The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-03-03
Washington Calling
BY MARQUIS CHILDs

NAPLES-You fly from France to Italy by
an airline that carries more passengers and
freight than any commercial airline in Amer
lea. It's the Mediterranean Air Transport serv-
ice, the name of which is Shortened as ev-
erything is in this alphabetical war, to its
initials-MATS.
While MATS links up with the U. S. Air
Transport command that girdles the entire
globe, it functions independently in this the
atre Of the war, setting it's own schedules and
fixing its own priorities in carrying out the
multitudnous transport tasks essential to this
most complex Of all wars
1t was MATS that first initiated the blood
rum" flying whole blood packed in ice into
the Anzio beachhead when our casualties there
were heaviest What's more, MATS pilots flew
the blood run, unescorted by fighters, into
the heart of the battle.
One MATS job has been to spray areas
of land to prevent malaria in Africa, Sicily
and parts of Italy. This has been one of its
most dangerous tasks, since the planes must
fly at low level and in areas just captured,
with the hazard of getting over enemy lines.
Another former MATS job was to evacuate
! the wounded from field hospitals, but this is
now done by the Troop Carrier command.
Emergency jobs are always coming up for
this time that is just one block in the ex-
/ traordlnary world structure organized by the
Army Air Forces. In the Scilan campaign.
1t was discovered at the last moment that
life preservers had been left out of LIST S
that were to carry force onto beachhead
MATS flew moe than 100000 pounds of life
preservers in less than twenty-four hours
MATS lies war dogs, which get airsick and
tight when they frightened and sick 1t
lies VIP, Whcih is air transportese for very
important persons, meanding Congressman or
rowing diplomats. 1t flew supplies into Russian
bases for shuttle-bombing operations.
! One of the organizers of MATS and now d.
rector of operations, is Colonel Paul D. Shee-
line of Boston. Colonel Sheeline believes the
American public should be told more of the
horrors and brutalties which our boys 90
through If the public is protected from the
brutal reality of the war, they will never un-
derstand the attitude of the men who come
back, he believes. am sure there's truth
in that but I. have sad feeling that no
| amount of telling ever bridge the gan
between experience and lack of it.
AS I came along the Italian coastline, we
flew low over Anzio. There was the rubble Of
the city and, all around, the earth was pitted
with shell craters and foxholes, looking like
the landscape of the moon. Yet the Country.
side seemed peaceful 1t was astonishing tn
! think that, short time ago, fierce and nro-
longed battles had ragged down there Pleasant
fields were titled with precise neatness.
They had the look of the pieces of q nu,,,.
fitted together. At one edge was another f;e1J
with precise rows of white markers. That Wv.
an American cemetery for the dead o,,+ "e 40
Anzio Near row upon row, 50 carefulv 49, "
| That is the way war is Someone ,1.
comes along and picks up the pieces ,nd ~.
people forget Vic"
copyright 1945 by United Feature su,a,
Inc.) "'e'