The Camp Hulen Searchlight (Palacios, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, August 1, 1941 Page: 2 of 8
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(
PAGE TWO
THE CAMP HULEN SEARCHLIGHT
v THE CAMP HULEN
SEARCHLIGHT
Official Camp Newspaper for the Anti-Aircraft Training Center
Published Weekly at Camp Hulen, Palacios (Matagorda County), Texas
■DIT0R............................................................................LT. WM. H. WITT
STAFF
MANAGING EDITOR .............................................CPL. AT, MAILHES
''Circulation Manager ................................................... Pvt. E. II. Duonow
REPORTERS
•9th C. A. (AA) ................................................Pvt. F. K. Spratt., Jr.
197th C. A. (AA).................................................................Cpl. Warren Weld
■03rd C. A. (AA).............................................................Cpl. H. L. McCurry
204th C. A. (AA) ................................. Pvt George R. Johnson
211th C. A. (AA)............................................................Pvt. Edward B. Hall
105th C. A. ............................... Cpl. H. I,. Brague, Jr.
106th C. A. (AA)..................................... Pvt. C. W. Murray
Station Hospital ............................Pvt. Modesto A. Gonzales
Hq Btry., 33rd Brigade ................................................Pvt. Ray Buchbitider
Co. A, 72nd QM Bn...................Pvts. Dick Braver and Bob Scott
22nd Station Hospital ............................................ Sgt. Tom Upton
» Detachment DEML (C’ASC) .............................Cpl. Mack W Ready
STAFF ARTISTS
Ssrt. Wm. J. Bowles.............................................................204th C. A. (AA)
Pvt. Dick F. Sebald ................................................... 72nd QM Bn.
Pvt. Rudolph E. Dupuis ...............................................107th C. A. (AA)
EDITORIAL
UNDER SECRETARY REPORTS
ON DEFENSE PROGRESS—
An idea of (he speed with which the United States Army
has been expanded is found in the statement which the Hon-
orable Robert P. Patterson, the Undersecretary of War made
on July 15 when lie appeared before the Truman committee
of the U. S. Senate. Although the Undersecretary’s report j
was quite comprehensive and included a statement of Na-
tional Defense progress from the beginning of the emergency i
to June 30 of this year, the following excerpt presents an
enlightening picture of the tremendous progress that has
been made: _
“The large Army establishment at the end of the last
World War was quickly liquidated, and facilities for supply-1 Dea,r Unde Egbert:
jng the Army were, for the most part, disposed of. In the! "hy 's.'| !th“t.,71 u,,nit ..
' 1920\s appropriations limited the Regular Army to 118,000 '"h”' )'!'\va. 'h,he got
men and 12,000 officers. In July, 1939, shortly before the' drafted? I bet if the truth were
outbreak of war in Europe, the Regular Army consisted of known most of them are living
174,000 soldiers scattered among 130 Army posts in the con- just us good now as they ever
tinental United States and in five overseas garrisons. The did.
only division concentrated at one post was at Schofield Bar- Regular Army
racks in Hawaii. At that time there was one mechanized
brigade with strength of 2.300 men. At this same date the' I,0Tar von there
Air Corps consisted of 17,000 men, and the planes on hand; For most of’them life
fctothe* Willie^
a t=== =al
UNCLE EGBERT
Selectee
wine, wo-
men, and song. Now it’s beer, one
six-thousandth of a hostess, and
the regimental hand.
Uncle (Spotty Liver) Egbert
Dear Uncle Egbert:
I have been trying to do a good
job down hare but unfortunately
on the two occasions the General
called at my office I happened
to be out. Do you believe he will
hold this against me and think
amounted to 1,450 tactical planes and 375 training planes. The USPd to be nothing but
Air Corps was turning out 800 pilots a year. There were no
army troops, no corps troops, no coast artillery. This was
establishment, in contrast to the great organized and
mechanized armies of Germany and other European countries,
with their large and increasing air corps.
For the fiscal year beginning July 1, Congress increased
tLe Army to 210,000 men and, by Executive Order of Sep-
tember 8, 1939, after the outbreak of the war in Europe, the
strength was increased to 227,000 men, which increase was
realized by January 31, 1940, a few months before Hitler’s
successful blitzkrieg into the low countries and France. The
increases between July 1,1939 and the first part of 1940 were
used to build up our overseas garrisons, to expand the Air
Corps, and to create two incomplete sets of corps troops.
On June 13, 1940, when the fall of France was imminent,
the Regular Army was authorized to increase to 280,000, be-
ing the number contemplated by the National Defense Act
of 1920. There had previously been organized some skeleton
triangular divisions, and this permitted the increase of our
triangular divisions from five to eight, and the organization
of our first armored division. It also permitted the bringing
of the Air Corps to a 25 group program of 105 tactical squad-
rons. The Act of June 13, 1940 increased the rate of pilot
training to 7,000 a year and permitted the expansion of exist-
ing schools.
Later, in the month of June, 1940, the Regular Army was
increased to 375,000 men. The calling of the National Guard
into Federal service and the passage of the Selective Service
Act made it possible to bring up the existing divisions to war
strength and to create additional triangular divisions and
motorized divisions. A second armored division was organiz-
ed, and /the ,Aii* Corps was increased to 41 groups of 166
tactical squadrons.
At the present time the active Army consists of nearly
1.500.000 soldiers. We have nine triangular divisions, one of
■which is completely motorized. 18 square divisions, 2 cavalry
divisions, 4 armored divisions and additional corps and army
troops and General Headquarters Reserve, including field
artillery, coast artillery, hospital, quartermaster and other
special troops. We also have strong garrisons in the Philip-
pines, Hawaii, Alaska, Panama and Puerto Rico, as well as
in the new island bases. The Air Corps has 167,000 in its en-
listed strength and has increased its rate of pilot training to
30.000 a year. < ,
This increased Army has, of course not yet reached its
final form, even for the present number in the service. The
formation of additional armored divisions and the achieve-
ment of greater motorization awaits the procurement of the
necessary modern equipment. While the increase in person-
nel since July 1, 1940. has been sixfold, increase in materiel
will be at least thirtyfold. This will give some indication of
the task imposed on the War Department and upon Ameri-
can industry. Our goal is not yet achieved, but we are work-
ing with all the speed that we can. We know that every day
and every hour counts. We are now partially ready, and we
hope to be completely ready when called upon.”
I am not doing my job'.'
Headquarters Officer
Dear Headquarters Officer:
No, I don’t believe I’d worry
about it. Anyway, I imagine
there's more than one of the boys
around here who will be found
out sooner or later.
Uncle (McFadden Reader) Egbert
* * *
Dear Uncle Egbert:
My daughter has a chance for
a job in Camp but I don't know
whether she would be safe out
there with over 11,000 men. Is
there anyone there who can be
tiusted to protect working gills?
Cautious Mamacita
July 14, 1941.
Dear Soldiers:
Another letter from Willie and
he’s tired out. Aunt Millie sent
him half a dozen handkerchiefs
and Uncle Tim sent him a pool
table so he’d have enough pockets
to keep them in. It worked out
neatly until Willie found it incon-
venient carrying around a pool
table so he could blow his nose.
And Willie enjoyed the new
lamb’s wool rug I sent him for
his tent but it gives him a head-
ache. The rug tickles his feet so
much he takes off his shoes by
pulling them over his head in bed,
Willie had a narrow escape last
week. One of his tent-mates
wrote and said he almost drowned
taking a bath in hot coffee. It
seems he ate a dozen doughnuts
and forgot to dunk them.
Willie sent home one of the new
vitamin pills they give you boys
in the army for energy rations.
We tried it out on Grandpappy and
it made him very strong because
he was arrested on the street yes-
terday for trying to button the
traffic buttons into the man-holes,
Grandpappy looks so funny. We
had blackout practice in town here
aid Grandpappy’s pate was so
tihiny we had to paint the entire
i skull black. It looked all right
hut everyone in town was trying
I to get behind Grandpappy, think-
ing he was the eightball.
Father was going to enlist thi3
week but his St. Vitus dance came
back. He’s going to fill his pock-
ets with castanets tomorrow so
i the sergeant will think he’s a
: Spanish dancer.
Much Love,
Your own,
GRACIE ALLEN.
Dear Cautious Mamacita:
Yes, there’s plenty of protection
for a working girl, but who’s go-
ing to protect the guy she’s work-
ing?
Uncle (Dug Dry) Egbert
oh:
WITH THE POETS
A SOLDIER WONDERS WHY—
The “World seethes with hale and fear"
But we do not.
The “World’s vision is clouded and unclear’’
And so our lot
Is work and sweat; drill and march;
Columns left and columns right.
Bayonet jab. Then twist and pull.
We yearn to love—und learn to fight.
Headlines scream of intrigue, disgust, lies.
No love or peace.
Nations scoff at binding pacts and ties.
So we’ve a lease
On something not our doing or desire.
But expedient, that much we’ve learned.
But while ungrudgingly we do our part,
We’re puzzled and our thoughts are turned
To why this must be. Why shells must burst
And shrapnel fly.
Why steel must clash with blooiT-reff steel.
Why men must die.
When homes were made for light and life.
Not crumbling craters, dank and dark.
And fields for golden, waving grain.
Not deathless Mars’ destructive mark.
The ‘‘World soetries with hate and fear”
So goes the cry.
The “World’s vision is clouded and unclear”
But you and I
Know what we want. It isn’t much.
A heart, a home, the things we’ve known,
The chance to live our obscure lives
In a place that we can call our own.
And somehow, somewhere we’ve embedded deep
Within our souls
The feeling that little people everywhere
Have similar goals:
To leave behind the shadows and the cold
Of ceaseless tyranny’s oppressive hand.
To banish forever the Godless regime
And revert again to the High Command.
“My boy-friends haven’t seren-
aded under my window since Hec-
tor was a pup.”
‘Isn’t that hard to explain?”
“No, that’s why Father bought
Hector.”
* !!■ *
BEST MAN
He: I enjoy these dances so
much, dear. Where do you think
we ought to go now?
k She: To the Justice of the
Peace.
* tjt
SHAKE WELL
Producer: If I give you the
dancing lead in this show, can
you hold up your end?
Girl: Well, I certainly shake
A HEAD START
He: To make a success of mar-
riage, we must use our heads.
Gal: Let’s start now. Rest yours
against mine.
-From The Army .Times.
1
COLD TURKEY
Arctic Explorer—It was so cold
where we were that the candle
froze and we couldn’t blow it out.
Second Explorer—That’s noth-
ing. Where we were the words
came out of mouths in pieces of
ice. and we had to fry them to
see what we were talking about
* * *
“Before you kiss me again I
think I ought to warn you my
father will be home in a few min-
utes.”
“And what will that make me?”
“My husband.”
* * * ;
OUCH
“My boy friend went to the
movies at eight and got out at
twelve.”
“‘Was it one of those continuous
performances?”
“Say! You mind your own
business.”
# * *
DOGGONE
“Hmm, so you think liquor af-
fects the eyes?”
“You said it. After three drinks,
I roll my eyes at every girl I
meet.”
t
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Witt, William H. The Camp Hulen Searchlight (Palacios, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, August 1, 1941, newspaper, August 1, 1941; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth719698/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Palacios Library.