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With Our Men In Service: September 8, 1943

With Our Men In Service: September 8, 1943 image
Parent Issue
Day
8
Month
September
Year
1943
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
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THE ANN ARBOR NEWB, ANN ARBOR, MICH.

With Our Men In Service

Pfc. Paul R. Wild, 23, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Wild, of Route 2, Saline, is now stationed at Santa Anita, Calif., in the ordnance branch of the Army doing automatic maintenance work.

Enlisting for service on Sept. 15, 1942, he went first to Fort Custer and a week later to Santa Anita, his present post.  On July 15 he was promoted to private first class.

Before his entrance into the Army, Pfc. Wild was employed at Klagers' Hatchery and King-Seeley Corp.

His brother, Walter E. Wild, 24, also in the ordnance division of the Army, is doing medium maintenance and repair work at camp Livingston, La.

Walt, also a private first class, entered the Army on Nov. 24 last year, reporting to Camp Grant, Ill., and then took his basic training at Camp McCoy, Wis.  From there he went to the Mississippi Ordnance Plant for 16 weeks prior to reaching Camp Livingston.

A graduate of Saline High school in 1938 where he played football, Walt was working at King-Seeley Corp. until his induction.

His wife, the former Ellen Reimied of Manchester, is living on Route No. 1, Manchester, now.

A friend of the Wild brothers, Corp. Robert F. Welch, 21, is stationed at Camp Livingston , La., where Walt is at present.

Bob, a son of Mrs. Helen Walsh of Bridgewater, graduated from Manchester High school in 1941, where he played football and baseball, and was working at the bomber plant until his induction.

Entering the Army on Nov. 22 last year, Corp. Welch reported to Camp Grant, Ill., Camp Barkeley, Tex., until April, and then to Camp Livingston.

Aug. 15 he was promoted to the grade of corporal and is now working in a hospital there, concerned with gas treatment.

Corp. Welch's grandfather, Fred Welch, served in the Spanish-American war.

In This One, Too

Sgt. Roy Bird, 45, of 204 N. Seventh St., a veteran of World War I, is back in service, having been overseas for the last six months.

In his last letter home, received on Friday, Sgt. Bird states that he is "somewhere in Iran" now, that the work is very hard, but he is in excellent health and is keeping pace with the younger men in his outfit. 

Born in Romulus, he moved to Ypsilanti later, where he graduated from high school in 1916, a football, basketball and baseball team member.

Entering World War I, Sgt. Bird was in a tank corps, but didn't get overseas then.

After the war, in March of 1920, he married the former Mildred L. Hanks, of Ypsilanti, who is now living at their Ann Arbor home with their two children, Patricia Ann, 17, and Mary Jacqueline, 11.

Before his second enlistment, Sgt. Bird was terminal manager for the Interstate Motor Freight System.  Entering service in December, 1942, he was assigned to the quartermaster corps truck regiment at Fort Sheridan, Ill.

From there he went to Camp Van Dorn, Miss., then to an undisclosed camp in Virginia, and until March he was at Camp Anza, Calif., just before going overseas.  

A month after entering service Sgt. Bird received two stripes, and in May got his present rating.

Sgt. Bird is a member of the local American Legion post, and was manager of the Junior American Legion baseball team for the summer of 1942.

He is a son of Mrs. Mary M. Bird of 403 S. Seventh St.

Home On Leave

Wilfred George Bonnewell, 18, is spending a two-weeks furlough with his parents, Master Sgt. and Mrs. Dewey G. Bonnewell, 1650 Calvin St.  "Bonnie" arrived Sept. 1 from Great Lakes Training Station where he has just completed his boot training.

Now a second class seaman, Bonnewell will report back to Great Lakes, Sept. 10 for assignment.  He will either be sent out to sea or will be delegated to an aviation gunner's school.

Bonnewell entered the Navy June 30.  Before then, he had been employed by the Cook plant of the Associated Spring Corp.

Master Sgt. Bonnewell, Bonnie's father, has been in the Army for 24 years, 18 of which have been spent in Ann Arbor with the ROTC unit on campus.

In Flight Training

Aviation Cadet Robert G. Leggett, 27, some of Mrs. Eva M. Leggett, of 102 E. Kingsley, is now stationed at Cuero, Tex. receiving flight training.

Enlisting in the Army Air Force on Nov. 17, 1942, Leggett took his basic training in Florida, and was then transferred to Cincinnati, O.  May 22, he left for San Antonio, Tex., where he remained until his latest transfer.

A resident of Ann Arbor for 19 years, he was graduated from Ann Arbor High school in 1934, and attended Wayne University, from which he was graduated in 1942.  His school day sports included golf and ping-pong.

Until his entrance into service Cadet Leggett was employed at the Wayne Oakland Bank, in Detroit.

In Specialists' Training

Pvt. Clarence W. Wood, Chelsea, is a member of the Army Specialized Training Unit in basic engineering at Pennsylvania Military College, Chester, Pa.

Pvt. Wood, formerly stationed at Camp J. T. Robinson, Little Rock, Ark., has been in the Army for five months.

The course that Pvt. Wood is studying started June 14 and will continue for nine months.

In Armored Division

Also stationed at Camp Campbell, Ky., is Pfc. Donald J. Finkbeiner, 22, of Bridgewater, who is now in an armored division of the Army in engineering work.

Entering service on Oct. 8, 1942, Pfc. Finkbeiner reported first to Fort Custer and from there immediately to Camp Campbell.

Son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob A. Finkbeiner, of Bridgewater, Donald graduated from Saline High school in 1939, where he was a pitcher on the baseball team.  Until his induction, he was employed at the Buhr Machine Tool Co. as a pattern designer, and was also a pitcher for the company baseball team.  In high school, he played basketball and football, too.

Pfc. Finkbeiner was last home on a nine day leave in March, and now wears a medal for sharpshooting.

His father served in World War I, and was stationed at Fort Custer in an engineering division.

Soldier Of The Week

Corp. Robert Gordon Marquardt, 18, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold J. Marquardt, of 510 Lawrence St., has been named "soldier of the week" at Camp Grant, Ill. by his commanding officer, Maj. M. H. Dresner.

The choice was based upon Corp. Marquardt's cooperation, intelligence, obedience, appearance and determination.  It was announced by Brig. Gen. John M. Willis, camp commander.

Entering service in January of this year, he was assigned to the Medical Corps at Camp Grant, and after a month at Camp McCoy, Was., Corp. Marquardt returned to Camp Grant, where he was with the Dental Clinic.

Requesting a transfer to a train-

 

ALL IN SERVICE: Two brothers and a friend now in the Army, reading left to right are: Pfc. Paul R. Wild, 23, Corp. Robert F. Welch, 21, and Pfc. Walter E. Wild, 24.  All entered service within a month of each other, and Bob and Walter are now both stationed at Camp Livingston, La.  Paul is at Santa Anita, Calif.