Evening star., 1943-04-07

Ior our nappy get-together.
DO that, boy" he persisted. did
you know Jennie Soanso is in town
now? Her family's been here for
quite time" and on and on and
on. I wondered If the flesh of my
back had been torn away to the
| bone yet. True Blue continued.
"Well True Blue" I moaned, lit
sure has been nice hearing from
you again-and I'll look you up this
week end" The top sergeant coughed
loudly and cleared his throat sew
eral times.
yep, it's nice to talk with YOU
boy" said True Blue. Just like old
times. Say, that reminds me! I
saw another Of the old gang in
Charlotte about month ago, You
remember old Jernigan, don't you?
Well, do you know what he's doing
now?"
rolled my eyes helplessly at the
top kick and started making faces
at the telephone mouthpiece. True
Blue delivered a complete history of
old Jernigan's career since last I
Ilau seen MN.
well, True Blue" said, II guess
I'll have to 60 now. I'm sick and
sun-burned and confined to quarters
and I better get back" I was begin
ming to wonder whether the oilskin
was buried completely in my back
by this, time. Several huge blisters
gave up the struggle.
Let me tell you what happened
TO-" he began again.
don't know how the conversa-
tion ended. I think the telephone
fell out of my hand when I started
having my convulsion.
Goodby Corpl. CAN'T.
They're drafting honest, respec-
table, hard-working soldiers back
into civilian life now, as you prob
ably read in the papers. Hasbeens
at %, these good boys are turned
into the pasture under q selective
retirement system. It's interesting
to watch the way they take it.
Our big loss in Battery A came
Tuesday when Joe CAN'T went back
to Liberty, S. c., after five months
IN the citizen army. Joe IS the nice
corporal who looked like the soldier
pictures in the magazines, used an
instructive psychology in handling
his men, and knew every man In
the battery as friend.
He was on furlough last week
when he was ordered to return at
once to the battery. He came back,
started through the discharge rou-
tine and went about hugging every
body with what looked like un-
bounded JOY.
Then he started getting quieter
and less demonstrative He had
| been relieved from active duty for
the remainder of his stay here-a
matter of four or five days-and
when the men fell out for calls
themes or drill. Corpl. CAN'T didn't
have to 60 out with them. Every
time the whistle blew, you could
see lonesome look creeping into
his eyes.
The last time I saw him was
Monday at noon, when we fell out
for chow. Military procedure was
overthrown in a spontaneous revo-
luton and Joe was drafted to march
us to the mess hall. It was his
last detail. Hallway to the mess
hall he gave us ITO the rear
march! To the right flank-march
To the right flank-march!" and all
Of the marching commands he had
taught us.
Going to Miss Army.
Hes returning to liberty now,
where hen fall back easily into
the life he left five months ago.
But you could have seen from
casual glance that he was going to
miss the Army.
Another of the men to be dis
charged here was Little David"
Rosenthal. Little David, a week
before he got his papers. had talked
to me in a very despondent man.
ner. He outlined his definite opin-
ion that the men who are now 80
or 30odd years. old have been sys-
tematically given the run-around
by Fate. They grew up in the con-
fusion which followed the last war
and marched out of high school or
the first years OF college straight
into the teeth of the depression.
Then when better times came and
they began to find themselves, along
came the new war.
The next time I saw him, he had
been given his notice. He danced
about like a child on Christmas
morning, roared gleefully, and went
into eloquent Jewish rhetoric to
describe his feelings.
II told them," he shouted, COW
ering his face with an expression
of mock grief, Il said to them,
Please just let me stay until Christ
Just until Christmas!' His voice
Just until Christmas'!" His voice
sank into pathos. But they wouldn't
let mel"
Little David discolored $50 broad