Mediterranean Algiers Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 10, 1943, Algiers, Algiers                                Saturday july to 1943ihe stars and stripes weekly Page 5american soldiers guard and maintain water lifeline in North Africa Valley with american forces in the Fields it is Grey Dawn at water Point Quot a a Oasis of a dry Candy Semi arid Flat Valley a a somewhere in North  the air is Cool and Damp but the first scent of the scorching Sun already has taken an Edge off the freshness. A sgt Joseph Sungail far from his Kenosha wis., clears his eyes and looks at his watch. It is 5 35. He raises up on one Elbow and brushes aside the Mosquito netting. Pfc. Charles Small of Dayton Ohio is standing by the a by sgt Jack fois1e stars and stripes staff writer a a suppose you a be striking too if you were Back in the states says Small a determined charac Ter. A a blow it out a Bellows Brewer and after a second of thought a my gang ainu to striking i bet. The platoon Leader it. Leonard Fleck of St. Louis approaches and the argument died Down and the Sun climbed higher. The first truck arrived rattling with empty five gallon cans and an empty tank trailer. A a hey red you be got a customer a the Driver shouts a a red is pfc. Albert Smith an Ter Tower his Post. The water Engineer from Greenburg a. He Tower a big Cement vat on stilts scrambles into his pants. A a Man holding 40,000 Gallons of precious water pumped from the Earth is the Center of life in the Valley. It is life itself for the French rancher and his Arab settlers. Should the pump be smashed. Should the water be made undrinkable. Remembering that this is War and that there Are parachutists and fifth columnists. So pfc. Small stands with a Bayonet fixed to his my. He is no War tried Veteran but he realizes the value of water. Even Flat tasteless Luke warm water is wet and easy on a dry Dusty Throat. The Sun rises. The guard platoon rises for it is Best to have the morning meal out of the Way before the Day becomes uncomfortable two Mountain stoves Are set up primed and lighted. Says sgt. Sungail the platoon no a Well what shall it be Bacon and eggs or meat and Beans a everyone groans and Falls Back in his blankets. It was the same fare and the same gag they had awakened to since they had moved into this bivouac. Meat and Beans with onions and Coffee. Pfc. Small is relieved from guard. A plane buzzes lazily Over. A Hope they be got some mail a mumbles Small who has had no mail in Over a month. A who do you know that can write a says sgt. Aubrey Brewer of Hardburly by. A a a i done to come from the Hills like you a retorts Small. A a he ainu to from the  says sgt. Sam marinos of Birmingham Ala. A you re a Coal Miner ainu to Cha Brewer a Brewer nods. Ainu to got time enough to Wash around Here a he growls dousing his fiery face in the water trough running from the 25,000-gallon auxiliary tank. He opens a valve and the hoses stiffen under the pressure. A a Okay a he says a a fill her  the Sun is now overhead and the body. Is dry before one Steps out of the Shower. The water guard eats its noon meal in silence sweat from their foreheads falling into the Coffee. Off duty they siesta in the slight Shade of the Small Olive Trees in a nearby Orchard. A Fly or a curious interest in the clusters of Green skinned olives May open their eyes for a moment but the interest passes the flies Are chased away and again the american soldiers snooze. A jeep speeds up is challenged is passed leaving a whirl of dust to filter Back to Earth. Otherwise the Road Rolls the heat and the farm Village is still. Only the sound of water being sucked from the inner linings of the ground indicate that science has triumphed Over nature that life has triumphed Over death. But suddenly with a choking gasp the pump creaks turns Over once More and stops. The French overseer shrugs his shoulders throws up his hands and moans  the Yankee Engineer sgt. Floyd Fletcher,., of Argus ind., says maybe no maybe yes. He and his crew�?t-5 Floyd Guidroz of Iceland la. T-5 George Bodnar of Gary ind. Pvt. Joseph Jackson of Louisville by. And pvt. Carl Nelson of washing ton. D. C., take Over. Guidroz an engineering graduate and Jack of All trades goes Down into the deep Cool Well. They hand him Down a few spare parts some healthy american when eyes and the Frenchman chortle out instructions in French which do Little Good. It is mid afternoon at the water Point and the tanks Are still flashes from the Field no one envies the souvenirs sgt. Albert Michael of Ashland Ohio has picked up from the african Campaign although its the Only souvenir at its kind in the War. Left for dead on a Meddeb Al Bab Battlefield after hts platoon had been ambushed and he was shot up by a German tank Michael later was picked up by his buddies and sent to a rear Hospital. That was in december. Michael a shoulder ripped by bullets healed but in the weeks following the doctors  understand his complaints of frequent stabbing pains Over his heart. Finally col. Paul Wood a London heart specialist was called in put him under the a Ray and received dry. The hoses Wilt. The tin can the Shock of his life. Michael was living and breathing with a Bullet in. In his heart spouts rattle no More. The Pun tying system lies Idle. Yanks sweaty and Dusty with towels around their necks and pockets bulging with soap wander up. A a sorry Bud no showers  and they wander away still sweaty still Dusty the water vehicles Roll to a Stop and pull away with the same rattle of empty cans. Even the canteens jog lightly on the hip. Only the Arab horses have water for the troughs Are still full. Deep in the dark Dank Well the engineering student sweats the books never sketched out modelled equipment like this. Slime from the Walls of the Well plasters the hair on his Chest. A a More Oil a he shouts and they pass him Down a can full. He applies it liberally to tile cog wheel. A a Okay a he shouts Start her  a rough Tough american fist grabs the Crank and spins it. The motor catches wheezes then whirls into action. The pump grudgingly begins pumping. Water again is sucked from the Earth in one continuous Cool flow. Water rises in the tanks. It runs through the purifier. Water trucks go away with the splash and the i gurgle of full tanks. The Shower Lisses and the yanks shout. Arab women Waddle Back to their huts with water jars balanced on their leads. Donkeys Waddle away with water jars lashed to their flanks. Horses dip their Pink noses in the 1 toughs. Pfc. Charles Small stands guard again the Sharp Edge of his Bayonet flashing. Currents of air quickened by the Cooling of the Earth become fresh breezes that rattle the Olive leaves and stir the Canvas of Pup tents. Evening has come to Wrater Point a a a somewhere in North Africa. An unbelieving Hospital staff gawked at the film. The Bullet had entered Michael a shoulder was deflected by Bone directly into the right arterial Wall of the right ventricle. A a he should have been killed instantly a said the amazed surgeon. Strangely col. Wood treated the Only known Case of the same sort in world War i. Quot a Man has a five million to one Chance of surviving such a wound a he said. But to remove the Bullet would be fatal the surgeon said so now sgt. Michael is resigned to going through life carrying a nazi Bullet beneath his shirt. A a if and when i conk out ill have my heart Complete with Bullet sent to you As a museum piece a Michael told col. Wood on his discharge. A a but i Hope it la be a Long time a he added. A a a it takes six men to handle a Martin marauder in a bombing flight against an italian base and the sixth Man is the Pilot. In this Case the Pilot never got Home. He missed it by seconds Landing so near the ground that he Only had time to pull his rip Cord. His Chute never had time to billow out. The Crew of this b-26 owe him their lives and remember his last words spoken Over the interphone a a get out i can to hold out any  these words were spoken after i ship with one engine gone and the other sputtering from an attack by mess dropped to 600 feet and after the Crew in its last desperate Effort had thrown guns ammunition and other equipment overboard a sgt. Thomas h. Hall radio operator from Philadelphia and a sgt Joseph Merritt of Norfolk were the first to Bale out about 600 fee above a Valley in Tunisia. When a sgt. Theodore r. Taylor out Niagara Falls n. Y., jumped the ship was at 500 feet with Thi mail Call about elections dear editor i have some questions about the coming elections i would like to have answered. 1. Is there a presidential election held during time of War 2. Does the president holding office during a War remain in that Post for the duration 3. In the event that we Are still serving overseas at the time of the next election will our votes automatically go to the Man in office As a a Little orphan Annie a or i the publication of manuscripts by Quot Pron Friner tin a t Horn f Vin Cal hip i _ t a. La bringing up father the Soldier would appreciate it much More. I do not want you to think because of tile opinion i express that i am a hater of the opposite sex but i do believe that they should be properly clothed. A pvt. Edward Malarsky poetry for Sale i have collected a Good Many poems since coming overseas and have sent most of them to a Friend for safekeeping. Although the War pvt. F. P. Girardi j department is definitely against i. Presidential elections Are held every four years whether or not there is a Lear going on. 2. If a War time president is Defeated at the polls he surrenders his office to the successful candidate at the end of his term. 3. Soldier votes do not go to the Man in office. According to the Constitution the individual states decide which of its citizens May vote during an election. Many of the states Ivill make provisions by which soldiers serving overseas May cast their ballots by mail. If a state allows a Soldier to vote by mail he can vote for any candidate he wants to just As he did when he was a civilian editor. No More a lace dear editor just a few lines to express my opinion of the disgusting comic strip which appears in one of our papers for the Allied forces in North Africa namely  i consider this comic strip very bad for the morale of the Allied Soldier As the leading character in it appears too scantily Clad. The Allied Soldier in this theater of operations who undoubtedly will figure in the coming invasion should be More interested in soldierly tactics than in such rot As this particular comic strip. It is my opinion that if the a per would feature such characters a Soldier i done to want to wait until after the War. How can i go about approaching my publisher if the business arrangements were handled by another party would this be an evasion of the ruling i am sure that there Are Many who feel that their own poetry will have More than a passing interest. A Anthony Sharon there is no Rule against a Soldier Selling any material he May write provided it has been censored and passed for publication. A editor. Sultan and son during his recent visit to the fifth american army his majesty the Sultan of Morocco saw spectacular Battle Maneu vers conducted by infantry tank and air forces. His majesty is shown arriving at the scene of the demonstration with it. Gen. Mark w. Clark commander of the fifth army and his Imperial highness m oui Ayel Ilas Sanne the Sultan s eldest son. Hydraulic system shot up by flak and the wheel blocking his escape. Taylor kicked his Way through and landed. When co Pilot 2nd la Marvin w. Grieves of new York squeezed through the Hatch the marauder had dropped to 400 feet. Grieves landed on a Little slope about 20 seconds after his Chute opened. The last of the Crew to hit the ground safely was 2nd it. Louis Baldino of Philadelphia the navigator. A a As i went out of the Hatch a said Baldino �?�1 fell sideways with my face and Knees toward the Earth. I was about 200 feet High. When my Chute opened i was jerked Over on my backs end then i hit the  Baldino who was the first to land rushed to the burning plane too Yards away. The Pilot Lay beside it. He had managed to Clear the plane before it landed and to pull his rip Cord but it was too late. His Chute never opened. The Pilot whose name cannot be mentioned has been recommended for a posthumous award of the Silver Star. A a a one infantry outfit in the Field has gone native with the adoption of a a a siesta time schedule knocking off during the three hottest hours of the afternoon for a bit of snoozing beneath the Shade of a nearby Olive Grove. But they make up for the lost Tir by revealing at 4 30 and working after the siesta until 6 30 in the evening. A a a even the desert Sands Start swirling when t-4 Carl Sigman the a a Ole tune master from tin pan Alley starts thumping his time stomp in the Field and growling out a a Busy As a Bee a his favorite among the 30-Odd song hits he turned out in the pre War 1930�?Ts Sigman is now in the special service Section of an infantry division but he still has that sparkle in his Eye those snapping fingers an the nasal twang that Mark the army so a Alley  his last song before being inducted was a a Pennsylvania 6,500 a popularized by Glenn Miller and the Andrew Sisters. Before that came a a Busy As a been a which the 34-year-old Lyric writer says was recorded Best by Benny Goodman a please come out of your dreams a Quot a when Bea Wain Sang that. A a a love lies a a my favorite is Tommy Dorsey splatter and a a watching the clock a a slow Torch. Sigman hummed them All in dreamy reminiscence. Since going into the army he Hasni to written anything for commercial consumption but the men in his outfit Are still singing the hit tune of the division revue a pm Slattery of Battery a a and his lyrics for the division marching song a strictly on the beam say the men. A a pm sgt. Allen e. Pierce who a claim of being the youngest master sergeant in the army went unchallenged a year ago modestly confesses that he was the 19-year-old, striped upshot of a flied Between two top kicks in his regiment. A a my first sergeant Edward Desolier and another top kick William d. Pritchard were fierce rivals a Pierce recalled. A their individual urge to outdo each other even took in the question of who had the better company clerk. But in the army of course the Only thing that settles an argument is rank. So first Pritchard gave his clerk a pfc. Then Desolier gave his clerk a Corporal s rating. That was me. But Pritchard matched it and it Wasny to Long before i was upped to sergeant. Well that what really gave me my Start up the  Pierce who comes from the twin towns of Begley and East Palestine Ohio is now a regimental sergeant major. He a just turned lits 21st birthday. Over on Pante Liberia italian prisoners have Only just finished the Job of filling in the innumerable craters blasted in the islands Ai drome by Allied bombs. Prisoners recruited for the task hauled Load after Load of the islands volcanic Rock to dump into the holes. Said one i after looking the Island Over shortly after its surrender a a Pantelena is the nearest thing to the Moon i Ever expect to see.�?�. Theres a Small Fortune in twisted and mangled Metal lying on the jagged rocks at one end of the Island. Most of the trucks and military vehicles of the italians were so hopelessly battered by bombs that officer of the Naaf service command had them consign d to an improvised graveyard. The vehicles were hauled pushed and shoved to a 300-foot precipice and unceremoniously dumped Over the Cliff to smash on the rocks below