Hellcat News, Vol. 2, No. 13, Ed. 1, May 4, 1944 Page: 3 of 8
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4 May, 1944
HELLCAT NEWS
12th Has Real Strong Man In
Walter Lortis Of 494th AFA Bn
Waller Lortis . . . Bending Rod
Hero, Killed In Africa,
Gets Medal Of Honor
ALGIERS (CNS) — The Con-
gressional Medal of Honor has
been awarded posthumously to
Pvt. Nicholas Minue. 44-year-old
Regular Army infantryman and
World War I veteran who single-
handedly stormed a German ma-
chine gun nest in Tunisia and
bayoneted ten Nazis to death be-
fore he was fatally wounded.
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
Know your enemy is very im-
portant for a soldier, so much so
that unless a man has orientation
on this subject he is not ready
for P.O.M. Not only is this true
for a soldier but a Christian must
recognize his enemy or suffer be-
cause of ignorance. This enemy
is the temptation of a person to
do that which is wrong rather
than that which is right.
This tempter has been named
the Devil and a Dutch preacher
published the following text fori
a sermon on this famous charact-(
er: "The Devil as a roaring lionl
walketh about seeking whom he
may devour." His outline was:
"1. The Devil — who the devil
he is. 2. The Devil — where the
devil he is going. 3. The Devil—
what the devil he is roaring a-
bout."
To know your enemy in your
moral and spiritual life it will
behoove you to look him square
in the eye and ask him who the
devil he thinks he is; where the
devil he thinks he is going; and
what the devil he is roaring a-
bout. In this way you will know
your enemy.
—ARTHUR HOPKINSON, JR.
Chaplain (Capt.)
He used to bend 60-penny spikes
with his hands while working as
a machinist in a Minneapolis
tractor factory. Now he's a me-
chanic in the 12th Armored; one
of the few, if not the only one,
who can lift a set of GMC dual
tires over his head. His name is
Tec 5 Walter Lortis, Hq Btry,
494th AFA Battalion.
Together with his younger bro-
ther, Lortis travelled around Min-
nesota for the State Park Com-
mission putting on exhibitions of
weight-lifting and bar work, hor-
izontal and parallel, at the parks
and beaches of the northern state.
Now 28 years old, he first be-
came interested in weights when
he was about 17. As close as he
can remember, his record in the
dead lift was 605 lbs, in the back
lift, 985 lbs, and pressed, 230 lbs.
All of which is quite impressive
for a man who tips the scales at
little over 150 himself.
Although he hasn't done much
wrestling, it was while watching
several grunt and groan artists
get in trim that he took to the
barbell game. His brother has
visited York, Pa., a barbell cen-
ter, and met some of the present
day champs, including Grimek
and Hoffman.
Since his induction into the
army he has had little time to
devote to practice because of his
training, but would be interested
in learning if there are any other
barbell enthusiasts or champs in
the division. Except for a little
work on the bars at the field
house, most of his training at the
present time is done in the bat-
tery day-room, where he works
out with Tec 3 R. A. Smith.
After the war he plans on open-
ing his own gym up in the Twin-
City. Before coming to the army
he had operated the Barcade in
Minneapolis and had about 70
pupils.
Marine Cpl Saves Pals,
Then He Buries Victim
NEW BRITAIN (CNS)—Marine
Cpl. Edward J. Maleski, of South-
port, Conn., saw a Jap take a
bead on some of his buddies with
a grenade. Maleski potted him be-
fore he could throw it.
When an officer came up and
asked who had killed the Jap,
Maleski stepped forward proudly.
"Well," said the officer, walk-
ing away, "you'd better bury
him."
Trains Sergeant Handles
Big Transportation Job
The responsibility of furnishing
transportation to the Rear Echelon
of Division Headquarters, Band
and M-P platoon is the job of
Tech Sergeant Henry Wagen-
stein, transportation sergeant of
Trains Headquarters Company.
As truckmaster of the organiza-
tion, he has charge of the drivers
of the C & R's, trucks and half-
tracks used by the staff officers
and men of Rear Echelon. In ad-
dition to seeing that a certain ve-
hicle is in its proper place at the
scheduled time, he sees that the
BOOK TALK
Tech Sgt Wagenstein
necessary checks are made when
due, that the proper records are
kept on all transportation, and
that vehicles are dispatched at
the proper time.
Assisting him as dispatcher is
Cpl James McGurn. Lt. Bowman
Barlow is the officer in charge.
Sgt Wagenstein is an authority
on all types of army vehicles and
tactical marches and has trained
his platoon into one of the most
efficient groups of its type in the
division. He lists among his hob-
bies the studying of G. I. manuals.
Prior to induction into the ar-
my three years ago he was em-
ployed in New York as dispatch-
er for a large trucking concern.
Before being assigned to the Hell-
cats at the time of the Division's
activation, he had been with three
other armored divisions. His home
is in Queens, New York.
PRETTY PLEASE!
NAPLES (CNS) — S-Sgt. Will-
iam Franklin, who was an usher
in the Roxy Theater, New York,
in civilian life, is the tail gunner
on a Marauder now, but he still
has his old habits. "This way,
please," he said the other day as
he focused his sights on a Nazi
plane. A minute later he shot the
plane down.
You won't always be a G. I.
Joe—or have you given up hope?
Remember, your civilian days?
Did you like the job you had then?
Maybe you've thought of some-
thing else you'd like to do. There's
lots of talk about post-war this
and post-war that. How about
planning your post-war job?
To give assistance to many of
you who are already giving
thought to post war plans, as
hazy and indefinite as they nec-
essarily must be, Miss Kathleen
McCrary, camp librarian, announ-
ces the arrival at Library No. 1
of 132 volumes or monographs on
occupations and careers. The set
compiled by The Institute for Re-
search after intensive studies of
the various things there are to
do, covers 132 legitimate trades,
businesses and professions, each
book digesting the good and bad
of one vocation. All angles of a
vocation are included in the scope
of these — opportunities at the
start, ultimate opportunities, per-
s o n a 1 qualifications required,
source of income, average earn-
ings, maximum earnings, advant-
ages and disadvantages and other
highlights of each of the jobs so
included.
If you are interested in any par-
ticular work, then it is suggested
that these be consulted. They are
available for borrowing at the
camp library.
Door Opened To Cats
For Infantry Transfer
Would you like to get at closer
grips with the German or the
Jap than a tank will take you? If
so, or for any other reason, you
may request transfer to the in-
fantry now under a new War De-
partment ruling.
Voluntary requests for transfer
to the infantry are open to en-
listed men under 32 years of age
on duty within the continental
United States—provided the ap-
plicants are physically qualified
for duty overseas.
Transfers to the infantry will be
made in grade, with no loss of
pay or reduction in rating. Some
EM's, such as certain air force
personnel, specialists, and men
now in alerted units, are not eli-
gible for transfer.
The request for transfer must
be made through channels.
Marine Cpl. Joe Murphy re-
ceived a 27,000 word letter from
. his girl in New Jersey. Reading
time was eight hours.
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United States. Army. Armored Division, 12th. Hellcat News, Vol. 2, No. 13, Ed. 1, May 4, 1944, newspaper, May 4, 1944; Tennessee. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth410110/m1/3/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.