The following items are taken from 1945 issues of The Leeds News.

SERVICE NEWS

About an aircraft carrier in the Pacific:  Carlton J. Falkner Seaman First Class: USNR, son of Mr. & Mrs. C.C. Falkner, Leeds, was aboard the Essex class aircraft carrier when her planes battered Okinawa prior to the Marine and Army landings.  With other units of the Pacific Fleet, this ship sent out her planes in a series of long sweeps and strikes that blasted enemy aircraft shore installations and shipping.

Tec. 4, Homer W. Ryland has returned from service outside the continental United States and is now being processed through the Army Ground and Services redistribution station in Miami.  Sgt. Rylant served 28 months as a member of the transportation corps in Southwest Pacific.  Before entering the service, Sgt. Rylant was a farmer.  He became a member of the armed forces on August 14, 1942.

Chaplain & Mrs. U.A. Brogden, who formerly served the Leeds Presbyterian Church, visited in Leeds recently.  He is now stationed in Ft. Benning, Ga.

Pvt. Charles S. Collins, son of Mrs. R.C. Collins, is serving with the armed forces in the Philippines where he mans a 90 mm gun.  He has been overseas since January.

X-raying battle casualties who are evacuated the U.S. Army General Hospital in England is the duty of Cpl. Fitz Douthit, 28, of Acmar.  He was schooled in the Army School of X-ray technology in Memphis, Tenn.  Entering the Army in Nov. 1942, Cpl. Douthit received his basic training at Camp Wheeler, Ga.  His wife, Mrs. Emily Douthit, and son, Ricky, live in Acmar.

Sgt. Joseph T. Poole has just completed three years continuous service in the Air Force.  Now serving in AMET (Africa-Middle East Theater), Sgt. Poole has been with the 318^th Air Service Squadron since it began its training in Florida three years ago after entering the service in 1942.

First Sgt. Ludford Eagan has been awarded the Bronze Star for heroic service during operations in Germany.  The citation read, “For heroic service in connection with military operations against the enemy in Germany, December 2, 1944.  When two men were killed and six others wounded as a truck encountered a mine field, First Sgt. Eagan, assisted by another soldier, in complete disregard for his own safety under heavy enemy artillery and sniper fire, entered the mined area and successfully evacuated the wounded men.”

Lt. H.B. Poole Jr., son of Mr. & Mrs. H.B. Poole, has been awarded two air medals and several Oak Leaf Clusters for service in the line of duty.  Lt. Poole, who is a bombardier and navigator in a B-26 of the 9^th Air Corps, is a veteran of over 30 bombing missions over Germany.  He was honored on Thursday afternoon in a radio program over WAPI.

Among those graduating recently from Intensive Course of Signalman training was Lawrence James Allen Jr., 18, son of Mr. and Mrs. L.J. Allen, of Leeds.

This week a communication from Mrs. A.C. Moody, of Los Angeles, Calif., who lived in Leeds many years ago.  She sends news of her family that will be of interest to friends and family of Leeds.  Mr. and Mrs. H.M. Howard (Verna Moody), of L.A. have been notified by the War Dept. that their youngest son, Pfc. LeRoy Howard, who was with the First Army in Germany, was injured April 18.  He recuperated in a hospital in France.  Mr. and Mrs. Frank Moody, of Alhambra, Calif., had news of their oldest son, W.H. Moody, Signalman 3/c, USN, that he landed on Iwo Jima on D-Day and came out without a scratch.  Alrand Moody, their youngest son, is now training with the U.S. Maritime Service at Catalina Island, Calif.

Pvt. Martin Harding spent the weekend with his family here.

Capt. Ralph Hale, of Sacramento, Calif., is visiting his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. R.E. Lee.

ANNOUNCEMENT

The Leeds Presbyterian Church announced their summer Bible school will start next week.  The following leaders have volunteered their time to work the children:  Mrs. Christine McLaughlin, Mrs. F.D. Ballard, Mrs. Eddie Martin (Mrs. Martin passed away last week, March 2013), Miss Martha Ann Postelle, Mrs. H.L. Lund, Mrs. A.R. Mallory, Mrs. Clyde Lee, Mrs. Joe Hunt, Mrs. Eva Mae Davis, and Miss Iris Taylor.

PERSONALS

Mrs. John Wilcox has returned to her home in Crescent Beach, Minn., after a visit with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Elliott.

Mrs. Mike Holmstock, daughter of Mrs. T.G. Amberson, has returned from a visit to Flint, Mich.

Laverne Martin spent the weekend in Ragland with relatives.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Little and grandson, Jimmy, have returned from a visit to New York.

Mrs. Ray Little is visiting her mother in Akron, Ohio.

Mrs. P.T. Armstrong and daughter, Linda Jean, spent the weekend with Pvt. Armstrong, who is stationed at Camp Blanding, Fla.

Gerald Kincaid, son of Mr. and Mrs. Cosper Kincaid, a Leeds High School student, who was sent to Montgomery to “Boys State” by the Leeds Post of the American Legion, was elected “treasurer” of the state for a day.  The Leeds Post is especially proud and pleased that its representative was elected to this honor.  The Boys State comes under the jurisdiction of the Americanism Committee of which E.Y. Rew is chairman.  This committee promotes youth activities.  At present, the Leeds Post is also sponsoring a baseball team coached by Bobby Thompson and Roy Rogers Jr.