Evening star., 1945-04-29

After 10 Missions;
News Of Returnees
First 1t. Edward j. Williams, Ne
gro fighter pilot of 1921 Eleventh
street NV, is glad he got all his
accidents out of his system while he
still was in training. He needed all
his luck for his 10th Psi missions
against the Nazis.
After II months with the 18th
AAF in Italy, 1t. Williams is back
for reassignment at the AAF re-
distribution station in Atlantic City
Once, In training, when his oxygen
system failed, he passed out, and
the plane, trimmed for climbing,
kept falling OF into a spin and al
ternately regaining altitude. Il was
out for 20 minutes until I got down
to a lower height" he said. An
other time he was knocked out on
takeoff by loose canopy. His air
plane was almost in the water be-
|yond the field when he came to, and
he pulled it up just in time.
Other local fighting men have re-
turned to the States after seeing
action in battle zones all over the
world.
Capt. Merritt A. Birch, 81, is look
ing forward to hanging his battered
service cap at 5618 North Capitol
street after % months in the Med
iterranean theater with the ATC.
1t. Francis M. Goodwin, jr., U. S.
N. r., 2126 Connecticut avenue NV,
was stationed aboard the Fighting
Lady" when that aircraft carrier
lashed at, Tokyo. He was air COM
bat intelligence officer for his bomb
ing squadron and briefed pilots and
aircrewman. Chief Yeoman Joe r.
Haller, 412l Fourth street NV,
was also in the Fighting Lady" as
was 1t. q. g. Robert w. East
ham, 4767 Twenty-fourth road, Ar
lington, Va. All three men have
returned from overseas duty.
LIST 1t. Norman A. Bronze, 1le
Ninth street NE, formerly a radar
ot1cer with the 11th AAF in Alaska
and the Aleutian Islands, has been
assigned to 1t. Gen. Barton K
Yount's AAF Training Command
headquarters at Fort Worth, Tex
He Is on duty as an assistant to
the judge advocate.
Assists War Loan Drive.
Wounded in France last Septem-
Der and returned to this country
where he was sent to Kennedy Gen.
eral Hospital, Tenn, 1t. Charles v.
Grunwell, jr, infantry. PALS Twen-
tieth street NV, has been detached
from the hospital to conduct an
Army War Loan drive through
Pennsylvania.
1t. william Burdette Chick, 1914
Potomac avenue Sc, who flew 4e
missions with the 18th AAF, and
1st 1t. Henry C. Eslin, ir, 1853
Massachusetts avenue Sc, who COM
pleted 80 missions overseas with the
9th AAF, have reported for duty al
the Carlsbad Army Airfield, N. Mex
Convalescing at Ashburn General
Hospital, Mckinney, Tex, is T/s
George P. Pugh, 2213 F st. NV
Before returning to the States he
was In action on Leyte.
Two years overseas, S/Sergt. Rich
ard w. Holmes is happy to be a
long stride nearer home. Grew
member in the air force, the 90
year-1old sergeant was flown from
Burma in an ocean-spanning ATC
plane and is clearing ATC's Miam
Army Airfield. He lives at 4107
w street NV.
Ralph A. Wilson, 513 Florida ave-
nue. NE, has received an honorable
discharge from the Army. He was
a staff sergeant with the Chemica
Warfare Corps.
Others for Reassignment.
Seven local servicemen recently
returned from duty with the AAT
overseas and are awaiting reassign.
ment at Miami Beach, Fla. They are
1st 1t. Ross E. Garletts, %, B-l'
Navigator, 10 Webster street NE.
S/Sergts. Wilbert F.. Hacker, 20, B-2.
gunner, 1921 River road NV; Solo
mon c. Goldberg, 81, B-24 gunner
12l1k c street NE; Frederick L
Bates, 20, B-24 gunner, 4618 Ellicot
street NV, all returned from thu
European theater.
| 1st Its. Ralph L. Stair, 81, B-24
navigator in the Mediterranean
theater, 5068 Sherrier place NV;
LIST 1t. Francis L. Strack, 26, ca
pilot in China, 1903 Newton street
NE, and Corpl. Joseph F. Hart, %
construction engineer in New
Guinea, Ill Thirty-f1fth street Sc.
Five other men have returned
from overseas duty and are at hos
pitfalls and redistribution centers.
Sergt. Leonard Draft, 419 Eleventh
street S.W., now at Biltmore Hos.
pital, Fla, after service in Italy:
Pvt. Austin j. Gill, 1916 Queens
street NE, formerly with the 45th
Infantry, now at Moore General
Hospital, N. c.; Pvt. j. v. Ephrem
Dufresne, engineer, 1872 New Hamp-
shire avenue NV, awaiting reas-
signment at Lake Placid Club, N. Y;
Pvt. Joseph w. Wall, "a, air trans
portation technician in the All
Transport Command, at the AAF
Convalescent Hospital, Fort Thomas
KY, and Pfc. Paul E. Gilbert, 5601
Chevy Chase parkway NV, ir
Woodrow Wilson General Hospital
Staunton, Va, after six months
overseas with the infantry.
Bombed jap Homeland
Sergt. Charles A. Bruggermann
Bill Varnum street, Brentwood, Md.
now belongs to the legendary SO