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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIn Honor of Veterans 11-19-20031 November 20, 2003 Calvin Boykin 8407 Shadow Oaks College Station, Texas 77840 Dear Mr. Boykin, What a fine speaker you are! I wanted to thank you for speaking on your memories of early College Station and sharing war stories. I feel the series of lectures have been well received by the community and want to say how much we appreciate your participation. I have learned so much about WWII with our recent share sessions and your talk. I wish all the current Corp of Cadets at A &M could have been present to hear your remarks. Thank you for taking the time to share your comments and I was happy to meet your wife and daughter. I will contact your writing class for the final meeting on December 2 from 1:00- 3:OOpm at the Conference center in room # 103. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. Sincerely, Marci Rodgers Senior Services Coordinator COLLEGE STATION P. O. Box 9960 • 1101 Texas Avenue • College Station, TX 77842 Tel: 409 764 3500 Home of Texas A &M University Happy 65t cBirtfiday College Station! All Aboard! Destination... "Exploring College Station History" Lunch Lectures & Memory Sharing Seminars will be held at the College Station Conference Center at 1300 George Bush Drive. For more information and lunch RSVP contact Katie Elrod at 764 -3761 or kelrod @cstx.gov . Lunch Lecture: Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.— 1:00 p.m. RSVP by the Monday prior to the event. Oct. 15' "Formation of the City of College Station" Former Mayor, Gary Halter Nov. 19 In Honor of Veterans" Calvin Boykin Memory Sharing Seminars: Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m.— 8:30 p.m. No RSVP needed. Oct. 21 "College Station Back Then" Guests: A.C. Vinzant Nov. le "War Memories: Home Front and Abroad" Guests: Joe Brusse EXPLORING COLLEGE STATION HISTORY LUNCH LECTURE COLLEGE STATIION CONFERENCE CENTER WEDNESDAY 11:30 A.M. — 1:00 P.M. NOVEMBER 19, 2003 IN HONOR OF VETERANS Calvin C. Boykin, Jr. It is with pleasure that I have been asked by Katie Elrod and Marci Rodgers of the City of College Station to speak on this subject. I will not read this paper, for as Peggy Noonan, former speech writer for President Ronald Reagan, once wrote: Never read a speech. Further, one should not speak longer than 20 minutes, she added. Why? Ms. Noonan asked. "Because Ronald Reagan said so." Traditionally American veterans of all wars are honored on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Flag Day. These veterans include men and women of all branches of the service (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard). Here we speak also of the National Guard and Reserves. Deceased veterans are honored by the of American flags on each gravesite, as has been the case with the College Station Cemetery. Veterans' organizations, including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans, and Sojourners cooperate in holding special services at one or more of their posts on the days set aside to honor America's veterans. Some 1 of the College Station public schools also conduct remembrance services. We are speaking here about those who served our country in the armed services. I am reminded of what John Milton (1608- 1674) wrote, other than Paradise Lost: "They also serve who stand and wait." One does not have to be a soldier, sailor, marine, or airman to have served. Remember those family members who watched and waited, and while they waited, busied themselves in writing letters, baking and shipping cakes and cookies, and during World War II, collecting materials for the war effort. Who among those of us who served in the military can really appreciate the apprehension a mother must have felt when the telegram deliveryman approached their neighborhood. Certainly not to be forgotten are the defense industry workers, those who turned their full efforts to turning out planes, tanks, ships, arms and munitions, and the like. Rosie the Riviter did her part, as did countless other women. The Home Front was and continues to be, if not the first line of defense, at least an important line of defense, particularly since the tragic events of September 11, 2001 As we remember the veterans of military service, so we should remember those of us at home who have served, including our policemen and firemen, and those others who have been directly affected by the terrorist attacks. 2 The City of College Station, through its Department of Parks and Recreation, has gone the extra mile by honoring all veterans of all wars, including the Cold War, and up to the present War on Terrorism, by installing a memorial to honor not only those veterans of College Station, but also all veterans of Bryan and the Brazos Valley. An accounting reveals that some 15,000 veterans reside in the Brazos Valley. The Memorial, located at the Veterans Park and Athletic Complex in College Station, consists of some 12 acres, where a statue has been erected, an Honor Wall constructed for inscribing the names and branch of service of the veterans. Additional space has been provided for the increasing number of veterans of the Brazos Valley who are being honored. Plans exist for expanding the number of monuments at the Park to include brief inscriptions dealing with specific wars. Paths will lead visitors along these sites, where reflections and meditations may be a part of the total visit to the Veterans Memorial. Not many years ago the City of College Station's History Committee arranged for the interview and video recording of College Station war veterans, held at the College Station Conference Center. Some 30 veterans took part in answering specific questions about their military service and their remembrances of the A &M campus and the city during their time in College Station. Enough cameras and interviewers were present 3 to complete these interviews in groups of three or four simultaneously. On April 30, 2003 Texas veterans of the World War II Battle of the Bulge, including those from College Station, were honored by being invited to the Senate Chambers in Austin to witness the reading and passage of a State Senate Resolution honoring the veterans of that battle. Some 200 veterans, who had participated in this battle in the Belgian Ardennes Forest of the winter of 1944/1945, where in attendance. State Senator Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio, District 16, Chair of the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs, extended the invitations, and introduced the bill, which passed unanimously. Built in honor of Aggie Veterans of the Corps and of the wars, the Sanders Corps of Cadets Center on the Texas A &M University campus includes a museum depicting all stages of Aggie life, uniforms, and equipment. In addition to a large military library, a Hall of Honor plaque includes the names of outstanding Aggie Cadets, as does a plaque listing Aggie Cadets who achieved flag rank, that of general or admiral. Plaques and citations of the seven Aggies who earned the Medal of Honor are also displayed. In a classroom of the Military Sciences Building on the A &M campus stands a display case with a large collection of military artifacts once belonging to Lieutenant General Andrew D. Bruce. 4 A veteran of World Wars I and II, General Bruce was A &M Class of 1916. Rapid progress is being made in the establishment of the Museum of the American G.I., located near the Texas World Speedway Exit on State Highway 6, on Cherokee Drive. Mr. Brent Mullins, a former Marine of Ordnance, conceived the museum idea, bought land for the location, and has made unbelievable progress in restoring armored vehicles and other vehicles, mainly those of the World War II and the Korean War eras. His objective is to reconstruct the vehicles he hauls to his site and bring them up to running condition with new paint and identification numbers affixed. Already, Brent has restored an M18 Tank Destroyer, and M4 Sherman medium tank, an M5 light tank, an M8 armored car, a Chaffee tank, two jeeps, a three - quarter ton truck, a recovery vehicle, and a two and a half ton truck. As yet to be restored is an amphibian tank and a Landing Craft Personnel Vehicle, such as those used during the Normandy Invasion. He also has a large supply of small arms weapons, uniforms, and other artifacts suitable for his Museum of the American G.I. Additional land Brent has purchased serves as a war games site, and war was reenacted there this past March. Mr. Mullins indicates that the goal of his extended project is to make all materials, particularly the 5 vehicles and the war games, as interactive with visitors as much as possible. A number of military historians, journalists, and veterans have taken on writing projects, which each in his or her own way, memorialize American veterans of one war or the other. Many of you are familiar with the books written by Stephen Ambrose, namely Citizen Soldiers, in which he relied on personal interviews with those who fought, including those of all ranks. A best seller for months was Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation. Andrew Carroll's War Letters, include letters written by servicemen and women, including the Civil War, World War I, World War II, The Korean War, The Cold War, The Vietnam War, The Persian Gulf War, Somalia, and Bosnia. This is only a sample of the increasing number of books coming out, including those covering, at least in part, Afghanistan and Iraq. Books such as these supplement and bring to life the sometimes dry and plodding official histories of various battles or the wars, which sometimes give the impression that the wars were fought only by generals and admirals. Military museums and libraries continue their efforts to secure the letters, documents, and artifacts from soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, for storage and retrieval purposes in their collections. Offhand I can think of a few, including The Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., 6 The U.S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, and The Army Historical Foundation, Arlington, Virginia. Again these are only samples of the institutions interested in honoring veterans through their contributions to history. Closer to home, I will mention the Special Military Collections, located at the Cushing Memorial Library on the A &M campus, and the Library located at the Sanders Corps of Cadets Center on the campus. No doubt many of you have letters, documents, and other materials, and are wondering what to do with them. Family comes first, but some of your materials would also be welcome at our local libraries, including the Bryan/College Station Library. To celebrate Aggie military contributions in wars from the Spanish- American War through the present, a book is being written by Professor of History Emeritus, Henry C. Dethloff and Corps Historian John Adams, entitled In Service of Their Country: A History of Texas Aggies in War Since 1898. In addition, a directory is being completed, under the direction of A &M Archivist David Chapman. This directory will include as many A &M men and women as can be found through the records and by solicitation from students and former students. Going back in time to Texas A &M College and College Station, I am reviewing some of my remembrances of the summer of 1942, when in June of that year I entered A &M as a freshman. Then a cadet in the Corps could enter outfits of Army orientation, including infantry, field artillery, coast artillery, cavalry, chemical warfare, quartermaster, ordnance, signal corps, and engineers. Those were the days of Reserve Officers Training Corps for the Army, although many graduates, including those who left college early in World War II, opted for the navy, marines, air corps, or defense industries. The Selective Service System, by 1942, had opted to lower the draft age to 18 years, and incoming freshmen, as well as some sophomores, had decisions to make relative to their military service options versus continuing their education. In a letter to parents of A &M students then currently enrolled, dated January 1942, President T. O. Walton, in addition to including the students' latest grade report, gave a heart- rending advice to parents and students. In essence, Dr. Walton advised students to continue their schooling and wait for the option for military service reached them materially (ROTC commission, draft). Rather than volunteer for military service, the best plan was to continue with school and wait for further word from the military forces. (Mention should be made that at this time there was no Navy V -12 program or Army Special Training Program (ASTP), which brought students into service, but kept them enrolled in college. It should also be said that there were enlisted Marine Corps and Navy personnel on the campus at that time, housed in 8 two or more dorms in the New Area, where the Duncan Mess Hall is located. These servicemen received communications training.) As Dr. Walton further stated in his letter, A &M students who wished to become a part of the country's national defense industry force could avail themselves of special non - credit industrial education courses, which would outfit them immediately for defense industry employment. Most of the senior class (1943) received their Army commissions upon graduation, while most of the junior class (1944), having missed summer camp with the Army, earned their commissions as second lieutenants through the various Officer Candidate Schools. This left the sophomore and freshman classes subject to being drafted for military service before graduation, and by most accounts, right away. As I recall, an option was presented in the fall of 1942 to the Corps of Cadet students who might well not finish their education before being drafted into military service. This option consisted of the Enlisted Reserve Corps Program, in which a cadet could enlist, and perhaps remain in school at A &M for a longer period than if subject to the draft. Many parents came to the campus to counsel with their sons, and many students took that option. As for myself, I visited my draft board in Big Spring, where I found that I was on the verge of being called, but that if I 9 volunteered to be drafted, I would have a choice of the branch of service I wished to enter. Of course Air Corps came immediately to mind as I volunteered, although at Fort Sill, Oklahoma I was advised that I would be sent where the Army wanted me— namely Camp Hood, Texas for tank destroyer replacement training. And with tank destroyers I remained through the war, in service with the 814 Tank Destroyer Battalion, attached to the 7th Armored Division through four campaigns in Europe. As a memorial to those who served, including the wives and families of those who served with the 814, I, with the help of my wife, Rosemary, wrote a history of this battalion. Later, to no particular surprise, I found that many of my classmates who had opted for the Enlisted Reserve Corps were called into service before they could complete their sophomore year. Having found a shortage of infantry, the Army brought these Enlisted Reserve Corps students into service, mainly as infantry. Meanwhile, from the summer of 1942 until I completed my freshman year at A &M, much was happening on the campus: Lieutenant Colonel John A.Hilger, A &M Class of 1932, and second in command of the group led by Major General James H. Doolittle who staged the raid on Japan on April 18, 1942, came to the campus and spoke to the Corps of Cadets at Kyle Field. For his service Colonel Hilger received the Distinguished Flying Cross. 10 Ensign George H. Gay, A &M Class of 1940, shot down by Japanese fire during the Battle of Midway in May /June 1942, was the only survivor of his Squadron 8. Adrift in the sea, Ensign Gay watched much of the intensive naval battle before finally being rescued. He was awarded a Commendation Medal. He spoke to the Corps of Cadets at Kyle Field. On a more personal note, I remember when Captain Henry C. Dittman, A &M Class of 1938, returned to the campus from service in the Pacific with the Air Corps for a visit with his old infantry outfit. As a matter of courtesy for his service, the commander of Captain Dittman's old infantry company handed him a board and the opportunity to use it on the freshman of the company. Perhaps it was the sophomores. Anyway, the cadets, despite their sore behinds, and a few tears, shook hands with Captain Dittman and struggled to say, "Damn good! "(A sidelight: During the mid to late 1950s I noticed a column in The Battalion, one in which Colonel Dittman of the Military Sciences Department laid down the law to the cadets. "This hazing is going to stop! ") The Corps of Cadets of 1942 built the obstacle course for use in training during ordinary drill days, which occurred once a week. Located along the creek that runs along the current president's house, the course included walls to scale, tunnels to crawl through, fences to jump, and plenty of running room for the cadets. 11 Colonel M.D. Welty was commandant, and as I remember, then Captain and later Colonel Joe E. Davis gave my infantry company its close order and extended order drills on the drill field behind Duncan Mess Hall. There was some training in rifle marksmanship. Classes in military science were quite basic, the instructor being a buck sergeant, who one day showed up wearing the bars of a first lieutenant. The war was changing the pace of things for sure. There was an Infantry Band, located and playing in the New Dorm area, where Duncan Mess Hall is located. The Field Artillery Band was housed in the dorms in the northwest side of the campus, not far from the old USDA Building. Excitement abounded with the arrival of the movie production company to film "We've Never Been Licked." Stars included Richard Quine, Noah Berry, Jr., Robert Mitchum, Anne Gwynne, and Martha O'Driscoll. Produced by Walter Wanger, the screenplay was written by Norman Reilly Raine. The film was a morale boosting film for Texas A &M graduates fighting overseas. I remember well the body of A &M cadets who met the Sunbeam and yelled as the producer and screenwriter debarked. The filming crew and actors had free rein over the campus, and many cadets participated, at least in background shots. 12 Of particular remembrance was the crowding of the cadet corps a few evenings at Kyle Field, where Aggie yells and songs were recorded. Also remembered is the filming of the Aggie Bonfire, one built where the Simpson Drill Field is located. Further, considerable time and effort went into the filming of a Final Review, the shots taken well before the actual Final Review at the end of the school year. In full dress uniforms and carrying rifles, those of infantry, and the cavalry horses, and the field artillery half sections, all made an impressive sight, whether for the movie or for real. Much time was spent between "takes" in waiting for the clouds to dissolve for proper filming. Further, College Station citizens were encouraged by the movie company to view from the stands the formation of the famous Aggie "T" at Kyle Field. By the time filming was completed the Corps of Cadets had well lost its patience, and it was all they could do to keep from yelling — "Go Home!" Nevertheless, the film, to the extent it portrayed Aggie life in those days, was well done. To the extent the war propaganda played a part, the film even then seemed lacking. During an interview on a talk show Robert Mitchum was asked which of his movies seemed the worst to him. "We've Never Been Licked," he said, "filmed at some "cow college. "' So much for Hollywood. 13 Activities continued on the campus according to tradition, that is the Infantry Ball and other dances, the Senior Ring Dance, and of course the athletic events, mainly football, baseball, and basketball. The intra -mural program continued under full steam and most cadets participated in the numerous alternatives, including water polo and horseshoe pitching, although a version of flag football remained the favorite. Travel was quite limited, and few brought their gasoline and tire rationing stamps with them, for most cadets didn't have a car, even if permitted. Hitch hiking in the Aggie tradition prevailed, and use was made of the rails to and from Dallas and Houston, and by changing trains in transit to Waco. A big event during the summer of 1942 was the arrival of the Ina Ray Hutton All -Girl Orchestra, which played one evening for a dance at The Grove. Cadet girlfriends came from far and near for this dance on a crowded floor, and found lodging in homes of cooperating College Station citizens. At times, a dorm was vacated by the cadets for housing their girl friends, and as one can imagine, notes were often left by both parties. As a matter of remembrance of veterans, I am detailing a few facts about a few of those I do remember, some of whom I didn't know personally at all: 14 Deep in my memories is my high school classmate at Big Spring, Texas, and who later entered A &M in the Class of 1946. A highly respected young man with many talents, including being an outstanding military ROTC student, David V. Lamun, as countless others of his class, volunteered for the Enlisted Reserve Program at A &M. Shortly afterward his country called, and he found himself, following tank destroyer replacement training center at Camp Hood, Texas, assigned as a rifleman with a regiment of the 90 Infantry Division. The Division invaded Normandy at Utah Beach on June 6, 1944, and a month later to the day Private Lamun was killed in action, in Normandy. My wife Rosemary and I visited David's grave in 1997 at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, overlooking Omaha Beach. On learning of the plans to build a Texas State Veterans Home in Big Spring, I wrote to Mr. David Dewhurst, Texas Land Commission and Chairman of the Veterans Land Board, detailing why that Veterans Home should be named after Private David V. Lamun. In response to the recommendations of a number of friends of Big Spring and Howard County veterans, the Home was named Lamun- Lusk - Sanchez Texas State Veterans Home, which was dedicated on February 19, 2001. The captain and commander of D Infantry of the Corps of Cadets, in which I spent my freshman year, was J. P. (Posey) 15 Alford, A &M Class of 1943. As was the routine in the Corps, disciplining of the fish was left to the sophomores, so my interaction with Posey was minimal, that is until my roommate and I began instructing the Frogs in our outfit to call us Mr. Fish. That didn't last. Posey always had little regard for what he considered "chicken" memos from the Commandant, and had a way of needling the lieutenants in the "Bull's" office without reprisals. A few years ago I read an interview with J. P. (Posey) Alford about his military service, published in "Military History" magazine. Assigned to a tank battalion in the States, Posey felt little regard for the fussy colonel who commanded the battalion, and who had a penchant for spot- checking tire pressure on the battalion's vehicles. At a dance at the officers club, with all dressed in their best, Posey mounted his bicycle and rode out on the dance floor, stopped, pulled out an air pressure gauge from his shirt pocket, and checked the tire pressure on his bicycle. As a result, Posey was shipped to another tank battalion, which saw action in Normandy and beyond. A photo in the interview article depicted General George S. Patton, Jr. pinning a bronze star medal on Lieutenant Alford. The caption, no doubt suggested by Posey, reads: "Blood and Guts and No Guts." Such is Posey Alford. Another Big Spring High School and A &M classmate of mine is Louis J. Thompson, A &M professor emeritus of civil 16 engineering, of College Station. We fight World War II back and forth during our morning walks and the name of Brigadier General Claudius M. Easley, A &M Class of 1916, often comes up. A veteran of World War I, and a Distinguished Service Cross recipient, General Easley served as assistant commander of the 96 Infantry Division in the Pacific during World War II. My friend Dr. Thompson served as a crewman on an amphibian tank, his battalion attached to the 96 Infantry. Having served as sponsor of A &M rifle and pistol teams during his tour at A &M, General Easley continued to push for rifle marksmanship among each member of the 96 Division, which became known as the "Dead Eye" Division, and accounted for more enemy casualties than any other division in combat during the war. Always leading from the front, General Easley was killed on Okinawa, late in the war by a Japanese rifle bullet, straight to his head. Today I am reminded, though General Easley of General John Abizaid, who commands U.S. Forces in the Middle East. Bent on leading from the front, he also insists that every man under his command be a qualified rifleman. While serving as commandant of West Point, he was observing marksmanship on the rifle range. Noting that a particular cadet was having trouble hitting the target, General Abizaid dismissed the instructors and lay down beside the cadet and told him to relax, breath gently, sight and slowly squeeze the trigger. 17 He spent more than an hour with the cadet, who in this time, measured up to his comrades. Although I didn't know James E. Newberry of Gonzales, Texas, A &M Class of 1944, except by sight, I remember he served as a lieutenant with the 7 Armored Division, to which my 814 Tank Destroyer Battalion was attached. In France, Lieutenant Newberry was the first man of the Division killed in action. After the war and during the 7 brief occupation of Germany, a baseball field was named after Lieutenant Newberry. As a member of D Company Infantry I had the occasion to meet off and on with Fish John H. Miller of A Company Infantry. As I recall, he was an outstanding student in electrical engineering. A thoughtful and friendly type of classmate, he appeared undecided on his choice of staying in school until the draft called him, or joining the Enlisted Reserve Corps. While undergoing tank destroyer replacement training at Camp Hood, I happened to be in Waco to see the film, "We've Never Been Licked." I ran into John Miller, who asked me about my experiences at Camp Hood, then revealed he was still wondering what he would do regarding his military service. I never saw John until 1976, the day that A &M was playing Texas Tech in football, and the weekend of the 1946 class reunion. The invited reviewing officer of the Corps of Cadets' march -in that day was none other than Marine Corps 18 Major General John H. Miller. Apparently somewhere along the line he had made up his mind about what to do. He retired as a lieutenant general and now lives in College Station. Then Lieutenant General Andrew D. Bruce, A &M Class of 1916, served in France during World War I, where he rose from V Lieutenant with the 4 Machine Gun Battalion of the 2d Infantry Division to Lieutenant Colonel commanding the 5 Machine Gun Battalion. At age 23, he was the youngest lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. He earned a Distinguished Service Cross. Between the wars General Bruce served at various Army posts, one including a tour of duty with Allen Academy, where he was a professor of military science and tactics. General George Marshall selected General Bruce to implement the World War II Tank Destroyer Force, which he accomplished at Camp Hood, Texas. As a new draftee there in early 1943, I well remember then Major General Bruce's non - Pattonesque speech to our group, and I was much impressed with his bearing and the way he leveled with the troops. Following his service at Camp Hood, General Bruce took command of the 77 Infantry Division in the Pacific. His leadership by all accounts was a model for others to follow. As a lieutenant general he retired from the Army at Fort Hood, where he is know as The Father of Fort Hood, and the next day he took over the presidency of The University of Houston, and was later named 19 chancellor. He accomplished the task of bringing the University under the state supported system of colleges and universities. In honor of General Bruce I wrote his biography, which was displayed during the ceremonies relative to the 60 Anniversary of the opening of Fort Hood on September 18, 2002. By now you are aware that I am somewhat partial to tank destroyer men, these including one li Lieutenant Turney W. Leonard, A &M Class of 1942, who earned a Medal of Honor (posthumously) for his heroic actions at Kommerscheidt, Germany during the battles in the Huertgen Forest. Lt. Leonard made many friends along the way, including those at A &M and those he served with in the Army. Quite a ladies man, it was not surprising that he dated General A.D. Bruce's daughter at Camp Hood, where they attended dances and traveled to College Station for A &M football games. When he left to join the 893d Tank Destroyer Battalion, headed for England, Lt. Leonard gave General Bruce's daughter, Linnell, a photo of himself and a tank destroyer bracelet. A copy of this photo is on display in a case at the Sanders Corps of Cadets Center, along with the Aggie Ring, which had gone missing all these years, but finally was returned by the German lieutenant in 2000. The lieutenant's father -in -law had found the ring years earlier while the battleground where Lt. Leonard had died in action was being cleared. Captain Marion C. Pugh, A &M Class of 1941, 20 and a recognized football and baseball player, served as commander of the company of the 893d in which Lt. Leonard also served. It was Captain Pugh who wrote the principal recommendation for Lt. Leonard being awarded the Medal of Honor. Lieutenant Colonel Frank DePasquale, A &M Class of 1930, who was my wife Rosemary's uncle, served as an inspector general for General Simpson's Ninth Army in Europe. His duties included overseeing the burial of American soldiers at the American Cemetery at Margraten, Holland, many of whom had - died during the Battle of the Bulge and other actions, including those in the Peel Marsh of Holland. In concluding my treatise on honoring veterans I am reminded of an American infantryman I recall seeing from a distance at a marshaling area on the coast of England. I never met the wiry red - haired corporal, who inspired the troops around him as they were preparing for the invasion of Normandy. Before the feature film of the night, to be shown in a large tent to the troops, the young corporal, at his comrades urging, jumped to the stage and recited Billy Rose's poem, "The Unknown Soldier," all ten verses. I'll never forget the scene, when the troops cheered as the last verse of the poem was recited with vigor: 21 "I am the Unknown Soldier And maybe I died in vain, But if I were alive and my country called, I'd do it all over again." Such is the spirit of our veterans. May God bless them all!