THE SQUADRON PULSE
For the Men of the Fightin’ 3rd Published in the Philippines
Vol. 1. No. 7 Weekly April 14, 1945 3rd Airdrome Squadron APO 74.
LAMENT
I’m a goddam per diem commando
In the north on a sort of a trip.
In the south I am much in demando,
But sweating it out at the strip.
In I came with my leaves all a-glisten,
And expecting that when they saw me,
They would drop all their red tape and listen.
But I knew not the D A T. *
Here I have a priority super,
They have marked it a Double A-1.
When the sergeant came out of his stupor,
He said, “I’ll be a son of a gun!”
“Haven’t seen one of those things in ages.
You’re the next man in line for a ship.
But you may have to go thru the stages
Of sweating it out on the strip.”
I’ve seen bombers, freighters and fighters.
And the cubs** as they fly in I know.
Not a damnable one of the blighters
Seems to head toward where I want to go.
I can’t kick - I have been here but hours
Plus days - what we go through for rides.
I’m way behind in my work for the powers
And pretty damn fed up besides.
My priority? Just wasted paper.
My shirt is as wet as can be.
But all of this “Sweating out” caper
Is not being done by me.
When the last earthly trumpet has played o’er
Our summons to Hell for a trip,
The devil will find us in Saidor
Still sweating it out at the strip.
--- Anonymous
* According to Proceed Without Delay by Sergeant Thomas R. St. George, D.A.T. stood for the Directorate of Air Transport, the office that determined the priority of each soldier’s travel orders. Beginning at page 57 is a tale about the red tape involved with catching a flight from one base to another, similar to the one recounted above. The artwork on the dust jacket of the book depicts a crowd of soldiers awaiting their turn at a D.A.T. office.
** By "cubs" he means Piper Cub, a small plane that typically seats two people.
CAPTAIN MITCHELL COMMENDS:
Sgt. Low, for outstanding improvement in transportation forms and the dispatchers procedure.
FLASHBACKS -------- by L.H. Stringfield
HEYDAY IN COLUMBUS
Capt. Foster and other favorite sons of Ohio would not agree, but it was during a long siege of cold, dreary and icy weather, punctuated almost daily by snow flurries, that the 3rd Airdrome Squadron was born. Activation officially took place on December 2, 1942, at Lockbourne Army Air Base, Columbus, Ohio.
The first Morning Report included exactly two personnel; Maj. (then Capt.) Whittemore and Capt. (then Lt.) Mitchell. But during the few days following, the strength of the Third grew by leaps and bounds. First arrived the Cadre, from down Alabama way, including such old timers as 1st Sgt. Miracle, Sgt. Luther Turpin, Armbrester, Engerbretsen, and Sgt. Jones (who drank too much). Then came the three-way split of the 374th Air Base Sq., one third of its strength going to the 3rd Airdrome. From then on it was a regular daily routine of picking up, quartering and organizing the new personnel, all specialists (with a capital S) [referring to the specialist military rank, which indicates someone with specialized technical training - Ed.] fresh out of schools from all parts of the U.S.A. From Lowry Field and from Chanute; from San Antonio and from Patterson Field; they arrived to build up the strength that was to be the renowned 3rd.
A considerable number of this strength had little or no Basic Training. A half-hearted attempt was made at completing it, but the snow and slush did not prove to be conducive to efficient or productive training in close-order drill. Then there were the details ---- remember the coal pile and the endless number of men required to keep it flowing. All of you who were on it will remember some of your remarks about the efficiency of a Q.M. which couldn’t supply overshoes to men working an 8-hour day in ice water and melting snow.
But Lockbourne had its bright spots, such as bus service into Columbus and plenty of passes. Sometimes one just went into town and came back when he got good and ready ---- no man was a wheel then --- so if you were gone a couple of days, no one missed you. The Neil House and the Deshler-Wallach became the mecca for sophisticated entertainment, while the Paramour and Marzetti’s took honors for better food. Of course, one didn’t always choose the better places to have fun. From the looks of the barracks at times it seemed as though all the fun took place there.
As for Columbus women, the writer had his own not far away in Cincy, but for most of you, old or recruit, every day was a field day. Only the truest and brokest stayed in, wrote letters or bought chips and beer at the PX.
Lockbourne, like all other stations, called for several moves ---- first we shared both barracks and orderly room with the 4th Airdrome, then gradually we acquired a supply building, barracks of our own and an orderly room of our own. The first arrival of automatic issues of equipment started coming in early January -- this in the category of vehicles Sgt. (then Pfc.) Low took the initiative in setting up a motor pool and handled them straight thru, including the movement by rail to our next station.
THE SQUADRON PULSE
Vol. 1 No. 7 April 14, 1945
Editor .................Pfc. Stringfield
Contributing Editor ....Cpl. Calkins
Chief Compositor........Cpl. Drecoll
This paper may be sent home
REAR ECHELON
I guess we just about broke all records loading those last five transports. Don’t know why the other fellows were so anxious to see the last of the Airborne Third take off, but I just wanted to hit the old sack. Visions of “lots of sack time” was what kept us going those last few days and nights, when we were breaking our humps to get the glamour boys on their way. As usual something SNAFU’ed. The only way we could possibly lose out on that sack time was for someone to move up the sailing date ----- they did! We got orders one night after chow to move out the next morning ------ we did!
It wasn’t all work and no play though. There was the night some of the boys stopped in the tent with some tiger juice and after twisting my arm a few times persuaded me to accompany them to Josie’s Blackout Bar. I am still trying to figure out who built that flight of steps - they certainly weren’t there when I walked in. Then there was the chicken dinner and “Ducko” Frye crying because he lost a fortune by killing his Fighting Cock. He swore he could have made a million by fighting him in the ring as no spur could have broken through his armor plate. And there was the Fiesta which “Mickey” Coffman enjoyed immensely, until he was asked to lead the gathering in prayer. Then I can’t forget Crawford and Holthaus who came in one night singing “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” very much off key; Chick’s voice fading out and John rescuing him from a fox-hole which had inadvertently moved out into the path.
We made the ship though. Had a very pleasant and eventful trip; fresh meat and vegetables twice a day. That is an event in anybody’s army. It was rumored that Captain Alegria, Troop Commander, tried to make a trade with the ship’s mess boy, but it seems he wasn’t very font of dehydrated spuds either.
By - - “Air Corps” Tilghman
AS TIME GOES BY --- BIRTHDAYS
Carlson, 9th Clark, A R, 14th, Redmond, 9th, Keister, 11th, McCallum, 12th, Miller, W C, 14th, Benton, 19th, Bradford, 18th, Dunbar, 18th, Houghton, 20th, Goodman, J T, 19th, Rosenblum, 16th.
Though we cannot recall his name, quite a few of the old-timers will remember the Lt Colonel who sweated three days for transportation, back in May 1944 at Saidor. We are unable to thank him, but the PULSE is indebted to him for the contribution entitled ‘Lament’ appearing on the first page.
FAMOUS SAYINGS
With a strictly 3rd Airdrome flavor
“Go take a hop, skip and flying Chinese jump and dip your right eye in stool.”
--- Pop Taylor
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