Flying Time (Pecos Army Air Field, Pecos, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. 7, Ed. 1 Saturday, December 16, 1944 Page: 3 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Borderlands Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries.
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flyi*g tiinr
pog* 3
Profile Numbers For All PAAF Gls
★ -¥> Q -¥• Q ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★
Gen. Cousins Commends Maj. Kitzmiller
Maj. Kitzmiller
Launded For
Efficiency
Major Edward A. Kitzmiller,
Supervisor of Personnel at PAAF
was commended by Major General
Ralph P. Cousins, Commanding
General, AAF Western Flying
Training Command, recently ac-
cording to a letter received here
by Col. Henry II. Fisher, command-
ing officer
General Cousins in an official
commendation directed to Major
Kitzmiller stated, in a letter dated
nov. 15, that Major Kitzmiller’s
“efficient administration of the
81st College Training Detachment
resulted in the operation of an out-
standing training unit at a cost
which resulted in considerable sav-
ing to the government.”
“This,” the commendation con-
tinued, “reflects great credit upon
F
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Mr. John T. Hughes, of the PAAF propellor shop, purchases a SljOOO
bond from Mary Sue Stovall, bond representative for Jrd Echelon Maintenance.
Mr. Hughes’ $lfiOO bond purchase helped push the total cash sales last ueek
at PAAF to $18J21.
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MAJOR EDW. A. KITZMILLER
you as Commanding Officer, and
I desire to add my official com-
mendation for your superior lead-
ership abilities.”
General Cousins’ letter was
prompted by a commendation
(written by Colonel Nelson.S. Tal-
bott, District Supervisor, of the
Air Technical Service Command
to thS Commanding General, AAF
Western Flying Training Com-
mand), concerning Major Kitzmil
ler’s excellent service as Com
manding Officer of the 81st Col-
lege Training Detachment at
Morningside College, Sioux City,
Iowa.
Major Kitzmille first arrived at
PAAF on July 8, of this year from
the 3075 Basic Unit, Sioux City,
Iowa.
Currently Supervisor of Person-
nel he was previously assigned as
Commanding Officer, Section B
and PAAF Processing Officer, re-
spectively.
ATs Replace
BTs In Basic
Training
Additional advancement in the
AAF emphasis upon tactical in-
struction for its trainees were made
last week when it was announced
by Training Command headquart-
ers in Fort Worth that AT-6’s will
replace BT-13’s in all basic schools.
The shift, which has been con-
templated for many months, will in-
troduce the faster, heavier and
more powerful “Texans” to the ca-
dets and students during their first
ten weeks of instruction. The
jump from 225 horsepower engines
to 550 also brings with it the re-
traceable landing gear, flaps, pro-
pel lor pitch, radio and carburetor
and heat control features.
Elimination of two advanced sin-
gle engine flying schools and re-
duction in the number of students
at those still operating brought
about the quantities of AT-6's.
Employees At
PAAF Woodmill
100% Bond Buyers
J
The woodmill at PAAF’s 3rd
Echelon Maintenance is a recent
addition to the list of departments
having 100 per cent participation
in the Sixth War Loan. All em-
ployees are buying bonds through
payroll deductions and have also
made cash purchases during the
present bond drive.
Mr. Civilo Windham, foreman of
the woodmill, remarked that every
man in the department had worked
there for more than a year. Mr.
Windham and Mr. Anthony Con-
roy, both from San Antonio, have
been at PAAF since the field was
opened. The roster of civilian
workers, all Texans, includes: Mr.
Robert Peables of Pecos; Mr.
Charles Brannon, of Roscoe; Mr.
Sidney Wallace, from Robert Lee,
Texas; and Mr. Henry Cope,
Grand Falls Skilled wodoworkers
before the war, the men trans-
ferred their talents to aircraft
woodwork with little difficulty.
The enlisted members of the de-
Clarify Rule On
Discharges For
Govt. Convenience
The Army has issued a new regu-
lation governing the discharges of
enlisted personnel for the conven-
ience of the government.
Discharges for the convenience
of the govrenment, except as pro-
vided in the new regulation-AR
615-365-will be only by authority
of the Secretary of War.
The following types of dis-
charges for the government’s con-
venience are covered by the new
regulations:
1. To accept commission in the
Armed Forces; to accept appoint-
ment as a commissioned warrant
officer in the Coast Guard, chief
warrant officer in the Marine
Corps, commissioned warrant of-
ficer in the Navy, and warrant of-
“We rerair all wood parts of the * 1 ficer in the Army,
planes on the field, and manufac- 2- Based upon the enlisted man’s
ture some parts,” said Mr. Wind- j improtance to national health,
ham. Tables, chairs, tool chests, safety or interest,
and engine parts finds are made j 3. Based upon claim that the en-
for 3rd Echelon Maintenance in | listed man was erroneously classi-
the woodmill. They also manufac-1 fied. should not have been inducted
and did not have the opportunity
to present his case to the appeal
board.
4. Based upon an enlisted enemy
alien’s acceptance for military ser-
vice contrary to the provisions of
paragraph 13d (2) (b) 2 of AR
615-500
Dicharges effected under pro-
visions of the new' regulation are
complete separations from the ser-
vice.
Profile Numbers for Gls Listed
Determine Overseas Order
Six Serial Number Profile
Rates Physical Fitness
Gls at I’AAF are being tagged with a profile serial number that
will play a major part in determining the order in which they will
be called for overseas duty.
Men throughout the base have, are or will be profiled by medical
authorities to determine their physical fitness and overseas qualifi-
cations.
The profile serial number (PSN)
consists of six numbers the lowest
“1” and the highest “4”, and falls
into three classes, A, B. and C.
The PSN is a six-digit number:
the first standing for physical
capacity or stamina, the second to
upper extremities, the third, lower,
and fourth for hearing, the fifth
for sight and sixth for neuropsych-
| iartic.
If your PSN starts with a “1”,
that means your physical stamina
is okay, if you draw a “2” that
means you’re not-so-hot. and “3”
puts you in an even lower bracket.
If your profile serial number is
within 111111 and 211211 you’re
Class “A”, from 211211 to 322231,
Class “B”, and from 322231 to
333231, Class “C”.
partment, Cpl. Ernie Slabough
received his training at Fort Sum-
ner, New Mexico, and Pvt. Steeples
at Sheppards Field, Texas.
ture all wood forms ^sed by
sheet metal department.
the
First Chaplain
May Be Upped
To Maj. Gen.
Among the general officers of
the Army recently recommended
by President Roosevelt for tem-
porary romotion in rank was Brig
Gen. William R. Arnold, chief of
the chaplains corps.
Should Congress confirm his pro-
motion, Gen. Arnold will be the
only chaplain ever to reach the rank
of major general. He is at present
the only chaplain among the gen-
eral officers.
Col. George F. Rixey, who ranks
next to Gen. Arnold in the chap-
lains corps, has bene recommended
for a temporary promotion to the
rank of brigadier general.
Gen. Arnold, a Catholic chaplain,
is from Cleveland, Ohio, while Col.
Rixey, a Protestant chaplain, is
from San Francisco.
OLT Biddle, Former Merchants Marine
Torpedoed, Spent 16 Days In A Life Boat
Trips around the world were ex-
citing enough during the pre-war
days but globe trotting with the
merchant marine shortly after
Pearl Harbor provided A/S Ronald
Biddle of Section L with a brace
of thrills very few globe trotters
experience in two trips around the
world.
Enlisting in the merchant ma-
rine in January, 1942, OLT Biddle
made two world cruisers as a mer-
chant seaman before he joined the
Air Corps in February of 1944.
“My second trip to sea makes
my first tame by comparison,”
claims OLT Biddle, “even though
in my first time out we were un-
der heavy fire and for three days
fought off repeated attacks by the
German Luftwaffe. All that time
I manned a 20mm. gun, firing at
low flying attack planes. Howexer,
l repeat, that second trip during
which w'e were torpedoed and I
spent 16 days adrift in a life boat
makes an attack by the Luftwaffe
hardjy worth talking about.
We were on our way to Dur-
ban, South Africa, to unload the
last of our cargo. It was about
9:30 a. m. when the first torpedo
*... jji
1
I was so busy keeping afloat
and swimming clear of burning oil
that I hadn’t noticed a life boat
pull up behind me. Someone reach-
ed down and lifted me into the
boat.
The men at the oars backet! the
boat out of the line of wreckage
and started to pull away when
suddenly the torpedoing submarine
surfaced almost in our laps. The
“Hats Off,” USO
Show To Play
Here, Tonight
"Hats O'f,” a L’SO camp show'
and musical revue, will play at the
PAAF post theater tonight for two
evening performances.
The eye-fillin garray of talent,
rated among the year’s best pack-
aged vaudeville, clicks with comedy
presented by masters of nonsensi-
cal absurdities. The addition of
pretty girls, singing, dancing and
spectacular novelties makes this
one of the best of the many USO
shows.
Le Van and Bolles, comedy duo,
present a talking and singing act
that is filled with nonserfse from
start to finish. Harry Le Van is
the indignant pianist who makes
asides to the audience and his pret-
ty partner, Miss Lottie Bolles
James Evans, veteran headline
juggler, does more w'ith his feet
than some jugglers do with their
hands. He has for years set the
pace for all foot juggling acts,
using his hands only to get his
routines underway. His last act
includes juggling a full-sized bed
weighing 180 pounds.
The Park Avenue Sextet joined
the camp show following a long
tour with Sally Rand’s unit. The
sextet presents three numbers in-
cluding a rhythm tap. South
American medley of rhumba, conga
and samba, and a skip roe novelty
tap.
Other acts on the show include
Olga Diebinetz, concert soprano.
Herron and Richardson, musical
act, and David Louis August, pian-
ist and musical conductor.
Girl elevator operator, alone in
i the car with a soldier: “Going up
. . .going up. . .anybody else going
up? Please will somebody go up?”
A/S RONALD BIDDLE
struck the ship. Seconds later an-
pther tore into us amidship. There
was no saving the ship, she start-
ed to go down almost immediate-
ly. Seven minutes later she was
water had hardly washed from the
sub when a German officer ap-
peared on the bridge. He asked us
a number of questions, in English,
but getting only a mute reply, he
disappeared into the conning j
tower. Almost immediately the big !
white submarine submerged.
For sixteen days fourteen other
men and myself tossed about in
the Indian Ocean in a life boat eat- j
ing malt tablets and sipping 3 ozs. j
of water, the amount allotted, per j
day.
On the third dny in the life boat
swallowed up by the Indian Ocean. I J* ^^^^‘h^XJs'had' to"'keip
After the second torpedo struck j six or more men bailing water to
I dove overboard. The water was
littered with debris and
swimming difficult.
keep afloat. On the sixteenth day
made, a navy corvette on patrol duty
picked us up.
.......
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Becker, Ira R. Flying Time (Pecos Army Air Field, Pecos, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. 7, Ed. 1 Saturday, December 16, 1944, newspaper, December 16, 1944; Pecos Army Air Field, Pecos, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1115625/m1/3/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .