The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1943-12-29

particularly blessed with mirth
Thomson, former building man
icoI soul if there ever wos one
ing, spiced with dash or two
Of Rosocrucion mysticism and
song and poetry, added spice to
many evenings spent in the
building with the late Cap"
Baldwin, Jim Dougherty and
yours truly. But Don
doesn't live here any more.
He's overseas with the armed
forces.
Back in 1914 or Is 1--WE for
get which, when Don was
a bucky youth of about IL, in
Kingston, Ont, he was bitten
with the patriotic urge that
spurred so many young men of
the British Empire TO take the
Kings shilling" and join the
colors. Don did. He
signed up with that most fam
Gus of all Canadian Regiments
World War / Princess Pa
tricia's Canadian Light Infan-
try otherwise the "Prin-
cess Pats"
He was just a kid then =.
but after a little training he
was shipped TO France 8.
where he put in more than three
long years of front line duty
without more than the infre-
quent weekend furlough =.
which, as we recall, he spent in
Gay Paree learning sort of
French that only men in khaki
knew and understood.
Don saw so much with the
troops in France manning
a trench mortar during the ter
rifle artillery barrages and
running messages in knee deep
mud under fire that he
never would talk much about il.
Once in a while a little
descriptive sentence concerning
the bloodshed and horror would
slip out but he wouldn't
elaborate. World War l
made a deep mark In the soul
OF that lad in his teens.
He returned to civilian life in
1919 accomplished in the
art of killing, and knowing lit
tie else TO world filled
with ex-soldiers, elbowing each
other from bread lines, and
competing for jobs and the best
apple selling corners. Don
belonged to a generation whose
schoolbooks and first jobs were
wiped out by war.
He got a job in the Toronto
Post Office and later found
his way to Detroit, intent on
getting ahead He worked
at the Burroughs Adding Ma
chine plant days, and studied at
Wayne University nights E.
often burning the midnight oil
until 2 or a. m, studying BUSH
ness administration. He
won his diploma with honors.
Macy Z. Watkins, assigned to
a Detroit banking post from In
diana, ran into Don at the hos
telry they both called home
and so Don eventually
came to live in Mount Clemens
and 10 the managership of
our building. For a long
time he had TO commute TO De-
troit evenings and Sundays 10
continue his talks before church
and young peoples groups
which were his hobby at that
time. Don was an inspiring
speaker on the philosophy of
Christian living.
Along came 1913 and
Don, at the age of As, found
himself an Army Medical corps
man in Casablanca, and later in
North Africa caring for the
badly wounded cases of the
North African, Sicilian and Ital-
ian campaigns. He's still at
it up TO his ears in his Sec
ond world war but still
hating all that war stands for.
His letters are full of phil
osophy e.. wondering what
effect the war will have on in
ternational brotherhood or
whether a permanent peace can
and will be achieved. He
doesn't say much about his
bloody experiences and
that's just like Don to whom the
externals were always of lesser
importance than the Intervals.
Good luck and a safe return,
Don. Pleasant memories!
Choking with Indignation is
Deputy Sheriff Richard De-
Ketelaere whose dignity
was offended yesterday when a
cigar exploded in his face. 4.
Detective DeKetelaere is in
censed because he can't recall
who gave him the cigar Z.
which comes of accepting too
many cigars in a day.
About a week ago when
we published our column APP
peal for readers to honor Henry
Chapoton with Christmas cards
in appreciation of the
widespread good he had done
for otharc vra ,tyaro livin q