Milford chronicle., 1942-11-20

dismemhered arm lay. Its extend
ed thumb touched the tip of his
nose, so that in death .'as in, life,
Bill was 'thumbing his nose at the
Jap ship that got him.
This was just the same day that
you were raising hell because they
were rationing gasoline, and for
fear you couldn't drive up to the
lake to go fishing every weekend
this summer, you hid four cans OF
gasoline in your garage,
Bill Jones is dead. .aa.er Aaa
Bills dad had lot of money and
when Bill wanted his own plane,
dad bought it for him. Bill was a
wild devil. driving a car out Of all
reason and flying plane the same
way, and. getting drunk quite often.
But he. was the first man in his
town to respond to the Air Corps
call for fiiers. ,.r. a.s e..s. as
Bill got into a dog fight over the
English Channel. There were six
German planes, but with a Tally
ho!" Bill dived into the bunch of
them. He got two before a third
one sent a burst of bullets into his
back that almost cut him in half,
but he held on to the stick until he
rammed the, fourth plane and went
down with it locked in the flaming
embrace of death. -, ,sr ..as ,.a
This happened about the time you
were bellyaching and feeling abused
because of the outrageous treat
ment given you by the tire ration
ing board which would not allow
you recaps for your pleasure car.
Bill Jones is dead, aas a.i;
Bill was boy who had inclina-
tions for the ministry, but when the
call came, Bill laid aside his Bible
and Joined the Marine Corps. r Bill
wasn't much, fun around the blank
ct where they were shooting craps,
and he wasn't SO hot at the, beer
drinking in the jukes, but he earned
his. sergeant's stripes before they
sent his gang ashore in one of those
new boats which land through the
surf. hs 4.H s,.re /,
The fist full of fighting fools
charged a machine gun nest, and
Bill had just taken lareful aim and
let go with a hand grenade when
machine gun caught him.
Four bullets hit his head, a Marine
has four speeds forward and no re-
verse, and Bill fell toward the
enemy.
That was the afternoon when
you were sitting at the golf club
with a highball in your hand, tel
ling the other three fellows in your
foursome that if income taxes were
not reduced, they were going to kill
initiative in this country.
Bill Jones is dead.
Bill was football player who had
good prospects as professional
coach at a good small college.
Then came Pearl Harbor. Bill used
some football language and headed
for town to sign up with the para
chute troops. He did all right.
Bill got action in an air raid in
enemy country. He hit the ground
with a dozen of his pals and raced
to where their machine guns and
grenades had landed near them.
Fully equipped, they made for a
nearby farm house from which
bullets were spraying like water
out of garden hose.
Six of those machine gun bullets
fairly cut Bills legs off, but he lay
on his belly in the mud and got two
Heinies. Bills last words were,
'Of all the damn fool luck"
That was the time you were
telling the boys at the poker game
that the union racketeers and the
munittion manufacturers were
fortunes out of this war,
when we had no business getting
into it in the first place.
Bill Jones is dead.
Bill was an uneducated clam dig
ger on the New England coast, but
be knew about boats. He had only
one eye and the uniformed ranks
would not take him, so he shipped
on a tanker. His ship was bringing
oil up the coast when German pig
boat came up out of the slime and
sent a torpedo into the hull amid
ships. The freighter burst into
flames and Bill went over the side
into the burning oil. ....
When he came to the surface, a
machine gun was practicing on the
bobbing heads. When the bullets
nit Bills head, it burst open like a
dropped egg. His charred bullet
riddled body sank beneath the sur
face. .... II
That was the night you were tel
ling the folks at your party that
this war is being run by a lot of old
women in Washington. the most
mess you ever heard
Of. .s,... ..: ~.
Bill Jones is dead. When God in
His infinite kindness meets Bill
Jones at Heavens gate. He is going
70 say well done, thou good and
faithful servant" -.. ST.. ,..-
What He is going to say to you,
God alone knows.