davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-05-25
Ma1sA
Dezdo>s0I

Signs of summer-commencement
season is over and subdebs in
slacks swimming suits making
their appearance with opening of the
Buckeye announced for next Sunday
and some of the youngsters seeking
to jump the gun =. they're sticking
up things at Maple Grove cemetery
for Decoration day with three men
busy trimming the twelve acre tract
and that's a big job with grass
growing as it does these days !.
and speaking of Decoration day,
there will be visitors in town, SO
don't put out your rubbish until
next Wednesday for the Thursday
morning collection-there's nothing
like making a good appearance be-
fore company, you know and
first straw hats of the season sighted
the first of the week and that
clatter you heard on Main street the
other day might have been power
drills cutting thru the pavement by
crews installing the new water taps
or it might have been Gerald
Clever who works at the Central
Ohio generating plant on that little
gasoline motor powered scooter that
takes him places in hurry :. and
we're calling attention that it's time
for D-day in the mosquito front
:. corn planting in full swing-farm-
ers working from dawn to dusk
that's why you don't have to wait
as long for haircut at Pats and
Bob's fact is, we almost keeled
over when we poked our head inside
the other day to ask how many
ahead and Pat sang out you're
next" and with the labor short
age the self-service idea has spread
to filling stations and you can pump
your own gas at Swiss Inn south of
town.
Kenneth Alspach and family of
| Detroit visiting home folks over the
week end. Kenneth has been working
for the same employer for twenty
years and is one of the old timers,
They usually get back for a visit
| before Memorial day.
And Ed Blakesley and his sister,
Mrs. Rose Blakesley Moore of Ft
Wayne who have been coming back
to Bluffton on the Sunday before
Memorial day for the past Ia years
were here last Sunday-a week early
this year. They come to decorate
the graves of their father and
mother, the late Mr.. and Mrs. James
Blakesley at Maple Grove.
| An unusual coincidence came Sat
urday morning with word of the
death of William Alspaugh of Rail.
road street and a news item or
the same morning in the Findlay
Republican Courier of the death o1
William Alspach, former Findlay
resident who died in Toledo. Botf
were about the same age-in the
eighties and the coincidence resulted
in considerable confusion, Saturda.
morning.
And another coincidence relative
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-05-25

floor. his white Bridal suit soaking
up half an inch of dirty rain water.
We were all thankful when we heard
that bomb pattern moving away.
They'd laid q nice strip across the
field, but only one bomb happened
to hit the macadam strip.
81 was just hoisting out of the
trench what was left Of our BRIDE
groom-there had been a lot Of noise
and I'm afraid his condition was
pretty grave-when the Zeros hit, so
we got Baalerts back down again.
"All the Dutch had to meet them
were twelve export-model Curtiss
pursuits. They had little motors and
were hardly better than advanced
trainers. The Dutch had come to
America in 1899 with nice shiny new
mined gold in their hands, begging
to buy fighters. But this was all
we could spare them, and it was
the entire Dutch fighter force, ex-
cept for another dozen which finally
got back from Samarinda. Well, this
brave dozen was up to do what il
could against about ten Zeros.
: 1--WE watched one Dutchman, COM
ing in for fuel when two Zeros
crossed his tail, their guns going
full-blast, hammering tracers into
his tail-watched his plane roll over
and dive into the red dust at the
edge Of the field.
''Now another Dutch pilot comes
In, with q Zero streaking for his
tail, the Dutchman lodging all the
way to the ground. Fifty feet from
the ground he slips to the right to
avoid that stream Of tracers, but it's
too late. Flames come gushing out,
yet he manages to land and jump
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-05-25

they'd spotted a Jap carrier out in
the Java Sea and sent it away limp
ing. If they'd had more strength
and could have laid down a denser
bomb pattern, they'd have sunk the
damned thing. The Navy's ply
flying boats of Patrol Wing 10 were
doing a wonderful reconnaissance
job finding targets for us-every
morning or so you might wake up
to find Jap carrier at almost any
corner of the island. The Phys
would sight little task force in
the evening, but by the time got
word to our Forts to be out there
next morning, often it had slipped
away.
"Most important of all, ten more
fighters presently arrived-hopping
up from Australia via our stepping
stones of Timor and Bali. They
were led in by Captain Will Con-
molly, a commercial pilot, who flew
a Beechcraft and did the navigating
for the fighters-that isn't part Of
their training. He reported they'd
only lost one, which cracked up in
landing at Timor Field.
"But they'd had plenty of excite
ment. Just as they were approach
ing Timor the boys had engaged and
shot down a Jap fighter. It made
Connolly plenty jittery. He was an
old hand at flying, but his little
Beechcraft had no guns, and
wouldn't have lasted a minute in
combat. So he hurried on out of
there to land at Bali for lunch. But
en- route he sighted what was either
a twin-tailed Messerschmitt ITO or
twin-engined Mitsubishi bomber, on
patrol, which altered course and
was coming toward them.
ssWill Connolly had no radio in his
Beechcraft to warn the ten P-40's
in the formation he was leading, so
he started going up and down fran
tically to signal them. Sure enough,
the kids got the idea, and the two
fighters on his wing peeled off and
headed for the Jap. The first one
put out his port engine, but the Jap
feathered it and kept on going. But
then he was hit by the second P-40,
which, in spite of the fact that only
two of its six guns were working,
knocked out the starboard motor.
And just to make sure of him. a
third P-40, which by now had ar
rived, dived in to chew his wing off.
"You should have heard those
Aroarican kids when they got in.
Most of them were just out of flying
school. and had never before flown
a P-40 except for the three-hour
practice Buzz Wagner had been able
to give them as they passed through
Brisbane. But now they had drawn
first blood, and they were excited
and yipping like bunch of fox
terrier pups chasing their first rab
bit.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-05-25

out of the burning plane. It's ter
rife fight overhead; we can hear
the faraway rattles as they clear
their guns-the brave Dutch kids are
fighting for their homeland, and sew
en- planes were lost that morning Of
the twelve which had been Java's
only defending Dutch fighter force.
"As I climbed out I realized the
picture was darkening fast. We were
depending on our Fortresses to keep
the Jap transports away from Java,
but we had to have fighters to de-
fend our flying fields.
"But it wasn't until later in the
day that / found out the Zeros had
got Major Straubel, one of our own
squadron commanders. He'd been
plotting a Bib we used for transpor-
tation, and was coming from Malang
to Surabaya to talk with General
Brett. The Zeros hit, and from the
ground they saw him go over the
hill on fire.
"They brought him into Surabaya
hospital, and of course l went right
out. It was in confusion because of
the raid, but tiptoeing down those
dim corridors, l finally found Strau-
bells room. He was burned black,
and there was no hope, but they'd
given him morphine to put him to
sleep, and he was groaning in his
sleep. But until then, when he'd
been conscious, he hadn't let out a
groan-had just been anxious that
the nurse let his wife know he was
all right. He died at three in the
morning.
'"The next day the railway-station
platforms were thick with natives,
loaded with everything they had
getting out of town.
"While the liaison work lasted I
was quartered at the big hotel in
Surabaya, and the whole thing didn't
feel right. You weren't sure of these
natives as you had been of the Fill
pinos. That night few were shot
who were caught flashing lights into
the air. And at the hotel the bare
footed walters, who slipped silently
between tables and in and out of the
high-ceilinged rooms, began to dis
appear.
"My own boy turned up couple
of days later, however-with tears
in his eyes. Said he was back and
to stay. He wasn't sure what this
war was about, but he'd taken his
mother and sister to the country,
and was back for the rest of the war.
"Jap Intelligence must have been
very good, because one bomber had
peeled off the formation and made
direct run on the newly complet-
ed Dutch Army-Navy building (they
had just moved in), scoring near
miss.
Meanwhile there was something
else to straighten out. The Dutch
fighters alone had been defending
Surabaya-where had our P-40' s
been? Well, it turned out that in
that Dutch fighter-control room they
hadn't been able to speak English
clearly enough for our boys to un-
derstand over the radio, so they'd
been off in another corner of the
sky. Getting someone in there who
could talk with an American accent
was another job for me.
'tThe Forts of course had been
pounding away at the Japs. and had
come back with. ominous news
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-05-25
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT
The State of Ohio.
Allen County. So.
Estate OF Wilbur r. Steiner. deceased.
Cledas E. Steiner of r. r. No. q Button.
Ohio. has been appointed and qualified as
Administrative of the estate of Wilbur r.
Steiner. late of Allen County. Ohio. deceased.
Dated this sth day of May. 1914.
Raymond P. Smith.
Probate Judge
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-05-25

And another coincidence relative
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09

For months it was the most nat
ural thing in the world to speak Of
two and SIX five bob" "a couple
of quid."
Speaking of money, it'll also be
quite while before we get used to
conventional prices. In New Zea-
land (where a penny is worth
slightly more than an American
cent, a shilling worth l6 scents) q
phone call for a penny, ride on
the tram two pence, "a steak (eom-
plete with French fries, tea and
loads Of bread and butter) never
more than two and six
Tea Is Popular.
Tea, for another thing lis some
thing which most American males
invariably dodge yet almost unani-
omusly the Marines in New Zealand
become tea drinkers. One good rea-
son, perhaps, is that their coffee, by
their own admission, only family re.
sembled the American product We
learned TO drink tea with milk and
sugar; New zealanders never use
lemon. And tea bag is something
most of them have never seen.
On the subject Of food, we never
did get together with the Kiwis
on meals We wouldn't be swayeo
from our conventional three a day
yet every New zealander has 6
minimum OF five, and usually six
Besides the three meals we eat, he
has morning tea, afternoon tea and
usually, supper at about 10 p. m.
IF you're writing about New
Zealand, don't forget the Ceci
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09

Italy and the story Of his ingenuity
has been released by the War De-
partment.
1--WE dug in roughly at first"
Smith said, but the winter wind
and enemy shrapnel made it either
too cold or too hot for us where we
were, SO 1 went to work, with the
five others in our crew. and fixed UP
a swell place"
Fine, dry sand covers the floor,
and Smith used bamboo for the
walls. The roof is fashioned Of the
plywood used in a German barracks
and is covered with a sand dune,
planted with cabbages for camou-
flage.
The utilities include a trucks
headlamp, powered by a German
storage battery; a stove, formerly
the oil tank on a truck that was
blown up; and ventilation system,
otherwise a length of stove pipe.
The furnishings Of Smiths beach
head home also includes benches
and table-"for writing letters"
Naval Aviation Cadet Albert w.
Starliper, son of Mr.. and Mrs. H. l..
Starliper, A Roessner avenue, who
has been enjoying furlough at
home, left on Monday for the Naval
Air Station, Ottumwa, Iowa to be-
gin progressive flight training, pre-
paratory to joining combat unit.
Cadet Starliper The was asleep
when this reporter called him up,
but he took it swelD was given a
furlough after completing a three
month physical conditioning and
ground school course at the u. S.
Pre-Flight school at Athens, Ga.
Pvt. Ralph E. Wallace, son of Mr..
and Mrs. v. o. Wallace, 418 Mellow
ell avenue, has been transferred
from Nashville, Tenn, to Colorado.
Because of slight defect in hearing
Private Wallace couldn't make the
Pilot course, but he is digging in at
his new assignment By the way,
tomorrow is his 10Th birthday and
though it is a little late you can still
write him line at the following
address:
Pvt. Ralph E. Wallace, 33728980,
766 PISS, Bar SOB, Buckley Field,
Colo.
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09

Sgt Peter Badrich and his side
kick Oscar" are home on furlough
The antics of Oscar, the dummy OF
Sergeant Badrich's ventriloquist act
We're featured in a story in The In.
dependent tissue of Oct. %, 1922
and since those days Oscar has be-
come almost a national hero, partic-
ularly among Service men, accord
ing to a press release from Scott
Field, Illinois, where the sergeant
and Oscar are stationed.
Sergeant Badrich, the son of Mr.
and Mrs. G. S. Badrich, 307 Vista
street, has helped raise thousands OF
dollars worth of War Bonds and has
also recruited scores of WAC's and
Aviation Cadets through the voice
of Oscar, at innumerable camp and
radio shows
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09

Club" a Marine just reminded me.
Cecil Club Is Famous.
The Cecil Club was the Yelling
ton headquarters of the American
Red Cross. Located block from
the railroad station, it was usually
the first place we went TO when we
arrived in town on liberty and the
last place we visited before leaving.
Countlss romances began at the
dances which the Cecil Club spon-
sored nightly. II was also the only
place In Wellington where you
could buy a reasonable facsimile of
real coffee. The club had a free
checking service where you could
always dump laundry ,overeoats or
miscellaneous packages.
And don't forget the ehowi"
Has~ burgers, eheeseburgers, grill
ed reese sandwiches the Cecil
Club featured Stateside food. Its
speciality was breakfast. They
served American dry cereals which
were unobtainable elsewhere. And
the cereal was topped with the
thickest, yellowest cream in New
Zealand. You had your choice Of
ordering mounds of buttered toast
or a stack Of hot cakes. Alongside,
you could have countless bacon
strips or some piping pork saul
sage. Your check for all this would
be about rs cents in American
money.
OF your mouth is watering, re-
member that we're not getting this
any more, either).
New Zealanders Friendly.
We learned TO call street car a
tram. Some other expressions we
couldn't adopt so easily: saying
'footpath" for sidewalk, clark" for
clerk.
We also learned Gotten by blum
dering) that what are innocent
words TO Americans are profane in
New Zealand. We got accustomed
to turning to the inside pages OF
New Zealand daily newspapers for
headline news, the front pages be-
ing occupied with advertisements
We pronounced the Maori names OF
New Zealand towns without stumb-
ling -Packaakariki, Rnumati, Ota-
XII, Wanganui ,Titahi. We were
diplomatic in referring to rivalry Of
North and South Islanders, which
is strangely like the American diff
ferehtiation between Yankee and
Rebels We found that a tire in
New Zealand is tyre" and that q
curb is "kerb"
New Zealanders bent over back
wards being gracious to us. They
took us into their houses, learned
our slang, and taught us some OF
the history of their country, which
few of us knew.
New Zealantfs wooded hills re-
minded many of us of home, al
though we were 10000 miles away
It's probably raining now in Wei
lington. Certainly the winds blow
ing. But it would be nice to be
walking into the Cecil Club.
|
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09

You hear a lot of talk about mo-
rale these days -. but have you
found many people who knew
exactly what morale" was?
Well, I was thumbing through
my scrap book the other day,
and I came on this verse I'd like
to pass on to you
It's the lift you get from friendly
smile
A brand new hat In jaunty style
A letter from home that the post
man brings -.
Morale Is lot of little things.
Isn't it so? Morale is just a lot of
little things. A flower in your
button hole, a word of greeting,
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09
OUR CITIZENS IN UNIFORM

Washington who
serving with the Armed Forces.
friend relative serving In branch Of the
Service not little information about him or her so that
II items to "The Gobe
Hagerstown, to the phone Our
num $ 1911.
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09
From where | sit
M Joe Marsh

an occasional refreshing glass of
beer with friends.
From where / sit, II we take
care to preserve these little
friendly things that boost mo
ra1e, wen be doing a lot to help
our country I'm Its time of crisis.
And we'll boost morale among
our soldiers at the front, too. Be
cause it's these important little
things" that they look forward
to returning to.
@e M~4<
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09
New Zealand To Be Long
Remembered By Marines
BY STAFF SERGEANT RICHARD j. MURPHY, JR
MARINE Corps Combat Correspondent

SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC, (DeIayed) -We We
left New Zealand But will be long time before will forget
still hear around camp expressions picked up
there's "Good-Or' "CheersI' Fair dinkumr'
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09

similar TO rufniny.
During the evening tea and cakes
are served, and those who do not
engage in the games pass the time
exchanging views about their re-
spective countries.
Robert G.. Miller, son of Mr.. and
Mrs. John A. Miller, 632 N. Null
berry Street, was recently promoted
at Camp Stoneman, California, to
the rank of Sergeant.
Prior to entering the Army June
10, 1912, Sergeant Miller was en-
ployed by the Washington County,
Maryland Commission, as criminal
investigator.
At Camp Stoneman he is an in
vestigator in the Provost Marshal's
Office.
Seaman l-c Charles Gordon My
ers, son Of Mr.. and Mrs. Herschel
Myers, 637 West Washington street,
has completed his course of training
at Memphis, Tenn, and has been
transferred to South Carolina. Sea-
man Myers, who graduated from
Hagerstown High last year, enlisted
in the Navy right away and left for
active duty in August, taking his
boot training at Sampson, ". Y Like
most of the 17-year-old lads who
enlist, Charles is very enthusiastic
over Uncle Sans Navy. His adj
dress is: A.O.M., VB.-2, O.T.U. No
l, MAS, Beaufort, S. c.
Mr.. and Mrs. Elmer Nye, SAT N.
Mulberry street, have two sons in
the service-Donald and Gerald.
Pvt. Donald E. Nye, Ga member
of Hagerstown's Co. b has been 3
years in the Service. About year
ago he volunteered as a paratroop-
er and after finishing his training
was sent overseas last November.
He is now in England at radio di-
vision headquarters. He writes
home that he is getting along fine
and that he is in the same outfit as
Donald Mentzer, son of Rev. and
Mrs. F. G. Mentzer, Salem avenue.
Cpl Gerald d. Nye Che has just
been promoted to his present rank)
sheet metal specialist in the Army
Air Forces, Training Command, is
stationed out in Texas. A former
Fairchild employee, Gerald has been
in Texas for about 8 months and
writes home that the climate out
there agrees with him. He also
mentioned that another local boy,
Donald j. Stevens, Summer street,
has received the double promotion
from private to corporal.
Corporal Nye's address: 13103655,
458th Base Hdqurs., Alb. Squad,
Lauglin Field, Del Rio, Texas.
What started out to be merely an
emplacement for his heavy machine
gun was transformed into warm,
comparatively safe, and even cheer
full home by st. Sgt E. Warren
Smith, Jr., husband of Mrs. Janet
Baltzley Smith, BIT View street, and
son of Mr.. and Mrs. E. Warren
Smith, 1853 View street. Smith is
with Fifth Army forces fighting on
! the Anzio-Nettuno beachhead in
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09

British), chess, checkers, bridge, crib
bage, and donkey, an English game
similar to rummy.
During the evening tea and cakes
are served, and those who do not
engage in the games pass the time
exchanging views about their re-
spective countries.
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09

Pvt. Clarence ". Eldridge, Jr., son
of Mr.. and Mrs. c. v. Eldridge, Al
East Antietam street lis one of a
number of American soldiers who
are helping to cement the bonds Of
friendship between England and
America.
A press release from the U. S.
Army European Theater of Opera
tions announces that Private Ed
ridge is one of a number of Ameri-
can engineers who have revived the
good old fashioned church social in
England and are promoting more
cordial and friendly relations with
the local townspeople. Every Sun
day the soldiers repair to the local
church to play various games, bin
go (called "housey-housey" by the
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09

Copyright. 1914. Brewing Industry Fouuda1i0a
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09

Sgt. Harold F. Carbaugh, whose
home is at GOA Highland Way, was
among large group of enlisted
men and WAC's who staged the Mu-
steal Comedy show, so Joes in a
JAM in the London area on Jan.
10, according to a press release from
the U. S. Army European Theater of
Operations.
The show, staged for American
military personnel, was an original
production written by soldiers in off
duty hours, in billets, empty mess
halls, or any place where piano
could be found. All of the songs
(and many of the entertainers were
heard at the show, for the first time.
The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-03-09

Cpl. Deryle C. Cuddy, son of Mr..
and Mrs. j. R. Cuddy, Jr., 1925 st.
Clair street, is another of those lads,
who, failing to get into one branch
of the Air Corps, stay by their
guns" and fight their way into some
branch of the arm of the Service
they have set their hearts on.
Corporal Cuddy tried for the Air
Cadets, but was turned down on ac-
count of his eyes. The lad was dis
appointed of course, but, determined
to say in the Air Corps, he tackled
the aerial gunnery branch and a
few weeks ago had the satisfaction
of graduating from the Aerial Gun
merry School at Buckingham Army
Air Field, Fort Myers, Fla. Cor
poral Cuddy, who was home last
week on furlough, is now stationed
at Westover Field, Mass, where he
is taking overseas training as an
armour aerial gunner on medium
bombers.
The Mississippi enterprise. (Jackson, Miss.) 1938-current, 1944-12-23
1854 State Vets
Placed In Jobs
During October

Out of total of 83,027 job place
ments of veterans during October
by the U. S. Employment Service,
63,233 placements were of veterans
of the present war, Paul v. McNutt,
chairman of the War Manpower
Commission announced today. OF
the over all total 1922 placements
were of service men with disabili-
ties, 10,529 of whom were veterans
of the present war.
Placements included 1,458 in pro-
fessional and managerial capacities;
5,426 in clerical and sales work;
1899 placements in service en-
ployment; 1927 in skilled work;
16,181 in semi-skilled jobs and 3d.
465 placements in unskilled and
other jobs.
Applications taken by USES in
reviewers from service men con-
fined to Army and Navy hospitals
reached a total of 9,493, Mr.. Nc
Mutt said These applications are
sent to local employment offices
in the localities where the veter-
ans expect to. seek work, Mr.. Nc
Mutt explained, and USES person
mel will be lining up suitable jobs
in which the men may be placed
when they receive their medical
discharges.
In addition to job placement and
as part of its special service
program for veterans, USES also
carried on related international
activities during the month. We
Grams needing further advice on
problems not within the sphere of
USES activities were referred to:
Veterans Administration, 9,414;
State Vocational Rehabilitation,
1927; Selective Service, 1,548; train