.
COMDR. GRAFF
(Continued from page one)
Oar Crew and rowed No. 3 in the
Naval Academy’s Varsity which
won the Inter-collegiate Cham
pionship in 1919,
After graduation, he served suc
cessively in the transport USS
Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, the
battleship USS Nevada, and the
destroyer USS Reuben James. In
the fall of 1923 and while still
serving in the Reuben James, he
was taken ill and transferred to
the U. S. Naval Hospital, Phila
delphia, and was retired from
active service in January <1924
with the rank of Lieut, (jg), USN-
After recovering his health, he
was employed in a sales and engi'
neering capacity by The Packard
Motor Car Company, Youngstown
and Cleveland, Ohio, The Petro
leum Heat and Power Company^
Stamford, Connecticut, The Stand
ard Oil Company of Pennsylvania*
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and
the Frick-Gallagher ManufactuV'
ing Company, Wellston, Ohio.
During ten years in Philadel
phia, Comdr. Graff was active in
the U. S. Naval Academy Alumni
Association and was President of
the Philadelphia Chapter from
1940 to 1942. He is a member of
the Amex'ican Legion and the
Masons.
In March, 1942 Lieut, (jg) Graff,
was ordered back to active duty
and assigned to the Pre-Fligh^
School at Chapel Hill as its first
Executive Officer. He was the first ^
line officer to report to this Sta
tion and directed much of the ori
ginal work that put the nev^
Activity into operation.
In May, 1942 Comdr. (no^^
Capt.) 0. 0. Kessing, USN, the
first Commanding Officer, report
ed for duty. The U. S. Navy Pre*
Flight School, Chapel Hill, was
duly commissioned, the First Bat'
talion of cadets arrived, and the
Station got down to the serioU^
business of training future a^i'
ators.
The last of July, Lieut, (j^^
Graff was made a Lieutenant
Commander and on November 2^’
1942, at a Regimental Review an^
the farewell to Capt. Kessing,
Comdr. Graff assumed Commai^
of the Station and was promote^
to the rank of Commander,
Forty-nine battalions of cadets
have entered this Pre-Fli?^
School since its commissioning
nearly two years ago. Many hun'
dreds of cadets from the earli®^
battalions are now in combat an
Comdr. John P. Graff is justl/
proud of the records his boys ar®
making in the fighting Navy.