GI'S VOICE GRIPES, GRINS
Miles Interviews Capt. Kennedy of Mason City
By FRANK MILES
(Iowa Daily Press War Correspondent)
With the 5th Army in Italy (IDPA) -- "Tell your readers we don't like it because we have been kept over here so long without furloughs, that we don't like strikes and that we don't like softness with German prisoners in the states," said an army sergeant with a grin.
"Yeah, tell 'em to let combat soldiers come home and take care of the jerries in the states," added another sergeant.
Enemy shells came into the area occasionally.
"Not much danger today though, too much fog," explained another GI.
"But this is Hitler weather," commented another. "If we could have clear skies and dry ground for a little while our guys up front would run the jerries out of Italy in a hurry."
Capt. Henry Arthur Kennedy, Mason City, an intelligence officer, was among the Iowans I met. He and 2 lieutenants were in a shell-shattered structure near the front.
"We have learned it isn't true there's a department in the mail service that smashes packages," the captain grinned in a discussion of the mailing of gifts to overseas officers and men.
Captain Kennedy and several GIs complained about slowness of letter deliveries.
At another aid station, close to where American artillery was in a duel with that of the enemy, an Iowa "conversation" was staged when upon hearing an Iowa correspondent was there, these Hawkeyes assembled:
Sgt. Glenn Carson, Elk Horn; T/4s James Vanderhoff, Red Oak; Wayne Mahoney, Cherokee; and Roger Jorgensen, Audubon; T/5s John O'Brien, Ottumwa; Darwin Vanderhoff, Red Oak; Joe Povich, Council Bluffs and now of Heartwell, Nebr.; and Cpl Isaac Kissell, Counci Bluffs.
Second Lt. Earl Walther, Des Moines, is now in the pictorial service section of the 5th army, coming here from the signal corps photographic center at Long Island, N.Y.
Source: Mason City Globe-Gazette, December 7, 1944
