The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-05-06
By ERNIE PYLE

LONDON, -(by wireless) - !
hadn't realized how immersed one
can become in war zone until
we git to Casablanca. where there
is no war.
Our war at Casablanca was brief
and has long since moved on and
far away. Our soldiers there now
are only a few. They handle the
flow of airplanes to anf from the
war zones, but Casablanca really
is city at peace.
More than anything else you a-e
impressed by the traffic on the
streets being normal traffic. In ev-
cry other city l had been in of re-
cent months the streets were
choked with speeding Army tricks,
both American and British. Every
where you would see a hundred
Army vehicles for every local one.
But Casablanca has returned TO
it's old ration. Local autos n d
trucks and horse drawn barouches
fill the streets. The olive drab of
the American uniform stands out
as an individual thing among the
sidewalk crowds, rather than form
ing solid sea of brown as 1t does
in our other war cities.
Being now such a backwash of
the war, our few soldiers in Casa
blanca are bored. Some of them
have been there year and a
half. They live almost normally,
which in a manner ie really the
worst way to live during d war.
Most of our soldiers realize that
their placid jobs are important, yet
most of them yearn for change.
Yes, even for an opportunity to get
into the fighting.
I talked to one officer who was
typical. His chin was down. He
said, "a WAC could do my job.
A cripple could do my job. I'm
young and healthy and should be
at the front. But here am, and
here doubtless 1 will stay"
Military regulation is always
stricter the farther away from the
front you get. There in Casablanca
they regulate your appearance,
which is something you usually
don't worry about in Italy.
1 did 60 so far as to get a clean
uniform before leaving Italy, and
considered myself ve~y much
dressed up. Yet when we got to
Casablanca I suddenly realized that
anybody in uniform without neck
tie was practically naked. And
was in a pickle, for I didn't have
a necktie.
Once upon time I had neck
tie, but that wac long ago and
have no idea what became of it.
In Casablanca I was caught be-
tween the devil and the sea, for
one regulation required that you
wear necktie while another for
bade transients from buying neck
ties at the post exchange.
My good name was saved by a
soldier who took pity on me. This
was Sergt. Ed Schulz, of Altoona,
Pa. He asked me up to his room
for chat one afternoon and, see
ing my pitiful condition, gave me
one of his numerous necties.
Sergeant Schulz has sister who
is nurse in one of our Army
hospitals in England, and I prom
ised'to carry a verbal message to
her. But the prospects of my sue
ceeding look slim. This necktie will
have me choked to death before
ever find her.
The Air Transport Command
treats you well On these long trips.
During our several days layovers
at Casablanca, waiting for the
weather over the ocean to clear
up, the ATC put us up at the best
hotel in town and fed us fine food
at an Army mess in another hotel.
My roommate for this stay was
Lieut.. Col. Maynard Ashworth. Of
Columbus, Ga. Time was really
heavy on our hands. There is moth
ing worse than waiting from day