European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 6, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The reconversion of me Gall by Gordon Crown when the air forces reorganized last streamlining squadrons and consolidating others into base a lot of first sergeants found themselves out of that exactly what happened to my old first Sam As Fine a gentleman As any enlisted Man could ask for a three Day and Mcdougall never quite got Over Mcdugall was a Veteran of the last push ing 50 when he got the urge to enlist right after Pearl he went Down to the induction got a waiver on his age and enlisted As a he wore his ribbons from the last including the Croix de at All formations during Basic and it want Long before the Sec Ond lieutenant who was acting As Drill sergeant pulled Mac out of the ranks and made him an acting Drill not Long after Mac made staff and tech and acting first and finally first he was a fatherly hed listen to any Guys never interrupting or making the Guy feel like he was wasting his he Felt very Happy and Well set in being a first since in 33 months service in the last War All he Ever got to be was he never played always referred to his charges As my boys and we got the Best Goddam Bunch of soldiers in the whole air we were a noncombatant we gave Basic training to pre aviation cadets and were a Small permanent party in we had a Squadron fund and every few months wed pitch a whale of a party in a downtown Mac would get drunk and interrupt the girls doing a strip tease and make somewhat of an ass of him but almost everybody else was pretty High so nothing would Ever be said of it after the party was things were coasting it looked like Mac was set in his Job for the then along came this and Mac found him self a casual along with a lot of the rest of he tried to be goodhearted about it for and when a pfc was assigned to our Barracks to see that we kept the place clean and policed the area Mac just used to laugh and say that the army for democratic As All even a first sergeant has got to help police up the but he didst feel so Good when they started posting up lists and he found his name on them with monotonous the first time want he pulled but after four straight Days of he began to get a Little irrational and went in to see the new he didst get anywhere with the new the co told him hed have to take his turn on just like the rest of the first three graders in the until he was shipped out or a suitable assignment was found for the co did give him per to scout around the Post and try to find himself a if you can find a then youre out of my the new co told and while youre at see what you can do for the nine other first sergeants Treyve unloaded on Mac went up to the service where he knew the lady in she was sympathetic and out of pure kindness she gave Mac a Job on the Cash ringing up tabs As you came through with your Mac acted pretty Happy Over and it had its Good the hours were regular and it kept him off and he could see his friends in his old outfit and hed always there goes one of my a Good or something like but Mac want really you could Tell that whenever youd see him in he Hung out at the red dog Saloon nearly every hed get drunk on Beer and pick on some civilian and Tell him about his Best Goddam outfit in the Mac would say nostalgically but making it a Point to put in the present my boys give me a Little trouble once in a but you know How that boys will be one night he was pretty stewed when i saw i had a temporary assignment with a Crew firing hed come in with a rather insignificant Corporal who used to be a combination runner and file clerk in our orderly being aggressive had got the same Job in one of the base and he knew Mac was Only a Cash Register puncher in the ser vice so he Felt a Little lordly at that with the help of about 15 they got to arguing about some inane and before anyone could Stop them Moraglia was Riding Mac about be ing a Cash Register punch i believe it Hurt macs feelings More than any thing is that the Way to talk to your first sergeant Mac a you aint no first sergeant any Moraglia Why the hell dont you take off them stripes ill put you on up for 15 Mac and youll never get an other recommendation for promotion out of me Moraglia just stood and laughed sardonically then Mac took a poke at and before we could Stop them they were rolling on the we took them outside and talked to but it was pretty hard to Calm Mac the old Man was crying and it was a pitiful sight to the owner of the establish not wanting to get put off called the and before we could Hustle Mac and Moraglia Back to they showed up and hauled them i understand Mac got quite a dressing Down from the Provost marshal and that he tried to get a discharge three times on account of his age but was turned Down every then he tried to get them to Send him but they vetoed that on account of his Iran into him yesterday for the first time in almost a he looked much older than his 52 and for the first Timo i noticed his rib Bons were soiled and his pants needed he forced a smile and said but it was false and and the old fire and geniality that were so much a part of Mcdougall were i got a new he and its a pretty Good in in charge of three and there going to make the outfit bigger and into a separate then ill get my old first Serge Ancy that i what Are you doing Mac he looked off into the distance and in head ticket taker at the Post yank fiction