With The Men In Service: November 6, 1944

With The Men In Service

Spend Anniversary With Son

The silver wedding anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Greve, 703 W. Jefferson St., was a memorable occasion for more reasons than one, as the Greves spent that day with their son, Bertrand Joseph, navigation cadet of the AAF whom they hadn't seen for many months.

Cadet Greve, who entered service in June, 1943, and is now in training at Selman Field, La., taking advanced navigation, was given four days vacation from his duties and was thus able to see his parents, who had traveled south to meet him.

Bertrand, a graduate of the Ann Arbor High school, attended the University College of Engineering for two years before joining the AAF.

To date, he has been trained at Sheppard Field, Tex.; Centenary College, Shreveport, La.; Independence, Kas.; San Antonio. Tex., and Harlingen Gunnery School, in Texas.

Bertrand Greve

Ready For Overseas Duty

Soon to complete his combat training at Sioux City, Ia., and be ready for overseas duty as a gunner for a heavy bomber crew is Pfc. Donald T. Howard, son of Mrs. Ava Howard of 612 Spring St.

Pfc. Howard has been a member of the armed forces since August, 1943. Prior to his induction, ha was a student at the St. Thomas High school.

Pfc. Howard

Presents Plane To Mayor

Although Cpl. Walter B. McLellan, formerly of Packard Rd., has been under treatment at Bowman Field Convalescent hospital, Louisville, Ky., for the past six weeks, he has been far from idle and to date has constructed four model airplanes, one of which he presented to the mayor of the city recently.

The mayor who was going through the hospital, inspecting the extensive convalescent training program carried on there was photographed with the Ann Arbor corporal.

Transferred to Bowman Field, Ky., last April, after he had completed almost a year's stay at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., he was on duly as a clerk in the company office at Bowman until six weeks ago, when he was taken to the hospital for an operation.

His wife, the former Esther Hadley, of Gregory, and his one-year-old daughter are living in Louisville at present. Cpl. McLellan is the brother of Mrs. Harold J. McKercher of 1223 S. Forest Ave.

Injury Proves Ironical

Ironical tale of modern warfare comes from Lt. Baird A. Thomas, son of Mrs. L. M. Thomas, of 1318 Minerva Rd., who recently learned that the shell which struck his jeep during fighting in Normandy last July, wounding him, was an American 105 millimeter shell which had fallen short of its mark.

The lieutenant, a liaison officer, has been hospitalized in England for some time now and recently met a fellow officer who had fought with him in Normandy. This officer related to the astonished Baird the real story behind his injury.

Writing to his mother recently, Lt. Thomas related this tale. "The morning following our all night road march, we moved into position and Jerry started shelling us," he said. "I did not hear the one that hit me, so presumed all the time it was one of his. However, it happened that, we were giving him counter artillery action for a position about half a mile between where our CP was.

"One of our 105 mm. shells fell short, lit in our area about one foot from head and blew my Jeep all to pieces, wounding my driver and myself."

Lt. Thomas explained that the impact of the shell went upwards and that because he was on a slope behind the vehicle, he was saved from instant death and received instead several pieces of shrapnel in his leg.

"I really was a lucky puppy,” he wrote. He also reported to his mother that his leg was better now but still needed lots of exercise.

"I still have seven pieces of shrapnel in me, but the doctors say it shouldn't bother me, and I hope they are right," he concluded.

Lt. Thomas has been in service since November, 1942. A graduate of Ann Arbor High school and the University, he was enrolled in medical school at McGill University, Toronto, at the time of his enlistment in the Medical Corps.

Lt. Thomas