Page 80 - Mastheads Aug-Dec 1944

T.A HEAD G Men 42 Years Of Age ~~~
PAGE 2 THE MASTHEAD, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1944

Or Over May Be

Official * * I!, Released From Navy 111111 'IJ'l}tl IE D'll lEW S
* * Treasure Island publication distributed every Saturday without cost to the
officers, enlisted men, and employees of Treasure Island. All communications and
contributions should be directed to The Editor, V{elfare and Recreation Department, According to a memorandum In Pearl Harbor at the time of "
Treasure Island, San Francisco, California. Phone: EXbrook 8931, Extension 59. s issued October 16, the following in-
the Jap sneak attack, Marine
COMMODORE R. W. CARY, USN formation on applications for dis-
Commander U. S. Naval Training and Distribution Center charge or release to inactive duty Private First Class George Joseph
Never before in the history of Popovich, 22, of New York City,
LT. COMMANDER R. S. KIMBELL, USNR "Navy Day" celebrations has the of enlisted personnel 42 years of trained and waited 26 months be-
Director of Welfare and Recreation age or over is given.
United States Navy faced such a fore he had his chance to partially
STANLEY SOLOMON, Y2c, USNR grim and difficult task of defeating "The Navy is still engaged in avenge the attack.
Editor such a ruthless and determined foe carrying out an expansion. pro- It was last February that the
CLYDE F. BABB, Slc, USNR, Associate Editor as Japan. Never before in the his- gram and cannot consider favor- Gotham City Leatherneck met the /",
Robert E. Johnson, Y3c, Managing Editor Rex N. Olsen, Y3c, Feature Editor tory of "Navy Day" celebrations able wholesale requests for dis- Jap for the first time on anything
Carolyn N. Brown, Y2c, WA YES Editor George J . Schechter, Y3c, Staff Artist charge or release to inactive duty
has the United States Navy been as of enlisted personnel. Any con- like equal terms as Marine.s
TREASURE ISLAND, S. F., CALIF., SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1944 heavily armed and able to cope with clusion that the Navy's participa- stormed and took the principal is-
such a merciless f,oe as it is now, lands in the Marshall group. Then
tion in the war is nearly over is
confident that final and complete four months later he was in the
EDITORIAL- vict.ory will .be achieved! not based on fact. However, cer- first wave of assault troops t.o
tain enlisted personnel have been
It is with these thoughts in mind force a landing on Saipan.
engaged in specialized activities r-,.
that we should celebrate this "Navy and projects which are now being Wounded in the
'If owi ~Leet tion and pride, rededicating our- progressively reduced in size or arm by shell frag-
Day" with a keen sense •Of satisfac-
ments shortly after
selves to our assigned duties, what- terminated. Many of these men are hitting the beach at
not adaptable to other duty with-
Qua/1,anieu ~11,e,eJom ... charging them-in spite of counter out considerable training or are Saipan, P r i v a t e
ever ·they are, and persist in dis-
First Class Popo-
influences-until we will have sent not physically qualified for other vich has been re-
duties.
Today the nation pays tribute to the gallant men of the fight- the relentless foe down in the most turned to Treasure
disastrous defea~ the so-called "In accordance with the fore- Island for treat-
ing fleet. The men of our fleet will be celebrating Navy Day this going the Bureau will consider "
"Land of the Rising Sun" has ever ment.
applications for discharge from
Friday at their battle stations-celebrating it with pride and as- known. "The landing at Saipan was
enlisted personnel of the Naval
suranc~ that theirs is the most powerful sea and air force the It is true that all of us cannot get Reserve and inductees (USN-I) much more difficult than in the
a crack shot at the Japs, for it is Marshalls," he said, "because the
world has ever known. and for release to inactive duty of
necessary to link the vital chains ,of Japs were laying down a terrific
Fleet Reservists and enlisted per-
Secretary of the Navy Forrestal warns us "not to be fooled shore activities with every activity sonnel on the retired list. The fol- artillery barrage.
above and· under the seas and all "They were lobbing shells at us
about the early end of the Pacific war, just because we have seized lowing poli'cy will govern dis-
naval forces afloat, forming one as we raced for the beaches in ,......._
charge and release to inactive
more than 50 major islands from Japan and are drawing daily huge, gigantic arm which will reach landing craft, and while the boat
duty:"
nearer their homeland." The Secretary said the Japs are sure that from her.e across the Nipponese "Applications will be considered in which I was an occupant was
barriers ready to swing with in- not hit, I saw many boats and
the American people will not see this war through to the end- credible force that powerful blow only if initiated by the individual tanks blown to bits. After we hit
concerned."
that the burden is such we will not be willing to go through with which will send the death knell the beach they opened up a bar-
"The needs of the service will be
it. Then continuing, he said: "I think they're wrong in that." We echoing throughout Tojo's Oriental, considered paramount." rage on that area and caused most
empire. of our early casualties with heavy
"Each request for discharge or
can prove they are wrong by the tenacity of our fighting force, Remember, when we devote our- release will be considered on its artillery as well as mortars."
growing more and more formidable. selves to our jobs-carrying out ·all individual merits and acted upon Private First Class Popovich "
orders given us-we, too, ar~ con- by the Bureau of Naval Person- was injured by shell fragment&
During his first trip to Guam, Admiral Nimitz gave a broad tributing just as much to gain the nel." after four hours on the island. He
outline of coming strategy in the Pacific. He said that beating the victory as any other shipmate; it is "In order to be eligible for dis- said that while aboard a hospital
le.ft up to the discretion .of the ship that night waiting to be
Japs will involve non-stop war using power-house tactics. charge or release, personnel must
Bureau to determine who will get have passed their 42nd birthday." evacuated, Jap bombers came over
The Marine Commander in Chief for the Pacific, General Hol- the chance to strike the fatal bl,ow "Discharge will be for the con- dropping their eggs "all around
land M. Smith, when asked if we might be running out of Ma- over there and we must be patient venience of the Government." us." ,.....,_
until our chance comes. Enlisting in July, 1941, Private
"Reliefs will be furnished if re-
rines in the Pacific, made a typical Marine answer: "As long as quired." First Class Popovich first went
there is one Marine there will be one fight." That's the spirit *** overseas in August of that year.
A clear indication that Japan "Requests for discharge or re-
that has won glory for the Marines wherever they fought in this fears the might of our great Navy lease will not . be considered, and He returned here in May, 1943,
and again went to the · Pacific last
is amply supported by the con- should not be forwarded, when the
war. January.
firmation of reports that Tojo has individual concerned is awaiting
The road to Rome and France lies behind us. Ahead of us increased air raid practices in trial by court martial; or sick in
"Each application for discharge September Bond Sales
stretches the longer, harder road to Berlin. And beyond Berlin, Tokyo. With this report from the the hospital." r--
press comes a dispatch from Wash-
obscured in the dust and smoke of future battles, is the third long ington announcing that the War or release to inactive duty will be
highway, the road to Tokyo. Today our troops are marching Department has contracted for the forwarded to the Bureau with the Second Highest Monthly
production of from 1,000 to 2,000 commanding officer's recommanda-
down the road to Berlin. Wit9 colll;age and fortitude-and the copies of the German V-1 robot t'ion in the premises. l;luch recom- Volume In Navy History
best weapons in history-they are advancing aga1nst fierce re- bombs with the indication that the mendation shall include a state-
The second highest monthly
sistance. But the road to Berlin isn't just a military road. It's the United States ,is preparing to use I ment as to whether or not the volume in the history of the Navy
the "buzz bombs" against the services of the man or woman con-
path we all must follow, every last one 0£ us, if we are to achieve Japanese homeland. · cerned can be spared without a War bond program was reached in ,,..,._
September, when bond purchases
victory. Each one of us has his own load to carry on that road relief. While the Bureau intends to by uniformed and civilian person-
* * * . provide reliefs when such are re-
and each one of us must march the whole, hard length of it- The quotation of the month quired, it is not the desire that per- nel totaled $59,257,925. This figure,
every footsore mile. comes from Admiral Chester W . sonnel be retained until a relief exceeded only by the July 1944
volume of $78,587,569, brought the
Nimitz, our great Navy Chief who reports except in those instances
(From Secretary Forrestal's Navy Day speech "Growth of total purchases since October 1941
is lessening the distance to Toyko. in which the war effort would be
to $796,979,542.
Navy.") He says, "In recent months we have otherwise seriously hampered. September purchases showed an
"Since the beginning of hostilities in Europe, the Navy added established control over great new "The foregoing provisions are not increase of 94.6 per cent over the ,,---._
ocean areas, and it i.s no: exag- applicable to men of the regular
almost 65,000 vessels of all types to the fleet, or a total of over $30,477,763 volume of the same
gerating to say that the maJor part Navy who request transfer to the month last year.
nine million displacement tons. Nearly 36 per cent of the total of the Pacific Ocean is now under b t t
Allied control." Fleet Reserve su sequen o re- Analysis of the September 1944
represents combatant ships, 29 per cent auxiliaries, and 22 per ceipt of this letter." results indicates that $38,273,925
cent landing craft. At the end of this period the Navy has on were allotment purchases by uni-
formed· personnel of the Navy,
hand over five times the tonnage of all types that w.as on hand SERVICE GROUP TO BUY Toolmaker Awarded Marine Corps and Coast Guard;
Gls' CHRISTMAS GIFTS
on September 1, 1939. $18,287,250 were purchases by ,---.
Washington (CNS)-The United for Suggestion Made ~ivilians 'under the payroll deduc-
"For every person serving in the Navy, Marine Corps and Nations Service Center, 500 N. tion plan, and $2,696,750 were cash
Coast Guard in September, 1939, there are over 24 today, and Capitol, Washington, D. C., ha:s C. A. A. Harris, a toolmaker at purchases.
established a Christmas shopping the Naval Frontier Base, has been For the ninth consecutive
this figure will be increased when authorized strength is reached
service for Gis overseas and in the given an award for his suggestion month, the Naval Training Centers
the middle of next year. Combined strength has grown from u. s. recently made to . the Beneficial and the Naval Air Stations led the
152,086 officers and enlisted personnel on September 1, 1939, to Servicemen interested in this Suggestion System. Mr. Harrif bond program, each group with
service have been asked to send suggested a fixture to use collet, 94.8 per cent of the civilian per-
3,717,000 today. their name and ASN to the center from a milling machine on a Nor- sonnel participating in th'€?•, pay- r--
"Congress has authorized the Navy during the past five years together with the name and address ton grinder. The committee of roll savings plan.
of the recipient of the gift, the awards met and considered the For the entire naval establish-
to spend over on.e hundred and eighteen billion dollars. Not all
first, second and third choice of merits of the inventor's sugges• ment, 93.8 per cent of the total
of this sum has been committed or expended. gift, and a money order covering tion, and decided, that althougr- employees invested 12.1 per cent
"The expenditures remaining emphasize the point that the the cost of the present. not original in scope, his display of gross payroll in September.
of initiative and interest in mak- Bond purchases for the first
Navy program is only a little more than half finished. A sub- ing the suggestion in order tc
nine months of 1944 were $390,-
stantial task still lies ahead. Planned operations are dependent Send a bit of Home expediate work in his shop was 688,902, as against $191,123,040 for r--
to a Prisoner of War ... commendable, and resulted in a
upon the speed with which we obtain ass-auk troop and cargo saving of time and money to the the same period last year, or an
BLUEJACKETS increase of 104.4 per cent.
ships. These ships are the Navy's most urgent need, and rank in government.· The committee there-
Give Generously to fore recommended that a nominal
importance with a few of the other most vital military programs. Your Community award be made Mr. Harris for his "Darling," he cried in tender terms,
Al90 needed are vast quantities of bombardment ammunition, WAR FUND beneficial suggestion. This is the "I have never loved but thee." ·
40mm antiaircraft guns, and numerous special devices to make Representing the first monetary award recom- "Then we must part," the maiden
NATIONAL WAR FUND mended by the committee for said,
certain the final defeat of our enemies." Treasure Island. "No amateurs for me."