European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 26, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday april 26, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 3earned by Ron Jensen staff writer Phil Sterns wounds from the North Mrica Campaign eventually won him a ticket Home away from the War building in intensity and size in Europe. Reaching for some canned goods in a los Angeles grocery store Stern heard an older woman asking him reproachfully Why he a healthy looking Young lad was in California instead of fighting the War. Stem looked at this Little lady with purple hair reached for her and picking her up planted a kiss on her face. A syphilis May am a said Stern. Stern smiled at this recollection Friday night. A she turned White and rushed out the door a he said. Stern is one of More than 100 former staff members of the stars and stripes attending the Celebration for the newspapers 50th anniversary this weekend. Of those 23 Are men who were stripers during world War ii. For All of the alumni the weekend has been a time of reunion and Fellowship at such events As an alumni Welcome Back dinner Friday night at the of Unstadter brewery. More than 450 people attended the dinner. Other events during the weekend were a 50th anniversary dedication ceremony and a Golden anniversary gala at the Darmstadter club in Darmstadt. And of course there were the memories themselves recollections As numerous and As Welcome As the blossoms that awoke on the Trees and Bushes at the newspaper Headquarters in Griesheim Germany. Joe Mcbride was on the newspapers London staff in 1943 when that wonder p. _ ,. A a Sas Michael Abrams former stars and stripes Stair members Andy Rooney left and red Grandy stand next to a famous picture of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower that Grandy took. Also shown in that photograph is capt. John e. Stockton an aide to the general. It was a different Era. I was a different person a Phil Stern Ful old City was the target of the German Luftwaffe a bombs. A i was like everybody else. I ran into the air raid shelters a said Mcbride who remained at the newspaper As a civilian until 1982. Mcbride once found Refuge from the bombing in a closet beneath a staircase in his apartment House. A there was a very sexy woman living there. She decided to run into the closet at the same time a recalled Mcbride. A nothing happened. I was too scared. A to this Day they say in a a Jack Foisie joined the stars and stripes in Algiers in 1943, thinking life would be better and perhaps safer As a correspondent instead of As a half track Crew member with the 1st army div. His new life gave him a fresh look at the infantryman the dirty faced weary looking Joe with a Rifle. A was an armoured Guy i never really appreciated the infantry a he acknowledged. But when the nights turn cold for an armoured Guy he said there is always a Heater in the vehicle. A there ainu to no Heater in the infantry a he said. His work uncovered for him a big difference Between being a combat Soldier and being a correspondent writing about the combat Soldier. A when the shit really flies you can go Back and file a he said. The soldiers he covered in North Africa Sicily and Italy envied his role but they were never annoyed. They were amazed that Foisie would be in harms Way on his own wishes. A they would Marvel. A you mean you done to have to be Here a a he said. It was dirty business covering a War wandering through it As an observer who was still very much a part of it and very much at risk. Sterns first assignment with stripes the invasion of Sicily was to photograph in july 1943. A i was 21 years old and very stupid a said Stern still working As a photographer in the Hollywood movie business. Bullets and Shell fragments poured Awn around him. People were bleeding and dying As he snapped photograph after photograph. There was no place to hide nor did he want to hide. A if you re in a place where it can to touch you you can to photograph it a he said. But Given a Chance to repeat such an experience Stern said a i would turn you Down Flat. A it was a different Era. I was a different person. I can to relate to him. All i can Tell you is he a a stupid Foisie had More wars. After his stint at the stars and stripes he remained in the newspaper business and covered wars in the Middle East and in Vietnam. He was asked How a reporter manages to take in All the horror of War and remain a reporter. A hard boiled. Cynical a said Foisie now living on a farm in the Northwest of the characteristics needed to keep ones feelings in Check. A a in be got emotions but you can to have emotions 24 hours a Day. A a in be flown out with bodies at my feet in Vietnam. And what am i thinking in a glad to have this seat on the the alumni who have returned for this Golden anniversary Celebration have said time and again that their years at stripes shaped or highlighted their lives. It is Why they returned for a Brief weekend of Good times and reunions with Good friends. A my life has been full of exciting things a said Stern. A nothing has been More fun or More fantastic than stripes. Mcbride said a after 39 years with stars and stripes i can to complain. Its been my s Willie and Joe have enduring Appeal by Ron Jensen staff writer Darmstadt Germany a in Bill Mauldin a Book of his world War ii experiences up front he makes an admission in the opening line a my business is drawing not in fact the creator of Willie and Joe two combat infantrymen slogging through the War who Star in the Book As they did on the pages of the stars and stripes wrote the Book with ease. A i sat Down with about 170 cartoons in front of me and started flipping them Over and writing the text whatever came to mind a said Mauldin in Germany to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the newspaper. The result is a Book that has endured As the world War ii generation has grown old and their children have reached Middle age. The Book published in 1945, is a series of anecdotes and vignettes from a Man who crossed the battlefields in a jeep to capture in Ink the lives of All the Willie and Joes. Plus although known for his drawing Mauldin was not a bad writer. A it took me about five Days or six Days because i knew what i wanted to say about each cartoon a the author said. A a in be written about 14 books since then and none of them were like falling off a log like that one it nearly Wasny to printed. Publishers were reluctant to most of my stuff was known Only to the Soldier Bill Mauldin take on the risk of printing a Book about the do faces fighting a War afraid that the general Public would not understand and fail to respond at the Cash Register. A i was an unknown Factor a Mauldin said. A most of my stuff was known Only to the Soldier a new York agent for Mauldin approached Simon amp schuster inc., a major publisher of books. Not interested was the reply. Holt publishing took on the task but not with any great relish Mauldin recalled. A a they had very Little Confidence. They printed 5,0 10 copies the first printing Quot he said. The Book which is still in print has sold 3 million copies. The big Winner was world publishing co., which had a stockpile of paper which was difficult to obtain during the War. �?o1 never found out if anybody had anything to say Down at Simon and schuster a Mauldin said. Willie and Joe were familiar to All the soldiers Reading the stars and stripes during the War. Because of up front they have become familiar to millions who have never seen a War and were born decades after the cartoons were drawn. They Are popular because the cartoons were accurate in their depiction of an infantryman a life. A they were authentic. That was very important to me a said Mauldin a Soldier with the 45th inf div during the War. A when i Drew an my Rifle i knew what one looked he went to great lengths to maintain that authenticity. He once accidentally Drew a grenade with the pin on the wrong Side. It was impossible to change it so Mauldin Drew the rest of the cartoon backward signed his name backward and sent orders to the newspaper to reverse the cartoon in the engraving process. It was a Small thing but to Mauldin such accuracy resulted in credibility with his most important audience a the combat infantryman of world War ii
