St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1952-05-30
Air Base Tour Shows
der her supervision.

Nff NfI Nhp'iNi7iNhs
She IS the fourth ranking en-
listed WAF in the 46S3rd squad
ron.
Sgt Dixon joined the Air Force
N Dec 1913 and after she finished
an indoctrination course at Lack
land Air Force base Texas, she
was assigned to the USAF radio
operation school at KeosIer AFB.
Miss
Pnor TO her assignment 10 the
3lst division at Fort Smelling she
was at Hamilton AFB. Calf
Miss DIXON is also bay chief in
one of the barracks Tennis and
golf are her favorite recreational
activities and she plays often at
Hlawatha and Highland.
Airman Second Glass LESSEE n.
Grant is the other WAF who will
be- leaving the squadron within a
week or two She has been APP
pointed 10 the mid-June class Of
the Officers Candidate school at
Lakeland AFB, San Antonio
Texas.
Miss Grant. a graduate Of Wiley
college. Wiley Texas, joined the
WAFs in August, 1851, and be
fore entering the service she
taught school at Ashdown High
school in Ashdown, Ark.
ASC Grant. whose home is Mar
shall, Texas, and who is a member
of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority, is
an administrative specialist in the
Adjutant Generals office of Head
quarters 31st Air Division.
She will be commissioned a
second lieutenant In the WAFs
after successful completion Of the
six months course at Lakeland.
After leaving the WAF officer.
the group next interviewed Cap
tain Cortland V. Smith, staff
chaplain for the 31st division.
Captain Smith stated that the
Indignation policy of the Air
Force has done a lot in helping
the men Of different races get to
know each other and as a result
prejudice disappears, and that
such a policy is advantageous to
both races.
He cited an example that hap
pened in Washington, d. C., short
ly after Indignation was adopted.
He stated that a Negro doctor
was assigned to squadron and
there was some reluctance on the
part of some of the white per-
sonnet to serve with him. As time
went on, he proved to be an ex-
tremely competent doctor and he
was made base surgeon and there
were no disparaging comments at
all when he was promoted.
Captain Smith thought that 1t
was very significant that when
ever there is any disagreement
among the personnel, an over
majority OF the Incl
dents are clashes of personality,
and not race.
The last interview the group
had was with Col. Ernest Berg,
executive officer Of the 72nd Air
Base squadron stationed at Void
Chamberlain field.
Also present at the interview
was Captain Walker and Master
Sergeant Rueben f. Warren, who
is sergeant major of the 72nd.
Utilization of Negro personnel
was discussed and here the party
found that Negro personnel was
used in all capacities and were
assigned to duties that they were
best fitted for.
1t was learned that the rank
ing enlisted man was Negro and
that the squadron historian and
the supervisor OF all frame re-
pairs on USAF aircraft at Void
Chamberlain field is a Negro.
For the past two and n half
years, the only Negro officer sta
tiOneI at the Twin Cities area was
Captain Carl Is. Fountain. He was
very recently transferred to an
other assignment.
While he was stationed in the
Twin Cities, ne was the command
ing officer of the air weather sta
ton at Void Chamberlain field
and he organized the Headquar-
tcrs 3lst Air Division weather sta
ton at Fort Smelling and served
as its first commanding officer.
He also has the distinction of
being the second Negro to reach
the North Pole.
On June 81. 1850, he dropped a
canister over the pole commemor-
ating Matthew Henson who was
the first Negro to reach the pole.
Henson accompanied Admiral
Robert f. Perry when he dis
covered the pole in 1909.
Other key Negro personnel as
signed to the 72nd are:
NJ Sgt. Reuben Warren, is ser
geant major He supervises 10 en-
listed men who man the CORES
pondence, publications, special or
dcrs, mail and distribution sec
tons
Warren first Joined the armed
services in 1885 with the old 25th
infantry at Fort HuChuca. Ariz.
During World War II. ne was
a chief warrant officer. He was
also the first Negro airman 10 be
inteErated under the Air Forces