Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-03-13
Family
Worries
Cpl. Ross:
CONTINUED from First sport Ptgs)

CONTINUED from FIRST sport frgeD
because of course they're highly
important in war. x Il
But we hadn't anticipated an.
home shortage in food.
We weren't suffering any food
shortage ourselves.
The other depressing news, We
got was about strikes and politics.
1t didn't seem right TO, lear
about strikes, slowdowns, sabotage
or the pampering of people who
interfered in war work.
And then We got sore at poll
Iticians. 1t seemed m serab lie
10 have some guy with. public
office advocating stuff that WOULD
have weakened our power I'd do
the fighting. Many of us resolved
10 see things done differently when
we got back home and got the
chance.
There was one thing character
istic in our outfit. No one would
bear knock at our President
prayed every day for the Presi-
dent. So did most Of the others.
No one is ashamed to pray out
there.
The night I spent in the foxhole
with the wounded men everybody
prayed constantly. The words were
different from different men. but
the prayer was all the same.
BIG SHOT IN ARM
The biggest inspiration in my
time on the island was the Christ
mas Eve service.
FIR. Frederic Gehring. the navy's
Catholic chaplain on the island.
led the service. Every one At
tended. I'm not Catholic. I'm
Jewish. but l played the Christ
mas carols on the pump organ.
II was solemn. but it was beau
tiful. Hundreds OF marines, all
classes and creeds. dressed up and
attended and all were touched.
\ The biggest shot in the arm 10
our fighting morale while | was,
on the canal was the way Russl
turned on the Nazis at StalingrA.
and chased them.
Then the next livcliest lift we
got was when our army made that
coup in North Africa. Son. il was
bad for the Japs on the days we
got those pieces of news.
MADE ICE CREAM
The finest time I had was in the
sick bay one day when a marine
procured an ice cream freezer.
Don't ask where he procured il.
Such questions aren't answered.
1t had originally been on a ship
that came to Guadalcanal.
Then some forager got some ice
from the ice house the Japs so
conveniently built and which our
first landing parties took from
them intact.
I Next. some ice cream powder
was found. and some powdered
eggs. and can OF pineapple and
a can of cherries.
( We mixed all the ingredients in
the ice cream freezer, and there
were fellows so homesick they were
almost crying. Every one wanted
10 turn the freezer. We had to
allot turns.
! That gallon and a half OF ice
cream fed SIS marines.
WARNS AT HOMES
None OF us got much of II. only
couple tablespoonfuls. and II
wasn't frozen very solid. but il
was the best thing VIC ate on the
island.
That's what ! mean about not
worrying over fellows Like that.
and what they'll do 10 the Japs.
The thing 20 worry about with
such fellows as these marines Is
what they'll do TO troublc-makers
back home. if they come back and
/ find that any one hns so much as
changed an item of the things WI
went away 10 fight for.
<ifs Wn Of young muscles.
! young hearts and young nerves,
Barney Ross found cut on Cou-
daieanaf. He Das 33 and "th.
old man" TO his buddies, being
Z the oldest recruit Even the dur.