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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 1967)
Page 2 THE BATTALION College Station, Te as Wednesday, January 11, 1967 The War, Death Is Child’s Play? EDITOR’S NOTE: Even though the majority of Ameri cans support the U.S. intervention in the war against Communism in Vietnam, we are constantly reminded of the fact that it is costing us the precious lives of our young men everyday. Many views on the war have been stated. The following is a satirical essay expressing just one of those views. The rifles cracked and the cannon boomed. The American forces were entrenched outside the French town of Le Faire. Inside the town were 2,000 of Kilter’s best. The general called a meeting of all the officers. The attack would proceed from three directions. The battalion leaders were given their instructions and the meeting ended. So began the battle. From the very beginning it was a massacre. The Germans were out-numbered, out-flanked and ill-equipped. “Move up on the right flank!” The Americans rushed murderously into the city. “Grenade the pillboxes!” Their guns reeked death. The battle was raging at full force. The Americans . . . “Johnny your hamburgers are ready.” A great hand swooped down on the tiny battlefield and picked up the miniature soldiers. Johnny Murdock, 10, lived in Fairfield, Iowa. Like most other boys his age he liked to play war. He had almost every imaginable type of toy soldier. With them, he re-enacted the battles he read about in his war comic books. He never had more fun than when he played war. Of course the Americans always won Johnny’s battles. After all, they had won the war. If they hadn’t, Johnny wouldn’t be re-enacting the battles. Who ever heard of a loser re-acting a battle? In Johnny’s battles, the Ger mans were always wiped out to the last man. Johnny glorified war and idolized its participants. Johnny’s father had fought in the war, but he had never told Johnny anything about it. Never did he say how much fun he had killing the enemy. But Johnny knew it was fun. It must be, because he read about it. After all, the comic books were written by people who stayed home and had time to think about the war. They must be right! So he continued reading, playing, and having fun. He waited for the day when he could actually take part in this fun. These were Johnny’s thoughts at 18 as he sat in a jungle trench in Vietnam. It was a dirty stinking place, well-suited to the dirty, stinking battle being fought there. He wondered why he had ever wanted to come here. The rifles cracked and the cannon boomed. The Ameri cans were entrenched outside the village of Lao Din. The battle began. From the very beginning, it was a massacre. The Americans, still uncommitted in their war in this area, had only a handful of ill-equipped men. The Viet Cong were everywhere. Johnny sighted one in a tree, but . . . “Do Gnu, your rice patties are ready!” A great hand swooped down on the tiny battlefield. —by Mike Granberrv Class of ’7*0 Community Service Seminar To Be Sponsored By A&M The third Community Service elude municipal government pub- Read Classify Seminar sponsored by Texas A&M will meet in Houston Fri day and Saturday. City managers from Galveston, Port Arthur, Nederland, Orange, Baytown, Port Neches, La- Marque, Texas City, Beaumont and Houston will continue study of community problems, solving techniques and solution proposals with A&M, Lamar Tech and Uni versity of Houston professors. Topics to be discussed in meet ings at U-H’s Heyne Building in- ARGENTINE . . You’ll never have a mechanical problem with this machine!” (Continued From Page 1) ature readings and meteorological data at 15-minute intervals,” the wiry Corneilo said. ‘‘We spent an average of 36 hours on each sta tion.” Conditions for taking accurate scientific data were often mar ginal. During an eight-day storm on a return trip from Talcahuano, Chile, to Auckland, the Eltainin encountered 65 knot windsand Peirce To Teach Creative Writing TTI Recieves $215,000 Grant For Detroit Freeway Study JJ.W" A $215,000 one-year research contract for traffic engineering studies on a major Detroit free way by the Texas Transportation Institute has been awarded the Texas A&M Research Foundation, announced President Earl Rudder. Broad objectives of the project awarded by the Research Board of the Academy of Sciences- Research Council is to practical measures for research Highway National ■National develop increas ing operational efficiency on free ways. Foundation Director Fred J. Benson said supplemental street systems of heavily developed areas also will be studied for increased efficiency. THE JOHN C. Lodge Freeway has been designated the project study site. The Lodge Freeway is the location of the National Proving Ground for Freeway Sur veillance Control and Electronic Traffic Aids. An English course offered at Texas A&M University next spring should draw a variety of students and provides a wide scope of writing. English 325, creative writing, is scheduled Mondays, Wednes days and Fridays at 10 a.m. The three-credit hour course is in structed by J. F. Peirce, an ac complished writer with a thick dossier of publications. Primarily concerned with short story, poetry, play and feature article writing, the course will provide discussion of other types of writing and students will be permitted to concentrate on types of writing in which they are in terested, Pierce said. “WHAT WE hope to do is show students the number of ap proaches to writing so they will know how to attack an idea and turn it into a story,” the assistant professor of English said. “We teach the student to turn his own experiences into stories, picking, arranging and distorting events into story form.’ Previous 325 class rosters in clude an aspiring writer in her 60s, a mother of four and the foreign-born wife of a librarian. Novels, short and long plays, children’s poetry and fiction, sci ence fiction and human interest article writing are indicative of the areas chosen by students in 325, Peirce noted. Peirce, an A&M professor since 1946, is an award-winning writer with contributions to “Playboy,” numerous magazines such as “Ellery Queen,” “Escapade,” “The Writer’ and “Freelance.” Two of his stories and a poem were an thologized. HE SERVED on the staffs of the Southwest Writers Confer ence, Corpus Christi, four years and the Piney Woods Writers Conference, Nacogdoches. The writer won the top award for novels three times at the South west Writers Conference, and last summer received the Chap man Publication Award for four short stories published in nation al magazines. Peirce was also recipient of an award for the best quality sto ry submitted at the Piney Woods conference. THE BATTALION Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the student writers only. The Battalion is a non tax-supported non profit, self-supporting educational enter prise edited and operated by students as a university and community neivspaper. rep oth< The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for licati( e < ub! lerein Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. republication of all i in published herein, matter herein are also ill nev in the entitled i dispatches cr< and local redited to it or not credited in the paper and local news of spontaneoi origin published herein. Rights of republication of all othi contributions may be made by telephoning 846-6618 310 or at the editorial office. Room 4, YMCA Building. Members of the Student Publications Board are: Jim Lindsey, chairman ; Dr. David Bowers, College of Liberal Arts ; John D. Cochrane, College of Geosciences ; Dr. Frank A , , . r \ 1 7 ,-...11 . c c ..: „ . 1— A i > .1 1. — or 846-491U or at the editorial office, Kooi For advertising or delivery call 846-6415. Students may enroll for the course at formal registration Feb. 3-4. Local persons may obtain further information about the course and registration by seeing Peirce, Room 331 Academic Build ing, or phoning him at 846-4210. “snow like needles.” Winching appartus had to be defrosted of five-inch thick ice with steam hoses. A half-inch guard rail on the cutaway bow was twisted out of shape by a load of ice eight inches thick. Scientists were required to wear safety harness while work ing on platforms rigged overside. “Inside the Antarctic circle, a man lives only two minutes if he falls overboard,” Hector com mented. “He dies of a heart at tack from blood freezing in his system.” Cornelio said plankton nets of fered a peculiar problem. As they were winched from the water five feet to a platform, the frigid cold froze alien screws holding the nets. “We had to take off gloves and use a thumb to defrost the screw in order to remove it,” he ex plained. The Eltanin, a 3,886-ton dis placement vessel of 19-foot beam, encountered “slush” — halfway between water and ice — near the ice pack. “Ice particles crushing against each other in the waves sounded like auto tires hissing through snow,” Cornelio described. Thirty-five icebergs were sight ed at one time and scientists watched for Antarctic life. Three- dozen pilot whales in one herd, a 20-foot blue-whale, birds, seals and penquins were seen. FREE ... A&W ROOT BEER With Purchase of Following No. 15 Chicken Dinner 15 Pieces of Chicken or 1 2/3 Birds 5 Pieces Texas Toast & Honey (£9 /CC PLUS One Gal. A&W Root Beer Free No. 21 Chicken Dinner 21 Pieces of Chicken or 2 1/3 Birds 7 Pieces Texas Toast & Honey /I /TO PLUS One Gal. Root Beer, Cola, Orange, Free Effective Only Jan. 10, 11, 12, 13.* Call Your Order In — It Will Be Ready When You Arrive. 846-3333. A&W DRIVE IN 4611 Texas Ave. ‘Where The Action Is” 846-3333 Mail subscriptions are 53.60 r full >er semester; $6 per school subscriptions subject to 2% :ge of Agricul- year; 56.50 per full year. All subscri sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 4, YMCA Building, College Station, Texas 77843. The Battalion, published in College Station, Texas daily except Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and holiday periods, September through May, and once a week during summer school. student newspaper Station, Texas per at Texas A&M is daily except Saturda MEMBER The Associated Press, Texas Press Association Servic Franc Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising /ices, Inc., New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Publisher Texas A&M University Student Editor Winston Green Jr. Managing Editor John Fuller News Editor Elias Moreno, Jr. Staff Writers Patricia Hill, Mike Plake, Robert Borders, Jerry Grisham Sports Editor : Gary Sherer Staff Photographer Russell Autrey NOW ON SALE at LOU POT'S SPORT COATS were $24.95, now $18.95 SHOES name brand - reduced 35% SWEATERS were $8.95 to $14.95, now $5.00 each SPORT SHIRTS were $5.00, now $3.45 WINTER JACKETS $22.95 Jackets, now $14.95 now at LOUPOT’S north gate SHAFFER’S gives top cash for used books. 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FREEMAN District Manager Route 3, Bryan, Texas VI 6-6626 Call before 9:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m. On Campus ivith MaxShulman (By the author of “Rally Round the Flag, Boys!”, “Dobie Gillis," etc.) IT’S A NORTH WIND THAT BLOWS NO GOOD Crushed between the twin millstones of January weather and final exams, you are saved from total des pair, poor devils, only by the knowledge that winter vaca tion will soon be here. Where will you go this year? Will it be Florida again, or are you tired of jails? Then how about Puerto Rico? A most excellent notion, say I. A balmy and bounteous island with long white beaches and blue, blue skies and green, healing seas. And, most pleasant of all, the warm and gracious people of Puerto Rico! You don’t even have to know Spanish to communicate with this friendly folk. Just learn three simple phrases and you’ll get along splendidly: “Buenos dias" which means “Good morning,” “Gracias” which means “Thank you,” and “Que serd serd” which means “Your llama is on my foot.” In order to help you enjoy the fabled land of Puerto Rico it would be well for me to supply a bit of historical background. (It would also be well for me to say a few words about Personna Super Stainless Steel Blades be cause the makers of Personna Super Stainless Steel Blades pay me to write this column and they are inclined to sulk if I omit to mention their product. Of course, they don’t stay gloomy long, for they are kindly, cheery men fond of Morris dancing, spelling bees, and temperance punch—fine, upright types, as true and gleaming and durable as the blades they make. And if you’ve tried Personna’s, you know how true and gleaming and durable that is! And if you haven’t tried Personna’s, poor devil, you've cheated both your purse and face, for Personna’s last and last, shave after luxury shave, close, clean, nick less, hackless, tugless, gougeless, scratchless, matchless. Personna Super Stainless Steel Blades come in Double Edge or Injector style and are made only by the makers of Personna Super Stainless Steel Blades.) But I digress. Back to the history of Puerto Rico. The island was discovered by that popular discoverer Chris topher Columbus. Incidentally, considering Columbus’ popularity, it’s odd we know so little about him. What do we really know? Only this: He was born in Genoa on August 25, 1451, the son of Ralph T. Columbus, a knee-cymbal vendor, and Eleanor (Swifty) Columbus, a low hurdler. He was an only child except for his five brothers and eight sisters. From early childhood he was an avid reader and spent all his waking hours immersed in a book. Unfortunately, there was only one book in Genoa at the time—Care of the Horse by Aristotle—and after 18 years of reading Care of the Horse, Columbus grew restless. When rumor reached him there was another book in Madrid, off he ran as fast as his little fat legs would carry him. Disappointment, alas, awaited him there. The only book in Madrid was Cuidarun Cdballo, which proved to be noth ing more than a Spanish translation of Care of the Horse. Then one day Columbus heard from a traveller that there were millions of books in India, and he was in stantly ablaze to set sail. Off he ran on his little fat legs to the court of Ferdinand and Isabella (Columbus, though more than six feet tall, was plagued with little fat legs all his life) and, as we all know, he persuaded the Span ish rulers to outfit him with three stout ships, the Flopsy, the Mopsy, and the Cottontail, and the rest is history! Well sir, now you know all about the origins of Puerto Rico. So get packed and get going! You’ll love it! Stroll the beaches, swim the coves, breathe the fragrance of hibiscus and bougainvillea. And remember always that the friendly Puerto Ricans are delighted to show you their customs, teach you their language. Why, I’ll wager you’ll soon know far more Spanish than the three basic phrases. You’ll know “Hasta la vista” which means “See you later.” “Por fdvor” which means “Please,” and “El tren se pard en las esta- cion” which means “Your llama has eaten my passport.” Gracias from the makers of Personna for giving our blades such a cordial reception, and, por fdvor, how about trying another of our luxury shaving products — Burma Shave, reeular or menthol? — By Charles M. Schulz IF I LOSE ANOTHER SOPOJITH CAMEL ,01/R SUPPLY 6ER6EANT LdILL KILL ME... O^NO.'rr'S THE REP BARON! HE’S PIVING DOWN 0UT0F THE SUN! MACHINE GUN BULLETS RIP THE SIPE OFPLANE! ■ouples ;ets- - ex )rovid< :eed the said, w 1962 V S67 in s P Md tire Hacks 3 ion. 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