Imperial Valley press., 1945-04-27


through safely. He saw Charles
Chick, former El Centran, when
their boats happened to tie up side
by side at an island somewhere in
the Pacific. He said the dim out
was in effect when he left the main
land but he was amazed to find the
islands where they tied up all ablaze
with lights, JapS or no Japs. He will
report back to San Francisco May
Is.
Two brothers, Harold E. and Lyle
r. Burden, son of Mrs. Bernice H.
Burden, have received promotions
from private first class to corporal,
both are GENITAL technicians with the
twelfth medical depot company.
They are with the fifth army in
Italy.
At the Biltmore hotel section of
the army redistribution center in
Santa Barbara Corporal Harold A
Ingram, 26, is among the men rest
ing after duty overseas. This sold
ier is a son of Mrs. Margaret Hood
626 North Eighth, FL Cent1o He
served as tank gunner in Hawaii,
entering the service August 4, 1941.
He attended Central Union High
school.
A worlds record for speedy bridge
building was set by Captain Lyle
Hartzell of Ell Centro and other
members of a group of engineers
when they threw the worlds long
est treadway pontoon bridge across
the Rhine in nine hours. The 1146
foot structure, located south of We
sci, was built under heavy fire and
completed before the other Rhine
bridges. 1t was said that no army
in the world ever built bridge any
faster. The known record for this
type of bridge building is $50 feet in
three hours under ideal conditions.
Ensign Ted Smyer son of Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Smyer, former Ell Gen.
trans, WITS shot down in March
while plotting navy plane over a
Japanese island. His plane was
hit just as he started in his dive.
The engine was struck and the
plane was afire. He rolled back
his canopy preparing to jump but
the flames died. He was then
struck three or more times, two
hits in the engine, one in the right
wing, and shrapnel in the cockpit.
He saw a few holes near his feet
! Along came another hit which
struck the left wing and exploded
near his guns. This put the inboaro
gun out of working order and blew
a hole in the trailing edge of the
wing and flaps. All his gas tanks
were struck, he said, even the belly
tank. He lost almost all of the
gas out of all tanks. Ensign Smyer
dropped his bomb and headed fol
the open sea. He got away from
the island and plunked down in tht
water. iii the drop he struck hi
face on the gunsight. A destroyer
rescued him. He came out of it with
q black eye, swollen cheek bone
swollen brow, and a cut under one
eye. He said he did not consider
himself candidate for the Purple
Heart and anyway he's all healed
now. He said he is waiting for
lieutenant Jack Oswalt, son of Ster-
ling OSWalt, to show up before the
fun is over. Oswalt is navy flyer
who was home last weekend. He
is stationed in San Diego and soon
expects to take night flying at
Holtville.
" T. Livingston, chief in the
SeaBees, is home in Ell Centro after
being discharged from the service.
He was in the SeaBees two and a
half years. being stationed in Africa
and in the Pacific area. He is a
veteran of World Wars / and 2.
Ensign Jack Mcconnell, son of
Mr.. and Mrs. Leslie Mcconnell of
Meloland, was to leave Friday for
San Francisco at the close of a
weeks leave. He is in the maritime
service and just completed his Of
ficers' training course at Alameda.
Mcconnell had IA months of active
sea duty in the Pacific and Atlantic
areas and was in combat in Italy.