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Welcome To The Wacs The first contingent of Women's Army Corps personnel arrived last week to take over administrative jobs at this post. There were eight of them—all officers. Their Jobs—like those being done by Wacs throughout the United States and on the fighting fronts—are a vital service to the manpower of our armed forces. Like you, these women are in the Air Forces. Turn to Page 5 and meet them. Vol. 2., No. 10. Greensboro, N. C, Friday, October 8, 1943. FREE DISTRIBUTION ^Describes 39 Missions Against Japs LT. RUSSELL D. (ALL-GUNS) BROWN, speaks to men of Post, stressing need for physical conditioning and military preparation to handle enemy. Lt. Brown wears Air Medal, Silver Star, Purple Heart and other decorations. Veteran Aerial Gunner Tells Of Pacific War By CPL. JOE QUINN. Lt. Russell D. (All-Guns) Brown, veteran aerial gunner who participated in 39 missions during 15 months as a staff sergeant in the South Pacific, recounted some of his combat experiences for the benefit of trainees in the post's training wings who gathered Saturday on Drill Field No. 3 to hear the young officer's talk. The 23-year old lieutenant wears the Air Medal, Silver Star, Purple heart and 19th Bombardment Group Give $1,514 To War Chest Voluntary contributions from en ljsted personnel on the post to the War Chest Fund amounted to $1,- 514.76 during the last pay day and contributions to this fund are still being received. Moneyfrom the War Chest Fund Is devoted to the needs of 17 different relief and service organizations. The USO alone gets 55 per cent of the allotment and because Of this direct service connection enlisted men were given an opportunity to contribute. .The largest contribution was turned in by the members of the 1177th Training Group whd donated $350.93. The results of the officer contributions and the separate campaign for civilians are still to be tabulated. decoration, among ethers. In talk' ing to the men of the post he stressed the value of the basic training program both from a standpoint of physical conditioning and military preparation. "The fellow who goes overseas in good physical shape has a darn good chance of coming back in one piece, particularly if he has learned well what he has been taught in basic training," the lieutenant declared. At Clark Field. He was at Clark Field, 60 miles north of Manila, when the Japs struck there in their opening attack. He recalled that the enemy bombers put that field out of commission that day, firing the hangars and ploughing up the field as he and two other sergeant-gunners lay in a fox-hole at the field's edge. When the bombing was over and they looked up again, they discovered a 300-pound dud buried in the dirt not more than 10 feet away. He won the Purple Heart and the nickname "All-Guns" on the same mission—the now-famous flight with Captain Hewlett T. (Shorty) Wheless that President Roosevelt singled out for special commen-dation in one cf his fireside talks. 18 Zeros. Forced out of formation after a flight of six Fortresses had started on a mission to Gaspe Bay in the Philippines, the plane in which Continued on Page 3 18 Soldiers Take Oath As Citizens A group of 18 BTC 10 soldiers, representing 11 different countries, was sworn in as citizens of the United States and pledged themselves to "support and defend the constitution and bear true faith and allegiance" at naturalization ceremonies held at the Gilford County Courthouse Tuesday afternoon. Joseph P. Shore, clerk of the Supreme Court, administered the oath of allegiance before Judge H. Hoyje Sink of the 12th Judicial District The work of drawing up papers for citizenship applications was done by the Naturalization Office at BTC 10. The countries represented by the men in uniform gathered to take the oath included Canada, Germany, England, Poland, Mexico, The Azores, Czechoslovakia, Honduras, Austria, Italy and Yugoslavia. Judge Sink commended the men for the step they were taking and said that citizenship has a particular significance to a member of the armed forces. "It is up to you now to be a credit to your forebears and to your newly adopted country both -as citizens and soldiers," he told them. The new citizens are: Pvt. Anthony J. Arsneault, 1186, Whitman, Mass., born in Springhill, Canada; Pvt. Donald T. Forbes, 1186, Dorchester, Mass., born in Nova Scotia, Canada; Pvt. John W. McNab, 1177, Albion, Mich., born in Chepstow, Canada; Pvt. Walter, Symoski, 1183, Erie, Pa., born in Montreal, Canada. Cpl. Jacob F. Boehm, 1181, Upper Darby, Pa., born in Planksfadt, Germany; Pvt. Theodore J. Alexander, 1177, Chicago, 111., born in Berlin, Germany; Pvt. Jack Manson, 1176, Los Angeles, Calif., born- in Warsaw, Poland; Pvt. Aaron Norber, 1177, Detroit, Mich., born in Bereznica, Poland; Pvt. Eugene J. Smolewski, 1186, Greenwich, Conn., born in Bruzska, Poland. Cpl. Alejandro M. Sandoval, 95th Mess, Corona, Calif., born in San Diego, Mexico; Pvt. Charles Ramos, Hq. & Hq., Philadelphia, Pa., born in Mexico City, Mexico; T/5 Terpy F. Pickwick, Medics, Menands, N. Y., born in Manchester, England; Pvt. John B. Madeiros, 1176, Fall River, Mass., born in Capellas, Azores; Pvt. Donald E. Davis, 1181, Grafton, Mass., born in Tela, Honduras. Pvt. Fritz Frischer, 1181, New York City, born in Raskovice, Czechoslovakia; Pvt. Joseph J. Judak, Sedgefield, Philadelphia, Pa., born in Czechoslovakia; Pvt. John Delmoni, 1179, Brooklyn, N. Y., born in Trieste, Austria; Pvt. Liugi Marinelli, 1177, Detroit, Mich., born in BariscianOi Italy; Pvt. George Becker, 1177, Detroit, Mich., born in Yugoslavia, New Setup For Groups Following Shifts In Wings Here is the new setup following the. shift of two training groups from one wing to another during the past week. The reassignment of units, effective October 1, transferred the 1183rd Training Group from the 302nd Training Wing to the 304th Training Wing and the 1189th Training Group from the 304th Training Wing to the 303rd Training Wing. The present training wings axe comprised of groups as listed. 301st Training Wing, Training Groups 1175, 1176, 1177 and 1178. 302nd Training Wing, Training Groups 1179, 1180, 1181 and 1182. 303rd Training Wing, Training Groups 1184. 1185 and 1189. 304th Training Wing, Training Groups 1183, 1186, 1187 and 1188. "Left! Right! Left!" PICKIN' 'EMC UP AND LAYING 'EM DOWN —is Sgt Levi Leake of the 303rd Wing whose' own style of cadence counting has attracted much attention. Bond Sales Go Well Over Top Soldiers and civilians combined to put the bond drive conducted on the post during the past month over the top with a total of $117,798. The civilian participation was 91.6 per cent. Credit for 100 per cent participation goes to" the Medics, largest with a perfect mark, 302nd Wing Hqs., 304th Wing Hqs., 66th Mess Hq. Det. and the 855 th Signal Office. Notable sales during the campaign were of a $1,500 bond to T/Sgt. Wilbert W. Edgerton of Hq. & Hq., and a $750 bond to an anonymous private who nearly caused heart failure when he walked up to the bond clerk and slapped .the fistful of bills on his desk. Honors for the highest percent age for a wing group go to the 304th and for the highest percentage for a training group to the 1186th. Although the big push on bonds, conducted from September 1 to October 4, is over, members of the post bond office are not coasting in their efforts to sell bonds. Mitt-ute clerks in the civilian offices and bond clerks in each group still have bonds for sale and are working towards the eventual goal of 100 per cent participation by all. Army Moms Continue Sewing For Soldiers Red Cross "Army Moms" are continuing their work for Service men in the Greensboro Area at the Red Cross Sewing Room, 406 W. Gaston St. Service men needing minor alterations made on their uniforms, or needing any kind of hand sewing are irwited to bring their garments to the Sewing Room between 9 A. M. and 5 P. M. Monday through Friday, and until 1 p. M. Saturdays. The service is, of course, free. 1177th Wins 3rd Straight Top Rating For the third straight month, the 1177th Training Group has come out on top of the heap in the administrative and S-3 ratings for September with a final grade of 86.69. . Running a close second with 86.56, only .14 behind the winner, was the 1187th Training Group. The third and fourth places for Sep-tember were carried off by the 1179th and 1186th with 85.60 and 85.12 respectively. The 304th topped the wings. What makes a winning training group? 2nd Lt. William B. Wine, the CO, is one of the youngest com- - manding officers on the post. He is surrounded by five other young officers, all second lieutenants. The emphasis is on field work in the 1177th, and the officers there come in close contact with the trainees. Each officer has as his principal duty the command of a training group. They all spend the greater part of the day in the field, cleaning up what office work has to be done in as short a space of time as possible. The Officers, These officers, and their duties besides the first, and most important one of squadron commander, are as follows: 2nd Lt. Thomas W. Whitley, personnel officer; 2nd Lt. Leo Hirsch, physical training officer; 2nd Lt. Malcolm M. Amy, supply officer; 2nd Lt. Milton M. Cohen, plans and training officer, and 2nd Lt. Einar R. Maland, adjutant. There is a keen spirit of competition among the various squadrons as illustrated by the active sports program, which includes weekly boxing bouts and a spirited basketball tourney. The 1177th is one of the oldest training groups on the post, and all the key noncoms have been with the group since it was first organized. The efficiency of the non-coms on the office staff is reflected by the 88.50 rating for general administration, highest among any of the groups. Because these men know their jobs, the officers have more time for their own work and don't have to take time • for petty details of the group administration. Lt Wine gives credit to his non» Continued on Page 6 Suggestion Box Used By 183 GI ideamen dropped 183 suggestions into the boxes located strategically around the post during the IS days between Sept. 18 and Oct. 1, a new high for the number of forms filled out to date. Of these, 24 have been selected to be passed upon by the Military Suggestion Board this week. The suggestions being considered include one for uniform regulations on the issuing of special orders and such practical ideas as electrically lighted bulletin boards, better padded boxing rings, and a simple attachment to save the hands of those on mess attendant duty by retrieving objects from the hot water. So far, 22 suggestions have been accepted. Three day passes were given out for 21 of these and the other, from a civilian, rated a five dollar award. When The 303rd Marches By, Music Rises To The Sky By PVT. IRVDJG KOLODIN Well, here it is. You've, heard snatches of it on the parade grounds, or on the way to and from the drill field or the stadium. But what is it all about and who is responsible for it? "It," of course, is the infectious, SSy-arresting chant that the men /the 303rd wing give out with they go about the day's rou-ine, in camp or on the rifle range, along the roads or on the drill field. The refrain goes: Leader Group "Left right left" RIGHT "Left right left" RIGHT "Left right left" RIGHT "Left right left" RIGHT A favorite verse is: Leader, Group "Shorty was your pal when you left" RIGHT "Shprty was your pal when you left" RIGHT "OH, Shorty was your pal when you left" RIGHT "NOW, Shorty's got your gal since you left" RIGHT The trick, of course, and the way the whole routine differs from conventional m a r c h i ng chants is that the leader begins and ends his cadence-counting-in- words in a way that brings the squadron in on the RIGHT foot. Thus the word RIGHT is both agreement with the sentiment of the words and a reminder of the correct step at that point. The whole thing began on the rifle range about a month ago when Sgt. Levi Leake took Squadron B of the 303rd Wing out for its shooting. He heard some other outfit chanting and just.picked it up from them. But what Sgt. Leake has done with it since then is, in a word, a caution. The sergeant- Is an amiable slow-talking fellow from Cen-tralia, I1L, who made something. of a living by smalltime vaudeville acting and singing with a pair of brothers before joining the army. But even more than this, he has in him the same gift for inprovisation and rhyming that you find in the nameless men who created the work-songs of the Negro, the "Water Boys" and "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child." "Get up on a clear morning," says Sgt. Leake, "and I start thinking about the day's work. Before you know it, I'm chanting something like: "Wake up in the mornin' 'fore the break of day" "Git out on the double, dat's all the sergeant say," "The boys love it," he went on. "They're always listening for new ones." When the mood is on him, he comes up, with no effort at all,. with something like this variant: "'Get up in the mornin' 'bout a quarter of three Go down to the chow line, find you're on K. P." But the favorite of all, and the one the men hear most of when they're out marching is: "Head and eyes off the groun' "Dress it right and cover down." There are a couple of folk-characters who come and go in the chant, according to Sgt. Leake's mood. One of them is "Shorty," introduced above, and the other is "Jody." Both of these are synonyms for the boys who do not qualify for military service and have been left behind to keep the home-fires burning. Or, as the words of one stanza go: Leader Group "You-had lots of money when you left RIGHT You left it with your honey when you left RIGHT Don't worry 'bout'your money since you left RIGHT "Cause Jody's got your honey since you left" RIGHT Then there's a variant of the old "You had a good home but you left," to which the response, of course, is "RIGHT." But Squadron B sings it. "You had a good family and you left," following which they enumerate every member of said family, down to second cousins and distant aunts. However, with all his enthusiasm and good spirits, Sgt. Leake isn't feeling so well these days. For his Squadron B, which he has brought along from jeep days, is getting along in its training and soon will be completely broken up. "Good squadron?" he repeated, in answer to a query. "Man, there isn't a better one on the post. There couldn't be. Those boys are perfect." He paused for a moment of thought and added: "If they'd ship 'em in a group to Guadalcanal, I'd go with 'em tomorrow. Why, man, we was like brotheM."
Object Description
Title | BTC 10-Shun [October 8, 1943] |
Date | 1943-10-08 |
Editor(s) | Marmor, Milton |
Subject headings |
World War, 1939-1945 Journalism, Military Greensboro (N.C.) Basic training (Military education) |
Topics |
Troops Overseas Replacement Depot and Basic Training Center 10 World War II |
Place | Greensboro (N.C.) |
Description | The October 8, 1943, issue of BTC 10-Shun, published by the United States Army Basic Traing Center 10/Overseas Replacement Depot in Greensboro, North Carolina. |
Type | Text |
Original format | Newspapers |
Original publisher | Greensboro, N.C. : [United States Army] |
Language | en |
Contributing institution | Greensboro History Museum |
Newspaper name | BTC 10-Shun |
Rights statement | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/ |
Additional rights information | NO KNOWN COPYRIGHT. This item is believed to be in the public domain but its copyright status has not been determined conclusively. |
Object ID | grmus_1943-10-08 |
Digital publisher | The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University Libraries, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402-6170, 336.334.5304 |
Digitized by | North Carolina Digital Heritage Center (http://www.digitalnc.org) |
OCLC number | 871566721 |
Page/Item Description
Title | Page 1 |
Full text | Welcome To The Wacs The first contingent of Women's Army Corps personnel arrived last week to take over administrative jobs at this post. There were eight of them—all officers. Their Jobs—like those being done by Wacs throughout the United States and on the fighting fronts—are a vital service to the manpower of our armed forces. Like you, these women are in the Air Forces. Turn to Page 5 and meet them. Vol. 2., No. 10. Greensboro, N. C, Friday, October 8, 1943. FREE DISTRIBUTION ^Describes 39 Missions Against Japs LT. RUSSELL D. (ALL-GUNS) BROWN, speaks to men of Post, stressing need for physical conditioning and military preparation to handle enemy. Lt. Brown wears Air Medal, Silver Star, Purple Heart and other decorations. Veteran Aerial Gunner Tells Of Pacific War By CPL. JOE QUINN. Lt. Russell D. (All-Guns) Brown, veteran aerial gunner who participated in 39 missions during 15 months as a staff sergeant in the South Pacific, recounted some of his combat experiences for the benefit of trainees in the post's training wings who gathered Saturday on Drill Field No. 3 to hear the young officer's talk. The 23-year old lieutenant wears the Air Medal, Silver Star, Purple heart and 19th Bombardment Group Give $1,514 To War Chest Voluntary contributions from en ljsted personnel on the post to the War Chest Fund amounted to $1,- 514.76 during the last pay day and contributions to this fund are still being received. Moneyfrom the War Chest Fund Is devoted to the needs of 17 different relief and service organizations. The USO alone gets 55 per cent of the allotment and because Of this direct service connection enlisted men were given an opportunity to contribute. .The largest contribution was turned in by the members of the 1177th Training Group whd donated $350.93. The results of the officer contributions and the separate campaign for civilians are still to be tabulated. decoration, among ethers. In talk' ing to the men of the post he stressed the value of the basic training program both from a standpoint of physical conditioning and military preparation. "The fellow who goes overseas in good physical shape has a darn good chance of coming back in one piece, particularly if he has learned well what he has been taught in basic training," the lieutenant declared. At Clark Field. He was at Clark Field, 60 miles north of Manila, when the Japs struck there in their opening attack. He recalled that the enemy bombers put that field out of commission that day, firing the hangars and ploughing up the field as he and two other sergeant-gunners lay in a fox-hole at the field's edge. When the bombing was over and they looked up again, they discovered a 300-pound dud buried in the dirt not more than 10 feet away. He won the Purple Heart and the nickname "All-Guns" on the same mission—the now-famous flight with Captain Hewlett T. (Shorty) Wheless that President Roosevelt singled out for special commen-dation in one cf his fireside talks. 18 Zeros. Forced out of formation after a flight of six Fortresses had started on a mission to Gaspe Bay in the Philippines, the plane in which Continued on Page 3 18 Soldiers Take Oath As Citizens A group of 18 BTC 10 soldiers, representing 11 different countries, was sworn in as citizens of the United States and pledged themselves to "support and defend the constitution and bear true faith and allegiance" at naturalization ceremonies held at the Gilford County Courthouse Tuesday afternoon. Joseph P. Shore, clerk of the Supreme Court, administered the oath of allegiance before Judge H. Hoyje Sink of the 12th Judicial District The work of drawing up papers for citizenship applications was done by the Naturalization Office at BTC 10. The countries represented by the men in uniform gathered to take the oath included Canada, Germany, England, Poland, Mexico, The Azores, Czechoslovakia, Honduras, Austria, Italy and Yugoslavia. Judge Sink commended the men for the step they were taking and said that citizenship has a particular significance to a member of the armed forces. "It is up to you now to be a credit to your forebears and to your newly adopted country both -as citizens and soldiers," he told them. The new citizens are: Pvt. Anthony J. Arsneault, 1186, Whitman, Mass., born in Springhill, Canada; Pvt. Donald T. Forbes, 1186, Dorchester, Mass., born in Nova Scotia, Canada; Pvt. John W. McNab, 1177, Albion, Mich., born in Chepstow, Canada; Pvt. Walter, Symoski, 1183, Erie, Pa., born in Montreal, Canada. Cpl. Jacob F. Boehm, 1181, Upper Darby, Pa., born in Planksfadt, Germany; Pvt. Theodore J. Alexander, 1177, Chicago, 111., born in Berlin, Germany; Pvt. Jack Manson, 1176, Los Angeles, Calif., born- in Warsaw, Poland; Pvt. Aaron Norber, 1177, Detroit, Mich., born in Bereznica, Poland; Pvt. Eugene J. Smolewski, 1186, Greenwich, Conn., born in Bruzska, Poland. Cpl. Alejandro M. Sandoval, 95th Mess, Corona, Calif., born in San Diego, Mexico; Pvt. Charles Ramos, Hq. & Hq., Philadelphia, Pa., born in Mexico City, Mexico; T/5 Terpy F. Pickwick, Medics, Menands, N. Y., born in Manchester, England; Pvt. John B. Madeiros, 1176, Fall River, Mass., born in Capellas, Azores; Pvt. Donald E. Davis, 1181, Grafton, Mass., born in Tela, Honduras. Pvt. Fritz Frischer, 1181, New York City, born in Raskovice, Czechoslovakia; Pvt. Joseph J. Judak, Sedgefield, Philadelphia, Pa., born in Czechoslovakia; Pvt. John Delmoni, 1179, Brooklyn, N. Y., born in Trieste, Austria; Pvt. Liugi Marinelli, 1177, Detroit, Mich., born in BariscianOi Italy; Pvt. George Becker, 1177, Detroit, Mich., born in Yugoslavia, New Setup For Groups Following Shifts In Wings Here is the new setup following the. shift of two training groups from one wing to another during the past week. The reassignment of units, effective October 1, transferred the 1183rd Training Group from the 302nd Training Wing to the 304th Training Wing and the 1189th Training Group from the 304th Training Wing to the 303rd Training Wing. The present training wings axe comprised of groups as listed. 301st Training Wing, Training Groups 1175, 1176, 1177 and 1178. 302nd Training Wing, Training Groups 1179, 1180, 1181 and 1182. 303rd Training Wing, Training Groups 1184. 1185 and 1189. 304th Training Wing, Training Groups 1183, 1186, 1187 and 1188. "Left! Right! Left!" PICKIN' 'EMC UP AND LAYING 'EM DOWN —is Sgt Levi Leake of the 303rd Wing whose' own style of cadence counting has attracted much attention. Bond Sales Go Well Over Top Soldiers and civilians combined to put the bond drive conducted on the post during the past month over the top with a total of $117,798. The civilian participation was 91.6 per cent. Credit for 100 per cent participation goes to" the Medics, largest with a perfect mark, 302nd Wing Hqs., 304th Wing Hqs., 66th Mess Hq. Det. and the 855 th Signal Office. Notable sales during the campaign were of a $1,500 bond to T/Sgt. Wilbert W. Edgerton of Hq. & Hq., and a $750 bond to an anonymous private who nearly caused heart failure when he walked up to the bond clerk and slapped .the fistful of bills on his desk. Honors for the highest percent age for a wing group go to the 304th and for the highest percentage for a training group to the 1186th. Although the big push on bonds, conducted from September 1 to October 4, is over, members of the post bond office are not coasting in their efforts to sell bonds. Mitt-ute clerks in the civilian offices and bond clerks in each group still have bonds for sale and are working towards the eventual goal of 100 per cent participation by all. Army Moms Continue Sewing For Soldiers Red Cross "Army Moms" are continuing their work for Service men in the Greensboro Area at the Red Cross Sewing Room, 406 W. Gaston St. Service men needing minor alterations made on their uniforms, or needing any kind of hand sewing are irwited to bring their garments to the Sewing Room between 9 A. M. and 5 P. M. Monday through Friday, and until 1 p. M. Saturdays. The service is, of course, free. 1177th Wins 3rd Straight Top Rating For the third straight month, the 1177th Training Group has come out on top of the heap in the administrative and S-3 ratings for September with a final grade of 86.69. . Running a close second with 86.56, only .14 behind the winner, was the 1187th Training Group. The third and fourth places for Sep-tember were carried off by the 1179th and 1186th with 85.60 and 85.12 respectively. The 304th topped the wings. What makes a winning training group? 2nd Lt. William B. Wine, the CO, is one of the youngest com- - manding officers on the post. He is surrounded by five other young officers, all second lieutenants. The emphasis is on field work in the 1177th, and the officers there come in close contact with the trainees. Each officer has as his principal duty the command of a training group. They all spend the greater part of the day in the field, cleaning up what office work has to be done in as short a space of time as possible. The Officers, These officers, and their duties besides the first, and most important one of squadron commander, are as follows: 2nd Lt. Thomas W. Whitley, personnel officer; 2nd Lt. Leo Hirsch, physical training officer; 2nd Lt. Malcolm M. Amy, supply officer; 2nd Lt. Milton M. Cohen, plans and training officer, and 2nd Lt. Einar R. Maland, adjutant. There is a keen spirit of competition among the various squadrons as illustrated by the active sports program, which includes weekly boxing bouts and a spirited basketball tourney. The 1177th is one of the oldest training groups on the post, and all the key noncoms have been with the group since it was first organized. The efficiency of the non-coms on the office staff is reflected by the 88.50 rating for general administration, highest among any of the groups. Because these men know their jobs, the officers have more time for their own work and don't have to take time • for petty details of the group administration. Lt Wine gives credit to his non» Continued on Page 6 Suggestion Box Used By 183 GI ideamen dropped 183 suggestions into the boxes located strategically around the post during the IS days between Sept. 18 and Oct. 1, a new high for the number of forms filled out to date. Of these, 24 have been selected to be passed upon by the Military Suggestion Board this week. The suggestions being considered include one for uniform regulations on the issuing of special orders and such practical ideas as electrically lighted bulletin boards, better padded boxing rings, and a simple attachment to save the hands of those on mess attendant duty by retrieving objects from the hot water. So far, 22 suggestions have been accepted. Three day passes were given out for 21 of these and the other, from a civilian, rated a five dollar award. When The 303rd Marches By, Music Rises To The Sky By PVT. IRVDJG KOLODIN Well, here it is. You've, heard snatches of it on the parade grounds, or on the way to and from the drill field or the stadium. But what is it all about and who is responsible for it? "It," of course, is the infectious, SSy-arresting chant that the men /the 303rd wing give out with they go about the day's rou-ine, in camp or on the rifle range, along the roads or on the drill field. The refrain goes: Leader Group "Left right left" RIGHT "Left right left" RIGHT "Left right left" RIGHT "Left right left" RIGHT A favorite verse is: Leader, Group "Shorty was your pal when you left" RIGHT "Shprty was your pal when you left" RIGHT "OH, Shorty was your pal when you left" RIGHT "NOW, Shorty's got your gal since you left" RIGHT The trick, of course, and the way the whole routine differs from conventional m a r c h i ng chants is that the leader begins and ends his cadence-counting-in- words in a way that brings the squadron in on the RIGHT foot. Thus the word RIGHT is both agreement with the sentiment of the words and a reminder of the correct step at that point. The whole thing began on the rifle range about a month ago when Sgt. Levi Leake took Squadron B of the 303rd Wing out for its shooting. He heard some other outfit chanting and just.picked it up from them. But what Sgt. Leake has done with it since then is, in a word, a caution. The sergeant- Is an amiable slow-talking fellow from Cen-tralia, I1L, who made something. of a living by smalltime vaudeville acting and singing with a pair of brothers before joining the army. But even more than this, he has in him the same gift for inprovisation and rhyming that you find in the nameless men who created the work-songs of the Negro, the "Water Boys" and "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child." "Get up on a clear morning," says Sgt. Leake, "and I start thinking about the day's work. Before you know it, I'm chanting something like: "Wake up in the mornin' 'fore the break of day" "Git out on the double, dat's all the sergeant say," "The boys love it," he went on. "They're always listening for new ones." When the mood is on him, he comes up, with no effort at all,. with something like this variant: "'Get up in the mornin' 'bout a quarter of three Go down to the chow line, find you're on K. P." But the favorite of all, and the one the men hear most of when they're out marching is: "Head and eyes off the groun' "Dress it right and cover down." There are a couple of folk-characters who come and go in the chant, according to Sgt. Leake's mood. One of them is "Shorty," introduced above, and the other is "Jody." Both of these are synonyms for the boys who do not qualify for military service and have been left behind to keep the home-fires burning. Or, as the words of one stanza go: Leader Group "You-had lots of money when you left RIGHT You left it with your honey when you left RIGHT Don't worry 'bout'your money since you left RIGHT "Cause Jody's got your honey since you left" RIGHT Then there's a variant of the old "You had a good home but you left," to which the response, of course, is "RIGHT." But Squadron B sings it. "You had a good family and you left," following which they enumerate every member of said family, down to second cousins and distant aunts. However, with all his enthusiasm and good spirits, Sgt. Leake isn't feeling so well these days. For his Squadron B, which he has brought along from jeep days, is getting along in its training and soon will be completely broken up. "Good squadron?" he repeated, in answer to a query. "Man, there isn't a better one on the post. There couldn't be. Those boys are perfect." He paused for a moment of thought and added: "If they'd ship 'em in a group to Guadalcanal, I'd go with 'em tomorrow. Why, man, we was like brotheM." |