Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-12-02

a
ervice, for it's been evident from
he mail that they didn't forget III
or football. I've been running
practically a private mail ordel
BUSINESS on football information
answering letters that have come
rom practically all over thu
hemisphere and some even from
England and Scotland.
The following letter Is not b.
my means the most unusual, tn
most inspiring, or even the fun
hest, but as a good averag,
ample Of what football has mean
o these men, I'm sharing it Will
'ou:
". the main thing Is that ]
think have a little human in
terest angle to tell about 10 all.
The principal character Is an
old Harvard football player,
who. like myself, was one Of the
inevitable casualties Of The
Battle OF the CarOllnas.'
SAVE THEIR JOBS
"My friend Joe Nutter of the
Providence Journal always says,
IF you have something you think
a sports writer can use, for good
ness sake, send il, and let him
be the Judge. Give him all the
data you have even II you don't
think It's important. You might
save his life-or even his job
So here goes.
~ am director OF the Rhode
Island State Health Department
Laboratories and was a candi-
date for a doctor of public
health degree at NJ. I. T. this
Fall, but was called to active
service and ordered TO the first
evacuation hospital at Rocking
ham, n. c., for the two months
maneuvers. We handled the sick
and injured of nine divisions
and, in the process, picked up
one Of the bugs, or "A million of
,em maybe, was flattened my
self and shipped to Fort Bragg.
when began to show an
interest In things, the nurse
brought me some of the usual
elevating literature somebody
seems to think soldiers prefer,
the gaudier and bawdier type Of
pictorial magazines, for instance,
but In the batch, apparently by
accident, was a Harvard-Dart-
mouth football program Of Oc-
tober 10. In there, I read and
enjoyed your opus entitled, Meet
Mr.. Flynn of Harvard and | set
out post-haste to track down
the owner.
SMILES FOR VISITORS
81 soon found Col. Wayland
VI. Minot In private room.
propped up i'm bed and smiling
at his visitors, practically all of
whom were ex-footballers who
had become interested I'm the
same hunt and all through the
medium of that same football
program. Anybody who ever
played football, or who loves the
game as most of us do, would
promptly have felt at home In
this place far away from the
sound Of any gridiron. Football
stories, gossip and opinions filled
the air, until finally the colonel
counted noses, found six and
proposed a game OF poker.
"a table, a blanket, cards
and matches were procured and
action began. Soon n nurse ap-
peared with the inevitable Their
mometer, but play did not cease.
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas, c,
o. of the hospital. glanced In
and asked is anybody sick @
Receiving six negatives, ne
passed on with a puzzled look.
A few minutes later, big,
beaming brigadier general was
passing. He stopped, stared and
then started to laugh. We hadn't
realized Ii, but il must have
looked pretty funny, for each
poker player had a thermometer
In his -puss and we were signal
ing to each other with our fin
gers, unable to say anything.
The general kibitzed for a while,
and IL wasn't until we got rid of
the thermometer that we learned
he was Gen. Edwin +. Parker
Jr., only that day placed In COM
mand of huge Fort Bragg.
Colonel MinOt's room has
been the regular rendezvous for
football and poker sessions since.
It's still going on and IL takes
something very unusual, such as
the Red Army parachute attack
on our Pope Airfield, to break
up the meeting even temper
arily. Players change as the
various patients are restored
both TO health and duty, but
Colonel Minot's room is still the
social and athletic center of
Ward 48, Hospital No. 2, at Fort
Bragg.
"The colonel Is an officer In
the list Anti-Tank Battalion
out of Devens, Mass. I remem-
Der having seen him play for
Harvard under Capt. Hamilton
Fish. Other card players and
football discussers I'm this i'm
prOmptu seminar have been Maj.
Inhu IL Thamas Marine Carns