The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1944-02-03

SGT. H. S. KEENE
1874 ABB Emu Avn. Co.
Dunnellon Air Field, Fla.
This week we present the pic
lures of three brothers in the
armed service, sons of Mr.. and
Mrs. L. M. Keene. Also herewith
we have an interesting letter from
Harvey, who was home a short
time ago on a furlough. He is
with the, nations only company
of flying engineers.
Dear Mr.. Reed:
The Courier came today and
with it the news that George How
land was missing. I know that
the rest of the fellows join me in
hoping that your next edition will
tell of his being found and well.
George had too much on the ball
to be unheard from very long,
Not much news from this for
gotten place in Florida. The sun
has started shining again, after
being on a blackout since before
1 went home last month, and I've
gotten foolish and tried too much
sun at one time consequently I've
acquired painful beginning of a
sun tan. The forests, that's what
they are called here, have gotten
very dry. Lots of fires have taken
off to fine starts, but are cut short
by running into swamps, which
are prevalent here.
This outfit has been called upon
to build an airfield out of q COM
bination swamp and peanut field
and then a bunch OtFarge6 On q
bombing field in the Ocala Nation
al forest. Since coming back from
my furlough, we've built a bridge
and have stood fire guard on a
bombing range at Cedar Keys.
Every so often we put on demon
STATIONS for the higher ups in this
mans army. At present our "tax-
is" and whisper ships" have been
taken away from us and moved
west. Some more should be sta
toned here again and we'll have
to christen a new bunch of pilots
and crews on how our miniature
equipment stays put, while I'm
flight, while tied down with a few
ropes. I don't see why the pilots
break out with beads of cold sweat
after seeing our small, compact
equipment in the planes. The
pilots can get out easier than we
can if anything goes wrong, such
as sscat" starting to roam around
in the plane once the plane is in
little foul weather.
You might be interested in
knowing that the weather was
much worse here than it was
while I was home. I missed the
Florida winter by being in the
best of the 48 states. It was much
warmer and drier at home than it
was here. We keep our tent warm
by pot-bellied stove with a
four-inch pipe going up through
the top Of the tent. We burn soft
coal in them and each night
we have to crawl up on top of the
tents and clean them out by drop
ping chunks of coal down the
pipes, then we have to duck as
the SCOT comes out. Burning SCOT
has caused almost every tent to
be patched. So far only one tent
has gone up in smoke.
I brought back box of Wine
saps and they lasted almost as fast
as a buck in a crap game. Lots of
the fellows here had never eaten
anything but Eastern apples. They
didn't want any more of their
Eastern apples. I've noticed that
Church's grape juice is sold quite
extensively here in the stores and
restaurants. It tastes just as good
here as it does there.
Taps is about to sound and the
co has been in off and on the
past hour wondering when was
going to turn the lights out so
guess I'd better oblige him.
Thanks lot for the paper. I
got to read it first this time. The
clerk, from Idaho, didn't get to
it until after I'd gone through it.
Three guys from New York are
interrupting the peace and quiet of
this place arguing over the size Of
the Columbia and Hudson rivers,
brought on by an article in the
paper. Thanks again for the paper.
Sincerely,
SGT. HARVEY S. KEENE.