Evening star., 1944-03-22
Wounded Yonks Glad to Be Home
BY GEORGE KENNEDY,

south.
Home is Philadelphia to Frank
Taylor, the round-faced, bespecta-
cled CT in the upper cot at the
right front of the car. He cracked
up in jeep in Egypt. He is fiat on
his chest now, looking out the top
three inches of the window avail
able to him as we race into the
city.
Home Is Broad street, and Father
Penn looking down from the pin
nacled city hall, and the Phila-
delphia Athletics and the red
haired young wife. Home is meet
ing her after both are through
work and preparing dinner togeth-
er in a kitchenette in a block of
row houses in Frankford. And now
he's speeding by her.
Women Wave to Wounded.
This special B. g. o. train has a
large Red Cross and Hospital Car,
U. S. A." in large letters on the
side, and as it slows down women
wave, standing next to the pals and
mop handles on their back steps.
Il hope Connie Mack don't die
before I get out of the Army" says
Corpl. Taylor. I'D like TO see one
more World Series in Shibe Park"
so would Connie Mack" says the
Italian AA gunner across the aisle.
He's from Philadelphia, too.
Fairmont Park and the Schuylkill
slide by and Philadelphia is gone.
Eight blocks from my home 7" the
Italian fellow is saying. II almost
jumped of. Eight lousy blocks"
This is ward car. 1t was a Pull
man chair car. The chairs were re-
moved and eight steel double-decked
hospital cots installed on each side
OF the aisle. 1t beds 80 patients and
the beds are full. A partition sets
OH small room at the end with
an emergency operating table. This
mas not been used on this trip.
Don't Feel Like Heroes.
The patients are all on their way
to general hospitals near their
homes, where the rest of the family
can come to see them. The Army
doctors say it hastens recovery.
The stuff that heroes are made
OF is on this train. But they don't
feel like heroes. And they don't all
want to 60 home.
The leg suspended in a plaster
cast in the cot below Frank Taylor
belongs to Edmund Phillips of Pitts
burgh. He was a gunner on a Fly
ing Fortress and he was hit by fax
In the Schweinfurt bombing, Oc-
tober II.
He doesn't want to go home. He
doesn't want his folks to see the
shape he's in. Although five months
have passed, his leg requires further
treatment. He fears amputation.
The slender boy in the lower cot
behind Phillips is Henry Markow-
ski. another Fortress gunner. He
also has five bare toes sticking out
of plaster cast. He was clipped
bv fax on his first mission-Lud-
wigshaven.
Lots Of Brothers and Sisters.
Home to Henry is Baltimore and
lots of brothers and sisters.
The March sun is low at Havre
de Grace. 1t is gone at Baltimore.
The last time I was through here,
the train didn't stop. either" says
Henry as the city slides behind in
the dark.
The boy in the lower cot across the
aisle is John D. Albright, former
commercial artist for The Star, who
lives near Chevy Chase Circle on
Thirty-second street NV. He had
good and bad luck in Sicily. His
colonel did not take him along as
usual in the jeep that day at Gela
when the colonel, the major, the
lieutenant and the driver were killed
by land mine But multiple
sclerosis got him. He has lost the
use of his right leg from the re-
sulting paralysis and it is begin
ming to affect his right ARMAND
that's my living" he says.
Home to John Albright is the
workshop in the basement with its
power tools-bandsaw and every
thing the cabinetmaker needs. It's
the 24-foot cabin cruiser with a
V-8 marine motor that he built
himself.
Its propped up in the backyard
now" he says. I'll get it out if this
thing clears up. A colonel over
there had this and it cleared up Just
as they were going to ship him home
That keeps me hoping"
Ts Dimout Still On?"
"Is the dimout still on? Is the
Capitol lighted up? I hear they've
put temporary buildings on the
Hains Point golf course. They
haven't? That's good. I'd like to
play it again. It's fiat course, but
hard one"
Buildings begin to go by in the
dark. This looks like Washington, u
John says.
A big warehouse looms. The
electric sign says "Hecht's."
| Yes" says John, IT'S Washing
ton,' and he settles back comfort
ably.
We are on the Silver Spring sid
ing behind Walter Reed now The
car lights are dim. The soldiers are
talking-GI talk.
Boy, it looks fine to see all the
lights on" says one of the boys
back from England. everything
American looks swell"
He reads the neon signs aloud:
Loans, Yellow Cab, Low Interest
Rates, Hamburgers."
He fingers on the last and adds:
Il can smell them"
81 Think I'll Stop in Church"
I'm going to drink plenty of milk
and eat lots of eggs" says one. Il
gotta be good to that ulcer-it
brought me home"
One boy is thinking out loud; TT S
just like I was in dream-I can t
believe I'm here"
He says it over again with the
same lncredulous infection.
There's a church on my way
about three blocks from home" says
still another voice. Il think I'll