Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-08-19
Dispatches Tell Of D. {
Men in Pacific as
War Drew Near End

AS American forces were deliver
Ing the final blows against Japan
Pacific mail dispatches continued tt
reveal roles played by Washington
area men in that vast war theater
News of the Pacific Fleets exploit.
, revealed the bitter action local sea.
men have seen in the fight thai
sent most of Japan's Navy to the
bottom of the ocean. Other stories
described how District of Columbis
area Army, Navy and Marine air.
men helped knock japanese planes
out of the air.
Two Washington Marine flyers
one of whom became an ace during
the fighting for Guadalcanal, each
have shot down one Jap plane since
the start of the Okinawa aerial
compaign.
The ace Is LIST 1t. Alvin j. Jensen
1886 Eleventh street NV, and his
buddy is I'd 1t. James R. Rector
3717 Perry street, Brentwood, Md
Both are members of the Black Jack
Squadron of the I'd Marine Air
Wing, commanded by Maj. Gen
Louis E. Woods, also of Washington
1t. Rector, who shot down a Jap
suicide dive bomber, also is credited
with a probable kill, after he left
Jap plane smoking, but failed to
see it crash. 1t. Jensen, who shot
down six planes over Guadalcanal,
knocked out a Jap fighter when it
attempted to intercept an American
bombing formation.
Aviation Radioman &c James S.
Watts, 499 K street NE, was radio
man gunner of Navy Privateer
search plane which recently blew
up Jap merchant ship during an
antishipping patrol in the Pacific.
His four-engine patrol plane spotted
the merchantmen in an enemy
harbor and sank her on the second
foray. AS the plane passed over
the striker ship, the vessel exploded.
Watts plane shot through a sheet of
flame and cascading debris. All of
its engines were damaged to some
extent and more than 100 holes were
counted in the fuselage and wings.
However, the plane leveled off and
kept flying
Despite damages, the plane again
went in for kill" when it sighted
Jap ea-going tug towing two
large barges. The pilot took the
plane over the three vessels on sew
eral straflng runs amid intense anti
aircraft fire. Back at base mechan-
les decided the plane was damaged
beyond repair.
Helping save the lives of airmen
forced down at sea is S/Sergt.
Charles F. Van Geuder of Washing
ton, D. c. He is a medical techni-
clan on 18th AAF crash boat-part
of the Army's navy" based in the
Philippines that has been instru-
mental in saving 300 lives of airmen
forced down. Sergt Van Geuder's
boat is 63-foot, twin engine vessel
resembling the Navy PIT boat.
Also with a Pacific air force is
SSergt. James A. Weetman, GA
Eleventh street NV, who heads
department in the I'd Combat Cargo
Group Of the 5th AAF Troop Car
rie~ Command. The big Cas- Cur
tiss Commands of Sergt Weet-
mans unit have flown hundreds of
tons of supplies to battle front air.
strips during the closing of the war.
1t. q. g. William r. Layne, 10
Rhode Island avenue NV, recently
co-piloted one of the Nays Two
lima based Liberator search planes
within antiaircraft range of a Japa-
nese dive bomber's home airfeld in
daring effort to bring it down.
When last seen, the Jap plane ap-
peared to be losing altitude and
headed for a crash.
Few men can equal the record of
Signalman nc Bernard T. Raft,
232 Tenth street Sc, who, while
serving with the admirals staff, has
taken part in every operation of the
famous task forces SO and SO since
their inception. A veteran of action
all over the Pacific, he is now serv-
ing aboard the battleship Wisconsin.
Raff's battle station is on the bridge
where he assisted in the transmits
sion and receiving of the 1000 Wis
ual messages that the ship handles
by blinker, semaphore and flag
hoist, all necessary for the success
full operation of task force. Form
erly he served on the U. S. S. Ala
bama and the U. S. S. South Dakota
Also serving aboard the Wisconsin
Is 19-year-old Seaman lie Frederick
c. Mauritson, whose father, 1t.
q. 60 Fred c. Harrison, % Armor
Green, S.W., is a veteran of Is
years naval service. Steaming over
10000 miles while establishing an
enviable record in the short time
that he has been operating in the
Pacific, Seaman Mauritson's ship
formed part of the first task force
to enter the South China seas and
bomb French Indo China, Formosa,
Hong Kong and later Tokyo. The
Washington sailor has been on the
Wisconsin since July; 1914.
Seaman 1/c Frank S. Parsons, 10.
of 1926 Park road NV, is another
local man on the Wisconsin. He has
been in the service since December,
1913.
Six Washington area men served
aboard the escort carrier Rudyerd
Bay as the ship topped three major
Pacific operations with the cam
paign at Okinawa.
The Rugged Rudy" as she is
called by her crew, helped smash
Jap shore installations at Okinawa
and her squadron pilots shot down
six enemy planes. Preceding cam
paigns included the battle at Two
lima, the invasion of the Philip
pines and strike against the enemy
in the China seas. Local men on
the ship are: Chief Electrician Will
liam Thomas Bushman, D South
way street, Greenbelt, Md; 1t. q. a.
Ralph Alley Howard, 1901 Upshur
street NE; Cook 1/c Carl Vernon
Hawkins, 1923 Sumner road Sc;
Seaman nc Theodore Raphael
Shumaker, 1910 Eighth street NE;
Stewards Mate 1/c James Hamilton,
232 C steret NE, and Torpedoman
1/c Roy Ted Hawkins, 2215 Newton
street NE.