Based on the letters of Earl Philip Reinhalter (1922-1953) and the squadron newsletters that he sent home. Edited by his son, Earl Philip Reinhalter (1950-).
The Squadron Pulse
The WWII newsletters of the 3rd Airdrome Squadron.
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The squadron newsletter was a project of Leonard H. Stringfield (left), who edited the publication and wrote a good bit of the content. Many of the more humorous articles were penned by Richard V. Calkins, who was listed variously as Associate Editor, Contributing Editor or Staff Writer.
Army censorship prevented discussion of sensitive military information. But the writers were able to recount incidents which happened at prior bases, where presumably security was no longer such a concern. Of special note is the article in the April 28, 1945, issue that describes the unit's most serious combat situation, a December 1944 attack by Japanese paratroopers. According to Wikipedia, after the war Stringfield “was an American ufologist who took particular interest in crashed flying saucer stories.” Already self-described as a 3-pack-a-day smoker in the September 23, 1945, newsletter, he “died December 18, 1994, after a long battle with lung cancer.” Calkins did not fare as well. A June 24, 1957, item from Associated Press reported, “Officers say 36-year-old Richard V. Calkins, talking with four friends yesterday suddenly told them ‘life isn't worth living,’ pulled a .32 revolver from his coat pocket and fired a bullet into his head. Calkins, who was married, died instantly. Coroner Ralph Bullock termed the death a suicide.” Online genealogy sources list Richard Veryl Calkins, born May 14, 1921, in Denver, and died June 22, 1957. ALSO SEE: * A Roster of soldier names mentioned in the Squadron Pulse newsletters. * Leonard Stringfield's Pennant Parade newsletter, which he published aboard ship during his journey home after the war. |
| ISSUE # | DATE | APO | LOCATION | HIGHLIGHTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vol. 1, No. 1 | March 3, 1945 | 72 | Leyte, Philippines | first issue, service in Brisbane |
| Vol. 1, No. 2 | March 10, 1945 | 72 | Leyte, Philippines | post-war convention suggested, Atabrine, service at Oro Bay |
| Vol. 1, No. 3 | March 17, 1945 | 72 | Leyte, Philippines | flooding at the base, service in Papua New Guinea |
| Vol. 1, No. 4 | March 24, 1945 | 72 | Leyte, Philippines | arrival at Saidor (part 1), interview with fighting cock |
| Vol. 1, No. 5 | March 31, 1945 | 72 | Leyte, Philippines | arrival at Saidor (part 2) |
| Vol. 1, No. 6 | April 7, 1945 | 74 | Luzon, Philippines | horseshoes |
| Vol. 1, No. 7 | April 14, 1945 | 74 | Luzon, Philippines | basic training at Columbus, Ohio (1942-43) |
| Vol. 1, No. 8 | April 21, 1945 | 74 | Luzon, Philippines | beer issue |
| Vol. 1, No. 9 | April 28, 1945 | 74 | Luzon, Philippines | paratroop attack at San Pablo (December 1944) |
| Vol. 1, No. 10 | May 5, 1945 | 74 | Luzon, Philippines | new enlisted men's club, "How to Have Fun in Town" |
| Vol. 1, No. 11 | May 12, 1945 | 74 | Luzon, Philippines | 2nd anniversary of the unit's overseas service |
| Vol. 1, No. 12 | May 20, 1945 | 74 | Luzon, Philippines | 2nd year anniversary party, "A Night on the Perimeter" part 1 |
| Vol. 1, No. 13 | May 27, 1945 | 74 | Luzon, Philippines | post-war convention plans, Tommy Guns, "A Night on the Perimeter" part 2 |
| Vol. 1, No. 14 | June 3, 1945 | 74 | Luzon, Philippines | visit to Manila |
| Vol. 1, No. 15 | June 10, 1945 | 74 | Luzon, Philippines | TD vs. demobilization |
| Vol. 1, No. 16 | June 17, 1945 | 74 | Luzon, Philippines | post-war convention plans, Japanese character |
| [Apparently there was no Vol. 2, No. 1 issue.] | ||||
| Vol. 2, No. 2 | August 12, 1945 | 245 | Ie Shima, Ryukyu Islands | setting up camp in Ryukyu Islands as Japan is about to surrender |
| Vol. 2, No. 3 | August 19, 1945 | 245 | Ie Shima, Ryukyu Islands | eyewitness account of Japanese surrender party's arrival in Ie Shima |
| Vol. 2, No. 4 | August 26, 1945 & September 2, 1945 |
(none) | Atsugi Airfield, Japan | setting up occupation base, thoughts on Japanese phrase book |
| Vol. 2, No. 5 | September 9, 1945 | (none) | Atsugi Airfield, Japan | visit to Iwo Jima |
| Vol. 2, No. 6 | September 16, 1945 | (none) | Atsugi Airfield, Japan | visit to Yokohama, list of Red Alerts per location |
| Vol. 2, No. 7 | September 23, 1945 | (none) | Atsugi Airfield, Japan | visit to Tokyo |
| Vol. 2, No. 8 | September 30, 1945 | (none) | Atsugi Airfield, Japan | final issue (?), Sgt. Reinhalter's work at Kyoto Airfield |
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BONUS: Pennant Parade newsletters
Postwar voyage from Japan to Seattle.
| Leonard Stringfield, editor of the 3rd Airdrome Squadron's weekly newsletter The Squadron Pulse, continued publishing during his trip home across the Pacific. He created a daily newsletter called Pennant Parade, named after his ship the U.S. Army Transport Motor Ship Pennant (also listed as MS Pennant or MV Pennant). Although he was on a different ship from the one my father took (the USS Fremont), the two ships departed within a day or two of one another, heading for the same destination, so it is likely that they had similar experiences. These newsletters were discovered in Stringfield's archive, and are presented here courtesy of his grandson Erich Stegmaier. |
| ISSUE # | DATE | HIGHLIGHTS |
|---|---|---|
| Vol. 2, No. 1 | October 27, 1945 | 3rd day at sea |
| Vol. 2, No. 2 | October 28, 1945 | 4th day at sea |
| Vol. 2, No. 3 | October 29, 1945 | 5th day at sea |
| Vol. 2, No. 4 | October 30, 1945 | 6th day at sea |
| Vol. 2, No. 5 | October 31, 1945 * | 7th day at sea |
| Vol. 2, No. 6 | October 31, 1945 * | 8th day at sea |
| Vol. 2, No. 7 | November 1, 1945 | 9th day at sea |
| Vol. 2, No. 8 | November 2, 1945 | 10th day at sea |
| Vol. 2, No. 9 | November 3, 1945 | 11th day at sea |
| Vol. 2, No. 10 | November 4, 1945 | 12th day at sea |
| Vol. 2, No. 11 | November 5, 1945 | 13th day at sea |
| Vol. 2, No. 12 | November 6, 1945 | 14th day at sea |
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NOW AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK! Complete text of all Squadron Pulse and Pennant Parade newsletters is included in the Kindle book of Earl Reinhalter's World War II letters! The book also contains the U.S. government booklet “Pocket Guide to Australia,” which soldiers heading Down Under were given to read; more than 200 photos; pre-war and postwar family history; and over 700 explanatory endnotes. |
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This page established: March 17, 2019 Last updated: February 22, 2023
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