Train Whistles

When did you last hear the doleful wail of a steam train’s whistle? I’m talking about the steam whistle of an old-fashioned steam locomotive, the kind the engineer sounded to send his message to all within earshot. It was the punctuation he added to the sound of incessant hissing, chugging and huffing and puffing. To the pervasive smell of coal smoke and cinders. He had scores of stirring compositions. Their meaning, only he and perhaps the brakeman knew.

As a young boy, I was captivated by these sounds. I never tired of hearing them. They told me that my small town was part of a much larger world which I longed to see. There are few sounds on earth that will bring forth visions of adventure in romantic, faraway places, like the insistent call of a steam locomotive’s whistle. It tugged at me like the Pied Piper’s flute. It brought visions of snow-covered mountains, of barns and silos, of castles and minarets, of camels and deserts, of canals, windmills and shimmering rivers, of narrow cobble-stoned streets and houses with steep, gabled, red tile roofs.

And when I grew older, I saw all these things along with enough adventure to last me a lifetime. I saw camels and deserts while crossing the Sahara in “40 & 8's.†I saw Mt. Vesuvius and the ancient ruins of Pompeii on my way to the Anzio Beachhead. I saw the Coliseum silhouetted against the first pink streaks of dawn while leading one of the first patrols into Rome. And I saw the sandy beaches of Southern France from the ramp of my LCVP. I was welcomed by cheering French crowds and the ringing of church bells in the Rhone Valley. I trudged through the snow covered Vosges mountains on Christmas Day and saw the Austrian Alps from Hitler’s Berghof at Berchtesgaden on the last day of the War. The shimmering rivers were the Moselle, the Rhine and the Danube all of which I crossed under enemy fire. The cobble stoned streets and window boxes bursting with red geraniums were in those small German towns which had not been bombed into oblivion. Barns gave us shelter and a place to sleep. I saw the famous cities of Casablanca, Oran, Rome, Paris and Salzburg, all mostly untouched. And Nurnberg and Munich in ruins. To be sure, it wasn’t all pleasant. In fact, it was mostly hell! But it’s nice to remember the “good stuff†and having “been there.â€

But when the War was over I still heard the melancholy call of the steam train’s whistle. The tug was even stronger now, but the whistle was sending a different message. The faraway place, which it now extolled, was the one I had left three years earlier. That wonderful place called home. That place where your friends and loved ones await you. The whistles were calling me home.

But now, in my retirement years, the whistle no longer calls. I listen, but I hear no plaintive wail. The engineer is gone, as is his whistle and locomotive. They are dinosaurs out of the past and perhaps I am too. But I haven’t forgotten the romantic songs that the whistle used to play, nor the dreams and visions which it inspired. Nor the adventures and the faraway places that the whistle implored me to see.

And yet, I know that the day will come when I will hear the wail of the whistle one last time. Its tone will be soft and serene but it will not be denied. It’s call will be insistent and its message will be clear. The time has come to make that final journey, the one to join my buddies, my friends and loved ones who were given less time than I. The engineer will be there, as will his train and whistle. They assure me that I will be welcomed with smiles to a place of peace, love and harmony. A place where we will all be together again. A place from which there will no longer be any need to journey afar.

Russ Cloer - August 24, 2001

THE EXPERIMENT

General Doolittle liked the idea and, based on availability of the only aircraft capable of making it all the way to the targets with the bombers, the mighty P-51 Mustang, authorized Budd Peaslee to test the idea. In June 1944, supported by the 355th Fighter Group, the Scouting Force(Experimental) was formed at Steeple Morden, England. Budd arrived with 8 bomber pilots who had completed their combat missions. The 355th furnished 12 aircraft, Crew Chiefs and Assistants, quarters and all logistics support needed by the Scouts.

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Saipan, Marianas Islands, June 15, 1944 brought the dawn of a day long to be remembered in the lives of those who belonged to the 4th Marine Division and of course the 121st Naval Construction Battalion, for it was on this day that the second large invasion of Japanese territory was to be executed by these units. The experiences that were encountered in the Marshalls and the extra training just undergone had made us realize that the enemy was no push over. "H" hour was set at 0830 but everyone was up and above deck long before that time watching the bombardment of the coast by our big battle ships and destroyers. As the first waves neared the beach they encountered plenty of fire from shore. After the first wave landed the fire became intense. The following waves of LVT's were hit with many casualties. By 1230 on "D" day most of the battalion had landed on the beach in front of the town of Charan Kanoa. The day was spent in dodging shells and digging foxholes. Many of the men were posted as guards on enemy wrecked boats and others guarded the stockade with its growing population of men, women and children. That night was one of sleeplessness as shells were still falling and there was also a possibility of an attack from the sea. By dawn the next day the shelling had somewhat subsided and plans were being made to bring in badly needed supplies and equipment from floating dumps and ships. At 0900 a report was received that the enemy was attacking through the sugar mill. Defensive positions were taken and everone was on the alert. The 2nd Marine Division had pocketed a large group of Japanese in the sugar mill and while running into our machine-gun fire they retreated inland and were annihilated by the troops in waiting, the 27th Army Division was landed during the night. Now with the 2nd and 4th Marine Division and the 27th Army Division the enemy did have quite a problem on his hands. The following days were similar to our first ones with such excitement as dog fights, air alerts, mortar and sniper fire. The beach work was progressing at great speed and supplies were coming in at an encouraging rate. Our work as beach party ended on D-plus-4 and we headed for a new assignment of clearing the Japanese Aslito airfield and getting it ready for operation. Everyone worked with utmost diligence with what gear was available. With the help of Japanese equipment and improvised brooms made of brush the airfield was ready for planes by nightfall. Great joy went through the camp when the first plane landed on the strip. It was a Navy TBF that landed about 1800 five days after "D" day. Soon after transports, night fighters and B-24's landed. This gave us a feeling of security for the nightly raiders needed to have something like the P-61 or "Black Widows" to keep them at a distance. The work of the battalion was not all air strip work but included railroad and road repair, the reconstruction of Japanese instillations that were to be put in operation. This work was not going on unnoticed by the enemy for snipers were firing on our men while they were working. A roving guard was maintained at all times. The air alerts were getting to be a nightly habit and to our joy planes occasionally would be shot down. After Saipan was declared secured, 9 July 1944, the battalion's major job was to put the railroad in condition and also to get ready for the Tinian invasion. The battalion built ramps for LVT's which played an important part on the beach on Tinian. A special detail of picked men were sent to Tinian to set up these ramps on "J" day which was the day that tinian was invaded. The battalion was alerted on July 24th and moved to the beach above Charan Kanoa for further instructions. Two days later the battalion boarded two LCT's with all equipment and headed toward Tinian. The invasion of tinian was not as difficult as that of Saipan and it can belaid to the fact that the enemy on Tinian had an opportunity to see at close range just what the saipan campaign was like. The following morning about 0800 landings were made on the beach and the march to the airfield was begun. Our advance parties had the situation well in hand and it was nice to get a welcome from some of our own men. work on the airfield and roads kept most of the men busy while others were makin camp conditions a bit better. Salvage crews were bringing in equipment and supplies that could be used in further work of the battalion and also fill in our small stock of supplies. Looking back over this period it can be said that the 121st NCB worked astraditional Seabees during the invasion days and with the scarcity of equipment and supplies did a job to be proud of!!

14 KIA 71 WIA Casualties.

The Hand Salute

The salute is not simply an honor exchanged. It is a privileged gesture of respect and trust among soldiers. Remember the salute is not only prescribed by regulation but is also recognition of each other’s commitment, abilities, and professionalism. Some historians believe the hand salute began in late Roman times when assassinations were common. A citizen who wanted to see a public official had to approach with his right hand raised to show that he did not hold a weapon. Knights in armor raised visors with the right hand when meeting a comrade. This practice gradually became a way of showing respect and, in early American history, sometimes involved removing the hat. By 1820, the motion was modified to touching the hat, and since then it has become the hand salute used today. You salute to show respect toward an officer, flag, or our country.

The salute is not simply an honor exchanged. It is a privileged gesture of respect and trust among soldiers. Remember the salute is not only prescribed by regulation but is also recognition of each other’s commitment, abilities, and professionalism. Some historians believe the hand salute began in late Roman times when assassinations were common. A citizen who wanted to see a public official had to approach with his right hand raised to show that he did not hold a weapon. Knights in armor raised visors with the right hand when meeting a comrade. This practice gradually became a way of showing respect and, in early American history, sometimes involved removing the hat. By 1820, the motion was modified to touching the hat, and since then it has become the hand salute used today. You salute to show respect toward an officer, flag, or our country.The salute is widely misunderstood outside the military. Some consider it to be a gesture of servility since the junior extends a salute to the senior, but we know that it is quite the opposite. The salute is an expression that recognizes each other as a member of the profession of arms; that they have made a personal commitment of self-sacrifice to preserve our way of life. The fact that the junior extends the greeting first is merely a point of etiquette—a salute extended or returned makes the same statement.The way you salute says a lot about you as a soldier. A proud, smart salute shows pride in yourself and your unit and that you are confident in your abilities as a soldier. A sloppy salute might mean that you’re ashamed of your unit, lack confidence, or at the very least, that you haven’t learned how to salute correctly.In saluting, turn your head and eyes toward the person or flag you are saluting. Bring your hand up to the correct position in one, smart motion without any preparatory movement. When dropping the salute, bring your hand directly down to its natural position at your side, without slapping your leg or moving your hand out to the side. Any flourish in the salute is improper.The proper way to salute when wearing the beret or without headgear is to raise your right hand until the tip of your forefinger touches the outer edge of your right eyebrow (just above and to the right of your right eye). When wearing headgear, the forefinger touches the headgear slightly above and to the right of your right eye. Your fingers are together, straight, and your thumb snug along the hand in line with the fingers. Your hand, wrist, and forearm are straight, forming a straight line from your elbow to your fingertips. Your upper arm (elbow to shoulder) is horizontal to the ground.

I was just whatching " Victory at Sea" Episodes. They said the convoys would Zig-Zag because of the German Sub's. Can a large ship do that and keep from being sunk?

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