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John F. Tarpley (photo)

Pvt. John Tarpley of Albion is with Platoon B, 558^th Signal A.W. Bn. And his last address was Drew Field, Fla. He is believed to be overseas.

Roy L. Thomson Jr. (photo)

Roy L. Thomson, seaman first class, is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Thomson of Bone Gap. He enlisted last October and his address is U.S. Navy, Dental Clinic, Unit A, Norfolk, Va.

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John Henry Tice Jr.

Pvt. John Henry Tice Jr. (36732097) doesn’t look like himself in this picture, but his relatives say it’s like him and they ought to know. John Henry is the son of Mr. And Mrs. J. H. Tice of Olney and his dad is a veteran of World War I in which he saw plenty of action. John Henry Jr. is with an infantry outfit stationed in Alaska and gets his mail at APO No. (39 Care of Postmaster Seattle Washington. He was inducted from Olney on February 16, 1943.

John Tinckham

HOME FROM 46 MONTHS IN PT BOATS

John Tinckham, CMOMM, one of Edwards county’s few, if not only representative in the PT boat branch of the Navy, is home with his honorable discharge. John enlisted in January, 1942, got his boot training at Great Lakes and then trained in the PT service at Melville, R.I. In May, 1942, he was sent to the Aleutians where he rode the boats as machinist in charge of powerful engines of one of the tiny (comparatively speaking) craft. After a year’s service in the Aleutians where he won battle stars for Attu and Kiska he was sent home and back to Melville as an instructor.

In January of this year he again was sent overseas, this time to the Southwest Pacific. Here he was in charge of maintenance of a squadron of 12 boats and although he rode the ships some, part of his duties were at the base. He served in New Guinea, Philippines, Halmahera and the Celebes groups. Here John won another battle star for the battle for Philippine liberation. The PT’s job was to break up Jap shipping --barges and small craft loaded with men and supplies which the enemy were trying to reinforce their hard pressed Philippine forces.

But the most rugged part of his three years and ten months’ service, says Tinckham, was his tour of duty in the Aleutians. The Japs weren’t as bad as the weather. Frail high speed craft in foggy, murky weather, with the constant danger of uncharted rocks and shoals,--for our part, we can readily imagine plenty of more pleasant places to go boat riding.

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Stu Tribe (photo)

EDWARDS COUNTY BOYS IN SERVICE

Pfc. Stu Tribe, Pfc. Thomas Stewart Tribe, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert S. Tribe of Albion expects to sail foreign service soon, if he has not already gone. His last address was 560^th Signal Air Warning Battery Co. A, Army Air Base, Wrigley Field, Virginia. He has been in the service since last March.

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Harry Utley

Letters from T-4 Harry Utley, who is in a tank battalion in Germany received recently by his mother, Mrs. Louis Utley of Albion, contained German, French and Belgium bank notes and clippings, the most interesting to the o.m. of which was a clipping concerning the Fifth Armored Division.

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Don Villers (photo)

DON VILLERS IS WOUNDED IN KOREAN RETREAT

Another Korean casualty was reported here Monday when friends were notified that Pfc. Don Villers of the First Marines had sustained bullet wounds in action on Nov. 28. He was struck in the right elbow and was believed to have been evacuated by air to Japan a few days before the Marines began their now historic retreat from the Choisen reservoir area to the evacuation port of Hungnam.

Pfc. Villers joined the Marine Corps following his graduation from Edwards Senior High in 1949 and sailed with the crack Marine outfit during the early days of the Korean encounter. He had taken part in the push northward out of the Pusan beachhead and in the Inchion landing as well as the drive northward to Choisen before receiving the wound. Pfc. Villers is the son of Mr. and Mrs. G.M. Villers, former Albionites, who moved to Lovington, New Mexico last fall.

Earl Edward Vincent

FORMER ALBION BOY IN HINES HOSPITAL RECOVERING FROM WOUNDS

Pfc. Earl Edward Vincent, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Vincent of Bement and grandson of Mr. and Mrs. George Walker of Albion, who was wounded in action in Italy June 13, arrived in the United States Saturday, Sept. 30, and is now in the Vaughn General Hospital, Hines, recovering from shrapnel wounds in both feet and shoulders. Earl Edward entered the service Aug. 11, 1943 and had been overseas since January, 1944. He saw action at Cassino, Salerno, and was with the troops that captured Rome and had marched 100 miles beyond Rome when he was struck by shrapnel from an 88 caliber artillery gun while fighting in the open. He has spent four months in the hospital. He was awarded the Purple Heart which he mailed to his mother, Mrs. Harold Vincent, two months ago and which was not received until last Saturday.

Earl Edward was born in Albion Feb. 12, 1924, and moved to Bement with his parents about sixteen years ago. He was graduated from the Bement township high school in 1942.

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