Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1944-04-22
Build Smooth
Paved Runways
For Bombers
Operate Own
Asphalt Plant
At British Base
By IRRELEVANT w. ANDERSON
SONHEVuEPE TN ENGI AND

DIV lhELZN AN w. h1NDERoOA>
SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND
CAMP There is only one way to
tell this story, and l am going to
tell it that way. in the first person.
For I have watched plain dirt and
rock from the bowels of G r a
Britain become the finished sur
face of a broad smooth asphalt
runway at a Liberator base here,
where the heaviest of Americas air
forces take off daily for their as
saults against Hitler and Company.
And the work ths made that pos
sible, from the ground, was done
by sons of American Negro fathers
and mothers! So here's the story
as I would tell it to friend:
For purposes of military secrecy
we will call our engineer aviation
battalion the "000th Engineer Avi-
alton battalion Having completed
the construction of an airdrome,
some of the companies were sent
on detached service" I went to
NlSlJ OIIC Vi bIlCSC, anu IIIC oAiN
dropped in on was Company G,
commanded by Capt. Leroy V.
Bradnick of Anderson, Ind. Com
pany c was very buty. Flo not too
many miles away was a huge Lib
orator base where there was work
being done to improve the run
ways by adding an additional as
phalt surface to replace the worn
parts where the heavy bombers
had caused defects in the surface.
Company c was making the as
phalt far this job, for thousands
upon thousands of square feet of
space, and doing the whole job
from scratch.
ALBANIAN IN CHARGE
l found Sgt. Otis Galloway, of
625 John Street, North Birming-
ham, in charge of crew which
was doing the complete job of
making the asphalt with Barber
Green Asphalt plant. made by the
firm of that name, located at Au-
rora, Illinois.
Out at the Liberator base it was
much easier to emphasize the ac-
tual Importance of the work these
colored aviation engineers are do
ing, because after looking at the
neatly stacked piles of bombs of all
sizes, one had 10 realize that it
takes a smooth runway for these
heavy bombers IN take off, for with
that load of dealt md destruction
beneath the fuselapeo. the Slight
est bump or jar CO.. turn peace
and calm into turmoil and chaos
There must be no ''rts, either,
for those big planes 70 moving at
mighty fast clip when they lift
their wheels off terra firma, and
there are ten lives inside each Lib
Ten highly trained and sFilled lives
each one definitely useful in the
allied air drama which is being
played over Europe
LIST PERSONNEL
One operator of the asphalt plant
presided over by Sgt. Galloway is
Cpl. Willie Mason. Jr., of 2l5
Parkway, Westfield, Ala.
Another is ia Thomas E. Har-
ris of 512 28th ST., Newport News,
Va. He is the son of Mrs Lilly
Hays Harris, Rte l, Box TIA, En-
poria, Va, and was carpenter be-
fore induction. Both Sgt. Gallo
way and Cpl Mason were laborers
before coming into the army.
OTHERS INCLUDE:
Pfc Frank Crosby of l1O5 Be-
lows St. Winston Salem, N. c.. a
former tobacco HANGER at the r. J.
Reynolds Tobacco Co. His mother,
Mrs. Marv F. Crosby lives in Leeds.
South Co~0lir4.
Pfc. LLOYD White of 30 First St.
Belzoni. Miss. whose father. Walk
er White, is A farmer.
It's GEORGE Williams, 922 BAY
ST.. Anondale. S. c.. He is a for
mer hotel waiter
The payer is operated by Sgt.
Ladson Daney, of Alcolu, S. c..
who also sings in the famed Army
discharge Of debt any part of a
/ crime 1t NAV not directly or in