The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1953-07-13

NEW YORK lR-Our anniversar.
lies often creep upon Us like sneak
thieves in the night. and startie
Ius.
Scores Of thousands Of American
veterans, grayer and paunchier
nov, win glance at I calendar this
week, blink IN surprise. and think:
'sWhy, IFS 10 years since We
went into Sicily"
So long ago already. And yet Is
they look back, the years win faIl
AWAY like months. And. like q
dream in technicolor, they viii SEE
themselves as they were then
younger -. stronger trudgine
Through swirIing white dust clouds
ito fast, clean. well-fought victory.
And If two or more Of them gel
together, they viii wear out the
might and the patience Of their
wives recalling the little things
lahout war that never get in the
history books but live forever IN
soldiers minds:
ssYou know there never was dust
like that Sicily dust. I still cough
Ieyery time think of It.
"Yeah. / was 50 thirsty once
crawled out into a field to get some
watermelons and got my helmet
lcreased by 4 sniper on the way
back. / was plenty dumb to do
lit-but, remember how those water
melons tasted?"
| "Yep, and remember how old
Patton lost his head and slapped q
Iprivate?''
.Sure do. / thought he was a
reaI SOB, at the time. But you
know later / was with his Third
Army in France, and got to
think he was helluya fine guy
for a general. He was all man
that one.
And Patton was all man, one
who might muff a play but never
lost Z ball game. The errors he
who might muff Z play but never
made, were like q ball player
lost q ball game. The errors he
made were made while he was on
his feet trying to win. Defeat
never was in his mind. He could
conceive Of nothing but victory,
The conquest Of Sicily was 81
lperbly executed in 50 days by Gen.
IPatton's Seventh Army and Field
Marshal Montgomery's British
Eighth Army. II was the first cam
lpaign by Americans organized as
an army--we had only . corps IN
Tunisia--and they never lost the
taste Of success gained there, or
forgot the lessons learned. The
overall price was cheap.
/ To me Sicily viii always be "the
island Of the singing names" 80.
palermo, Licata, Agrigento, Ter
mini. Troina, Randazzo, Messina.
They ring IN my mind yet like the
distant sounds Of bells complaining
lat twilight.
/ like to look back at Sicily. too.
because 1t was there / got to know
well three men I hold, for their
special qualities in lifelong respect
Gen. Patton. for stubborn courage;
Gen. Bradley. for Gibralter inte-
Itrity: Ernie Pyle, for human uIl-
lderstanding.
| Only 10 years ago: Wonder
what's doing on Pork Chop Ridge
lin Korea.
NEW YORK IN You know what
causes more old maids than any
Ithingg Bachelors.
All women are convinced the
lonly good bachelor Is q former
bachelor. They aren't really sport
ing about their hunting. They not
only hate the ones that get away
from them. They resent seeing a
bachelor escape from another girl.
/ A young lady who returned empty
handed from d recent June matri-
monial safari complained to me-
ITO get married today q girl
practically has to grab boy while
the ink Is still wet on his high
school diploma. The older men get
the more frightened they seem to
be Of marriage, and after 30 they
seem to think It is Illegal or under
handed or something.
'.Just what is wrong with bache-
lIors? Are they afraid to grow up?"
Well, in the interest Of lovelorn
ladies everywhere. / called to-
Igether all the bachelors ! knows
lmangier looking, happier body Of
lmen you never saw-and asked
them bluntly:
Fellows. what Is wrong with
Authority Transferred
-, 1900 - -