may, 1843
THE ECHO
PAGE ELEVEN
Letters From Ecusta Employees Now In Service
Taking officers training
April 25, 1943
Dear Mr. Straus:
I hope everyone down there is
®|ijoying a lovely Easter. All the
Kids are probably out on “egg
hunts” by now as it is 2:30 o’clock,
f i^emember how I used to enjoy
them.
I am now a “basic” at Officers
Candidate School here, having
heen in two weeks. The routine is
plenty rigid as anyone would ex-
Pect it to be for officer training.
^ expect to be home about the
*hiddle of July. I will see all of
you then.
Surely hope everything at the
plant is going along fine. I have
deports of the county’s splendid
Response to the bond drive. Migh
ty fine indication of the loyalty
the home folks to us boys.
Give my regards to all my
friends there; I think of them of
ten and wonder what they are
5^ing. It would be swell to see
them, too.
I still enjoy reading about their
activities in The Echo. I read all
^e dope on the “goings on” of the
Refiner Department first, as is
hatural, it being that I worked in
that department.
The reporters for the shifts
Should write more, though; per
haps they are like me, don’t have
the time.
} must close and do a few other
things that need to be done. I
hiust keep “on the ball” you know.
My address now is Co. V, 803rd
Regiment. I hope the V stands for
victory for me in making the
SJ'ade here. Sincerely^
ANSEL JONES,
(Corporal.)
STILL ON AN ISLAND
^ March 14, 1943
“ear Mr. Finck:
I have meant to write you sev-
times since my last, but not
^eing a good correspondent any
way and also having been a very
“Usy person, I have neglected
I have been doing very nicely,
deceiving no medals, and in gen-
leading a very quiet life for
^ese parts. It seems that I am
doomed to stagnate here in tWs
^heventful manner for a few moire
^onths and then possibly they
^ let me come back to the
states — maybe even give me a
®®upie of weeks leave, in which
I expect to see you before
* shove off again. I have moved
?hto another island since you last
heard from me. That lessens my
Chances for “working up.”
j Tell your wife and the kids hel-
for me. And please convey my
Regards to Sam and any of the
?^ers that happen to stUl be
here.
I wouldn’t be too surprised if
didn’t have a bunch of wo-
^en nmning around all over the
Plant now doing the old gang’s
Not a bad idea, eh? Just
them know that it’s a tempo-
situation.
1 heard from Roy the other day,
®^ying he had his ship shot from
J^der him — some excitement.
I^OQ’t know where Bobby is un
less he is stiU in S. C.
Please inform the mailing de-
P^tment of my new address. I
^Ven’t received an Echo in over
months and sure would like
^ See another one. Regards,
BURWELL HALL,
(Captain, U. S. Marines.)
“Poor old Bleek. He hasn’t
spoken to his wife in eight years!”
. “Well, maybe he doesn’t dare
«iterrupt herl”
Ecusta Employees In Military Service
WILLIAM EVERETT GREEN,
G M 3-c (Gunners Mate 3rd
Class), who was an assistant
controll tester at Ecusta, left
December 14th 1942, is on sea
duty out of Brooklyn, N. Y. He
took his initial training at Bain-
bridge, Md., and was in Gunnery
School in Little Creek, Va.
FUN RIDING CAMELS
PVT. MONROE McCALL, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Allen McCall,
volunteered for service in the
air corps last September and is
now at the Lockhorn Airbase,
Columbus, Ohio. He was an In
spector Helper.
PREFERS W. N. C. MOUNTAINS
March 15, 1943
Dear Mr. Straus:
Thanks for the nice letter and
the kind thoughts expressed. My
only hope is that my advancement
will be better me for my share in
ending this war. I want to get
back to those glorious mountains
of W. N. C.
I was bitterly disappointed that
I could not get a trip to Brevard
before moving so far away, but
that is something that I will have
to save until I can get stationed
further east. I moved into this
field on Easter Sunday (my stay
in Salt Lake City was very brief)
and I fully'expect to leave here
very shortly. My new work is very
interesting and very fortunate for
me. Mx second day here I was se
lected for a position on the Com
manding Officer’s staff. I am now
the Group S-4 officer of a heavy
bombardment group. I am grate
ful for the year’s experience I
had as an enlisted man in the S-4
office. It is now standing me in
good stead. The knowledge and
experience I am acquiring in the
service will be of tremendous
value to me when I return to
civilian life.
This is a very beautiful field
and the town is an ideal one, but
I still wouldn’t trade one hill of
W. N. C. for all of the hills of
Idaho.
If I should be in Oklahoma at
any time I will surely look up your
son. I was closely associated with
one of his instructors from Ashe
ville School Y^hile in Miami
Beach. He was Lt. Evans, a grad
uate in the same squadron with
me. He and I made an effort to
locate your son there, but were
unable to do so.
My kindest regard to all of my
friends at Ecusta.
Respectfully,
RUFFIN WmKINS
(2nd Lieut., 445th Bom
bard. Gd.)
P. S. I have been missing the
last 2 or 3 copies of the “Echo.”
STARTING TO FLY
68th AAFFTD
Army Air Corps
Jackson, Tenn.
Dear Mr. Wells:
I have just arrived here to start
flying PT, 27s and I don’t have
much time to do anything except
study and learn this plane; but I
wanted you to know my change
of address. Please forward the
Echo to the above address until
further notice.
Please excuse this short letter
but time is very much limited
here.
Yours very truly,
A-C BEN. M. RICKMAN
NO HULA DANCE YET
Dear Mr. Straus:
May 9, 1943
“I can take a hundred words a
minute,” said the stenographer.
“I often take more than that,”
said the prospective employer;
“but then I have to; I’m married.”
Received your letter today and
was sure glad to hear from you.
I am doing fine and I like it
very much over here. The climate
in my opinion is perfect, but I will
take Western North Carolina any
old time. I haven’t tried to Hula
dance yet but watching the girls
in grass skirts makes me want to
try to sometime.
There are a lot of ’service men
over here, but I haven’t run into
but one fellow from home that I
knew. I imagine Roy Carter is
stationed on one of the nearby
islands or I would have seen him
I sure would like to see some
more fellows from home.
I think that having a bomber
named “Miss Transylvania” is a
grand idea and everyone who is
able should do his or her part in
helping raise the money for bomb
ers. What would I do if I saw a
plane with this name on it? Oh,
boy! I actually believe I would get
down on my knees and kiss her.
I haven’t received but one copy
of the Echo since I have been over
here. Guess the other ones got
lost or something.
Had better close and go to bed
as I am tired. We don’t hardly
know when Sunday comes because
we have to work day and night,
and a fellow gets pretty tired.
As ever,
JAMES K. WRIGHT,
Fireman 1st Class
North Africa
April 25, 1943
Dear Mr. Wells:
While I have a few moments to
spare I thought I would write you
and all the boys and girls. I have
reveived the last three copies of
the Echo and I really appreciate
getting it. I noticed that lots of
the boys I knew are here with me.
Although I haven’t been lucky
enough to see any of them.
I have been in Africa quite a
while and have traveled around a
lot. We had a hail storm the
other day that was very disagree
able. We had to dip a little water
out of our tent and do a little
remodeling but I think we are
fixed for the next one.
I am sharing the same tent with
boy from Black Mountain. He
and I have lots of fun rising
camels and steers around here in
our spare time. One threw me to
day and ran over me but I am
stUl able to go. My pals and I go
to town once a week. We see
plenty of good looking girls but
the only thing I can say in French
is “Parlez vous Francais.” There
fore you see, 1 am out of luck.
We are being fed Malaria pills
and I really don’t know which 1
had rather do, take pills or fight
Naturally taking the pills is much
safer although these mosquitoes
are about like dive bombers. It is
getting pretty hot here now; this
African sUn really bears down
around here sometimes, but the
nights are cool. It lacks a lot be
ing as nice here as it was back
in Ireland and England, I really
liked it there. Plenty of entertain
ment and I had no trouble at all
making the girls understand me.
I went to a dance almost every
night. You should have seen
on the floor trying to do that
Irish jig.
Well it is about time for me to
go on guard, so give my regards
to the boys and girls and I hope
it isn’t long until I can be back
with you again. The humming of
those old heaters would sound
good to me now. WeU I had bet
ter sign off. Keep the old wheels
rolling and the Echo coming my
way.
PFC. FLOYD EVANS
Sincerely,
CAN’T TELL MUCH
April 27, 1943
Dear Mr. Wells:
Just thought I would write
while I had a chance and tell you
I still exist and still think of
friends back home in Western
North Carolina. I would have writ
ten before now but you see I
write under quite different cir
cumstances now than I did while
in the states. I can write only a
few letters a week now and they
are ■ not only limited in number
but in length as well.
There is very little I can say
about the Navy or my where
abouts for that is a military se
cret. I am again in school and I do
about as much study as I do work.
I am glad to do my little bit to
help win this war. Well I hope
everything at the plant is running
smoothly; I am looking forward
to getting to see you soon. I ap
preciate the copies of the Echo
which you have been so kind to
send. I, along with all the rest of
your former employees, are al
ways glad to hear how everything
is going there and we hope the
good work will continue.
We will be seeing you.
Cordially yours,
LEWIS TOWNSEND