Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-01-07
G.. l. Paradise
BY Gordon Caskiu
(WNU Featue-Through special Arrangement
with The American Magazine.)


(WNU Feature-Through special arrangement
with The American Magazine.)
There is spot in Palestine sur
rounded by orange groves where the
U. S. army has established rest
camp for tired or vacationing SOL
diers. 1t can handle $50 at once and
draws them from a vast, 5,000-mile
territory stretching from the Per-
sian Gulf to the west coast of Africa.
Next to home, this is sort of par
adise which soldiers dream about.
The kind of place where captains
tiptoe in and ask if there's anything
they can do for you. The kind of
place where top sergeants even
smile at privates.
The official name of this unique
spot is "Levant Recreation Center"
The army SHE'D away from the
name REST Camp" They were
afraid the boys would think they
had nothing to do but sleep, eat,
read, and knit khaki-colored wool.
They needn't worry. The GIL. grape
vine works fast, and by now every
soldier from the West African jun
giles to the sweltering Persian Gulf,
and in all the great desert lands be-
tween, knows that this is a place
where man can write his own
ticket.
Sure, he can read and knit if he
wants to. But he can also-and 80
per cent do-spend only $l4 for an
all-expense tour of Palestine which,
as a peace-time tourist, would cost
him at least $780, Holy Jerusalem
is only rs minutes away by car. He
can loll on the army's private and
fancy beach if he likes lolling. With
in Is minutes he can be in clean,
modern Tel-Aviv, which is the
worlds greatest all-Jewish city, for
as much hell-raising as suits him.
A little over SO per cent do that.
Like Luxury Hotel.
Arrivals at the Center meet first
Capt. Lloyd Howard, who runs it.
He makes a short talk to each in
coming batch of soldiers.
Fellows" he says, I'm just run
ming a hotel for Uncle Sam. We're
trying to provide you with every
thing but breakfast in bed, and we're
working on that"
Howard used to be superintendent
of Fairgrounds at Lynchburg, Va.
One morning l watched nearly 200
new arrivals come in. They carried
only musette bags containing toilet
articles, mess kit, and few extra
clothes. The camp supplies every
thing else. Only small handful of
them had ever seen action. Most
of the men, like Private Salvatore
Spano of Newark, N. j., had never
heard hostile bombs or bullets, yet
army doctors say men like him
need rest and change even more
than combat troops. Front-line ex-
citement keeps them popped up.
It's different with the Private
Spanos of the army. Their work is
essential but unexciting and monoto-
nous. This was Spano's first fur
Tough in IA months. He had been
stationed in godforsaken desert
aircraft repair depot. I asked him
what the climate was like.
"Climate!" he snorted. "There
amt no climate-just half heat, half
sand. Whatta hole! All we needed
to be really buried was to have a
little dirt sprinkled on u.s."
Then Private Spano looked out
over the great, green gardens the
Jews have created in Palestine, out
to the blue, white-edged Mediter-
ranean and to shining Tel-Aviv
Boy" breathed Private Spano,
latter that desert stuff l see now
why they call this the Promised
Land"
Eight Days of Fun.
Nearly all the men had the
army's famous eight-day furlough.
Most came by train Ia few arrived
in trucks and planes) and coming
and going gobbled up two days. Only
six days. or l44 precious hours, were
left, and Captain Howard was wise
enough not to waste it on red tape.
He has pared the checking-in proc
ess to a bare IS minutes. Men
move swiftly past row of tables.
One table gives Palestinian money
loi hlliu tllS SOlSlGl
Once through this line, which is
the last concession to military Or
ganization for six days. man is
practically civilian again. He can
do what he pleases and 60 where he
pleases. It's theoretically possible
although nobody does-to spend
all of ones leave at the camp and
have swell time absolutely free.
Music and Cold Showers.
From morning till evening, the
camp is bathed in music, played
softly over loud speakers every
where. One of the camps principal
charms is hot showers all day, which
seems like mirage to men over
long in the desert Another is a
plentiful supply of ice water at foun-
tains. Another is the fact that you
can sleep as long as you like in the
morning.
The best GIL. foods are supple
mented in season by vegetables,
oropofr,,if oropuoc op1 porb frov1,