Thomaston High School - Sea Breeze Yearbook (Thomaston, ME)

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SEA BREEZE .20 spread. This was the symbol of America--the landahe had,eome to love. V A p , Q AQ Loraine Armstrong 534 t , get a Minute to Lose ,, ' ,. , ' At last, the day had come. John P. Jones, Second Class Sea- man, was on a crowded train headed for home. He had only four days leave, and two of th-t were used in traveling, but nothing bothered Johnny now. Home meant Ma and the kids, a soft hed, good food, and his best girl. ,Having thought about the trip so much, John hyd lost some sleep during the last few nights. Now he mode up for it. when the conductor yelled uThonaston,U he awoke with a start, looked out the window, grabbed his bag, and rushed for the door of tho train. ' Of course, everjone was there to meet Johnny. He was so glad to see all his pals again. They had everything planned. Because he had so much fun, the two days went like lightning. There were parties, movies, and dances--every minute was taken. At 1:00 P.M. on Tuesday afternoon, in the middle of a raging snow storm, John said good-bye to all his friends, Ma, and his best girl, and hopped on the train which would take him back to his base on time. His orders road, Expiration of leave 2400, Tues- day, January 12, 1945 ' As the train rocked along, Johnny slept.Q While he dreamed of all the fun he had had, he imagined himself still at hone, not in the Navy, but still working at the garage on the corner, not scrubbing the dock, but wiping the windshield of his old ja- loppy, or changing a tire, or fixing a headlight. Suddenly, the train stopped with a terrific jolt. Johnny came out of his seat with both fists flying--probably fighting with one of the fellows who tried to steal his girl back in Thomaston--. Awakened, he decided to find out why the train had stopped in the riddle of a field. The conductor told him that the snow had piled up end that the plow would be along in a couple of hours. Johnny thought, Uwell, that's okay, I can go back and sleep some more, but, hey, I gotta be at the base by mid-night, and I'vo only two hours to spare.U The plow came in an hour und a half, but the ro- mainder of the trip was slow, and so by the time the train pulled input the town where the Novy Base was situated, John had but five, short minutes to make the gate. UI can make it if I run like heck, and I gotta make it,N said Johnny aloud. He ran until he thought he would drop, faster and faster. UAh, the gate is still open. Hey, what's that down by the drydook? Three mon and therc's the guard all tied up. They'ro going tb blow up the ship in drydook. I just have to stop then, but I've only half a minute to make the gate. Nell, the ship is more important.H All this went through John's mind in a split se- cond. ,Q , There were threefagainst one, but John could seo that the sabeteurs were about to touch off the fuse, and so he had ho time

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SBA BREEZE 19 Mr. Banks, his friends, and teachers had watched and worked with this strange led. They had made him talk American, but ne- bedy--least of all Mr. Banks--knew how far they had succeeded. was he German at heart--or Am risen? Hens futher waited! Mr. Banks dreaded going to Harry Jeffers again without some comforting n-ws--such as cheering wer news--about his sen. All thet Hens seemed te have teken from his father was his artist e- bility. Hans, at eight, could draw pictures that were so start- lingly true et times that they must have been vivid portrayals of whatever need he happened to be in. These pictures were his only expressien. Host of the time he lived in an unusual silence es he was new. Jhile the others were excited or enthusiastic about something--their mouths open in gasp- ing attention, Hans just sat there in the second row, unnoving, un- blinking. Having noticed this, Kr. Banks realized suddenly, what he wanted nest ef all was to reech this boy. He eeuldn't even be sure the boy was listening. He sighed and brought his talk to an abrupt close. l Miss Lee took over. HAnd now,n she said with e bright smile, nsince it is our drewing period, I went ouch of you to drew seme- thing of what Hr. Banks was discussing. Try to show what his talk meant to yeu.n Mr. Banks was in his office en hour later, when Miss Lee came in. NI thought you would like to see these,N she said, handing over a pile of drgwinp pdpers. He took them and smiling, glanced through them carefully. Ther were the ictures that the children had drawn of the nallent J s 4.3 Philippines. Most of them were to the same general pattern-- varied ideas of jungle lands, with many soldiers and jutting guns, tanks and Jeeps and overhead planes dropping bombs, flags and an- bulences and else, Red Cross Nurses Qt work. Tommy Cooke hed e Filipino with a large battle in full sway--in the center was a curved knife, showing its use by the bodies of Japanese strewn around. Babe Riley had on American soldier machine-gunning o Jepanese. This wus e man-to-msn conflict. nlnteresting how ch1ldren's minds grow in four small ycars,n Mr. Banks commented. Then Miss Lee handed him another. nThis is Hans Joffers,n sho whispered, excitedly. Hr. Banks looked end studied it for a long time, then took off his glasses, wiped them and looked again. The warmth thnt was growing inside him took away his presumed idea of defeat and reached ahead to e worried father who lay sick on a hospital bed, waiting and hoping. Hans Jeffers had given one of his startling expressions of need. He had drawn the jungle very vividly,--as if nothing else ' mattered. But, best of ull, high in the sky, Hens had placed an eagle, an American eagle, fierce, conquering, with itls broad wings

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SEA BREEZE 21 to run for help. If he yelled, they would hasten their tactics. The only thing to do was to rush the fellow holding the match. John get quite close to Him in the shadows, then made a run for it. He pounced on the leader and knocked him cold, thus surprising the two other saboteurs so that they ran for their lives. Johnnie then stepped on the w1re.which,was burning furiously toward the drydcck. , yC:rrying the unconscious sabeteur, John demanded entrance at thewghte just as two Shore Patrolmen came along dragging the two' runenweyi. They sent John to bed, telling him that they would see about his punishment for being late and take it up with him on thef nqft day. - I J s called in to see the Executive Officer on the thought, NUell, brig, here I come.U He was very a row of senior officers, gold-braided up to their around a table and said to himself, NDidn't know to put me in the brig.n He was much more surprise to hee his skipper telling everyone of his bravery and presenting him wi a medal. It seems that Johnny had captured three oi the clevefbsthsaboteurs on the Atlantic Coast. F , to ff 'When Kohn w.'7j..':Q dbxt morning, he surprised to see elbows, sitting itftookfull them Jean Crie '44 if J Te High Minded Students ,.1u x A brand new course has been introduced f To the students of Themasten High J Q ,It's name is Pre-Flight, what a headache it is To ge sailing about in the sky. .x 3 5 Plenes and meters and wings galore X Q 1 Propellers and hulldbslcc Pitching and ynwing and swaying about f what things those airplanes do. ' L 1 New take ny ddvise, ny readers and friends If you want to learn to fly . Study your Pre-Flight and you will learn How to take a trip in the sky. 7 :ns v. H' And listen to me my high-minded friends ' 1 dho heed neither warning ner cloud 4 Learn well your Pre-Flight for if you dcn'tiq You'll ond up wearing a'shroud. L Gienico Lermcnd '43 33' I ,L H y X , X 5 Knit d