Vol. 1 No. 29 SEYMOUR JOHNSON HELD, N. C. July 3,1943 GI’s To Relax In EM Advance Rank Style At Goldsboro Sport New Stripes One o{ the moat elaborate liuUd- . I of lla type la ttie aoutb, the Ootnmualty EteUdtnt. comer of Walnut * and WtlUam Streeta in Ooldaboro. la being redecorated prior to reopening within a abort ame aa a reoreatloa center for ser* ▼Ice men aa well aa county real* denta. - To Include a large Inside swim ming pod, gymnasium and dance floor, dormitory rooms, snack bar and miniature restaurant, showers, stage for theatricals, private meet ing room and ottMW faclUtlee, the atnioture la now getting finishing touches. .* Changing of faclUties has been , under way for more than three months, tmt a shortage of labor has slowed the job, officials said. ' The laiire buildli^ located right across from' the Wayne County ^lourtbouse, the structure Is easily recognlseable by Gts, many of whom have used its dormitories- - It was the first building of Its kind In Uie United States to Ve erected as a war memorial anil Is dedicated to the memory to the men of Wayne County who gave their lives In the last wkr; Tbe building Is headquarters for recreational activities ^thln the eUy and county Basketball, softball playground actvltlea, swlmmlhg » -^ftasiia, dramatic groups, musical wganMailaM, 'aM'at ana-thne-have aolipa^ from the center. ‘ The.'fovemmen't Oiought so well - ^of the building and Ita prografb Oiat vrtien an application for funds i-lifraa made to Improve the building 0^ id as to better provide recreatimal facilities for the men of Seymour Jidmsoa Field, It as readily grant ed- Funds have also been provided through the Lanham act. The structure Is U years old. "You, as a man in the army, ifill be expected to take advantage of any.activlty within the building that you ao deslip." officials wld (Continued On Page Three) 79l8t T^S. Headfi June Honor Roll . Members of the 791st Technical School Squadron are really on the beam and proved It trtten their commander. Captain Stan ley I«vy was able to repmt no ATiroifi for file month of June. The 791st Is the first full- strength tedittloal school squad ron to be able to report no one absent without leave since the honor list ym started In the Air- O-lfech. Other organlmtlons who had DO KTTOitA during June were: Detaebmewl Medleal Corps. •Hth Slgaal Serrioe 9». DMewlinient FfnaDce Headquarters and Headquar- lets Sqendren - Tedinleal 7Wfh 1 I SchMl Sqwsd- Tttlh TeduSeal Bchoel Squadron MMh Teekaleal Sebert Squad- lllh ifadetulo Squadron Fourth Of July ' Tmnmrqw , it the Fourth of July. Not that we had to kx* at our calendar to discover It. but merely to remind you that it's the greatest date In Amer ican history. Zt will pfohebly be tbe'quietest Fourth e?ery sprat by me na tion. The firecrackers and other httarkRis sound bffeets wOl he' missing. Hera on Seymow John* son Field the day will pass with hardly a thing to mark H from ^ther. But-let's ztot forget-that Peart Harbor's date pales into lurig- nlfleance when - stacked \jp against July 4th. It was tbe beginning. It marked our birth- rli^t to ufe, liberty and pursuit of bapptnese. ' And we will fight to see that Its Importance does not praisb from our llvc'a^r.. .the Uvee of otheiu. Johnson WA ACS Are Promoted *«ot to be left out of field-wide promotions- of personwl this week were the raroUees of the Bism WAAO headquarters - eoni- papy, ’^Geyno adTaneemehte wM anniiupedd:- F -. To Justor Ireader: Hatelle Na- ton, Irene H; Omoertord,' Dolqk'^ R. Oglesby. Carmel R. Chirumbb- lo and Ma:7 S. Mouser. Tb Technician Fifth Orade: Min nie D. Schram, -Ahne D. Johnston, Thelma L. Weaver and Joan Scheye. Jute in case some of tbe above grades are mystlfyiag to the a. 1. a leader equals buck sezgeaat. a junior leader Is equiValeiit to a corporal and a tetimlclan fifth grade is tbe eame as in tlM regular army. Song Books U ^'ve been having trouble with tbe words to those sohgs the rest of. tbe boys-are slngtag and you'd like to know them, do^ wor- ry — rau'U soon get tbe chance. Special, pocket - steed song books Will soon be Issued to every soldier on Besrmour Johnson FlM. It-*to entitled Song Book No. 1 and wlU Include the words to ao different songs. They are: . The Army Air CORPS, I Want A Olrl, Notre Dame, The Technical Training Oommatui, Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunltt(ttL, I've Got Sixpence, Me the Way To Go Home, Hap.y Days are Here Again, Shine On. Harvest Moon. ‘There's A Long, IiongltaCL Darktown Strutter' Ball, Wplt "TO tbe Sun Shines, Alexander's Rag Time Band. Alouette, ^r Me and My Gal. This Is the Army, Sleepy Time Gal. Marine Hymn, Pack Up Your Troublea, Stout-Hearted Man and the Catesra Semg. Sewing .beel Yeah, bowl 'But sewing on nqx strh^ks. Here te chuok,. of tbs lUrd, tacking 'em He'll jnxlit Ba4ik: bad. thte one, when you're A (Newly MaM) John Saw- Ip /tym Ros^, Pa. Alex Velle, Native Of Yugosittviaf Mech Student Red-hekdbd Alexander Velle, a student meA^dc of 79ftb te work ing Industrtoutiy tbeep ^ys' bet tering hte knowiedge of aircraft and the sagllMi language, and with Just cause. A native Yugoslavian, Velle has two brothers he bcltoves are wtttl flgtittog - with dte Cktemiks. And tbere te also a mother and a sister aomewbsra In -YUgoalavla. Velle hasn't' heard from any of them for at least two years. But VeUe has -a. double peeve against Hitler. Oa tbe day -that AdoliA'B armies were rolling ship. That night, the vessel pulled out of the harbor and sailed for Alrtoa and finally America, where Velle came to uve with an uoele In' OalvestOQ, Tex. It was there he was Inducted. Tbe as-year-old Velle worked as engiiieer on Yugoslavian Merchant Marine, and later a Ytt- goelavlan ships that went under Panamanian registry. It was on a trip from Africa to Msw Yortr that hte ahlp was nearly torpedoed. At 11 o’clock one ulght the order came through to stop the elites. Then Velle learned that a torpedo obviously launched from a S cargo ship in the harbor . of Bbn^ea. -St^denly. out of the through Franra, Velle was aboard-Nas sub has Just mased the ves sel. Tbe ship sig-xagged for hours, and experienced no. furtoer north rokrOd die-ewasUka painted ^difficulty, p&inee. Tbi^ pounded Marseilles- Asked If be thinks hte brothers with iximtis,-' rad some, of th^ are atm with the Ohetnlks, Velle struck.wlthln S fow feet of VeHe’sIsmlles. “Slveryone fight down It wasn’t tbe butcher, the baker or tbe'Candlestl^ maker that was working hard this week because of Seyuxnnr Johnson neld—It was the tailor, and the EMs themselves, sewing on newly awarded chevrons. They were everything from one- stripers to three above and the same number of *Tocker8’’ below. Mostly, the promoUens eame out last week, but the stripes were being issued bj supply rooms thte week, and the aetitel Job of sewing them on or having them sewed on was in fun swing. Promotions at Headquarters dfc Headquarters Squadron were listed in tbe Alr-OMech last week. Other promotions on tbe field: Tqatk SchodI 6ro«p Te Tech. Sgt. Gordon W. Bennett and Lowell L. Stewart. Te Staff Sgt. Arthur D. Dunn.aeorfeC. Horton - and Harry R. Locke. Te Sgt. Kenneth O Adams. Arthur B. Oarbrecht, Harold S. Humj^ei, Denver R. Thompson and Julius Yellen. Te CpL Raym(»d K Adams, Michael r. Cases, Stanley B. Compton. VTIliani O. Cunningham, Salvatore C. Greco. James Kerr, John P. MeOarthy, Francis B. Melniighlln, Andrew Itorts. Robert M. Orth. Bdward L. Rodgers. Jr.. Tony J. Slilno. Bdward B. Smallwood. Charles A. Slieara, John L. Stalker. Bdward-M. Strae - Ilk, Adelard j. Bt. Germain, Adplph 8. Biaslak, Stiu^ L. Trasks, Joui o. thiger and Zaehariah Wheat libitk Sdwol Gnap Te Malt Sgt. WlUlam O. 'VTamlKon. Raymond A. Dupuis, Joseph j. Mlrti^e, Jav D. Smith and Jamae R. Ruther ford. Te Sgt. Patsy K Aiello, Boland V. Jean, Albert F. R'endi, Jr., Bdwln C. Zeller, Salvahm 'Ihmbaro, Barry L aiavely, Bverett A. Loucks and John Luekey. - Te CpL Marvin M. Dratch, Alfred Kaocy, Brneet N. Sub^, Albert J. Oarlln, Frank H. Hares, Louis O. Mtoco, Joseph J. Nugent. Ptaaeto J. Mq> Carthy, Clarextee J. Paredi. Barold A. Wells, Bari R..Monk. Uaurtee M. Chapman, dentin J. Webb, Wil liam B. WUley, Mldiad J. Rlc- clardl, Rldlard O. Despbloitiqin, James J. Johns and Nfcbolas ML PagUa. Twslltfi NMt Gtmp Te Tech. Bgt. Harry W. KltteL Te: Staff Bgt. pafptii Home, Anry A. Starks and Bailey Patrick. Te: Bgt. Nathan Kantor, Lowell D. ^dvei; Peter A todloe ana Solomon Moe- kovlts. Te: CpL George B. Balian, Rldtard J. Doran, Joe^ Theberge and Mas Schloeeberg. Te: CpL George B. MershaH, Carl F. (Continued on Page Three) Ex-Marine, PX Work^, Wounded At Guadal Tbe boys have been HrftUng 23- year-old Wilson W. Parker, a shy, slow-talking native of Smlthfl^ who works In Poet Exchange Brrahh No. 2 that be "ou^tto be In \dilform.'’ They say a heal thy. strapping fellow such as he ■ ^Tasting hte time seU^ noo-hr :kbig goods in the supply room, oey tlBik be would make a good s*dler-or an airplane mechanic like tbemselveB. The fuony pan of it te, or tbe peri, is* that Wilson W. Pancer naa already done hte bit t- and perhape a little bit more. B be hhsn’t. then Uheie Sam te wrong ' the goveramrat has awarded the' Orde 'ker ' Order of the Fniple • We give you NHsoa W. Parker, late.oC Amertoa's ace fighttogoorpe: . the United States kCarlnet. ' . Puker eidteted In tbe Leatber- Aug. ff, ISIS. -AlaophlHo. becatise. of wOutids. receive.^ on lOuadalcraal. And 4 grateful Umt- ed States government te giving him the Order Of the Purple. Heart. "I'd like to be back In that green uniform," Paricer. agid. thte week. "But I-guess they can’t have me. It takes zoujgh. tou^ men now to staqd fhe life, and xny shoulder doesn't fuDcton U)o veil. . ." Rough, loiMb -^en It takes all And us you paJj^lly,. bit by bit, extract Parkerte ^ry of Quad- alunal,‘yoa’B see what It means; but left's start at tbe begkmlng. ' When Pajker In the. faU, of '40, he vas'eent to Parte ^ for .toot tmlnlhg; latw ' years later to the day/on Aug. 7, 1043, Partar - BcramMM out of a - - ... Bggias landing boat off the sborea Mver a^ to Ndtfolk, Va of puudalcanal a:spoC that *■" — .• »- was to beootneanodter -.glorloos diapter tax American* htetmy. Exactly two years and • months after hte cnltetment, on April S, tola pear.'-Paskeri-VM'-dkMoarfed vua w swviixtm. wume be svas'attohbed'to the fleet Ma- . fine' Corps:'On May 17.*'Purker'a . aatfii iwued out of NorfoL With ^t,S0B nther Ifsil—i. 9mkbt -WM Btow«d away ou a traop transBprt. It arrtvad ut'WatlhMtoiL HevZute land, and shortly after hte BCarlnes made their last "Dummy Run'' to tbe Samoa Islands. It was a prac tice landing operatiras. But tnls time it was a little btlt more, be- oause "someblng big wag ahead." Then, it came. The Higgins boats were loaded and r^y. and placed on board. iTbe tmsporta wore Jammed w 1 th troops. Transports, warships and ^axM merged into a convoy and moved out. ' Northward, aUU three days awuy. AmericanV planes werei I pounding Guadalcanal, a JapJMidj 'island in tu Solpmocs that was! so rraiote few of toe folks back home bad eyn heard the name. Os board tbe tiunqiorte; Marine qfllDdrs were 'euplaining to eoltet- ■ed men what was up. ’nut Marlnea iwere-to nmve in, mop up tbe Japs, taka HeodunMo Flald, the total alr- pect. Than tbe Army woteii talos over. Each- Marine was Issued A small map of the island. One day away from tbe landing, tbe chow call sounded aikl Ma rines rushed to line up. They sat down at crowded tables and gasped in amasemrat —they were served a turkey dinner equivalent to anybody's Thanksgiving meall "R was kind of funny," Parker says. "We sat there looking at ooa another, Sura, they were being especially niee to us —rad we were 'afraid we knew why. It waa sort lof like the condemned man eating a hearty meal, or so we tboughL 'And not a lot of us could enjoy 11, 'either." When tha convoy arrived and the Hlfflns boats were fUtod, they i la a llyliig wudga tor s near Longoa Btver. PUbm aklee sad funs vara