Four High Brothers Sent To Far Corners Of Earth

Four High Brothers Sent To Far Comers Of Earth

"Needling" is the term which might aptly describe some of the remarks passed back and fourth between the four High brothers during the past seven days.

Together again for the first time after serving for 18 months on the four corners of the earth, they are the sons of Mr. and Mrs. John B. High, 2660 Packard Rd., where the family has made its home for 25 years.

Good natured needling, it was, though, such as a demand made by Lt. (j.g.) Jean High, 30-year-old Naval Reserve officer, like this:

"Go ahead! Tell us all about your heroic deeds with the 97th Bomb Group!”

And Lt. Col. James Russell High, 27-year-old B-17 pilot and member of the bomb group mentioned, would grin back and jibe, “You and your Navy with its rubber cows!” meaning, of course, the blimps that had caused “no end of trouble” when they moved in on the Army Air Force at Moffet Field, Calif., forcing Col. High and his whole group to shift to Chico, Calif.

In Submarine Branch

And then there was Electrician’s Mate, 2/c, Robert Paul High, 21 years old, whom they kidded about joining the submarine branch of the Navy because of the ice cream he would get every day, and the fresh frozen fruits and vegetables and the thick, juicy steaks.

“Sure, I figured it was the best service,” Bob replied.

And while his brothers saw action overseas, LeRoy High, 31, chemist, continued with his research work at the Udylite Corporation in Detroit where he has already been employed for more than eight years helping to produce better supplies and equipment for both the Army and the Navy. *

But with the departure of Navy Lt. Jean High and his wife Saturday morning, a note of sadness could be detected under all their joshing. Lt. High is now on his way by car to Camp Kearney, Calif., for further duty after his seven days at home.

A graduate of Ann Arbor High school and Michigan State Normal College, Ypsilanti, Jean entered the service in April, 1943, as an ensign. After training in Washington, D. C., and Jacksonville, Fla., he became a member of the Navy’s special training devices division in which department he is still serving.

Bob, the youngest of the boys, joined the Navy in March, 1943. After boot training at Great Lakes, submarine school at New London and Gyro-compass school in New York, he went to Manitowoc, Wisc., to pick up the new sub, USS Hawkbill, his “home” for nearly a year and a half.

Floating all the way down the Mississippi on a drydock towed by an old, stern-wheeler river boat, the “tin fish” took to its own power at New Orleans and slid through the Panama Canal for Pearl Harbor.

The Hawkbill's first red-letter day came on Oct 7, 1944, in the South China Sea. From that time until the end of the war, the undersea vessel patroled through the Sulu Sea, Makassar Strait, the Indian Ocean, the narrow waters between Lombok and Bali Islands, in the Gulf of Siam and on the Malay coast—in shallow waters and deep—to sink 40,900 tons of enemy shipping while scooting out from under Japanese depth charges.

In addition to its regular activities under water, the Hawkbill aided in the destruction of two enemy radio stations and a Japanese compound in the capital of the Anambas Islands by carrying a small group of Australian army officers to the mission and even provided members of its own crew to help do the job.

Bob, also a graduate of Ann Arbor High school, goes back to San Francisco on Dec. 1.

At Pittsfield Village

Russel, the colonel, will be at his home in Pittsfield Village at 2827 Pittsfield Blvd., with his wife and two children, Ann and Jim, until Dec. 10, when he goes to San Antonio redistribution center.

Col. High entered the service in October, 1940, as a flying cadet and trained in the states of Oklahoma, Texas and California before going to Hobbs, N. M., for B-17 transition school.

He served as deputy director of training there for some time before leaving for overseas duty in Italy. Until the end of the war in Europe, he was squadron commanding officer with the Fifth Wing, only B-17 wing in the 15th Air Force, and after V-E day, became group operations officer.

A graduate of Ann Arbor High school, the colonel also completed training at Michigan State Normal College.

LeRoy, who with his wife and two sons, John and Joel, makes his home on Sorrento St., in Detroit, is a graduate of Ann Arbor High school and of the University where he received his master’s degree in chemistry.

Now that they are being split up again, the boys’ father, custodian at Ann Arbor High school, and their mother and sister have some happy memories of the past seven days to tide them over until the time when they can all be back home for good.

Reunited after 18 months in the four corners of the earth, the four High brothers have just spent seven days together and with their parents, Mr. and Mrs. John B. High, 1660 Packard Rd. Pictured here by The News photographer just before they were to split up again, they are (left to right) Jean, a Navy lieutenant, Russel, a lieutenant colonel in the Air Forces, Bob, electrician’s mate, 2/C, in the submarine service of the Navy, and LeRoy, chemist, of Detroit.