John Burroughs Middle School - Burr Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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WHAT A UNIFCRM WEL DO By umm: DOUGHTY lt was one of those satisfactory days, with a blue sky, alight breeze, and the afternoon off duty. Thoughts of home and family were uppermost in his mind. San Diego is a city where a young sailor can have a tremendous time on an afternoon's leave, but for an older officer such as he, it be- comes a little lonesome. A sudden decision to cross the bay to North Island and have a look at the planes and activity at the air field brought him eventually to the pier. The old boatman in charge informed him that there were no boats plying back and forth that day, but that his rank entitled him to a boat of his own. With some sur- prise and a certain amount of reluctance he availed himself of this happy privilege. You understand, this officer hadn't been in the Navy very long, and the consideration and prestige afforded an officer was a source of constant amazement to him. Crossing the bay was pleasant, but other- wise uneventful, and upon arriving at the air field he found it teeming with action. Everyone in sight seemed to be in fever- ish haste to be off to unguessed destina- tions, and he realized suddenly that could he secure a plane he would be in Los Angeles in a few minutes and have the afternoon with his family. He was at first disappointed to learn that the L. A. plane had just left, but he was offered instead a ride as far as San Pedro in a scout plane. He was told to run out on the field like mad lo - . 1- -Na. - is ., S.- as that plane was already warming up to take off. The pilot inquired of the officer if he had any luggage and when informed that our hero was going as is, told him to hop in. Twenty minutes later he was taxiing smoothly down the field at San Pedro. He was faced with the problem of reaching Los Angeles. No taxis are available for aimless traveling in war time, and upon inquiring of the gentleman in charge at the air field, he was told he could be driven up by station wagon to Los Angeles. But this officer wasn't traveling under orders and refused to take advantage of this offer. A ride in a dive bomber being delivered to Burbank was then offered as the next best arrangement, and was eagerly accepted by the officer. He was told to strap on a para- chute and climb in. The pilot made a good deal of conversation to the effect that he was just testing out this old crate and that he'd never seen one of these things before and he hoped the trip wouldn't prove altogether disastrous, but our hero looked him in the eye and asked him if by any chance he had a pilot's license, and when he received an affirmative answer, replied, Let's go. In ten minutes the plane was in Burbank, and our hero was in a taxi on his Way home. The taxi fare was the entire outlay in cash for the whole exciting afternoon. It just goes to show what a uniform will do!

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. -,..1:-.ft . 'ff F ' 'ik ,lx ' - '71g4 'tri gt . ' ' '- r, 'sq ..-51 '4' Q: fr, J Q.. 1.- 4.-4-1. ,' rag ',-f.- . 'I v-yRx..w1H .,'f3 n sm 4 'lf' ' . Y K. I V .5513 ik - :I - v B... -nn: X Q, 1-' ' ,'y,1.- -5- -7 J.:,.-5 4 . Wx - ,f,'gf.-. ., ,a1- S'-:j a ' ' , t . 1, fn- -- V .lj ' . -uni K ' 'A .-. A .fax A hr' . 1 I .ww , . A - v..-,F 'A ..- Ir.. -2,1 -fu! ,V j ,.. . saga--as .L ' . ' L TO LIVE OR NOT TO LIVE By JANET MUELLER just off the African front in a hot, dense, tropical jungle a young soldier lay wound- ed, very young, maybe twenty, nice look- ing except for one arm that had been shot practically off. Shall we give him a name? Yes, let's call him lim. lim had lost a lot of blood from that arm and now was just praying that a medical corps man would chance by. Iim's prayers were rewarded, for in not fifteen minutes one did come. Sulfanilimide powder was put on his arm, and lim was hurriedly taken to a base hospital a few miles inland. Upon reaching the hospital lim was im- mediately given some of that life-saving fluid, by name, blood plasma. To change the scene we journey back to Los Angeles, in fact to the Red Cross Blood Bank. Let's look ing how about it? At the desk stands a young man about the same age as lim. He also is good looking, but he has no smashed arm to mar his looks. This boy-we'll cal him Bob-has just given his second pint of blood. Bob is working in an airplane factory, even though he would like to be on the front. Some certain glasses held him back. Bob knows that he can help by making planes and also by giving his blood so that someone who needs it more than he may have it-perhaps so that someone may even live to come back to a world that he has helped to make safe and sane for his children and those that follow. PUBLIC RELATIONS BUREAU U' AIDS THE PEOPLE By SALLY ARRIGO ,Into the quiet and cool corridor of the Public Relations Buildingslowly walked the frail figure of a woman. Quietly sitting down in front ofa trained Red Cross at- tendant, she began to sob the story that had been worrying her and finally com- pelled her to come to the Red Cross for ,e p. lt' seemed that her son, let's call him Corporal lack King, was in the many raids on Sicily,'and for many months no word was received from him. . Immediately the Red Cross went into action by cablinghhis last known location headquarters. It was a matter of a few days before word came to the Public Relations Center con- cerning Iack. Mrs. King was immediately notified that her son, having been seriously wounded, was now recovering in a Red Cross Medical Station somewhere in Italy. Only with the able skill of Army doctors and Red Cross supplies could this young American boy's life have been saved, and only by the help of the Red Cross was this vital information secured for a grief-stricken American mother. A PRICE TO WIN THE WAR ny nosm PARKAN A son goes overseas, His father has gone before: This is the price they're paying, A price to win the war. A flyer dies heroically, For victory to secure: This is the price he's paying, A price to win the war. Have you fought on Bataan? Lost a brother in the war? What is the price you're paying, A price to settle that score? We know you're buying bonds and stamps, But couldn't you do a little more? What price are you paying? What price to win the war?

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THE FIRST WAVE By non LAM11-2 It was early morning on August 7th, when Corporal Ted Bronson climbed out of his bunk on a troop-transport somewhere in the Solomon Islands. A tenseness hung over the ship as he quickly made his way out onto the deck. All that could be heard was the Navy guns blasting their objective on one of the islands. He stood by the rail turning over in his mind the happenings of the past year. The clatter of boots on the steel deck made him look up just in time to see the bugler sound reveille. It was. just a few minutes later when the first men stumbled out on to the still dark decks. At breakfast the men were told that they were to invade Tulagi, a small island in the Solomons group. At about 6:45 the first landing barges were lowered and the men were lined up to climb down into them. Spud Gilbert, one of Ted's closest friends, had joined Ted right after breakfast and they had been together since. The Navy was letting up the shelling when the boys dropped into their boat. The boat filled rapidly and soon they were under way. They had five miles to go to get there: it would take twenty minutes, probably the longest twenty minutes of their lives. Ted kept wondering if this would be his last day in the world, and if it was he won- dered how he would get it, fast and pain- less or slow and painful. He was brought to his senses by Spud, who had been watching the shore with field glasses. lt looks like we'll meet resistance all right, Spud said. just then the machine guns opened up along the beach. The bullets began ham- mering on the side of the boat, which wasn't so bad, but when the guy in front of Ted got hit, it made him feel sick all over. f f LJ jfs A' 'i.-Bird if 1 A - ax 'dl Ewvsgel ,, fI Q 4.1 I sip gh 7.50. t Jr, 5.2. 'p V D In .,f. .Zu k.. -f liih. Ab .3 . ,IAVZ A Q The bottom scraped the sand and the first boys jumped out into the surf. Ted jumped out into the knee-deep water and made his way to shore. Once on the beach, he dropped his pack and charged across the sand toward the jungle, opening up with hismachine gun as he ran. But then it came, it hit him like a hammer in the side. No pain, just the throbbing of gushing blood. He crumpled to the sand and lay there a minute torgvet his breath After a short restihe-looked around nim: he had forgottezr-about Spud, but there was no sight of him now. .With a last effort he raised himself and habbled forward raking the jungle with bullets. He was mad now and he wanted a Iap. Ted, tried to go on but it was useless and he collapsed un- conscious. ' When Ted 'awoke he was in atent alone. Beforehe could try and recall anything a Marine doctor came in to see if hefawas resting well. The'doctor told him thatgtheyj had established a bridgehead. But he was sorry to say that Spud had been kiiled. Three days later, Ted was removed to Australia and still later to the U. S. A. Now when Ted walks down the street, he holds his head a little higher because he was with the first wave of .Marines at Tulagi. .. THE RED CROSS ' By MILDRED KLIMAN Every man, woman and child has been affected by this war in some way or an- other. Many of us have sisters, brothers, and fathers overseas in the armed forces. Some are missing, some haven't been heard from by their parents or relatives, others are being wounded or killed on the battlefields. But thanks to the Red Cross, many of them have been located. The Red Cross has done and is doing so much for humanity. They help the boys in prison camps so that they may have a little American food on special occasions: also medical care, and letters from home. They make it possible for you to give them things they need. They go where the actual fight- ing is, to help the wounded and give blood to those who need. it. This is only half of what the Red Cross does. We honor them for their heroism and sacrifices, also for the many lives that have been given for the great cause we are fight- ing for and the great work they are doing.