Flies 'Hump' Meets Many From Iowa
By Frank Miles
(Daily Times Herald War Correspondent)
Kumming, China (IDPA) -- "If the American soldier can see the purpose of his service, he will make any sacrifice," said Colonel John S. Kelly, Ayrshire, chief chaplain of the 14th air force.
The priest of the Sioux City diocese, studied four years in Italy. In his 11 years in the army he has been two and a half years in the Panama, two years in Hawaii and 20 months in China.
"Of course their minds and hearts are in the states," he smiled, "but they do their duties with remarkable zeal and spirit wherever they are. I hear many of their problems but on the whole they are of the highest character."
I came here from Calcutta, in a flight over the famed Himalayan hump, wearing an oxygen mask most of the time and sitting on a parachute all the way. Here as everywhere else I have been abroad are many Iowans.
Col. Ben Starkley, commanding a 14th air force service command installation, was born and reared in Pocahontas. Sgt. Norman A. Lysne, Mason City, cashier of the air depot finance department, was in the First National bank at Mason City 14 years and was there the day it was robbed by the Dillinger gang. Margaret Stell, Cedar Rapids, was in the ATC division of the federal economics administration. She is reputed to be the first woman ever to fly the "hump". Her plans called for a visit at home soon. Cpl. Ben Evans, Des Moines, on duty at 14th air force headquarters, had been overseas 20 months of which 17 were in China. He was formerly with the Des Moines Building and Load and Savings Association. Sgt. Lawrence Murphy, Newton, in the surgeon's office, has been in the army 40 months, 15 overseas and a year in China. Lt. Reno Knebel, Hills, with 29 months in China, was in medical administration. Lt. Richard Wright, Des Moines, formerly of the Holly Printing Company there, came overseas in November of 1943 and had been in China since.
Capt Donald Colby, Monona, a communications officer, had been in the army five years, left the states March 4. He was a cattle buyer before entering the service and intended to return to that business. An 18-month-old son awaited his homecoming.
Before leaving Calcutta I learned that an ordnance battalion of the base section there were Sgt. Leslie I. Laether, Fort Madison and Pvt. I.V. Williams, Waterloo.
Major Harold W. Worstell, Des Moines, originally of Knoxville when I met in Calcutta, was an engineering officer at Chadua, Assam, with 22 months overseas. Now 39, he was in the coal business in Des Moines, when he was inducted and had climbed from private to his present rank. While in the army in California, he met Eunice Speed of Pleasantville, and she is now Mrs. Worstell.
Maj. Bruce Morrow, of Iowa City, was dental officer for a bomber group.
Capt. Harlan Lynch, Ames, an engineering officer, who built B-29 field in India, had been abroad 18 months.
The morning I left Calcutta dumbness either on my part or that of the ATC sergeant, who gave me telephone instructions, sent me to one field 15 miles from the Press Hotel, where I was billeted, when I should have gone to another field. A smart, sergeant procured a command car in which I had taken 25 miles to the right place. Pfc. Clayton Bales, Yakima, Wash., my driver, was born near Washington, Iowa, where his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Simmering now live. He was in Washington State college when inducted 26 months and been overseas 11 months.
I have been shot plenty lately. American medico at Paris said I need no more immunization inoculations after looking at my chart, but I had to take one in the left arm for typhus at Naples, got another for cholera and was vaccinated for small pox at New Delhi, took one for typhoid fever and one for plague here and understand I may have to take atrabine which will make you yellow. Incidentally, every one of my shots "caught' and how!
Source: Carroll Daily Times Herald, July 27, 1945
