Evening star., 1944-08-15


fighting lines-perhaps in the Sig
nal Corps, Quartermaster Corps,
ordnance and the like-he can
probably use luxury or two such
as picture frames, toilet articles ct
cetera-but in general the man with
the APO doesn't want to be both
cred.
FOOD is apparently the first
choice of most Army men-no mat
ter where they serve-with most
first votes going to chocolates, the
Post Office Notwithstanding Al
most to man, they say they're fed
up on hard candy: one man even
said he wished the Government
would save money by keeping their
hard candy and Life Savers" In
TACT, so much do they yearn for
chocolate that they claimed they'd
rather any day have stale choco-
lates than fresh hard candy"
Soft chocolates" is what they spec
| lfy (as opposed to the hard bar
they get in their K ration) and
point out that they do travel well
in some boxes and in metal con-
tainers, and that they have received
them in good shape. We're sorry
we can't tell you where to buy the
chocolates in containers in Wash
lngton-but we can tell you the
name of the candy shop that has
been sending chocolates success
fully both to England and Nor
mandy, which is no small achieve
ment in a city where it's hard to
find a store willing to send pack
ages overseas. incidentally, the
boys in the South Pacific don't
want chocolates because the heat
turns them green moldy"
Running a close second to choco-
lates is CANNED FOOD. That's
best of ALL" said many veterans,
With a lick of their lips and a
look in their eyes. they point to
canned whole chickens and hams
as the most de luxe of gifts and
hastily add that any canned meat
is fine. They also like fruit Juices.
canned fruit with a plaintive mo
aprlcots pleaseD, assorted cookies
in travel worthy boxes and fruit
cake Even if he never chewed gum
before, put chewing gum in every
package. They all want it. Some
times these packages and mail are
taken to the front where they're
opened and disposed of in the wink
OF an eye, as has been done in Nor
mandy. Other times-as in italy
where we were chasing the ferries
too fast packages ard mail are COL
lected behind the lines and dis
trlbuted as soon as a man gets out
OF combat. In either case it's food
that he likes to find in his package.
CIGARETTE LIGHTERS prob
ably rate next to food for your
fighting man. Preferable for those
on the front lines are lighters that
require no fluid. but amy lighter
at all is better than none" In
/ the South Pacific not only were
matches scarce-but hard to keep
dry
WRIST WATCHES "by all
means" they said-if a man hasn't
any: Red-starred are those with
luminous dials because a soldier
can't strike light to see the time
at highland they request that
they be inexpensive, although how
you'll combine budget price with
luminous dial we wouldn't know.
So great has been the need for
watches in Italy that one man
had seen 'the time when a SIS
watch brought a man $75." If he
has wrist watch, send him a wrist
band. The more durable metal link
affairs are preferred, but leather
and fabric bands are also wanted.
In combat perspiration rots straps,
which often need replacements.
IDENTIFICATION BRACELETS
good heavy ones-rate high on
soldiers lists even though the ser.