With The Men In Service: August 6, 1943
Two Friends Meet In Far Off India
Two Ann Arbor soldiers had to Igo all the way to India to meet for the first time in two and a half years.
Start Sgt. LeRoy P. Gray had been in India for 14 months when he walked into a service club, at an undisclosed base, and thought The recognized another soldier. Checking the registry he confirm
Sgt. Gray
Pfc. Bauer
ed his belief. So Sgt. Gray walked up and said "Hi" to Pfc, Melvin K. Bauer.
For the five days they had leave in common the two youths stayed (together, talking over old times. In times of peace both were members of the choir of Bethlehem Evangelical and Reformed church.
This meeting in far-away-places I was told in letters home. Sgt. Gray, who is, in the Signal Corps, is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Gray, 1131 S. Seventh St.... Pfc. Bauer, son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bauer, 516 Soule Blvd., is a first cook in an Air Forces quarter. master outfit. He went to India by plane in June. -
Completes Course
Pvt. Truman D. Thornton, husband of Mrs. Alice Thornton, 223.7 N. Main St. recently completed a four months' airplane mechanics course at Sheppard Field, Tex.: | Thornton was selected to take this course on the basis of a competitive examination, and he will now be transferred to one of the Army Air Forces flying schools or air depots to take up duties as a full-fledged airplane mechanic.
In Marine Corps | Eugene Sicks (Gene) Churchill, | 17, 'lost no time after his graduation from high school before he donned the üniform of the U. S. Marine Corps. and headed for training and active duty. He enlisted in February, graduated in February from Ann Arbor High school and left for Detroit Feb. 8.
Gene is the son of Prof. and Mrs. R. V. Churchill, 924 Forest
Ave., and has lived in Ann Arbor all his life except for six months 'spent at school in Madison, Wis. He was interested in the Natural Sciences in school, and had a peculiar hobby that of collecting tropi
cal fish. e Gene Churchill Pvt. Churchill
may get a chance to see varieties Pof tropical fish he never dreamed
of, as he is now stationed somer where in the southern Pacific. He
left San Francisco sometime late e in June and now has a San Fran
cisco Fleet Post Office number... 1. Gene took his boot training at
San Diego, Calif., and is in the -rifle division. While he was dakFling his training he won a medal
as an expert rifleman.
In Australia 1 Robert Daniel Williams, 18, son of Mr. and Mrs. Claude D. Wil. liams, 4163 Stein Rd., Scio township, is stationed in Australia, with the Navy,
A former member of the Michigan State Troops, "Bob" .entered the Navy on March 20, of this year, and reported to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station.
Before his entrance into service Seaman Williams attended Ann Arbor public schools where he participated in boxing and baseball, and was employed at the bomber plant.
Control Tower Operator : | Pfc. Donald (Don) Fitzsimons, Army Air Forces ground crew member, who is stationed at Dow Field, Bangor, Me., in the main.. tenance division, has been placed sin charge of a control tower there, according to word received by his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Fitzsimons of 1214 Willard St. | Don has been
stationed at Miami Beach, at
Truax Field, Madison, Wis., Don Fitzsimons where he received his promotion and graduated from Technical |Training school, and then was
transferred to Dow Field in March. | Prior to his induction Don was employed by the National Biscuit |Co. He is married to the former Marion Morgan who is planning to join him at Bangor in the near future. He and his wife resided at 819 S. State St. until the time of Don's induction.
In Africa
Pfe. Henry Barton Gillespie, 26. Jan MP in the Army Artillery, who arrived in Africa around July 20, in the first V-mail letter received by his mother describes the weather as very nice; hot and dry dur
ing the day and cool at night, while the food is plentiful and good, sometimes even better than in the States.
Inducted into service on Dec. 20, of last year, he reported to Jefferson Barracks, Mo., then
to Camp Babler, Henry Gillespie Harrisburg, Pa., and left this country from New York City in July. .
Son of Mrs. Sarah Scott Gillespie and the late C. B. Gillespie, of 405 E. Jefferson St., Pfc. Gillespie graduated from Ann Arbor High school in 1933, and received his B.S. from the University in 1937, where he received honors in chemistry, and was a member of Pni Kappa Phi, honorary fraternity, and Phi Theta Epsilon fraternity. He also participated in swimming. | Previous to entering service, he was employed as swimming director of a YMCA in St. Louis, Mo., as a chemist for the Monsanto Chemical Co. there, and also found time to write mystery stories.
High Ranking
Stationed at Cochran Field, Macon, Ga., Aviation Cadet Richard Burt Stodden, 23, has proven him. self one of the most capable men in his group. Cadet Stodden has been made cadet captain which means that he is probably the highest ranking student. On Cadet Stodden's sleeve can be seen stripes, similar to those of a sergeant, but these stripes extend all the way up to his shoulder and are the Burt Stodden insignia worn by cadet captains to designate their high ranking position at the air school.
Within the past few days Cadet |Stoddard has received his appointment to a new airfield at Stuttgart, Ark., where he will take his | advance flight training, Beside being cadet captain at Macon, Burt was cadet captain at Ludwick, Fla., and was cadet squadron commander at Maxwell' Field.
On Hawaiian Islands Pvt. William Fredrick “Bill" Furman, 20. san of Mrs. Sarah Furman, 1116 Henry St., is now stationed on the Hawaiian Islands in the quartermaster division of the Army.
After entering service on Dec. 30, 1942, Bill went to Camp Grant, III.,
Camp Francis E. Warren, Wyo., and Camp Shenaugo, Greenville, Pa. Then in May he was shipped across the Pacific, reaching Pearl Harbor, which he describes as a "beautiful city," twice, and Honolulu once. William Furman Making use of his experience driving trucks for the Merchant's Delivery, Superior Dairy, R. R. Cuylee Trucking Co., and hauling sand for the airport, Pvt. Furman is now driving trucks on the Hawaiian Islands, sometimes carrying supplies and sometimes chauffeuring the men.
"Bill" was born in Ann Arbor and attended the public schools here.
Expert Rifleman Shooting on the known-distance Rifle range at the Infantry Replacement Training center at Camp Roberts, Calif., Pvt. Roy R: McFarlane of 417 Long Shore Dr., recently qualified as an expert with the .30 caliber rifle...