Armored Sentinel (Temple, Tex.), Vol. 21, No. 11, Ed. 1 Friday, June 21, 1963 Page: 2 of 12
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I
1
Page Two
Two former United States For
est Service employees took note
of the possibility of brush fires
on the Fort Hood Reservation and
throughout Central Texas as the
calendar announces the arrival
of summer.
PFC Robert E. Schweitzer and
PFC Lloyd K. Hendrickson of Hq.
and Hq. Co. 16th Engineer Bn.
1st Armored Division have fought
about 50 forest fires between
them as members of the U. S.
forest Service. They are both
surveyors in the 16th Engineers'
S-3 section.
"Texas has a built in safe
ty device against brush fires
declared Hendrickson. "The
I id it in is a a
keeps moisture in the poten
a el as
shrubs and trees high and
less susceptive to fire. Even
if afire starts the high hu
midity slows the rate of burn
ing and makes the fire easy
to control."
Schweitzer pointed out the dan
ger of an extended dry spell
here.
"If the humidty ever drops for
about a week the Fort Hood field
will be a tinderbox" said the 24-
year-old forester. "Last summer
the humidity stayed high all the
time. We did not have an ex
tended period of low humidity
although rainfall was sparse.
Fires were at a minimum be
cause of that. After a week of low
humidity and no rain brush fires
will be hard to control here."
The United States Weather Bu
reau's 30-day rainfall forecast for
as an us a
June.
Hendrickson stated that when
the humidity drops below 30 per
cent lumberjacks quit work and
desert the timber. For timber
workers 30 per cent is the dan
ger point.
Last year the 16th Engi
neers fougSrt several brush-
fires in the field. Moisture in
the fuel slowed down the
fires' progress and made
them easily controllable. The
16th Engineers' heavy equip
ment platoon of Hq. Co. was
called off Exercise Iron Fist
Signal equipment used to pro
vide communications for a
ROAD armored division will be
exhibited during an open house
8-10 a.m. Friday at the 141st
Signal Bn.
Old Ironsides' communicators
planned the event to commen-
orate the Army Signal Corps'
103d anniversary. It will be held
S^vin the block between 55th and
fcr^56th streets just north of Bat-
|f Atalion Ave.
Visitors will be shown truck-
4
mounted radio sets teletypewrit-
/er equipment message centers
telephone switchboards and ra-
j^dio relay terminals use during
I* 'J field operations.
More than $3 million worth of
such equipment is manned by
the 141st.
Teletypewriters will monitor
radio transmitted news dispatch-
"es from a press association.
-Guides in each unit will demon-
strate equipment and answer
vistors' questions.
A round-robin softball tourna
ment among teams from the
/141st the 142d Signal Bn. 2d AD
and the 54th Signal Bn. Ill
Corps is also scheduled as part
^of the anniversary observance.
Final games will be played Fri-
day morning at Leise field.
he at he of he S a
Corps Maj. Albert J. Myer in-
'vented a system of semaphore
1
signals using the familiar red
|i 'and white flags which have be-
1
come part of the corps' emblem.
He was appointed the Army's
first signal officer June 21 1860.
As an Army service branch
signal dates back 100 years to
'March 1863.
The 141st celebrated its organi-
/7zation this month. Activated
June 1 1940 as the 7th Signal
Troop the 141st gained the des
ignation of an armored signal
^company at the outset of World
War II and accompanied the 1st
Foresters Recall Old Flames
Discuss Brush Fire Threat
for several hours to battle a
brush blaze last August.
ccordir.g to forester Schweit
zer the humidity is the result
of warm moisture laden
blowing north from the Gulf of
Mexico into Central Texas.
Schweitzer earned a Bachelor
of Science degree in forestry
from the University of Maine in
1961. After graduation he joined
the U.S. Forest Service and work
ed as a timber management for
ester in the Bohemia Ranger Dis
trict of Umpqua National Forest
in Oregon until being drafted in
December of 1961.
Hendrickson from Gonzaga
University in Spokane Wash
majored in civil engineering.
it he
Service as an engineer in
the Salt Creek Ranger Dis
trict of Willamette National
Forest in Oregon.
Although they worked in neigh
boring districts in the same state
neither woodsman met each oth
er until they were assigned to
the 16th Engineers.
Hendrickson worked on the east
side of the Cascade Mountains in
Oregon and Schweitzer on the
Pacific side of the range. Hend
rickson said that he fought about
40 blazes a year in his district
most of them small. Schweitzer
encountered three big blazes in
his two-summer tenure.
Contrary to Smokey the Bear
a of or re
prevention both foresters blame
nature for 99 per cent of the na
tion's forest fires. Hie fires start
ed through human negligence are
generally easily accessible because
a careflesswood sman is either in
experienced or a tourist and does
not venture deep into the forest. He
stays near roads or tourist facili
ties. These areas are heavily pa
trolled so afire is caught in its
early stages Schweitzer said.
Any woodsman who does pene
trate deep into the timber knows
what he is doing and is consci
ous of fire safety. He causes the
forester no worry.
"The reason for the pre
ponderance of fires on my
side of the Cascades" ex-
141st Signal Battalion Plans
Open House For Celebration
AD in combat through North
Africa and Italy earning seven
campaign streamers.
The company was enlarged to
the 141st Signal Bn. in 1957.
2d AD DivArty
Presents Best
Battery Award
Battery B 16th Artillery 2d Ar
mored Division recently was hail
ed as the "best battery in the 2d
AD Artillery" for outstanding
a in he a
training year.
Lt. Col. E. M. Dexter 16th Ar
tillery commander made the an
nouncement in praise of efforts
by officers and men of the bat
tery.
The 155-mm howitzer battery
claimed the highest score ever
attained on a Fourth Army com
mand maintenance readiness in
spection at Fort Hood.
The 96.55 rating was achieved
in Dec. 1962.
Another first for the battery
was top score on the annual Divi
sion Artillery Battery Test. For
the winning 95.37 mark the men
of the battery were awarded the
Distinguished Battery Emblem
"The enthusiasm of the bat
tery also shows up in
other ways" Colonel Dexter said.
"Each officer and NCO in the
battery is a member of the 2d AD
Association and the battery re
ported a 100 per cent participa
tion in the recent Savings Bond
drive.
The above honors were topped
by a no AWOL report during the
training year.
Jack M. Prewitt Co. A. 1st
Bn. 81st Armor 1st Armored
Division was recently promoted
to sergeant.
THIS WEEK'S SPECIALS
FED LOT BABY BEEF
160 200 Lbs. Per Half
49c Per Lb.
FORE QUARTERS
90 100 Lbs.
45c Per Lb.
HIND QUARTERS
90 100 Lbs.
59c Per Lb.
GOATS FOR BARBECUEINS
25 30 Lbs.
29c Per Lb.
HOGS
60 70 Lbs. Per Half
39c Per Lb.
These prices include cut wrap frozen and delivered.
Use your credit 3 to 4 months to pay.
WELLS LOCKER PLANT
212 Ave. KILLEEN ME4-2II4
if S
plained Hendrickson "is that
as a storm passes over the
peaks of the mountains it
breaks up causing violent
thunderstorms lightning is
chiefly responsible for start
ing fires. Until the thunder-
heads hit the peaks they are
relatively peaceful."
Schweitzer claimed that he
once worked 12 consecutive days
with little or no rest fighting one
of his three big fires in Oregon
Hendrickson who has fought
small fires more than 40 times on
the eastern slopes of the Cas
cades said that he often worked
as long as 36 hours non-stop try
ing to control fires.
Hendrickson's main job was
plotting and surveying roads into
the interior of his district's tim
ber land. Roads are necessary to
remove freshly cut timber and
to replant areas after they are
cut.
As a timber management for-
seter Schweitzer picked timber
areas to be cut and directed re-
seeding operations after an area
was cleared of timber. All forest
ers deplore a needless waste of
timber.
"Natural fires result
ing from lightning are un
avoidable" said Schweitzer.
"But the occasional fires that
start through human careless
ness are inexcusable. It takes
more than 50 years for an
area to regain lost timber.
And it is only because of
fast action by the Forest
Service in replanting burned
out areas that timber is ever
replaced."
Forest fires are a menace not
only to timber landbut to hu
man lives.
You can't outrun a forest
fire" Schweitzer' asserted. "It is
a os be if
can't outflank it. A forest fire
moves at 3 to 5 m.p.h. and
that is a conservative estimate
without wind. A brushfire moves
even faster. How long could a
man continue to run at that
pace over rough terrain?"
"On the other hand you
could live througfi a brush
fire here in Texas" he re
vealed. "There are no trees.
A brash or grass fire leaves
nothing burning behind it. It
completely consumes every
thing in its path quickly. If
you are caught in ffiie path
of a brushfire that you can't
outflank your best bet is to
dig a foxhole pour whatever
water yon have on yourself
and thpn cover yourself with
dirt. The fire will sweep past
you quickly. There will be
enough oxygen so that yon
will not suffocate."
Hendrickson offered anoth
er choice.
Another alternative is to run
right through the fire" he ex
claimed. "Pick out the sparsest
area in the path of the fire and
run like the devil for it. Your
clothes might catch on fire and
you might get burned but it
could conceivably be your only
choice."
"\vo
~*10
lt«9. U.S. Pol. Off. and Canada
SHOE
HADE IN U. S. A.
Hi
1 1
The fourth of July will be cele
brated two days early this year
by the men of the 1st Armored
Division's Honest John battalion
—the 3d Bn. 2d Artillery.
But it will not be holiday fire
works for the "Sunday Punch"
unit. On the first and second of
July four XM-50 Honest John
rockets —two per battery—will
be fired during a rigorous Ar
my training test.
Since May 27 when one rocket
was fired the unit has been un
dergoing intensive training in
preparation for the test. Two
more rockets were fired June
11 and 12 and four more prac
tice shoots will take place June
25 and 26. I
By the end of the Army train
ing test the 3d Bn. 2d Artillery
will have fired 11 Honest Johns
in connection with the test bring
ing the unit's total to 21 rock
ets since reactivation last year.
A distinctive feature of the
June 12 firing was that it was
fired farther than any rocket at
Fort Hood. Covering a distance
of 23000 meters the XM-50 was
fired from the southeast Nolan-
ville Road area to the Henson
Mountains in the northwest.
"A great deal of planning went
into that shoot" said Lt. Floyd
L. Evans battalion fire direction
officer. "At that distance variables
increase and the probablity of er
ror is greater. Usually we fire
at a range of 19000 meters and
we haven't missed yet" he
added.
All aspects of the battalion's
~Vvo
mm
THE
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Clinic's new glossy glove-lined wipes shiny bright
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Shoes for the Entire Family
1193
Shoe Store
ME4-2831
307 M. Gray Killeen
THE ARMORED SENTINEL FORT HOOD TEXAS
ARMOR TRAINING Lt. Dejenie Simiu of the Ethiopian army got a first hand view of 1st
Armored Division training when he visited with Hq. Co. 2d Bn. 81st Armor. Pointing out the
action is PFC James J. North. Hie 25-year old lieutenant is spending three weeks at Fort Hood
observing training of STRAC armor units under the auspices of the U.S. Military Assistance Ad
visory Group. (Photo by PFC D. L. Bissonnette)
2d Artillery Prepares
For Sunday Punch Test
combat mission will be covered
by the Army training test in
cluding quick displacement to
position timeliness of fire ac
curacy and tactical posture. Two
night firings under total black
out conditions will provide an
additional difficulty for the rock
eteers.
Beginning with an operational
re ad in in a is on
two batteries of the battalion
will move to the field under tac
tical conditions and occupy a
position. A simulated nuclear day
light fire mission will be order
ed. One of (he rockets is pre
pared and fired the batteries
will move to a new position and
receive another fire mission un
der blackout.
Time is an important factor
in the test. The total resources
of the more than 60 men per bat
tery must be pulled together a
survey of position must be made
and meteorological crews must
feed their data to the fire direc
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WE9-3708
tion center for computation. No
moire than 25 minutes can elapse
between occupation of position and
time on target.
The entire test will constitute
more than 30 hours of contin
uous operation for the rocketeers.
"It is a thorough rigorous and
demanding test" remarked Lieu
tenant Evans" examining all as
pects of the battalion's combat
mission. Hie ability of the crews
to operate under the trying condi
tions of blackout and fatigue will
be crucial."
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"We're not necessarily going to
fight differently" Lt. Col. T. A.
Barrow 2d Armored Division G-3
said the other day "but we sure
ought to be able to fight faster.'
is in a a is
straightforward description of the
changes which will come about in
the Hell On Wheels division when
the ROAD (Reorganization Ob
jective Army Divisions) concept
becomes a reality July 1.
Reservists Find
1st AD Assault
Course Superior
Three live-fire combat assault
courses constructed by Co. B
16th Engineer Bn. 1st Armored
Division received rave notices
from reservists of the 90th Infan
try Division.
The 90th Infantry who finished
two weeks of summer training at
Fort Hood last week rated the
three one-half mile long courses
superior to the one they navigat
ed two years ago at Fort Polk
La.
The 16th Engineers completed
the courses May 31 just before
the 90th Infantry arrived. Each
course has 50 pop-up targets and
50 mortar and artillery simulating
demolition pits. The courses com
bine main features of basic train
ing close combat courses and in
filtration courses.
The reservists had no appar
ent difficulty in moving through
the courses. Thirty men at a
time each firing live ammuni
on a vi at he or
courses without a mishap. CON-
ARC has ordered that 66 of these
courses be built on posts in the
United States. The first was fin
ished at Fort Polk in 1961.
Thomas A. Gales Hq. Co. 1st
Bn. 81st Armor 1st Armored Di
vision was recently promoted to
sergeant.'
Rufus Graves Jr. Co. C 1st
Bn. 52d Infantry 1st Armored
Divison was recently promoted
to sergeant.
The conversion deemed neces
sary by military leaders to allow
combat divisions a more flexi
ble and mobil punch in the time
of crisis is slated for comple
tion this summer.
A capability of "fighting fast
er" looms as the foremost result
of the switchover with practi
cally every operational logistical
and tactical element of the divi
sion marked for a change.
Both operational and logistical
phases of Iron Deuce's mission
will be speeded up with whole
sale changes due for support and
personnel elements.
For instance division G-2 (In
telligence) under Maj. Kitchen
Brown has its work cut out. As
Colonel Barrow put it "When an
Army's equipment becomes more
sophisticated the problem of keep
ing it secret from the enemy gets
more complex too."
Hence Major Brown is con
cerned primarily with a raft of
security clearances for men of
the division who will be operating
the "sophisticated" weapons and
machinery.
Operators of weapons and ma
chinery is also the concern of
Lt. Col. R. C. Morris' adjutant
general section which since the
advent of 1963 has been busily
ensuring capable and competent
operators and repairmen for. ra
dar and electronic equipment.
New and more modern weapons
are already in use the M-14
rifle and M-60 machine gun being
two in particular.
Training will step up during
the summer as the division looks
toward a state of combat readi
ness under the ROAD system.
Interpreting of new anti-tank
platoons into infantry and armor
units training of a new sky cav
platoon for faster reconnaisance.
and effective use of a fifth artil
lery battalion are tactical meas
ures which must be met and mas
tered.
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WE9-3708
*s
V*
Friday June 21 1963
Farewell Review
Hails Departing'
2d Brigade CO
A farewell review was con
ducted by the 2d Brigade 1st Ar
mored Division June 14 at Sa-
dowski Field to honor Col. Lloyd
K. Jenson departing Helmsman
commander.
Participating in
the review®
were the 5th
Bn. 6th Infan-
fantry the 1st'
Bn. 13th Ar
mor the 2d "'M
Bn. 52d Infan- $3
try Hq. Co.
2d Brigade 'M
brigade a
battalion colors
a
guards and -j*
the 2d Armor-
Jenson
ed Division Band.
The review included the for
mation of troops presentation oflr
honors inspection appropriate
ceremony and march in review.
The ceremonies included the fi-
a re at on of or a
farewell remarks by Colonel
Jenson.
Brig. Gen. Frank C. Norvell
assistant 1st AD commander
gave congratulatory remarks.
Colonel Jenson is the first Old
Ironsides senior commander to
depart from the division since
its reactivation in February
1962. m.
Oliver Rochester Co. B 1st
Bn. 52d Infantry 1st Armored
Divison was recently promoted
to sergeant.
^pTempkl
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Armored Sentinel (Temple, Tex.), Vol. 21, No. 11, Ed. 1 Friday, June 21, 1963, newspaper, June 21, 1963; Temple, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth254748/m1/2/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Casey Memorial Library.