Newspapers / The Franklin Times (Louisburg, … / Oct. 13, 1944, edition 1 / Page 2
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War Story of South Pacific (By Staff Sergeant Ward Walker. Marine Corps Combat , Correspondent. ) Guam, Marianas Islands. Oct. ? (Delayed) ? It was 10 a. m. The beachhead was still a fresh wound on this ialand and, below vs. men and supplies still stream ed Whore. Here, on the side of a hill, -was this tightly knit little group of Marines, one squad of many. Excited by the taste of combat on the beach, the men were eager | to probe into the red clay hills: rising ahead. They were going to give the Japs hell, they laugh ed. Platoon Sergeant Willie Graves. ?6, of 430 North Street, Jackson, . Miss., who was to die on the slop es the next morning, suggested ~we accompany this 3quad. "They're good boys." he said. "Had the rough edges knocked off at Bougainville. Reckon you can see a bit of action with them. They'll be the lead squad." Then came the order. "Move out!" A 22-year-old Marine Corp-i combat photographer joined us and we moved up the ridge with the others, each of us five yards apart. We advanced cautiously. Our orders were to move fast, ignoring snipers, until we met the enemys strength. The snipers soon caught sight of our squad, but our leaders took us safely into the gullies and we hurried across the ridges. The sun was incredibly hot. glancing off the hard-packed clay with almost a physical impact To our right and left we could see Marines advancing, long thin lines of men moving warily, weap ons ready tor an enemy we could not see. "Wonder where the Japs are?" asked Corporal Robert Wells, 23, of Loulsburg, N. C.. the stocky, square - jawed squad leader. "They've got to try to stop us pretty soon." Straight ahead was the sheer bluff that led to the top of a hill known on our map as Howe's Ridge. One man said he guessed we'ed meet the Japs near the top of that ridge. Sniper bullets had been com ing close, but it was nearly 4 p. m. before they drew blood from our squad. We were about 50 yards from the top of How'a Ridge. rrivate First Class Victor O. Cbaplik, 19, of Ansonia. Conn., a quiet, blonde boy. was assistant to the squad's biggest man. Pri vate First Class William Radmi lovich, Jr.. 19, of Salem. Ohio. He and "Big Rad" handled one of the automatic rifles. Chaplik was nearing the top of the ridge when we heard the snap of a Jap rifle. He grutfted. He kept moving, but his face wa? "white. In the shelter of a ravine, our Navy medical coipsman went to wor!c. The bullet had torn a hole in Chaplik's arms. The arm dangled and the corpsman bandaged it and gave Cbaplik a shot of mor phine to ease the pain. He grin ned and wished us luck. We had to cross a ridge to work our way upward. One man slipped through, but he drew ma cine gun Are, a sharp stuttering sound. Private First Class Ralph W. Austill, 21, Jerseyville, 111., was next in line. He called ;o the automatic rifleman to cover him. Big Rad and Private First Class Ralph A. Cline, 21, of 643 Watkins Street. Spartanburg. 3. C., wormed their way to, either flank. Austill darted forward, bent over. The machine gun fir ed. So did Big Red and Cline. The Jap machine gunner, hid den in a cave, was silent now. Dead, we soon discovered. But Austill had been hit. He was lying in the open and sniper bul lets hit the dust around him. A man from the squad to our left, ?who had Joined us temporarily, moved toward Austill to pull him back. He was shot in the abdo men and the two men lay side by side. xne medical corpsman darted] orer the ridge. Our rifles andi automatic weapons spouted In mi, effort to corer him. but the snip ers sent their bullets close. He dragged Austin to fcafety, then returned with another Marine and rescued the second Leather neck. In the ravine, the corps man bandaged their wounds and placed them with Chaplik. The wounded men Joked about having company while waiting (or the stretcher bearers. The corpsman told them he'd be seeing them in San Francisco. As we squirmed upwards, Japi mortars started lobbing shells upon us. More were hit. A cocky Irish boy, got parts of a shell in bis left leg. Again the corpsman went to work, ignoring the shelling. Wells, the squad leader from North Carolina, wat ching a spot 30 yards ahead, flred. A Jap staggered to bis feet and before he fell, Wells shot him again. The squad moved ahead, slow ly. Another aeries of mortar ?hells burst. We thought they had missel as, but Wells was hit In both legs. While the corpsman worked on him, Willie Graves caught up with US. "We're going to dig In here for the night, right on the ridge," he ?aid. "Someone's got to go back (or stretshers.' He pointed to me ?a* the photographer. "Ton two (O. Tell '?? to harry. Oet go to*." I Aa we passed the wounded ?en, Chafllk sif|Mts4 he A Dust Bowl on Saipan * # ? Marine Corps Photo This is tL crossroads in Chiran-Kinot, Safptn, with the military traffic 1 bringing up supplies to advancing Marine nnits raising plenty of dust. | It did not take the Leathernecks long to get the roads in order and traffic moving. Are you haying War Boodi to back them up? From U.S. TtoMsary i back wltb as. We helped him to hlB feet and he gamely tried a , few steps, bat the arm swung loosely and he bit his lips in pain. We laid ham back and returned to the beach area. Stretcher bearers were sent on their way after we showed thera ? where to go. Then we rested on ;tbe beach, waiting impatiently for ; the outcome of the squad's mis i sion. We got the rest of the stoiy i much later from Big Rad. This | is it: The patrol dag in that night on ; the ridge. At midnight the Japs began dropping mortars again. The Marines hugged the ground and prayed. Eariy in the morn ing. two of them were hit and the | corpsman fixed them up the best ' he could. They were glad to see the sun "rise that morning but the Japs | started shelling again. Willie Graves, the Mississipian. gave them the order to move back , on the slope. He was killed as 1 the Marines moved back. "That second day we didn't do much," Big Rad reported. "W* Just stayed there, picking ofT any I Japs that showed up. Then we got the word to move ahead. It was 'sunset. We all hated to go. bat we did. One of the kids i Ktood up and said, "C'mon, you lugs, let's go." So we followed him. "We couldn't move far. Thj Japs were pretty thick, but we go; some of them and didn't sei hit ourselves. We felt pretiy I good when it got dark. "The-1 mortars let us alone that night. I "Next morning they got three \ more of our men. Me? Well, I this morning a mortar landed | close and tore the sole off my ! shoe. That's why I'm here now. I had to come for another pair i and the captain told me to take la rest." Big Rad took a final puff on his cigarette. "I can't sleep, though, so I'm on my way back. There're some guys I got to see . . . . " Big Rad, rifle hugged close, walked off and disappeared up 1 the road. BEER TAXES Raleigh, Oct. 10. ? The State [collected 1612,138.20 in beer taxes for the three-month period [ended September 30, the first quarter of the 1944-45 fiscal year. Figures, compiled by the Brew ing Foundation's North Carolina i Committee, disclosed that $272, 027.68 was collected 1? Septem ber, $197,679.33 in August and $142,432.19 in July. ?0$mE? SAVES St% OR MORE MANY USERS SAY Burn Wood Build M mm fire a www ERjqr Ciilinw 24 Hour Heat It's ^ i**ientni , hhnlk ? II* firw to ? Pi ? Orm MM Wtafify m WHK " Y?r 9 r mU to rf tlniULi Cm.' *to, & d HAUL YOm PVLPWOOD NOW War Production Board officials whose job it is to see that enough pulpwood is produced to meet military and essential civilian re quirements are urging farmers and other pulpwood pre lucers to get their pulpvrood out of the woods before winter comes. Pulpwood cut and stacked in the woods is of no value to thei war effort unless it can be haul ed to tbe>mi'.ls when they need it. Early winter rains or snow may soon make hauling difficult if not impossible If the wood is out of reach of a good highway. The shortage of trucks and tires also makes it advisable for pulpwood producers to m6ve their pulpwood when transportation is easiest on their equipment. War needs for pulpwood, espec ially long fibre woods, are still great. Despite optimistic specu lations a few weeks ago, the war in Europe isn't oveT yet, and Gov ernment experts predict , Ml will take from IS months to two years | to lick the Japs after the Nazis > give up. - So get out your pulpwood now while it will do the most good. And haul it to the roadside or a '.ail way siding before bad weath er ties it up for the winter. ,1 Production of'the four princi pal feed grains during 194.4, oai the basis of Sept. 1 conditions, is expected to total 117 million tons,; says a recent report by BAE. WHY SUFFER FROM ARTHRITIS? You get quick and steady relief by? using DMC PRESCRIPTION No. 49. A full home treatment is guaranteed to show results. Users of this amazing new medicine are unstinting in their praise of its efficiency. DMC No. 48 is sold in this vicinity by BODDIE DRUG STORE Lonlsburg. X. C. Ask for DMC PRESCRIPTION No. 49 by name! POSTWAR FARM SCIENCE TO ADVANCE Schenectady, Oct. 9. ? Because "during the war years there has been more research in agriculture than ever." Dr. William Pearson Tolley of Syracuse. N. Y. chan cellor of Syracuse University, said in a General Electric Farm Forum address here that "in the postwar I period the geneticists and plant breeders promise even greater ad i vance." "Colchicine promises to be as revolutionary in plant science as penicillin and the sulfa drugs are in the practice of medicine," he pointed out. "It double pacts in herited factors Into plant*. devel ops hybrids of exceptional vigor, hardiness and disease resistance, and greatly increases growth." Dr. Tolley also mentioned that "our farmers know that after the war we shall have abundant sup plies of cheap nitrogen. Thus our crop rotations and systems of farming may need restudy." "The new world of plastics may also relate agriculture more closely to industry as the source of raw materials." he continued. "Wood lots or tree farms will be of increasing importance and ' more and more agricultural pro ducts will find pharmaceutical . and industrial use." TONKEL'S DEPARTMENT STORE NOW SHOWING A LARGE AND COMPLETE LINE OF LADIES' FUR-TRIMMED AND UN TRIMMED COATS. Priced From $|0.95 to $C^,50 A BIG SELECTION OF LADIES' ALL WOOL TWO PIECE SUITS. From to $2^50 All the Newest Fall Colors to Select From. JUST ARRIVED! SHIPMENT OF WINTER BLANKETS AND COMFORTS. Priced From $|.49 to Q.00 9 Double and Single Bed Size. TONKELS DEPARTMENT STORE Louisburg, N. C. FARMERS ~ LIKE THIS BANK pARMERS need the spe ialized services of a good bank more than any other group of people. Their problems are many and specialized with prac tically no time to deal with them. Whatever por problem, we are confident our staff of executives can solve it for you. Come in and get ac quainted. a FIRST - CITIZENS BANK & TRUST COMPANY S Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation II Corner Main ft Hash St*. Louisburg, H. Carolina Banking Honrs: 9:00 A. M. to 2:00 P. M M S No matter how the war devel ops this winter, supplies of sum mer clothes fabrics, particularly cottons, are expected to be short of demand in stores next spring, say clothing specialists of th?> USDA. State acreage goals for rye har vest in 1945 totaling 2,515,000 acres for the country as a whole, are announced by War Food Ad ministrator Marvin Jones. AT FIRST ^ PS SIGN OF Cr - 666 Cbld'Pnpqjatte&iJiuditSStei Patronize TIMES Advertiser* NOTICE! Application for New (A) Gasoline Books must be filled out right away in order to get yours by the deadline ? Nov. 9th. We have the blanks and would be glad to assist in filling them out. REMEMBER WE'RE SMALL ENOUGH TO NEED 70U AND LARGE ENOUGH TO SERVE YOU. "Come If You Can, Call If You Can't" Fuller's ESSO Service O. P. A. Inspection Station No. 1 Opposite Post Office Tel. 857-1 Louisbnrg, N. O. CO PLACES IN PRINT! Beruffled Casuals ! Pcrfect for your busy Spring days! Beruffled print casupls yon'll wear 'round toe clock ? prize fw their young, fresh look. See the entire col lection. Print and Plain News ! Marvelously flattering the print 'n' plain dross! Suavely draped print bodice ? slim skirt ? ?mart through Spring 1 STERLING STORE CO. "Fr&nklinton'i Shopping Center" Fr&nktinton, N. C. ? ? ? lii i i
The Franklin Times (Louisburg, N.C.)
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Oct. 13, 1944, edition 1
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