Mande, A Bruce Keller — United Aaes ‘omy Nineteen hundred and forty five Ford ath Irons a a te ome iis THE CAPTAIN REPORTS TO THE FOLKS AT HOME School should be out at home now and all the report cards from the 248 children of the TELFAIR families, ‘I am sure were good ones, It may surprise you to learn that the men of the TELFAIR got report cards this spring too and they were "EXCELLENT". So while the Mammas are writ- ing the Daddies about how Johnnie and Mary got all "A's! and passed, let me tell you about the Daddies report cards. we have a little differenct system of marking than the schools at home and the grades are for slightly different subjects, As a matter of fact our better marks go for "Bulls-hyes", You may have guessed it, the sons, husbands and fathers of the TELFAIR families are now "BATTLE-TRIED". They have experienced what it means to fight a ship and meet the best the enomy has to offer and save their ship. They point with pride to the "rising sun" flags painted on the bridge of their ship, silent reminders of their courage and devotion to duty under fire. And the report dard c mentioned are messages which came from the. ieee echelons of command at the conclusion of our part of an important mission. I give you the substance of the messages, omitting only those parts which deal with names and places. Here they are: dy "eevee sUPON COMPLTTION OF YOUR DUTY UNDER MY COMMAND I WISH TO BAPRESS MY APPRECIATION FOR THE LOYAL AND EFFECTIVE _ ASSISTANCE YOU HAVE GIVEN ME IN THE ....eeOPERATION. YOU MAY: JUSTLY FEEL THAT YOU HAVE CONTRIBUTED IMMEASURABLY TO THE SUCCESSFUL ACCOMPLISHMENT OF OUR MISSION, iI “WISH ALSO ' TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON THE EFFICIENCY OF YOUR SUBORDINATE COMMANDERS “JHO HAVE SO SKILLFULLY CARRIED OUT THEIR DUTIES UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIF. TO YOU AND ALL HANDS "WELL DONE" ." Z. ',,....WISHES TO PASS THIS ON TO ALL HANDS UNDER HIS | COMMAND AND IN TURN EXPRESS HIS AFPRECIATION FOR THE SPLENDID ASSISTANCE GIVEN HIM. WITHOUT YOUR FORESIGHT, INITIATIV™, HARD WORK AND LOYALTY SUCH MESSAGES COULD NCTy HAVE BEEN MERITED. YOU PERFORMED “JITH AN EFFICIENCY BORDERING ON PERFECTION." 3. "....,..TO THIS I MUST ADD THAT IN MY TIME WITH You 1 HAVE SHEN THAT YOU "ELL MERIT SUCH PRAISE. rf I was glad to publish the above to "ALL HANDS" and add that . had only the highest ue for the performance of the officers and men of the ae ay | I know you, their loved ones, will take justifiable pride in their achievements, COMMANDER USNR. COMMANDING OFFICER. NOT FOR PUBLIC..TION - AND LOW FOR THE LETTER The Captain was pleased to receive acknowledgment fran some of the families indicating their appreciation of the "Dear Folks" letters which were sent home, ! Dear Folks: "General Quarters} ALL HANDS MAN YOUR BATTLE STATIONS \" is an order none of the crew of the TELFATR will ever forget, particularly on the evening of April 2, 1945. That was a night of the wildest possible dreams, And it wasn't the music of Hoffman's Tales, because the air was filled with Jap planes out to get us by fair means or foul. We learned that night and saw with our own eyes what happens when a Jap pilot goes into a suicide dive...but I'm getting ahead of my story or Chapter 2 of the "TALES". (e call tem "sea stories"), = So far as you knew our last definite location was in San Fedro Bay Leyte, in the Philippines. We had tthat feeling" that we were scheduled for something big and one day we sailed with some friends heading northwest for what was to be our eventual destination...OKINAWA and the KERAMA RHETTC. By this time you must have read news accounts of the general action that took place there, culminating in Fleet Admiral Nimitz’ announcement on June 21st that "Organized resistance on Okinawa had ceased", ‘Ye had a full weeks work immediately before Easter Sunday, which I. am sure we celebrated differently than you, . oat It was a real spine tingling thrill to be an eye-witness of the assault on these Jap-held islands. The bombardment was terrific both from sea and air. — Tt seemed like there couldn't be a solitary living creature left on any or the — islands by the time the troops were ready to go in. Strangely enough there were very few civilian casualties on the adjacent islands. Those natives who were found to be injured had received their wounds from their own hands, the Japs having "sold" them on the idea that Americans were really out to slaughter them whether they bore arms or not,..so there was evidence of where natives were either killed by the Japs or forced to commit a sort of special Hari-Kari.- Our preliminary mission having been accomplished, we\were ready for the Raster Parade", but with steel helmets as our "Raster Bonnets". And that brings us up to that day in our history, mentioned above, for on that evening of 2 April 1945 the so-called wiley Jap riding in light bombers and fighters, tcontacted us" and what followed was real war, ‘We had been attacked the pre- vious morning by one Jap plane, evidently on reconnaisance, but as he was out of range the action was short lived. The attack was our first major action and you would have been proud of the way our gun crews went into action. Our gunners and crews upheld the best traditions of the Navy, and of our frontier ancestors by really drawing a bead on the attacking planes, Officially we,were credited with two and one- half planes which means that we got two ourselves and gave assistance on get- ting the third. The quail shooters from the middle west among us found out this was faster shooting than using the old 12 gauge on Bob ‘hite. In at least one way, shooting down Jap planes was just like being at a major league baseball game,..everytine the favorite would get a hit there would be cheers from the crowd and the grandstands would go wild, ‘Yell, we hit two homers and were credited with an assist for the third. Hach time one of the planes went down there would be cheers from everyone aboard, but only while we were searching the skies for more of the enemy intent upon their suicidal at- tacks. Yes, we know what a suicide attack means and maybe someday we'll be able to tell you more about what we've seen. The action lasted about ten minutes but during those ten minutes the air was filled with planes as well as flak from our anti-aircraft fire. ag NOT FOR PUBLICATION That we were victorious in this action there can be no question for not one of the Jap planes got away that night...all hit the Bast China sea in flames. ‘We had seen the enemy at close hand and had been in our first action. “wg felt then we could cope with-any situation that might arise. Our gunners really demonstrated their ability to handle their guns. The TELFAIR crew wes now a tested fighting unit. : Cur Reach Party while on the beaches at I SHIMA had all the thrills they could wish for from living in fox holes to being constantly subjected to Jap sniper fire. Among the many hair-raising experiences they encountered was the one on the day one of our boats brought needed supplics to the beach, Jap snipers covering the besch tried their best to hit the men unloading supplies as well as the boat crew. Outside of a couple of holes in the side of the boat-:, the Jap marksmen were unable to score any hits. Not far from where the Beach ‘arty bivouacked was where Ernie Pyle was killed. All members of the Beach Party visited his grave and read the marker that says, "Here Lies the 77th Div- ision Buddy, ERNIE PYLE". 7 "le were all shocked as we know you were over the death of President Roosevelt which was announced to us over the speaker system by the Captain who directed that the colors be half masted for thirty days and that Sunday April 15th be the date of a memorial service to be conducted by the Chaplain for our . departed Commoander-—in-Cnief, well, to get along, our assigned tasks having been accomplished it wasntt long before we received orders to move out, It was quite a relief to put Okinawa behind us for we had been living under tremendous tension for more then a month. Sleep was something you caught by the wink rather than by the hour and we were several winks behind. After we were at sea the Captain an- nounced our destination as Ulithi, some 1200 miles sout: and east of the Okinawa Cunto and another of those Atols which have proved so valuable to us. Maybe your short wave radios have picked up that stetion “VTY, whose announcer always signs off with, "This is Ulithi, “WTY on the Facific Ocean Network, presenting the finest in music and entertainment for you the listeners on this, THE ROAD TO TORLONS | | Maybe you heard the NAVY-HOUR broadcast not long ago with Lieutenant Robert Taylor as Master of Ceremonies in which was presented "The Fleet That Came To Stay" a-dramatic story of the KAMIKAZE attacks on Okinawa. We, are proud -. +49 have been a part of that fleet. ' Our stay at Ulithi was pleasant because of the foresight and planning © by our Navy leaders who had established a Fleet Recreation Area here where ships could send their personnel for relaxation, of the he-man type, You should have seen us in our what-nots, playing baseball, basketball, volley ball, handball, _ pitching horseshoes, and ‘swimming, with movies at night. Through the instrumentality of radio, we probably heard as soon as ‘you of the Un-Conditional surrender of Germany which brought V-E Day. The Captain published to all hands Fresident Truman's message of Un-Conditional surrender and designated Sunday 13 May for the holding of a memorial service as a fitting manner in which to commemorate this event. We will be blossoming out with a new campaign ribbon, and you will be interested to learn that the officers and men of the TELFAIR have been autnor- 4zed to wear the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, with bronze star. : More honors came our way when the Captain called all hands to quarters one day (after we left Ulithi) and at an Honors Ceremony made the following . presentations: fe NOT FOR PUBLICATION To Lieutenant RH. SCHNEELOCH, Jr., USNR of Fort Lauderdale ,-Florida, CITATICN AND COh- MENDATIOMN RIBBON, awarded for action while attached to a former command, To James BE, STUART, Seaman First Class, USNR, of Dallas, Texas, the Presidential Unit Ribbon with bronze star, awarded for action while attached to a former command. To Herman C, DOSSETT, Jr., Seaman First Class, USNR, of Sacremento, Kentucky, authorization to wear a bronze star in his Furopean-Africa-East Asia Ribbon for an engagement awarded for action while serving in a former command. At the same ceremony, the Captain delivered an appointment to ‘Yarrant Boatswain to our efficient Chief Boatswain Mate, Gerald J.R.e BROCE, USN, of Bay City, Michigan. The Captain pointed out in his remarks that BROH's promotion to ‘Tarrant Officer came as the result of his excellent record and was a fitting example of what was possible for an enlisted man to attain in the Navy. JIn- cidentally, the Captain enlisted as a Seaman in World “ar I. — The TELFATR now has its complete Marine Detachment with the arrival of Corporal Leonard PUCKETT, USMCR whom we were glad to weicome on board for duty, First Lieutenant Richard STONE, USMCR, of Oceanside, California, our efficient Transport Quartermaster, commands his two-man Marine outfit. while we don't have any Chamber of Commerce, luncheon clubs and citizen's committees heading up various drives, yet the Navy Counterpart is very much in evidence on board the TELFAIR. ‘We had a "MARCH OF DIMES" com— mittee who when the funds were counted found they had made it a "MULTIPLE MARC OF DIMES". : Next we participated, as did all Naval Ships and Stations, in the drive for NAVY RELIEF, sending in our combined gift to that worthy organization, recognized by navy.people as an, "ever ready help in time of need",. we have just completed our report on the 7th War Bond Drive for cash sales which are of course over and above the bonds which are being bought through the method of pay allotment, our sales indicate the TELFAIR gang is planning for that "rainy—day", well, folks, that just about brings us up to date, Oh yes, one thing more, after an 'tall hands evolution" the ship really sparkles with a. new coat of paint from stem to stern, including tne rigging and looks better than when it did when it was new. | AS ever, Mac. Se: NOT FOR PUBLICATION Ostober 12, 1944. Ins. Frank 5. Allen, USNR, N.T.8. (Coma.), Wigglesworth J-22, — Harvard University, Cambridge, Mase. Dear Frank: It was a pleasure to hear from you that you enjoy the Jayhawk Rebounls. I am ¢g the address of Ross Robertson, and will put permanent mailing dist. — We are very proud of you, Frank, in great work you are doing, and I know you will be successful in your next assignment. Glad to lmow you like Harvard so | ‘Viith kindest regards and best wishes, I am TL seg ait E Affectionately, purester of Physical Education, FCA: AH ; Varsity Basketball Coach. ms 2. ave SS ae aes en = ~ oo. wen matte aaQner oe er. ee nee + or ; wer ry 3 re ; eerr | ag “a aye “en “ ‘5 Seren ‘ ae PIA aR ‘sam neteay Seine August 20, 1945 Mr. Leonard H. Axe Director, University Services Frank Strong Hall, Campus Dear Dr. Axe: Innediately upon receipt of your letter I went into action. We have followed through every one of your amet lcanen suggestions and some others besides. Cale ddtemnes ve it is Oellis nestich: ts aeimaie under Mr. Bayles, and we are urging that the fan be placed in the auxiliary basket storage room without delay. | Assuring you of my hearty cooperation, I am | Sincerely yours, Forrest C. Allen Director, Physical Education Varsity Basketball Coach FPCA:0f Or. Pe €. Allen; 107 Robinson, University of Kansas. Dear Dr. Allen: L have had a report from tie inspection party — of the Navy and they have made several requests for the sanitary conditions in the locker room and the shower | deck in Robinson Gymnasium. I have passed this infor- mation along to Mr. C. G. Bayles and he will foliew through on the matter. One request that was made by the Navy was to have an electric fan placed in the basket storage room to get a change of air more frequently than is being done at the present time. I think that this is a matter for your attention rather than for Mr. Baylies.. I will — appreciate it if you will check the conditions in the © shower deck, the -locker room deck and the basket —— rPoome - Very truly yours, monard Hy, Axe, — - Se ‘Director University Services, August 22, 1945 Mr. Gene Anderson 252 North Eighth Salina, Kansas Dear Gene: I was mighty happy to have your telephone call night before last. I am planning to get out to see you at the earliest possible moment, but there are some matters here regarding the building of some gymmastic equipment for the Navy that I am responsible fors As director of physical _ education it is up to us to provide facilities for physical training for the V-12 boys. There are some things that are requiring my immediate attention so that I must be lere for a few days. As soon as I get this cleared up I will immedi=- — ately get in touch with you by phone and I will run out and SOG yous ; eee I want to keep you advised regarding these matters. With all good wishes, I am Sincerely, Forrest C. Allen Director, Physical Edwation Varsity Basketball Coach FCAsef ie eS ee a: ae | August 29, 1945 . " s : Ur. Carl Anderson 252 Worth Eighth St. , Selina, Kansas Dear Mr. Anderson: - . ~ I am still tied up with heavy details here at my office and have been unable to get away. However, I taiked he is hoping to get out to Salina to see you and Gene tomorrow. ‘The draft situation is still a moot point. I happen to be secretary of our Selective Service Syctem here, but T 3 know no more than amy one else witil we are acvised from headquarters. 1% Dan Bolen told me that Gere will med assistance to go to college. Please speak very frankly to Mr. Quigley and I know he will be frank indeed to you. AG | I am still hoping to get out your way because I want to heave a talk with you and your family. I a vdry much interested in Gene attending the University of Kansas and I trust that this may ‘be brought about. e Dee It would be a great pleasure for’us te have Sone here, and it would be an added pleasure to have you and your family come up to see him play for the University. With every good wish, Tem, Sincerely youra, ed a | Forrest GC. Allen Director, Physical Hducation Varsity Basketball Coach | FCA:med > ee ns co: Mr. E. C. Quigley — Lee ‘ / Salina, Kansas 25 August 1945 Mr. Forrest C. Allen University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Dear Mr. Allen: Gene and I would be glad to see you whenever you are in Salina. As Gene may have told you, he has not been able to definitely plan on going to college as he will be eighteen years old September 22, 1945. Also he is 6 feet 5-3/4 inches in height, which may or may not bar him from entering the Armed Forces. Dan Bolen may have told you that Gene will need assistance to go to college, which may increase during the reconversion period. However, the main object, of course, is to complete his education. Gene feels as I do, that, if he has the ability to play good basketball, he would like to go to Kansas University where coaching and records are the best. © Thank you for your kind interest. Sincerely yours, Carl Anderson f Auguat 20, 1945 Mr. Carl Anderson 252 N. Bighth Salina, Kansas Dear Mr. Anderson: I have just had a letter from Dan Bolen in which he tells me that he has had a talk with you and thet you and Gene are interested in the University of Kansas. I assure you that wo are interested in Gene's attending the Iniversity. 1 had a short visit with Gene when I spoke at their championship ban- quet last spring. | : ai ae As soon as I can get away from my office duties here at the University, I would like to run out to Salina and talk ~ with you and Gene. Will you write me and let me know if you ”~ will be in Salina the rest of the month. : | Ve I on pretty much tied up here this week, but should be freer the week following. I will thank you for an early reply at your convenience. Le , Sincerely, Forrest ¢. Allen Director, Physical Education : Varsity Basketball Coach FCA:ef | oe obs Dan Bolen Salina, Kansas /124 & pn ALD SST BLY Fe. si PRR PH S “eye Mis. lois 2 RT SE Jt Disiine Ace Bs LOSE oy PI leaky, | ew SA fhe ee ean al _ ethane Se eras LWA | He Aealee ae how. i edema aa Lf | : | 4 | Cea ay mae oF 6 Lin Thursday, Dec. 28, 1944 Once Over Lightly L___-By Andy Rooney: EW YORK, Dec. 27—Do you detect an odor? Do you smell something funny? Whether you detect it or not, something is beginning to smell, and it | is the big time gambling racket which is moving in on amateur and, in particular, college sports. A few weeks ago University of Kan- sas basketball coach Dr. Forrest C. *‘Phog’’ Allen popped off again. Good erie Allen is always popping off about this time of the year, but never- theless he had something to say. Simply, Phog told everyone who wanted to hear it and some who .didn’t that gam- “_blers have become a threat to college athletics. ~ Speci-- fically Allen pointed out the case of se i Utah University PHOG ALLEN Coach Vadal Peterson, who answered the door in his hotel room in New York before a. game in the Garden and was confronted with a man who asked the question: ‘‘How | much will it cost me to have you see to | it that your boys lose to Dartmouth in the finals of the NCAA basketball tournament?”’ Peterson slammed the door. Allen offered further information without laying himself open to a libel case about two college players who sold their own team to professional gamblers for a price. And lastly, Allen suggested that there is a scandal in the making which will make the Black Sox mess | look like a penny pick-pocket affair. MOSTLY what Phog Allen was talking about was Madison Square Garden. where the biggest basketball business in America is being carried on every winter by Ned Irish. The facts are that hun- dreds of thousands of dollars are ex- changing hands on the results of the Garden winners and where there is. tnat much involved someone is going to get approached. College gambling is not a haphazard affair participated in by a few track bookies during the off season ; it is a big time racket all by itself. These odds often quoting the prices the gamblers are offering are not set by guess | work and too often they are set by in- formation not available to the public. | Gambling in college sports has grown to such proportions there is now a cen- tral clearing house known to the trade as the ‘‘Minneapolis House.’ It is | known among the touts as a reliable trading firm dealing in sports information and betting’ prices, and bookies pay for the information they get from the Minneapolis House just as they would pay for a pair of boots at Montgomery Ward’s. This house collects sports ——- all over the country and sets prices and wholesales information on sports events throughout the nation. They work - through professional agents or dope col- lectors and naturally the: best bet is to have someone on the teams giving them the dope, or second best someone on the college campus, NED Irish, the Garden basketball mag- nate, has made an effort to run the gamblers out of the Garden, but thé fact is, if he stamped out gambling he would stamp out a great deal of Garden basket- ball. Not all of those 17,000 people were at the Garden the other night because either St. Francis or Muhlenberg were dear to their hearts. They were there for the same reason they go to the horse races—and that ain’t to watch the nags run. The hardest comment to answer about such gambling is, ‘‘So what?’’ But it is true that gambling makes for a bad smell and dishonesty. Judge Landis did a good job of keeping professional base- ball divorced from the professional bettors and it might be a good idea if the colleges went at the business of wiping the gamblers out of college athletics. Lo eaten $0, 1985 Mrs. A. Je Anderson | ; hae ? Hotel Bolderado 7 , Bolder, Colorado My dear ladys ¢ fick Tin eetaand aw qatietl Seldon talk During all your illness I never even got around to see . youe I am glad, howover, that you got rid of that appendix. Having vidded yourself of that, maybe you will feel chari- table enough to forgive me. _. Hagh and every day I though surely that I would make it, _ something always transpired. S heven bun: atiuhd tems t ieesld: prdehiektivel ong : ; enough that you would return to Lawrence before I got my eee fe ee Mee SE NEE ade HART Mapraaing if this thing did not mappa With every good wish to you, I am, Sincerely yours, Forrest C. Allen Director, Physical Uducation Varsity Basketball Coach - PCAsmed TOWALK IN SADDY's 6 HANOPRINTS f AND TO FATTER AFTER VICKIE” C ae i ai i z ic a 2510 Pe ST. + DURHAM. N.C. ao ie ce August 10, 1945 Mrs. StellkAllen 9839 Winner Road Endependence, Missouri Dear Stella: | I have not carried this West Point Training matter to the conclusion that I had hoped. = : Our sumer session closes Saturday, August 18, and I have been kept on the job here in a very confining way. I have 9:30 and 10:50 classes every morning and my afternoon work has been such that I | have not been able to get out of town. I have wanted to drive over to Independence, Missouri, and see Henry Childs in the court house. Mr. Childs had a son that graduated from West Point and he is a very ine . fluential citizen and would have great influence with the congressmen. As soon as my school work is over here I expect to follow this through as I promised. : : The chairman of our Selective Service Board here, Mr. Ogden Jones, has a son in West Point now. Young Jones was with Simpson's army and sew some of the hardest fighting in Germany before he was sent back to the States for a West Point scholarhip, ‘Young Jones wrote his father the other day as follows; : : "We are having bayonet training now. If there was ever any- thing that is almost unbearable, this is it. It was tough learning — bayonet in the army, but this is really tough. The other day I was picked out by the instructor as being the one who was working the hard- est in the drill, but on the rum back to the barracks I almost passed out I was so tired. We are also taking full field marches of increas- ing distance with the real marches to be made on maneuvers in August." I am writing you this to show you that while they have enlarged the number of cadet scholarships at West Point, they have increased the rugged training perspectively. They are trying to eliminate these boys by killing them off in strenuous ordeals. I wanted Dick to see this so that he will know that he is in for a very tough assignment if he gets the appointment. Will you write me and let me know if you have been able to call on any of your other friends in making contacts with the two Congressmen in behalf of Put. This will help me in passing on to Henry Childs the necessary information. Mrs. Stella Allen, August 10, 1945 - - - - - -6e e ee Se eee ee HB You can realize that I, living in Kensas, would have very little influence with the Missouri congressmen. But my contacting my friends who do have influence with them could be helpful. With all good wishes, I am : Affectionately yours, Forrest ©. Allen Director, Physical Education Varsity Basketball Coach FCA:ef — | eoyt oa a oe a coed se ee i As Soy “K SOK ae a. 2 seagSabele 6O\ NR ath a oa ; Creveeers eS Gu Se ee ke SY WD ae So = oe o Sone x Si YUL Qu db Grrsvuve. YJou— aes a se Os a SPR ok a coord Angee 1 Says Lip SO OY = AR, a — o. 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