The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1946-04-18


foreground are the barracks of Cor
known in these parts, has to be
set up as it is. There must be dis
tinctions between officers and men
not only to maintain dicipline, but
because in the majority of cases the
officers have earned the right to
certain privileges just like business
executives or anyone in civilian life.
'I'l grant you that many things
should be changed" he continued,
"In particular the Army's court
martial system. In my opinion en-
listed men should sit on the court
and pass judgment on all ranks.
That would make the courts more
liberal, and they need that"
In response to a timid question
about the West Pointers (who have
born the brunt of critIcism), FratIan-
nj answered without hesitation:
1.-THE finest officers l had were the
West Pointers. All the company COM
manders and the exec's in my out
fit were from the Point and they
were the best men I've ever worked
for. Sure, they're exacting - but
they stood back of every man in
the outfit if he had any right at
all on his side. Also, they were al
ways interested in suggestions from,
enlisted personnel and non-coms.
They don't fool, but you've got to
remember that they're professional
soldiers and they're not trained to
be slipshod"
Fratiannis battalion commander,
he said, was Major Jesse Unger, a
West Point classmate of 1t. Col. Mar
vim Jacobs of Hagerstown.
A member of Company c, 1896
Engineer Combat Battalion, Fratian-
nj shipped out to the Pacific on
July 2, 1945, after months of rugged
training in the states, where he had
served on the cadre since his first
promotion from the ranks And it
may be added here that Fratianni
didn't waste much time getting to
be a first sergeant-a rating that
many a man prefers to a commission.
Arriving at Panay, where they
were scheduled to go into intensive
training for amphibious landings,
they found the island beehive of
activity in spite of the fact that there
were still 5000 Japs at large in the
hills. Ports and main cities were
secure, however, and though they
were alerted three different times for
Banzai attacks, nothing occurred I'M
til VI Day when the Nips came
meekly down from the hills and sur
rendered in droves.
Slated to go into Kyushu, via the
beaches, in the planned invasion of
the japanese mainland, Fratti's out
fit practiced landings with surveil-
lance of some twenty Japs who APP
peared from nowhere on the beach.
It was a bad moment-not because
the Japs weren't hopelessly out num-
bered but because the Yanks were
practicing without ammunition. An
emergency wire back to the landing
craft brought the necessary bullets
the Japs quietly faded back into the
hills leaving only three of their
party who didn't fade fast enough.
On Panay, after VI Day, the CTS
built themselves a school and started
taking the courses offered by the
United States Armed Forces Insti-
tute, whose certificates for completed
courses are recognised for college
entrance. Out of Fratti's battalion
alone, 400 GTs were registered for
wide variety of courses, using their
own men and officers as teachers and
the West Pointers for instruction in
calculus and engineering. Fratti was
studying business and business law
when he was moved out to Leyte.
From Leyte the outfit went on to
Manila which compares favorably in