With The Men In Service: November 21, 1942

With The Men In Service

Ann Arbor Area Sends Seven More To Navy

Seven more men from Ann Arbor and vicinity have joined the Navy within a few days of one another and now they are all classed as apprentice seamen at the Great Lakes naval training station. Their ages range from 17 to 19 years.

LeRoy Joseph Bleasdell, 18; Edward John Spirl, 17; Bill Clague, 17, and Owen Fredrick Nelson, 18, are four boys from Whitmore Lake who took the step together and enlisted Nov. 11. Three days later, they reported in Detroit for transfer to the Great Lakes station.

Richard LeRoy (Pete) Sayre, 18, and Jay Howard Willer, 17, are two Ann Arbor boys who reported in Detroit for transfer to Great Lakes on Nov. 13, although their dates of enlistment were different. Pete enlisted Nov. 3 and Jay, Oct 30.

Pete is the son of Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Sayre, 1108 Hutchins Ave., and has lived in Ann Arbor for five years. Jay is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Mandel H. Willer, 1135 Michigan Ave. Jay went as far as senior year in Ann Arbor High school, chalking up two years of active membership in the high school swimming team. Prior to enlistment, he was employed at Stofflet News Co.

In training as a machinist's mate is Warren Wadhams, 17, 213 W. Madison Ave. He is the son of Mr. Fred Wadhams and enlisted Oct 2, reporting Nov. 3 at Great Lakes naval training station.

LeRoy Bleasdell, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Bleasdell, was born in Kingsley, Ia., and has lived in Whitmore Lake for the past seven years. While attending Ann Arbor High school he played on the football team as a substitute. Prior to enlistment, he worked as a butcher with the L. L. Nixon firm.

He has two brothers also in the service. Floyd Bleasdell, a sergeant in the Army, has been in Australia since last April, and Pvt. Kenneth Bleasdell, 20, is stationed at Camp Robinson, Ark.

Edward Spirl was a milkman with Cloverleaf Dairy before he joined the Navy. He was born in Miles, O., coming to Whitmore Lake with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Spirl, six years ago. He also attended Ann Arbor High school.

Bill Clague and Owen Nelson are both life-long residents of Whitmore Lake, but they came to Ann Arbor to attend high school. Up to the time of Navy enlistment, Bill was a truck driver for Sam Campbell of Whitmore Lake, and Owen was still enrolled in high school.

Bill is the son of Mrs. Edna Clague, and Owen is the son of Mrs. Matie Nelson, both of Whitmore Lake.

Jay Willer

Pete Sayre

Warren Wadhams

In Quartermaster Corps

Pvt. Robert Beveridge Wightman, 20, former manager of the Ann Arbor High school cross-country team, is now in training with the quartermaster corps at Camp Gruber, Okla. He writes, "I'll like it after the tough training is over."

Inducted Oct 5, Pvt. Wightman was sent directly to Camp Gruber, which is a new camp first opened last April. He says the camp is about ten miles square and consists of new barracks, a theater, store and canteen, many chapels and a USO hall.

A graduate of Ann Arbor High school, Bob was a construction clerk with Michigan Bell Telephone Co. in Grand Rapids when inducted. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Wightman, 902 Miller Ave.

Pvt. Wightman

In Tropical Jungle

Donald Henry Winkler, 25, is somewhere in the tropics, that's certain, and his aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hazelman, 959 Maiden Lane, are rather convinced that it's India--for what he writes about the native people, Moslems and Hindus, and the miles of jungle roads and Chinese shops seem to leave little doubt as tor his whereabouts.

Don is the son of Mrs. John Winkler, now of Yale, although she has spent most of her life in Washtenaw county. He is a first class private and a switch-board operator at the Army station, which he describes as "a quaint little village, English-governed and native-populated."

Don enlisted in September, 1941, and trained three months at Fort Sill, Okla., and three months at Fort Screven, Ga. He left for overseas duty April 26.

Don Winkler

Returns To Camp

Frank E. (Roy) Mercier, 28, has returned to Barksdale Field, La., after spending a flve-day furlough here, the first he has had since leaving Ann Arbor May 13, to serve with the ground crew of the Army Air corps.

After graduating from the Army Air corps advanced technical school of armament at Lowery Field, Colo., he was stationed at Daniel Field, Ga., only recently; receiving his new orders to Barksdale Field.

While Roy was on furlough, it happened that Pvt. Robert Pelton, a neighbor and close friend for years, was also on a furlough from Fresno, Calif., where he is serving in the quartermaster corps. Bob has been in the Army approximately two and one-half years and this was the first time the boys met in that time.

Poet Turns Cadet

John A. Ciardi, former winner of a major Hopwood Award at the University for creative writing, has entered the Army Air Force center at Nashville, Tenn., as an aviation cadet.

A graduate of Tufts, magna cum laude, Ciardi took his master's degree in English from the University where he was awarded $1,200 for his book of poems, "Homeward to America" in the spring of 1939. At the time of enlisting in the Air Corps, he was an instructor at the University of Kansas.

Home On Furlough

Vinton H. Donner, 23, of 626 Spring St., is home on a short leave while en route from Camp Davis, N. C., to Fort Bliss, Tex., where he will be attached to an anti-aircraft gun battery.

A corporal technician, Vin was raised to that grade from private after graduation Nov. 2 from a specialist school at Camp Davis.

Corp. Donner, who was inducted into the Army June 5, went first to Fort Custer and then received seven weeks’ basic training at Fort Eustis, Va.

He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Donner, attended Ann Arbor High and was a machine operator at the Precision Parts Co. when inducted.

Vin Donner

Promoted To Major

Capt. William R. Kelley, 36, former member of the law firm of Kelley and Young, has been promoted to the rank of major at Camp Wolters, Tex., where he has been stationed for the past six months.

At present Major Kelley is working in a rifle battalion’s headquarters. He was executive officer for another rifle battalion in the same camp.

Major Kelley was graduated from the University in 1930 with an A.B. degree. He is a member of the Loom fraternal organization. The major was commissioned in the officers reserve corps for infantry on June 14, 1930 and in 1939 attended the NGRO course. He was called to duty in April, 1941, and in early 1942 attended a school for battalion commanders at Fort Benning, Ga.

While a resident of Ann Arbor, Major Kelley was on the board of directors of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and was Michigan state chairman of the JCC civil identification committee when called to active duty.

He and his wife, the former Eva L. Smith of Ann Arbor, are now living in Weatherford, Tex.

With Medical Battalion

Pvt. William C. Bauer, 22, of Route 6, was inducted Oct. 9 and when he arrived at Fort Custer was assigned the next day to the medical corps. He s now in training at Camp Robinson, Ark.

Son of Mr. and Mrs. William J. Bauer of Pittsfield township, Bill attended St. Thomas High school and at time of induction was a truck driver for the U. S. Freight Co. in Ypsilanti. He has lived his entire Washtenaw county.

Pvt. Bauer

Joins Brother In Navy

Chester Clark, 31, of 310 E. Liberty St., has followed his younger brother into the Navy, but their paths don't appear likely to cross very often.

Chess, who enlisted Sept. 8 and received eight weeks' basic training at Great Lakes, is now at Norfolk, Va., where he is in training to be a gunner in the naval service.

His brother, Arthur, has been in the Navy three years and is now a radio mechanic, second class, aboard a submarine.

Already a first class seaman, Chess was employed in the apparatus department of Eberbach & Son here when he decided join the Navy. He formerly lived at Crystal Falls, Mich., and attended school at Alpha, Wis.

His wife, Lucille Johnson Clark, who is maintaining their residence on E. Liberty St., is employed in war work. His mother is Mrs. Maude Clark.