The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-10-16
BY James L. HIIaaIlen
(INS staff correspondent


AFHQ. ROME, Italy-INS-Over-
seas, where he ranges the battle
fields with boundless energy, they
call him Newman OF the I.N.S."
But less than a year ago he held
down the more staid, II less excit-
ing Job, OF city editor of the Co
lumbus (Ohio) Dispatch.
Larry Newman, the war CORES
pendent, wouldn't change jobs to-
day with a king. He revels in the
fast, exciting pace OF front-line
journalism.
Newman Doesn't Scare Easily
The alert, 30-year old reporter,
slim. blue-eyed and red-haired, has
had few narrow escapes, but that
hasn't cooled his ardor. He doesn't
scare easily, although he frankly
declares he has been scared "plen-
ty times" at the front.
According TO Newman, the big
gest question in his mind in this
war is:
How does a doughboy summon
the courage to get up out of a fox
hole and walk toward the enemy?"
The answer to that one, he says,
Is the answer to all battle ques-
tions. In his opinion the most
colorful character in the world is
the American doughboy.
Newman, cub reporter at IL
and a city editor at 26, became a
war correspondent last November
at the age OF 20, giving up his city
desk post to go out and find out
first hand what the war was all
about.
He reported to this writer at AL
lied headquarters in Algiers last
December ready for anything"
He was assigned for a time to re-
writing communicates, briefng, and
the like, and later did the same
thing at Naples. He was extreme
ly popular with everybody around
headquarters.
Newman never complained when
the censors blue-penciled one Of
his epics because he had done
lot Of blue-penciling himself back
in Columbus and, besides, he al
ways contended that the censors
are mighty square lot.
He Gets Along with Folks
Everybody got along with Larry.
But Larry wanted to get to the
front, and soon was with General
Mark w. Clark's American Fifth
Army in Italy.
The red-head saw action without
delay. On the night of May II
last, when the Allies opened the
big offensive against the Gustav
line with a terrific artillery bar
rage, Newman had a grandstand
seat on a mountainside. watching
the big guns light up the sky with
blasts Of flame and lead.
Newman went out with one OF
the first companies making the at
tack on the Gustav line at Santa
Maria Infante, where the American
infantry experienced some OF the
fiercest, bloodiest fighting OF the
campaign.
That night Newman lay in a
cemetery beside Col. Arthur S.
Champeny, of Wellington. Kan. as
American troops braved 1900 Ger
man shells and mortars within As
minutes in two-mile area.
Col. ChamDeny said II was the
hottest Smelling" he had ever seen
and he had been under a lot.
Two days later Newman and an
other correspondent, Sid FEEDER, OF
the Associated Press, were again
at Santa Maria Infante-the first
correspondents inside the town.
From then on Newman and Fed
er were going into towns as soon
as the Americans captured them
-Formia, Gaeta, Itri, Fondi and
others.
At Formia Newman laid In
mortar position inside a two-story
house while the Germans dropped
170's at the front and back doors.
II got to thinking OF the nice
safe job | had back in Columbus"
Newman related. Don't think ]
wasn't scared.
"Once we tried to get out OF the
house but the conclusion tossed
me back on the seat OF my pants