The Apache sentinel., 1944-06-30
negro i! soldier

1%AA 4~~NAANO OO " v Il N SEAS - LII
achieving the first objective of its
European campaign, the capture of
the port city of Cherbourg, the
U. S. Army used Negro units in
almost every branch of the serv-
ice, a summary of the Negro press
reveals. -.&@
Superlative terms were used by
observers who witnessed the work
of combat engineer units which
preceded the infantry in clearing
the terrain of mines and repairing
bridges and roads which had been
demolished by retreating Ger
mans. Much of this work was
done under blistering fire and at
a cost of many casualties, the re-
ports reveal.
Capture of a number of adj
vanced Negro infantrymen was
reported by the German radio;
but the report has been greeted
with silence by official Allied
sources.
Field artillery, ordnance, and
quartermasters, both port and
service battalions have performed
Bunyanesque featS in blasting the
enemy out of the way and in get
ting supplies to Allied troops on
the beach-head which was estab-
1iShed D-day.
Highest ranking Negro officer
on the European scene is Colonel
Theopolis Mann, of Chicago, for
mer regimental commander of the
9th Illinois regiment in the Ma
tional Guard. Majors Whitfield
and Wood, medical officers, are
other important figures in the
area.
With the vanguard of Negro
troops in the invasion are three
noted Negro athletes: 1t. Ben
Johnson. former Columbia Uni
versity sprinter; Lit. Hillery Saun-
ders, hurdles champ from Miami
university in Ohio; and Sgt. Al
Threadgill, AAU high jump cham
pion from Temple university.
Lit. Johnson, an officer in an
anti-aircraft unit which made
one Of the first assault landings
in Normandy told reporter:
st am ready to dash to victory"
Religion stays uppermost in the
minds of men who face death con-
stantly in the jungles of the Mar
shall Islands One of the edifices
Of worship used by group of Ne
gro soldiers at Central Pacific
outpost consists of the scrubbed
ruins of Jap blockhouse. which
is now serving as chapel.
Heavyweight boxing champion
of the Southwest Pacific is Sgt.
Shelton Bell, of Youngstown, O.,
who in 1910 won the Golden Gloves
and National AAU light heavy
boxing championship in the U. S.
Sgt. Bell is now stationed in Dutch
New Guinea.
Hardworkingest soldiers in the
south European thatre of war,
Italy, are the ON truck companies
who labor in shifts night and day
to keep the advancing allied arm
les supplied with food, ammuni-
ton, gas and to evacuate the
wounded. Facing all of the haz-
ards that beSet soldiers in other
branches of the service, they get
little credit in the victories which
would be impossible without them
and their work. On every beach
head, along every advance their
contribution to the victorious
progress being made by our Arm
les has been superb.
AT HOME - In a
colorful graduation ceremony last
week at Harvard university, nine
Negro chaplains were given their
diplomas for having completed
work at the Chaplain's school
there. This brings to $50 the num-
ber of Negro chaplains who have
completed the Army Chaplain's
course at the school.
Huachuca has given generously
to the Negro College Fund in its
attempt to raise 81, 500 900 for the
maintenance of 81 Negro colleges.
The WAC Detachment here has
contributed over 5000 and the
Forts Officers, under supervision
of Col. M. o. Bousefield, have con-
tributed $1227 to the cause.
Our buddies overseas are crying
for news from home. We loved
them when we we're soldering to-
gether; but we frequently forget
them when they are transferred
to perilous climes Let's all re-
solve to write our buddies at least
once a. week. telling them the news