Hastings High School - Saxon Yearbook (Hastings, MI)

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The Yank's Gazette Last Edition We've had a lot of infantry training since I got back from my furlough. One problem we went on, we hiked about twenty-five miles in the rain, and when we got to where we were supposed to camp we just lay down in the mud and water and slept. It's just things like that that make Hastings look like the best place in the world, The last week we've been studying German mines. We learned how to disarm them and probe for booby traps. They tell us in action we only have one chance at disarming one of them. It's all fun in a way though. Pvt. Richard Thomas,36858154 Btry.C.815th A.A.A.CA.W.jBn. Army Air Field Santa Maria, Cal fornia Well, you asked me to tell you what I've been doing since I've been down here---now don't you think that is a pretty big demand? Well, I got here the sixth of November. First of all they got HASTINGS, MICHIGAN us over to the clothing barn, and we got our clothes, and by clothes I mean a big stack of them. Then they gave us a big bag to keep 'em in. Boy, is it ever hard to keep things neat by having our good clothes stuffed in a bag. About next we got our hair cut or sheared down to about M of an inch long, and we look more like a bunch of jail birds than Marines. Next we got our shots. We got shots for most anything you can think of. Why, I don't even think I could catch cold now. Things kept going on like this for three weeks. Then we went to the rifle range. We spent three Weeks there. The first two weeks we spent getting into position, and finally the last week we started firing to get our sights lined up. Monday we fired our preliminary record, and I made 312 out of 340 which isn't bad. But it didn't make any difference cuz it didn't count anyway. But Wednesday we fired for our record, and this was the real IVIcCoy . I made 311, so it's still pretty good. Pvt. Richard C. Rasey Plt. 493 Trg. Regt. R. D. N. C. B. San Diego, California WEATHER REPORT Dark forecast for the Axis I can't say where I've been, what I've been doing, or what I've seen, but I can say the enemy has seen our ship in action and knows that we're no pushover, nor is any of our American fleet. I haven't seen the states since last july and probably won't for some time to come, but I've been rather fortunate. With one year in the service, I've seen Leo john- son, jack Larkin, Pete Keller, Carl Randall, Bud Green. Bob Twelfth Year Culbert, Kenny Tinker, Don johnson, Ed Beaver, and Bob Wilbur CBob is from Deltonj. Hugh Kelly CBill's big brotherj is aboard the same ship as I am. I also know where to find Dale Keeler, but I haven't gotten a- round to see him yet. Last week Bud Green, Bob Culbert, and myself went to town and bought ourselves a nice big steak. It was abont two inches thick and as big around as a plate and juicy and tender all over. Then we had our pictures taken and ran into Don johnson. Four fellows from Hastings--all together, you can imagine the talking that was done. Well it's about chow time. It's sure swell to hear from the kids back home. Please tell them to write and tell everyone I said Hi. jack O'Donnell F Zfc Fleet P. O. San Francisco, California

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SAQQ Q , Published by the members of the Journalism Class Art work by members of the Art Class Hastings High School, Hastings, Michigan Printed by the Hastings Commerrial Printers, Hastings, Michigan Engraving by the jahn and Ollier Engraving Company, Cflmivago, Illinois

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In 1943 he left to become an Hastings, Michigan I find that I have a few spare moments from my various duties of mail clerk for the flight, chief news reporter for the squadron, and room orderly for my room, not to mention trying to make an imitation of an aviation student, so I'll start a letter to the members of Ye Olde Institution as Morrie Hill calls it. I am in the Okla- homa Baptist University at Shawnee, Okla. near Oklahoma City. It is a small college with about four hundred students, two hundred and fifty of whom are girls and the rest aviation students. We are taking English, history, geography, physics, and math, which starts at 2x2--4 and goes right thru solid geometry, trigon- ometry, and advanced algebra. It's to be a thirteen weeks'course with the fourth month to get ten hours of flying time in. It feels kind of good to get back in school again, but I won't dare go to sleep in class like I used to in govern- ment. We have basketball, speed- ball, and bowling leagues here among the students. I am on the bowling and track teams. I am going to be in quarantine for an- other week, but they let those who wanted to bowl out for the night- Everytime we move from one I l place to anot The Yanklv Gazette her we are quarantin- ed for two weeks. There goe fifteen more then I can supposed to You can see done in the l s the bugle. just minutes until tapsg go to bed. We're study until 10:00. what studying I've ast half an hour, but it gets tiresome. AXS Charles L. Stadel 36892714 Flight 17, Sqdn. C 91st. College Training Detach- ment, CAir Crewj Shawnee, Okla. We pause here for a moment to pay tribute to our graduates who have made the supreme sacrifice this year. May they always re- main among our cherished memories. One swell guy is the unani- mous opinion of Cleon Smith '37. He took an active part in both football and track besides being a member of the Boys Union Council, participating in the Spotlight, and belonging to several clubs. Last November the news was received that Lt. Cleon Smith had been killed in a plane crash in the West. So ended the career of a swell guy, a great athlete, and a fine soldier. Lt. Martin Hawthorne '40 was killed in action in aerial combat over New Guinea january 22. When in high school he turned his wittiness toward Big Hearted Herbert and then the Spotlight. He was a member of the cross country team, a club member, and one of the finest salesmen for Fort- night advertising because of his affability. Army Air Cadet, receiving his wings at Napier Field, Dothan, Alabama. His fighter training was taken in California. We still think of his ready smile, his friend- liness, and of his quotation in the annual for action ready bent. News was received this spring of Lt. Robert Henney's death while on active duty in Italy. Robert was a gentleman, a fine student, and an unselfish friend. Ranking fourth in his class in scholarship, he was also very active in clubs, track, music, speech, and dramatics. He was president of the Faculty-Student Council, a member of the Boys Union Council, class secretary, and Fort- night editor. Lewis M. Castle '39 passed away May 5 in a naval hospital atChelsea Massachusetts following a linger- ing illness. Entering the Navy in '42, he saw action in the Aleutians. Page 2 Lewis was the sort of young man that people admire, being quiet, very friendly, and a good worker. He was especially active in F.F.A. and Hi Y, being secretary of both. Lewiswas class treasurer, secretary of the Boys Union Council, and a club member. William De Cou, sfsgt. in the Army Air Corps, was on a plane that crashed March 3, in the San Bernardino Mountains. In that tragedy our school lost a fine alumnus, one who had served his school and country well. Bill '41 was a versatile student participating in football, basket- ball, baseball, golf, track, band, Faculty - Student Council, and Fortnight work, as well as being class vice-president, class president, and school mayor. He held office in various clubs and was awarded the Hi-Y scholarship cup. Let's all think and act American so that these boys will not have died in vain. The word missing has been attached to the name of james Dibble. May we express our deepest sympathy to his waiting parents and relatives, and may we also join with them in the fervent prayer that he will some day come home again.