VMI Cadet. May 3, 1943

              She ^ 1 1 1 3 1 Cabct
of
Virginia Military Institute
LISHED WEEKLY BY THE CORPS OF CADETS
LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA, MAY 3, 1943 NUMBER 28
First
Will i Enter OCS As
Classmen Inducted In Roanoke;
Graduate As Privates On May 22
Corporals After
Race For Garnett-
Andrews Cup Looms
As Fight to Finish
As another session draws to a close, it seems that Company 'A',
made up of Cavalrymen, has again retained the 'Blue rag' which sym-bolizes
possession of the Garnett-Andrews Cup, long the most prized
and sought after award here at the Institute. This prize is in competition
among all six companies, and is awarded on the basis of point totals
which are earned by the various companies in five different fields of
achievement. The second ranking company in this competition is allowed
to carry the white streamer on its company guidon, and while 'A' Com-pany
does hold a commanding lead for the blue streamer, it appears
that second position will be in doubt until the very end of the session.
Points of Grading
The five different gradings are gained from Competitive Drill re-sults,
Intramurals, General Appearance and Discipline of Companies in
Ranks, Parades, and Guard Duty. It is in this composite field that the
Cavalrymen have reigned supreme
Official
Inspection
Completed
Formalities Begin
Thursday Morning
By DABNEY WARING
Thursday, April 29 and Friday
April 30, witnessed the scene of
Government Inspection at VMI.
The three inspectors, Col. A. J. Bet
cher of Duquesne University, Major
W. E. Brodgon of the Headquarters
of the third Service Command, and
Lt. Col. C. M. Walton of Western
Maryland College inspected the
field artillery, the cavalry and the
Infantry respectively.
The examination was carried out
In much the same manner as has
been the custom in past years ex-cept
that this time it was a bit more
rigid and comprehensive.
The formalities were begun > t o m u s i c l o v e rg It~ will include the
Thursday morning as the inspectors Rachmaninoff C-flat minor prelude,
Prokofiefs march from "The Love
Lieutenant Marcus Gordon, Well Known Pianist,
Plays for Bundles for America Here Saturday
Many of the old cadets will re-member
the piano concert in Cocke
Hall winter before last. The pianist,
Marcus Gordon, is now a lieuten-ant
of the Air Corps, having won
his commission by enlisting, tak-ing
the basic training and attend-ing
the Officers Candidate School.
He is now at the Special Service
School in Lexington and has con-sented
to give another concert at
VMI for the benefit of Bundles for
America.
He has done this at many Army
posts, raising funds for the pur-chase
of materials used by a Na-tional
organization of women who
make clothing and provide sup-plies
for the needy families of our
own service men and merchant
marines; knitted garments are made
also for soldiers and sailors. The
Lexington chapter, sponsoring the
present concert, has sent over 1600
garments to distribution centers.
The concert will be offered at 8:00
p. m., Saturday, May 8, in Cocke
Hall and the program will appeal
visited the usual Thursday morning
Military Science classes. In most of
these classes the inspectors assum-ed
control and conducted a series
of oral questioning with the end of
determining the general knowledge
of the average ROTC student about
his particular branch of the service.
Questions included current events
and matters of good judgment in
addition to the expected quieries
regarding the regular text book
information.
The usual afternoon schedule was
somewhat altered. Drill was con-ducted
from 2:00 p. m. to 2:45 p. m.,
which was followed by afternoon
Military Science classes. During
these classes, the inspectors resum-ed
their exacting inspections. The
first day of inspectiton closed with
a Garrison Review in honor of the
visiting officers. The inspectors re-ceived
the review which was com-posed
of an infantry unit, a horse-drawn
artillery battery, a motorized
artillery battery, and a cavalry
squadron. The review was success-ful
in as much as the inspectors
appeared very much impressed. It
perhaps was VMI's best selling point.
Military Science class examina-tion
was held again on Friday morn-ing
in the same manner as on Thrus-day
morning. The afternoon was
devoted to a sham battle at White's
farm between the Cavalry and In-fantry,
each of which was supported
by artillery elements. Although
sham battles are by now an old
story at VMI, this one proved to be
unique due to the large scale to
which it was carried out. The opera-tions
of all parties were judged as
being very commendable, although
no final decision was ever made as
to which unit was victorious.
As yet the rating given to VMI
has not been disclosed, but it is
believed that tho school has every
reason to be completely confident in
the success of the inspection.
of Three Oranges," selections from
Chopin and a medley of Strauss'
waltzes. Admission charge, 55 cents,
including tax.
Gordon has played often for the
personnel of the several posts at
which he has been stationed. Just
before coming to Lexington, he
played for an audience of three
thousand at a War Bond concert
in Reno, Nevada.
Tickets for the concert have been
placed in the hands of the members
of the VMI Glee club. Any cadet
wishing to purchase one, should
contact some member of this organ-ization.
Gold Basketballs
Awarded Varsity
Monogram Men
The results of an excellent sea-son
of winter sports are still being
seen around barracks these days.
Wednesday afternoon Colonel Clark-son
presented to each winner of .a
varsity basketball monogram, a
small gold basketball for winning
the Big Six state championship. The
balls have a small red, white, and
yellow VMI on them and are en-graved
with each man's name and
and the position he played.
The following men were awarded
the gold trophies:
Sotynk, E. (captain), guard;
Thomas, V. J., forward; Smith,G.
A., center; Walker, R. S., guard; Mc-
Intyre, S. A., forward; Ward G.,
Center; Irwin J. A., guard; Bilisoly,
F. N., Manager.
These men worked hard for a
long time, to bring VMI its flrst
state championship in basketball
in 20 years. They most certainly
deserve their coveted awards.
EQUIPMENT LIST
[Editor's Note: The following list, compiled from several sources per-taining
to clothing and equipment to be carried by officer personnel on
domrslic duty, was given the Cadet last week for publication by Lt.
Eilerson. Next week wc will carry a similar list for overseas duty.]
NECESSARY FOR FIELD WORK
Watch, Wrist, Luminous dial
Belt, Web. Waist
Cap, Field, Cotton
Cap, Field. Wool
Underwear, White, Cotton
Underwear, Long, Wool
Gloves, Leather, Work
Gloves, Woolen, O. D.
Handkerchiefs, Cotton. White and/or O. D.
Insignia, Gold metal. "US"
Insignia. Gold metal. Arm or Branch
Insignia, Metal, Rank
Fourth Award Is Conferred
On Mucli-Decorated Earnest
VMI's much-decorated Lieuten-ant
(jg) Albert K. Earnest has re-ceived
another award, this time a
Gold Star in lieu of a third Navy
Cross for extraordinary heroism
in action against the Japanese, it
was announced from Washington
Friday.
On behalf of President Roose-velt,
Secretary Knox made the
award to the 26-year-old torpedo
plane pilot who previously had
been given the Navy Cross, Gold
Star and the Navy Air Medal.
The exact achievement for
which Lieutenant Earnest got his
fourth award was not described in
the news story from Washington,
but the story did state some of his
accomplishments. On Sept. 16, 1042
he contributed to the scoring of a
torpedo hit on a Japanese cruiser.
Struck Jap Cruiser
On September 22 he glide-bomb-ed
enemy installations on Cape
Esperance, Guadalcanal Island. On
October 9 he scored a hit which
put a heavy cruiser out of action,
and on October 10 and 12 he parti-cipated
in raids against Japanese
naval units which resulted in an-other
hit.
The flrst Navy Cross and Gold
Star had been awarded for heroism
in the Battle of Midway. He re-ceived
the Air Medal for piloting
a torpedo plane at Guadalcanal on
(Continued On Page 4)
Laces, Cloth or I.eather, Shoe or Boot
Neckties, Tan and/or black
Socks, Cotton
Socks, Wool
Oveicoat, Short or Long, O. D. or Tan
Shirts, Cotton, Tan
Shirts, Woolen, O. D.
Slacks, Cotton, Tan
Slacks, Woolen. O. D.
Breeches, Cotton, Tan
Breeches,, Wool, O. D. (preferred) or Pink
I,egg ins. Canvas or Cloth fabric, O. D.
Laces, Cloth, Leggin
Shoes, Tan, Low, G. I. (or purchased)
Shoes, Tan, High, G. I.
Boots, Russet, Dress
Boots, Russet, Field, or Three-buckle
Shoes, Gym or Soft
Articles, Toilet, Complete
Towels, Bath, White or Colored -.
Towels, Face
Jacket, Field, O. D. w/lining
Hag, Sleeping, Filled, O. I).
Hasin. Wash, Folding, Canvas
Pajamas, Cotton or Wool
Mask, Gas, Service
Compass, Prismatic, G. I.
Packet, First Aid, Complete
Canteen
Cup, Canteen - - -
. 1
1 or 2
2*
8*
6 sets*
4 sets"
2 pr.
2 pr.
10
2 pr.
2 pr.
2 pr.
2 pr (extra)
„ 2-3
4 pr.
4 pr. *2
1
4*
- 2 or 3
4 pr.
2 pr.
4 pr—2
2 pr.—2
1 pr.
1 pr. (extra)
1 pr.
2 pr.
2 pr.—2
1 pr—2
1 pr.
1 set
14 Days
40 Members
Sworn In
On Tuesday
Reception Center
Still Undetermined
By JIMMMIE MORRISON
In an interview Saturday with
Colonel Fray concerning registra-tion
of First Classmen for selec
tive service, the Commandant gave
the following information:
The government has decided to
induct all members of the Second
year advanced ROTC so as to place
them in service and subject to mil-itary
orders. Those members of the
Corps in this group will report to
the induction station at Roanoke
for a final type physical where, up
on successful completion of this ex
amination and after volunteering,
they will be enlisted in the Army
Reserve Corps (inactive) and re-turned
to VMI.
On Tuesday, April 27, forty first
classmen were given the regular
induction physical exams and sworn
into the army as privates. The re-maining
first classmen, according
to the Commandant, will be induct-ed
in Roanoke in two groups, one
on Friday, May 7, and the other on
Saturday, May 8.
A special bus carried the forty
inductees to Roanoke last Tues-day,
and it is assumed that the same
transportation will be supplied
when the remaining first classmen
officially enter the service at the
end of this week.
At the present, it is not definite
whether the first classmen will re-port
to one reception center as a
group or whether they will report
individually to camps nearest their
respective homes.
When the soldiers arrive at the
Institute, all members of the First
Class ROTC will be ordered to ac-tive
duty but will remain in school
until the end of the present semes-ter.
After a two week furlough the
above mentioned men will go di-rectly
to Officer Candidate School
with the grade of corporal. How-ever,
those who do not volunteer
for enlistment will enter the army
as private candidates for O.C.S.
Since the last half of the session
spent under the captaincy of the
late Lieutenant Tom Thrasher of
the Air Corps.
First Semester Stands
Although no company has shown
any definite superiority by taking
high total month after month, the
top position of 'A' Company can
be ascribed to the fact that it has
consistently finished no worse than
second or third in the month's to-tals
whereas other companies have
seen themselves slip from first po>
sition for one month to sixth for
the next. At the end of the first
semester the point scores stood as
follows:
1. Company 'A' 1533.50
2. Company 'F' 1317.00
3. Company 'D' 1309.55
4. Company 'B' . 1306.75
5. Company 'C' 1274.45
6. Company 'E' 1214.25
Notable during this second se-mester
has been the continual rise
of 'E' Company to a point where
she now seriously challenges 'F'
Company for second position. At the
end of March, 'A' still retained a
comfortable margin of two hun-dred
points, but where those two
hundred points had seen the com-panies
rank 'A', 'F', 'D\ 'B', 'C', 'E'
in late January, the order exclu-sive
of April's figures would read
'A', 'F', 'E\ 'D', 'C', 'B'.
(Continued on Page 4)
Cover, Canteen, O. D., Dismounted or Mounte—2
Kit, Mess, Complete
Helmet, Steel
Bag, Canvas, Museete or Field
Case, Canvas, Map —
Belt, Web, Field, O. D., Rifle—4 or Pistol—5
Glasses, Field, G. L - - —
Half Shelter Tent, O. D., G. I„ Canvas
Blankets, Wool, O. D., G. I
Coveralls, Cotton, O. D., G. I -
(Continued On Page 4)
2 pr,
The usual meeting of the edi-torial
staff will be held tonight.
Collegiate Digest
Features Tynan
Leo Tynan, famed Texan and
sometimes known as "The Mexi-can,"
will be featured in the 24th
issue of The Collegiate Digest,
which will be distributed in bar-racks
with next week's issue of
The Cadet.
Tynan, who is being sponsored
by his room-mate as "the ugliest
man in American colleges," is a
lieutenant in "E" Company. He is
a member of the Liberal Artist
course and has worn academic
stars during the last two years of
his cadetship.
It is hoped that this fine record
will not detract from his being
generally accepted throughout the
country as "America's Ugliest
Student," his room-mate and close
friend, Ren Scott, pointed out last
week.
Scott, who took the picture sev-eral
weeks ago, was notified on
Thursday by the Collegiate Digest
that Tynan's portrait would appear
in the 24th issue. The pose, accord-ing
to photographer Scott, consti-tutes
one of the most amazing
sights ever to be revealed to the
public. "The Mexican" is staring
straight into the camera with a
very unusual and distorted expres-sion.
There is a great deal of specula-tion
over the question as to how Ty-nan
was able to create an expres-sion
so weird that the editors of
Collegiate Digest would feature it
in their well-known publication.
Tynan's three roommates, hav-ing
spent many hours during the
(Continued On Page 4)
Few Celebrities
In New Course
At Army School
[Ring-tum Phil
With few well-known personali-ties
enrolled, the eleventh course
of the Army School for Special
Service last Thursday morning
started its recently reorganized
intensive four-week session. Among
the 350 officers there was a not-iceable
decrease of men famous in
their fields from the ninth course.
Lt. Marcus Gordon, concert pian-ist
who played at VMI in January,
1942, and Lt. Roger Burns, busi-ness
manager for Tommy Dorsey,
are two of the better known men
in the musical world.
Some better known names in
sports are Lt. Ralph felliott, pro-fessional
football player for the
New York Giants, and Lt. John
Maher, business manager of the
Pensocola, Fla., baseball club, for-merly
business manager of the St,
Louis Browns and co-owner of the
Tyler, Texas, team.
Capt. Angel F. Espada was gen-eral
supervisor of education in
Panama and Captain Robert Simp-son
was director of track and field
in Hungary prior to the outbreak
of the war. Previously Simpson
had been director of track and
field at Iowa State college for a
number of years.
Class of 1945
Ring Figure
Practice Begins
By RAYMOND YOW
Last Monday night the members
of the Third Class began practicing
for their '45 Ring Figure. The prac-tices
are being held in the gym and
are under the direction of Sidney
Gittens and Jimmie Morgan, co-chairmen
of the Figure Commit-tee.
Practices are being held every
other night so as to have the Figure
ready for the final touches before
the examination period begins.
Other plans for Ring Figure are
coming along very well. Henry
Whittle states that the flowers for
the occasion have been arranged
for. Jim Barker, in charge of dec-orations,
states that the plans for
decorations are progressing nicely.
Banker is being assisted in the
decorations by Billy Taylor, the
class artist.
The '45 Ring Figure will be held
on Thursday evening. May 20.
Notice
Because of labor conditions in
the mess hall, plans for the an-nual
Cadet banquet have been
changed. The date and place will
be announced at a later date.
Infantry and Cavalry Clash;
Both Have Artillery Support
White's Farm Is
Scene of Battle
By DICK DILLON
(Observation of a bewildered
member of the motorized battery.)
The battle of White's farm was
fought on the afternoon of April
30, 1943 at the said named location
and is reputed to have been the
crisis of the "Reign of Inspectors."
The motorized battery cautious-ly
approached the entrance to the
White's Farm at approximately
half-past three. The gate to the en-trance
was under heavy fire. The
battery passed through the en-trance,
and was saved miraculous-ly
from total annihilation only by
the superior bravery and judg-ment
of the officers and men, and
the putrid aim of the enemy. The
battery was quickly set up, and the
communications were established.
Machine gun nests wjere situated
in strategic positions, and were
kept turned on the enemy position.
The latter operation was a bit dif-ficult,
since the observation post
was between the machine gun and
the target.
The Battery of 105's, which was
situated at the gate, let go with
its first and last lethal battery.
The results were not very encour-aging.
It seems as though there
was a misconception as to the di-rection
of the target. It was too
bad about the right flank of our
supporting cavalry unit. They died
with their boots on, heroes, every
one of them.
Meanwhile, the wily enemy who
held their positions on the ridge
near the North river were firing
energetically at the battery of
105's.
Since the enemy were well con-cealed,
we could not discern a great
deal of activity, although there
was considerable firing.
Gradually the firing stopped. It
was not clear whether or not the
enemy had run out df blanks or
whether they had been captured
by our attacking force.
It stands to reason that some-one
must have been completely
Constitutes Part
Of Gov. Inspection
subdued, because the men at the
observation post appeared to be
leaving. At first it was doubtful as
to whether they were fleeing or
whether the battle was over.
After the wounded had been
dragged in, and after all of the
horseless riders and riderless hor-ses
had been accounted for, tho
105 battery packed up and re-turned
to barracks, leaving the
supporting force to look after the
prisoners.
The casualties were suffered by
the long-suffering cavalry. The
damage mainly concerned the hor-ses,
who either broke their girdles
or lost a stirrup. There were also
several unfortunates whose horses
abused them outrageously.
The generous victors were very
lenient with the vanquished, which
proves they were civilized, at
least. They should have extracted
an indemnity, namely a set-up at
the P. E.