European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 23, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Yank the army weekly 1945 double troubled by Tom Shehan b raid Wood Mcmanus was the kind of a chum you worried even though you realized he was probably the original Guy who fell into a straddle Trench and came up with an Orange in his his Luck was exceeded Only by his Knack for getting into tight Braidwood was transferred out of our outfit in Italy because the medics thought his 30 years of Broadway night life had made him unfit for we were afraid he might wind up As a permanent up or be Given one of those disagree Able routine jobs they have so Many of around a replacement but we should have known that Mcmanus and work would remain at a Safe distance from each Braidwood was very Good at he had even survived the depression without getting too close to closest i Ever came to going into business for he used to Tell us Over his was Back in when i was thinking of opening up an Apple thanks to my experience in show i didst have and its just As Selling apples ties a fellow you got no Chance to keep up your just when i was getting hungry enough to look around for an Angel to bankroll me for a Bushel of Mclyn tosses and a paddlers i happened to think of those cocktail parties there always throwing for the celebrities around i got Damn sick of but it was a question of dying of malnutrition or getting the and ill take the gout any the Only problem i had was i stayed in bed till but its a Long haul from noon till cocktail time with nothing in your when i Felt real hungry id drop in at Childs and sponge on some of the they used to gather at Childs every Day and Cut cards to see who was to sit and nurse the Check until he was bailed wed get up one by one and go telling the cashier that this Guy had the then wed have to put the bite on some body to bail him i dont know what would have happened to him if we haunt been Able to dig up the but we always did sickle 8 when i dropped in at the Palace replace ment depot in Naples some Little time after braid Woods they told me my Man was at the special service Library on via this seemed kind of strange to As i knew braid Wood want even As Well acquainted with books As he was with i went Over to the store that special service had taken Over on via and when braid Wood saw me coming in he greeted me with a sly Grin i asked him How he had landed a Gold Brick Job giving out books to the longhaired Guys sweating out the War with base its a Long said but stick around and ill give it to you Over a Glass of Vino after he had downed two with All the gestures and faces that Are a part of the enjoyment he gets out of Braidwood began to unfold the you he the Only thing that had me worried about being transferred to the re placement depot was that damned i knew they ask me a lot of questions id rather not answer about what i had done before i came into the How the hell can i explain How i feel about work to some Young lieutenant who never had a Job in his life before he came into the army so i stalled it off until the orderly room began to Bitch about the worst of it was that i  remember what the hell id told them at Camp Upton when i first came into the i didst want them to catch me in no so i checked with Meathead the company Meathead told me that my records had been so i knew i was a Braidwood gulped another slug of Vino drink ers like him never learn its supposed to be and i could see he was so i put the question to him How did you Hap pen to land Here i he grinning like he always does when Hes trapped you into doing something he wanted you to do All the when the Man asked me what i had done before i came into the i told him i was a i you never worked in a Book store in your i never said i said that where you make the same mistake the Man the last Job i had was As a clerk at Belmont Park when the books was you didst think i was going to Tell him i was working for a bookmaker did you when he saw that his logic had hit Braidwood grinned i never read anything but the racing form in my he but i like it and you cant Ever Tell i might even read a