European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 19, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 16 the stars and stripes wednesday. February 19, 1986 love and glory women soldiers come to to by Vernon Scott United press International every Branch of the armed forces has habits Day in the Sun since images first Dicker Don the army Navy marines air Force coast guard and even the merchant marines have had their praises Sung Over and Over again in movies and on to. Not overlooking private Benjamin there have been Lew first rate movie dramas or to shows based on the women who served in the former women s auxiliary army corp wac or on women sailors and marines. There has t even been a major novel based on their lives in the service. Until now. Author Jeanne Weston has written a noteworthy Book titled love and glory a fictionalized account of the wac during world War ii which will become a lbs miniseries next season. The Story deals with Lour women from diverse Back grounds who enlist Lor various reasons to serve their country shortly alter formation of the wac under the command of col. Oveta gulp Hobby. Most of the Story involves the first 440 recruits who in 1942 were sent to fort Des Moines. They had to make Good quickly to prove the wac was a viable Means to free male soldiers Lor combat. Waiting know whereof she writes. She served in the women s army corps from which the auxiliary was dropped during the korean War As a member of a troop training cadre. Indeed she became the wac version of a Drill instructor. According to author Westin such a Book and such a miniseries Are Long overdue. Today 10 percent of army personnel Are women she said but they get very Little recognition because they be been phased into the regular army. Right now there Are 90,000 women in the army the most since 1945." it took Weston three years and exhaustive research 10 write her lengthy novel. She i nos women soldiers lost a special Esprit and Pride in the service when the wac was discontinued and female soldiers were absorbed into the regular army. My novel is based on fact but with fictitious charac ters. It also includes some of my own experiences and attitudes in Basic training and the struggle for women to prove they were Good enough to become in addition to writing a rousing novel of courage selflessness and Romance Westin Hopes she has dispelled some of the common and frequently lurid mis conceptions about american servicewomen. Tha fint thing to remember is that women do not lose their femininity and dainties a just because they be joined the army she said. When we re slog Ging through mud or drilling on the Field we re still women doing those things. Inca private Benjamin in 1980, Ihnn have been few movie or tvs How bated on women told in. For some reason men like to believe there is a lot of lesbianism among women in the service. I never saw a single incident of that during my six year hitch 1951 -57. Then there were the horror stories about babies being delivered in the latrines and left to die. Also untrue. Another common misconception was the generally accepted nonsense among males that most women in the service were hookers or extraordinarily promiscuous. Stories abounded about cat flights and jealousies because we All wore the same uniforms and vied for the attention of the male Sellers or that we became play things for officers. All of those ideas were entirely false said Weston. Sure there were romances just As there Are when you put any group of men and women together. It s human nature but no different than in civilian life. For a while army intelligence investigated All the stories. The rumours were so injurious to wac morale that it was suspected they had been started by the enemy she said. I lived in a Barracks for six years and i never saw one fight. What i did see was a lot of Pride and Competition Between the various wac companies to be the Best. There was a great Deal of sup port and Mutual respect among the women. During world War ii the women who enlisted for $50 a month were like any Cross Section in America. Some were shipped far from Home and a lot of them were in danger. But most were patriots and carried a spark of Weston believes that Young women today would be Well advised to investigate the possibility of a career in the service. There Are More opportunities for women in the army today than there Are in civilian Vince Gill makes country with a Rock pop feel by Joe Edwards associated press Ince Gill the former Lead Singer for the pop group pure Prairie league thinks his music appeals to the younger listener be cause it s not the usual country sound. With its Rock pop feel Gill s music is liked More by those under 35. Older fans tend to like hard Core country. My music is not the Norm. I m trying to Bridge the Gap to get the Rock n Roll people into country music and the pop people into country music the 26-year old said. There s a whole Bunch of people my age out there who like a Brand of music they can t get that much any Gill who was voted Best new male vocalist in 1985 by the Academy of country music has released six singles and two albums in the past two years. Weren t for him a duet with Rosanne Cash released last fall was his first top 10 hit since he launched his Solo career. His single Oklahoma Bor Derline moved quickly up the country charts this year. On i currant album the things that matter Gill sings seven songs he wrote himself. My favorite artist out of everybody is Merle hag Gard Gill said. He writes and he plays. I respect him because he did t do things the Way they Are supposed to be Gill does t do Many concerts partly because there Are so Many artists he said. I do some College dates and some fairs. But there is no Point being on the Road without a record that s doing a native of Oklahoma City Gill was the Lead Singer Lor pure Prairie league from 1979-83. He Sang the group to the top of the pop charts in 1980 with the hits let me love you tonight and i m almost ready. I had a blast he recalled. I was 22, 23 years old and got to be on so a Gold american bandstand. Merv Griffin John Davidson. It was a he left the group to concentrate on spend More time with his family and play on recording sessions. Gill who plays Bass guitar guitar mandolin fiddle Dobro Banjo and steel guitar loaded a Van and left Home when he was 18 years old to enter the music business. His father is an administrative judge in social Security appeals cases in Columbus Ohio. I packed everything i owned in the Van he re called. Mom and dad stood on the porch and it was a tearful goodbye. It was one of the loneliest feelings i be had. I had a cd radio in the Van and called dad at Home until i got out of he found his Way to Lexington ky., and played for a few months with Boone Creek a Bluegrass band headed by Ricky Skaggs. Ten years later in 1985. Skaggs became a top act in country music and de throned Alabama As the country music association s coveted entertainer of the year. Gill eventually moved to los Angeles and landed the spot with pure Prairie league when he went to an audition with a Friend who hoped to win the Job. Gill did not plan to audition but did and was chosen. Gill became late lated with Bluegrass music when he was 16 years old and began to learn How to play seven instruments. His Bluegrass music did t go Over too Well 10 years ago when 4ie and his band were asked to play at a concert in Oklahoma City of the heavy Metal group kiss. The open ing act had cancelled and promoters called on the Blue grass band at the last minute to open the show. But Bluegrass was not what the 5.000 teen age Rock ers wanted to hear. Maybe five people there liked us Gill recalled everyone else was booing. So i turned on my country accent and told the crowd thank be. We predate r when we left the stage i Bent Over and told everyone to kiss my butt. All the policemen there stood up and gave us a standing p
