The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-12-09
Specially Co.
Men Told of
Work Value

Importance OF industrial output
in winning the war was brought
clearly before 200 foundry workers
at the Central Specially Co. this
noon when they heard talks at the
factory by 1t. Schuyler Patterson
representing the Undersecretary OF
the Navy in the Detroit district. and
Walter Davis. Jr., and Ralph Null
ter. navy heroes.
1t. Patterson pointed out that
there are two parts TO every team.
the man in uniform and the man In
overalls. The Importance OF both
was emphasized with special stress
on the part OF foundry workers
through whose hands all the prec-
ious metal for war purposes pass.
"Your work Is the most tundament-
a., the speaker said. I'VE could
not last ten days without you
He repeated the prediction OF Sec
rotary OF the Navy Frank Knox that
the war will continue five or six
more years and explained that Ger
many dares not quit because the
people OF Germany fear the day
when the Nazi army collapses in
the field for when that day comes
the outraged populations Of Europe
will arm themselves with axes and
pitchforks and kill the first Ger
man man, woman or child they can
find" This will be the aftermath
Of Rotterdam where $4,000 were
killed after the surrender of the
city; Of French highways where
refugees were machine gunned to
clog the roads to impede the French
army; and Lidice where every
male above the age of l3 was shot:
where the women we're sent to
German brothels; where the chill
dren we're placed in concentration
camps and where the village was
leveled With dynamite because
Heydrich. the German hangman,
was shot from ambush.
The speaker cited the promise OF
penalty in the declaration which
followed the meeting Of President
Roosevelt and Prime Minister
Churchill with Marshal Stain as
further evidence that the Nazis
dare not cease fighting.
Cook Popular
Davis, the negro cook on USS
South Dakota, was popular with the
Central Specially workers.
Jap shrapnel cut him through
and through until he looked like
one OF his own kitchen colanders.
but they couldn't kill him" That
was the tribute paid by Rear Ad-
miral Thomas l.. Catch, USN. form
er captain OF the battleship USS
South Dakota. In Washington,
Bluejackets called Davis the Walk
ing Ghost. During the Battle Of
Santa Cruz Islands one medical Of
ficer said he could do nothing for
him. Another doctor said he
would try and patch him up but
wouldn't take any bets on the job.
Davis smiled and explained he
wouldn't be around TO collect the
bet anyway. Today, Davis is walk
ing around, almost as good as new
with some shrapnel still in his
stomach He lived through a bar
rage which killed two of his bud
dies and severely injured his cap
tain. Admiral Catch.
Davis served on the famous Bat
tleship X Oater disclosed as the
USS South Dakota) during the bat
tie in which the "Old Nameless"
crew downed 80 Jap planes in 20
minutes. 1t was the first test OF
a World War II battlewagon against
modern planes. Manning a Comm
gun during the battle Oct. &c, 1912,
Davis helped route three waves of
attacking Jap dive bombers and
torpedo planes.
Twenty Jap planes came N
first and all Of them were sent
crashing into the sea. The next
round, the task forces guns knock
ed down 80 out of 40. Another p
came over next and one of them
dropped 500 bombs close to our gun
turret," Davis explained.
"Shrapnel from that bomb netted
me two broken ribs, a cut up liver,
and pierced intestines and lungs.
They operated on me right on
board ship and four days later |