Imperial Valley press., 1944-11-17
Our Men I'm the Service

/ July % and is serving in the capac-
! ity CT aerial gunner. The unit TO
which he belongs recently received
/ the distinguished unit citation Tor
outstanding performance OF duty
/ in armed conflict with the enemy
/ Trapped with n carload of wound7
ed marines on q bullet-swept noun
/ tain road on Guam. Navy Pharma-
/ cist's Mate Second Class Ernest
Roland Neel. 18-year-cld son oil
/ Mrs. Robert II. Hoag, National Clty,
1 and of Thomas p. Neel Sr. OF FL
/ Centre. sheltered and cared for his
patients four hours before being
! rescued. Neel, WHO is attached 10 the
Third Marine Division Engineers,
landed under heavy enemy shell fire
carly on Guam'S D-Day and helped
set I'D the first evacuation aid sta
ton. At the height of the battle, he
Wa assigned to drive an ambulance
to &c front lines to bring back
/
front all right, had the injured men
loaded in the ambulance and start
ed down the mountain road, Neel
caid. About half way down the
mountain. Japanese machine gun
nest opened up on us. l Jammeo on
the brakes and backed up as last
as I could. Then the Japs began
dropping mortar shells around Us.
One exploded close enough TO Seho
fragments through the tire. oe-
cided I'd better get the WOUNDED
men under cover in ditch by the
side of the road. The mortarS ana
machine guns kept us pinned down
in the ditch for four hours. 1t was
plenty tough en- those Woundeu l,ia-
rines. I cared for them as peSt l
could hut some had been hit badly.
T had been doing some praying ana
ouese the Lord heard me, for
tank finally came along ana Wipeo
the ,Japs out" Neel then care1uily
loaded his wounded charges back
into the ambulance. stopped long
enough to pick up additional casuai,
tics along the road, and brought all
to safety without losing a man
overseas for 16 months. Neel mas
also served on New Caledonia ana
] Guadalcanal.
Corporal Dean r. league is new
eerving with an air depot. group
somewhere in New Guinea. Upon
his arrival in New Guinea. Corporai
Teaeue saw his brother-in-laW'
Sergeant Aaron L. Fox, whom he
had not seen for over two years.
The bcys had quite a visit ana are
both attached to the same unit
there. Corporal Teaguc has peen
in the service for two and one-hall
yoayr and was formerly stationed at
New Caledonia. Sergeant FOX HAS
been in the service for two years.
Pfc. Claude league is stationed
somewhere in France. He is IN the
infantry and has been in the serV-
ice for two years. Pfc. league ana
private L. Dee Hughes of El Centre
were aboard the same ship on 'iie
VOYAGE overseas. Private Hughes Is
the son of Mrs. Bessie Hughes OF
Ell Centro.
Corporal Sterling league wrote
his brother, r. E. league OF Ell Cen
trc. that he has seen action IN
France and Belgium. lie spent sew
eral days in liberated Paris ano
said the French people gave the
Americans quite welcome.
Richard Wogatzke of Ell Centre
recently was graduated from al
amphibious fireman naval training
school located On the campus o1
Iowa State college, Ames, Iowa
Wagatzke was the Cnly boy in
class of 60 who was graduated will
honorS. Selection to attend the spe'
cialty school was based on result
of recruit training aptitude tes
scores. Fireman Second Glass Wo'
gatzke is now stationed at Caml
Bradford, Virginia Robert Wogat
IKE was recently promoted to stat
sergeant and is now serving witt
a bomber group in England. Private
Donald Wogatzke is stationed a
Buckley Field, Colorado.
Stewards Mate Second Clas'
Franklin NARROW, son CT Mr.. ant
Mrs. Frank NARROW OF BraWley, i
now serving with the merchant ma
rines aboard transport ship IL
Alaska and Canada.
j. d. NeSbitt Jr.. specialist secont
| class with the navy, and Mrs. Mes
, bitt will arrive in FL Centre from
San Diego this week end for a holi
day with his parents, Mr.. and Mrs
J. d. Nesbitt Sr. He is stationed a
the naval repair base in San Diego
Stan Mitosinka, sen of Mr.. ant
, Mrs. Gus Mitosinka of the El Centr'
l area, was home this week. He is TAX
ing his navy boot training in Sal
Diego. He enlisted october 10. Mito
sinka was graduated from Centra
5 Union High school in the clasS o
1912. His brother, Dan, is an arm
air bcmbardier and navigator sta
tened at Childers, Texas
At Ardmore, Oklahoma. Corpora
Haskell jewell Hamiter, son of Mr..
Arilla Hamiter, 1856 South Mint
. u,,,.sszluuaanaur1nnnl
r FIRE AUl OMOBILE