The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-12-17

Monkey Business
Ends With Gonk
on Head
BY HELEN EssARY


With our BOYS A"|NaA l'htt'0
Division
General Joseph NcNangy. reN
Is appointed commander ct th,
United States Army OF o oupatiau
had headquarters in a palace IN
Venice built IN pre-Mussolini days
by a king OF Naples
\ most fabulous palace indeed
was this spot a kind of enchanted
spot with a garden that seemed
conjured out 81 a fairy table. Part
of the garden was enclosed In glass
10 the height Of three stories Here
tropical trees and flowers bios
somed almost az the pressing Of an
Official button. Fountains sniashe ]
by the moonlight and sunlight.
The perfect place for my Officers
mess decided General McNarney.
and ordered tables and chairs and
food to be taken there. The Off.
GERS themselves AIDED a six piece
orchestra 10 play during meal hours.
Little birds and big birds, nest
ing In the foliage and flowers,
chirped and trilled in time 70 tie
strains Of 20 Sole Mo, grand
opera and familiar jazz To this eN-
Quisite setting a colonel in charge
OF the mess added what he hoped
would be the last amusing touch
What this place needs he sug.
geste! one dav while General Nc.
Narney was cff on an inspection
trip. "is some real live monkeys.
can Just see them swinging from
palm branch 10 palm branch as they
chatter and play overhead.
The colonel got the monkeys The
general came hack Tho general
sat down 10 his first meal in the
garden All. Low colorful. such
beauty such Fragrance Soft mu,
sic. Everything he unused,
stretching his boots out under the
Flower trimmed table.
At that moment; quite at that
moment Bang! Crash, Some
thing hard and hurtful hit the gen
eral on top Of his head II was a
cocoanut neatly aimed and bril-
liantly planted.
It was one Of the monkeys which,
delighted with the success OF his
first cocoanut ball game. was now
aiming again al General McNar'
ney. Other monkeys. having quick
" observed what fun the new game
could be. were aiming cocanuts at
other high ranking officers and
chatting with Joy as they tossed
General NcNarney's luncheon.
regret TO say. likewise all the other
luncheons, came to a sudden halt
Hastily the tables were moved
indoors in the one-time palace OF a
king OF Naples. The officers hur-
lied indoors. closing the garden
gates behind them with a bang.
Orders were given promptly TO
clear the place OF the monkeys II
took several orderlies and KPs the
rest OF the afternoon TO catch the
little creatures.
What became Of them. nobody
ever said Some cynics suggests /
they were squeezed IN on Lend
Lease. somehow. They may have
been put down in the ledger along
with vast stores OF abandoned
equipment left behind in Europe.
-
General McNarney, his friends
say. Is not as good a Snowman as
his predecessor, Genera, Eisenhow.
er. He is old school Army Rug
ged language. Brisk commands
Few social trimmings. Will he
maintain the glamour with which
Ike invested his trappings Of war;
For example, will the Special Mill.
tary Police IN the Frankfort head
quarters OF the Army OF OccupS-
ton look as much like musical show
characters as they did when Gen
eral Eisenhower charged abouto
Then. the Special Military Police
was composed of a battalion OF
paratroopers. Brown. handsome,
long-limbed young creatures. They
wore regular Army uniform with
battle jacket, plus white scarfs.
white helmets, white gloves and
white belts. The scarfs belts and
gloves were made from old para.
chutes.
They wore regular paratrooper
boots. From the eyelets Of the
boots they had taken out the laces
and polished the eyelets to a bright
shine. Every bit Of brass in theii
equipment was polished 10 a bril-
liant glisten. Magnificent, indeed
were the lads. What has become O.
them in the new regime NOBODY
has heard yet