Evening star., 1947-02-09
'Carabao Offer HaIsey
Ride on White Horse
|At Annual WaIIoW

The Military Order of the Cara
bao piped new sea-going Bull Of
the Herd" over the side here last
night with ceremony enough to rock
a battleship.
But the U. s. S. Statler, firmly
anchored on the banks Of the Po-
tomac, rode out the rousing well
come for Bull" Halsey as steadily
as did the U. S. s. Missouri in
Tokyo Bay.
While there was brass enough and
a bosun's pipe to greet fighting
admiral on his quarterback, the
Carabaos departed from Naval ira
dition enough to offer William F.
Halsey a ride up the gangplank on
Emperor Hirohito's white horse"
Among some 600 "crewmen" and
guests at the military spectacle were
those who thought the new Carabao
commander steed looked more like
"the old grey mare" than the i'm
perial charger which Admiral Hal
sey had threatened to ride into
Tokyo after his fleet had swept the
Japs from the Pacific.
Soldiers Included.
But the show was not entirely
nautical as attested by character
in a becoming Army uniform topped
off by a helmet on which flashed
five stars-synbolizing Gen Douglas
Macarthur, the Supreme Comman-
der. The Carabaos, as every old
timer knows, include soldiers as well
as sailors and Marines, and their
"wallow" dates back to the first
PHILIPPINE liberation.
Last nights installation, Of Ad-
miral Halsey, now on inactive duty,
as Grand Paramount Carabao" was
tribute to the Naval hero, well
come to new members who played
leading roles in the second liberia
ton of the PHILIPPINES. and re-
union over a dinner enlivened by
songs, music and make-believe. The
affair filled one of the Statler's
largest banquet rooms to capacity,
and included many guests high in
military and official circles.
Hirohito's horse, whose fore and
aft legs did not wholly coordinate,
must have-represented two branches
of the services not yet unified. The
horse arrived in the wake OF Gen.
Macarthur" whose appearance on
the stage was heralded by a Japan
ese" chorus singing a new version
from the Mikado. Instead of "Tit
Willow" the chorus sang ITO wallow,
TO wallow, to wallow-" proof that
the Japs also knew Carabao history.
Formed rs Jest.
The group was formed in Manila
in 1900 to josh the 'Order Of the
Dragon" composed of officers who
had returned from the Boxer Re-
bellion in China.
In contrast to the terrible dragon,
the new club chose the caratao, the
Far East's lowly beast of burden,
which would rather "wallow and
stay wet" than parade around
breathing fire.
Old-timers were reminded Of a
once-famous bar in Shanghai, "the
longest bar in the world" by a
skit at which the bartender was
Joseph v. Dillon, Gen. Eisenhower
provost marshal general, and the
beachcomber was Abrasche Robot
sky, .soloist with the AAF band. On
one end OF the bar was posted a
sign. II 900 Miles To Shanghai" !"
The title role OF the Mikado num-
Der was sung by Rear Admiral E.
M. Zacharias, author of Secret
Mission" and a student of Japanese
psychology.
Navy Man Wears Gag.
The scene shifted rapidly to Wash
ington, where Army, Air Force and
Navy officers foregathered in the
Congressional Chop-house" to la
ment the tendency in Congress to
cut military appropriations. The
Navy character was handicapped,
however, by gag plastered across
his mouth.
When the argument became
heated, an impersonator of Presi-
dent Truman arrived with the sug-
gestion that all join in "unifica-