Page 14 - Mastheads Jan-June 1945

PAGE6 THE MASTHEAD, SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 1945
Getting The Mail Through to the Armed Guard
Armed Guard Has I Masthead Splinters

Huge Post Office ♦ ♦ • • • • • ♦ ♦ • • • • • •
In San Francisco Time Marches On
In looking back through the files
Battling gun crews of th-e of the past year, "The Masthead"
Armed Guard are the only single has covered such stories as the
We admit that the news occa- Navy activity to boast a postal presidential appointment of Com-
sionally gets ahead of us, but the service all their own. Its largest modore R. W. Cary to his present
one fellow who continually "scoops" shore base division, formerly rank. Commodore Cary has shown
our column without mercy is Dan located on Treasure Island and an unfailing interest in the welfare
Cupid. His latest scores are pub- now at 521-7 Mission Street in and recreation of the personnel
lished for your information. NTS San Francisco, is one of the five under his command. "The Mast-
lost M. L. Sorrell, Y3c, and acquired biggest Navy post offices in the head" reporters were present on
Mrs: 0 . F. Clint on January 2 at United States. the visit of the number one woman
Hilmar, Calif., the groom's home. Occupying three buildings and of the Navy, Captain Mildred M.
D. Wardman, SKD3c of the Armed 60,000 square feet of space, the McAfee of the Waves. The charm-
Guard said· "I Do" to Ens. Charles Armed -Guard Post Office handles ing leader of the Waves inspected
Butts in San Mateo at the home of mail for all Navy men aboard Treasure Island and remarked
Mrs. Walter Burton. Eunice Put- merchant vessels in the entire upon the beauty of the Island.
nam, SKD3c, went along to be sure Pacific area. It also serves their
that the knot was tied correctly. In- merchant marine crews and cer- Away up in Dutch Harbor, gigan-
cidentally, the bride wore white, tain hospital ships, troop trans-
tic Alaskan Navy Base, "The
and her veil was her mother's saved ports, and small Army craft
Masthead" appears weekly upon
for just this occasion. Ida May manned by Coast Guard personnel. the bulletin board of the Harbor
Yannotti, PhM2c, made a legal al- Planes Carry Letters
liance with Ens. Law, legal officer Upwards of one-half ton of let- · News, Army and Navy daily news- .
at the Treasure Island hospital. ters are sent out daily by airplane paper in that area. T. I.'s news-
That brings the score l\P to date, to ports which these vess-els will paper is given a prominent spot on
but by the time we go to press we touch. Packages are routed by sur- the board, and the men stationed
expect to have been "scooped"
face carriers. Fully 85 per cent of
again; confidentially, we love it. the mail dispatched overseas is re-
Knit-Witting ceived by the ships, a record in One. of the color guards at the
Are you an artist when it comes which the post office can take East versus · West football game
to "dropping stitches?" Do-you knit justifiable pride, considering the New Year's Day was of the Marine
with confusion, hesitation and un- frequent movements of merchant Guard from Treasure Island's
certainty? Would you like to send vessels. Marine Detachment.
a snug, serviceable muffler to your After the initial Philippine land-
man in the North Seas ? If so look ings, merchant ships in the vicinity
for the sign-up slip on the bulletin of the i-nvasi,on were the first to Time 'Magazine recently. had a
board in your barracks. A knitting story on a small wobbly pup named
receive mail ..
instructor will be provided for knit- Check All Mail ':.I'uffy. Tuffy hid in a cellar with
ting classes if there are enough in- Every piece of Navy mail re- G. I.'s for ten hours in a small
terested in turning out. ceived at the post office is checked town in eastern Belgium while a
German armored division rolled
Mexican H-oliday ll,gainst a directory which includes
through the town. Tuffy seemed to
From San Francisco to Mexico the name and_ address of each man
realize the danger of the situa-
City in one evening is quite a trip, who is and was in the Armed
tion, and kept very quiet. Then
but the travelers really had a time. Guard, as addressees may have been
Tuffy thinking the danger over,
Last Thursday evening a group of transferred since last notifying
Waves met at the Recreation Cen- their correspondents of their ship. started to bark playfully. When
ter to take a trip through Mexico. "This directory," commented Lt. his comrades tried to stop him, he
Narrator was Miss Vella Holmes J. G. Eidell, officer in charge, "pro- thought it was a game and played
who pointed out the things to see more furiously. A quick council,
vides a graphic illustration of our
and in conversational Spanish. The and one of Tuffy's masters was
growth and that of the Armed
girls tried it, and while they may Guard in the Pacific. When I first forced to reach out in the dark
have said "good morning" when reported to the original post office and strangle him.
they meant "good night," they all This brings to mind the story of
on Treasure Island in July, 1942,
plan to make a return trip next the directory was contained in six Zero, a black dog-half Doberman
week, same time and same place, pinscher and the rest just dog.
file drawers. It now requires 72."
learning both about Mexico and Zero was born in Pearl Harbor,
A crew _ of more than 200- it
how to get along in the language a~d he adopted the entire First
started with nine- sees that the
of the country. They all agree that mail gets through. Half are rated Marine Division. When the initial
there could be no more interesting mailmen, the rest seamen, and landing was made on Guadalcanal,
way of , learning •Spanish than by there are five enlisted Waves. Zero hit the beach with the
this somewhat unusual travelogue Marines. During the bombing raids
Mailmen Saw Action
method. by the Japs on the island, Zero's
"Many of our staff," related Lt. ·
Water Ways ears could pick up the peculiar
(jg) Barbara Corkern, only Wave hum of a Jap plane motor. He
The swimming pool at · gym- officer aboard and Lt. Eidell's
nasium No. 2 is open to Waves would light out for a fox hole, be
assistant, "know the mail game
every week night from 7 to 8. Bring the first one in and the last one
from both sides of the post office
your own suits and caps, and if you window, for they shipped as · sea- out. During the raids, Zero was a
want to become a second Esther men gunners with the Armed marvelous booster to the men's
Williams you will find an instruc- morale. In a bombing run, there
tor on hand to give you a few point- Gua rd befo-re being rated and is always someone who will have
billeted here. Take Curtis Hart-
ers. a case of nerves. Zero seemed to
sos man-he spent more than a week be able to sense it, and if the nerve
The Waves choir at the hospital on a life raft after his ship sank case was in .the same fox hole, he
made a beautiful beginning, and in the Pacific. William J. Edmond- LETTERMEN AND WOMAN-At top, Lt. J. G. Eidell, ,officer in charge would crawl over to the fellow and
son was injured when his vessel of the Armed Guard's San Francisco post office, and his assistant, Lt.
they really deserve a bouquet for (jg) Barbara Corkern. He's soon to leave ,on inspection tour of Navy lick his face and hands. Such
was hit, and he wears the Purple
the singing they cj.id through the postal service in Pacific. Below, men check each piece of mail against actions would usually bring a scur-
Heart. Harry Valladao was part of directory givi-ng present address of every-one in the Pacific Armed Guard. rilous remark, and the tension
wards at Christmas time. We here-
a crew that managed to bring its In circle, mail orderlies fr,om ships in port call for their mail at Delivery
by deliver the bouquet and in the R,oom, open 24 hours daily. At bottom, men dispatch parcel post pack- would relax.
next breath ask for volunteers. torpedoed tanker into port, an ages to Armed Guard personnel ,overseas.
Many choir members, through almost unheard-of feat. These are "Chip" Wanted
just a few." Carpenters to work in three
transfer . and heavy duty schedule, shifts from 1530 to 2330 are
have been unable to attend, and The Delivery Room at the post three assistants try to throw the OPA Cautions Use wanted at the Moore Dry Dock Co.,
the courageous few have been car- office, which is conveniently . locat- gremlins on their backs, often writ-
ed near the San Francisco water- ing to the sender for further in- 1492 12th Street, Oakland. The
rying on alone. Choir meets in the Of Rations
hospital chapel Monday and Friday front, is open 24 hours daily so formation. Mail for merchant sea- telephone number is Higate 3913,
at 1230, and in the lounge at Wave that mail orderlies for-the crews of men who cannot be located is Applications Extension 840. Mr. Sanborn at that
quarters at the same time on Wed- ships in port / here may call for referred to the company which em- number is the one to be contacted.
nesday. their mail. ploys them. The Office of Price Administra- The work pays $1.32 an hour.
Guiding Star · Rout Gremlins The December rush almost tion has returned to Treasure Is- Mail Bottleneck,s
Emily Adam, Y2c, TADCEN, is The post office's "Nixie Room" doubled the 1,000,000 pieces of mail land an application for temporary Don't be a bottleneck and jam
the new manager of the Treasure is an interesting place. Here every handled in November. Fifty addi- food rations on which the only en- the mail system!
Island Women's Hoop team, and as effort is made to spite the grem- tional hands had to be ·taken tries were the name of the issuing And you letter writers who_ are
such assumes full responsibility for !ins- by which name nixies are aboard. activity and the signature of the using the airmail envelopes with
bringing our girls in at the top of known nowadays- who make mail "Still, we couldn't satisfy every- authenticating officer. the blue and red border and then
the league. We expect a lot of both difficult to deliver. Sometimes a body," declared Lt. Eidell. "Re- These forms are intended to per- sending the letter "free" are bottle-
the manager and the team. Here is rain gremlin blurs the name and cently I received a letter of com- mit the issue of food rationing necks.
hoping that they "bring the bacon" address on an envelope, or a grem- plaint from a woman who, acting points to persons not entitled to . Lt. G. P . Maushart, Treasure Is-
home to Treasure Island. lin who never could learn how to promptly on our early mailing ad- food rationing books. Misuse of the land Post Office, points out that
That Is It write at school shakes the hand of vice, sent her son a gift package in forms endangers the whole plan. when the airmail envelope is used
January 15 is the date set for the the sender as he addresses it. September. He received it the fol- Officers issuing S & A Form 570 as "free" mail, the letter is re-
official wearing of the new garri- There is a special Bupers gremlin lowing_ month, and this thrifty lady are enjoined to follow carefully the turned to the sender. The time
son cap on Treasure Island. That is who places two men with the same scolded us soundly for making her instructions contained in S & A taken sorting the envelopes and
exactly two days from today, count name and rate in the Armed send him a second so l'fe would Memo No·. 496, January, 1944, and returning them to the sender is
them if you think we are wrong, Guard or arranges that a man have something for Christmas.'' to complete all applications before valuable. There is a terrific amount
and then it will indeed be a great should be transferred from his ship A branch of the post office is issue. of mail to be delivered each day,
day. by the time his mail reaches it. still maintained in the Armed and if letter writers will refrain
Working with Navy crew lists, Guard Center on Treasure Island, Imagination is something that from using airmail envelopes as
How come gals with cotton stock- disbursing lists, and other records, under the supervision of Chief Mail- sits up with the wife when her Ii.us- "free" mail, the mail will be de•
ings never see a mouse ? Edward F . Fuselli, MaMlc, and man Ralph A. Wanzer. band is out late. livered more rapidly.