esday, Nov
Page 8
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, November 15, 1972
THE BATT/
Smith Innocent Of ‘Fragging*
Resonance by Steve Gra
FT. ORD, Calif. (/P) — A mil
itary jury Tuesday found Pvt.
Billy Dean Smith, the first sol
dier brought to trial in the
United States in a “fragging” in
cident, innocent of charges he
killed two officers with a grenade
in Vietnam.
Smith, a 24-year-old black
from Los Angeles’ Watts sec
tion, was acquitted of six counts
of murder, attempted murder
and assault but was found guilty
of assaulting a military police
man who arrested him soon after
the fragmentation grenade ex
ploded.
The conviction on the single
assault charge carried a maxi
mum penalty of one year at hard
labor, dishonorable discharge,
forfeiture of all charges and re
duction to lowest enlisted rank.
The jury of five whites and
two blacks, all career officers,
was to begin deliberations later
Tuesday in the “penalty phase”
of the trial, in which the defense
can argue for leniency. Smith
has been in custody for 20
months.
Smith had pleaded innocent to
all charges. If convicted of the
murder charges, he faced a man
datory sentence of life imprison
ment.
Smith showed no emotion when
the verdict was read. He stood
and saluted the president of the
court, then embraced members of
his family and his attorney, Luke
McKissack.
The jury’s decision automati
cally will be reviewed by Maj.
Gen. Harold G. Moore, com
manding general of Ft. Ord, and
can be appealed to the U.S. Court
of Military Appeals.
The private had been accused
of detonating a grenade that
killed Lts. Thomas A. Dellwo of
Choteau, Mont., and Richard
Harlan of Dallas, Tex., on March
16, 1971, at Bien Hoa air base
near Saigon.
He also was accused of at
tempted murder of his command
ing officer, Capt. Randall Rigby
of Ft. Sill, Okla., and a sergeant,
Billie E. Willis of Big Stony Gap,
Va., who the prosecution con
tended were Smith’s intended
victims.
The jury began deliberations
Monday. It returned its verdict
after hearing again parts of the
testimony given by W. O. Otis
Hensley, an Army crime lab tech
nician. Hensley had linked a
grenade pin found on Smith with
a grenade lever found near the
scene of the explosion.
ELTON JOHN bangs out the rock-and-roll at last
week’s concert. His enthusiasm often lifted him out of
his piano chair during the course of the night.
$1,000 Service Awards Given
William B. Averyt and Robert ice awards at the opening session
L. Reed, both of the Texas High
way Department’s Austin offices,
received $1,000 outstanding serv-
Soviet Union
here Tuesday of the 46th annual
Highway Short Course.
Averyt, assistant right of way
engineer for THD’s Right of Way
Division, was awarded the 1972
After the Elton John concert,
someone wrote in saying A&M
should bring more quality groups
like John’s bunch to G. Rollie.
This is a thought shared by
many. The only problem is, there
just aren’t many groups as “qual
ity” as Elton John.
I read recently that a reporter
asked John why he was so crazy
on stage. Elton John answered,
“I play pop music.” That’s the
key to his popular live perform
ances, he knows what his music
is and happily accepts it as pop.
He doesn’t attach importance
to his songs individually, as
Bread so pitifully did, but rather
concentrated on the effect his
songs had collectively. An Elton
John concert is of such high
quality that comparisons are al
most unfair.
just barely good enough,
they can find a few moi
along the lines of “Feel
Looking Glass might
fun.
Dewitt C. Greer Award.
Reed, bridge design engineer
for the Bridge Division, received
the 1972 Gibb Gilchrist Award.
TWO WEEK THEATRE TOUR
8 Theatre Performances
London — Moscow — Leningrad
The latter award honors the
former state highway engineer
and former A&M president who
died May 12.
The Greer award honors the
man who has served for the past
two years as chairman of the
Texas Highway Commission and
also is a former state highway
engineer. Greer was one of the
opening session speakers.
Under the direction of Dr. Peter Zwick,
Noted Russian Specialist
\.
* • * • • •
DECEMBER 28 - JANUARY 11
$699
From Dallas
Round Trip Jet Flight
Including first class hotel accommodations, most
meals, escorted sightseeing in all cities, and transfers
Beverley Braley Tours, Travel
Memorial Student Center 846-3773
Townshire Shopping Center — 823-0961
Averyt was honored for de
veloping’ administrative policies
and procedures for the purchase
of right of way when the Right
of Way Division was formed in
1956. Due to his efforts, the
department established a working
program compatible with design
and construction requirements
for the Interstate program.
Reed was selected for his work
as lead design engineer on a spe
cial project which developed a
new design analysis concept to
prevent deterioration of concrete
slabs in bridge construction. His
new design procedures are ex
pected to significantly reduce the
cost of maintenance resulting
from bridge slab deterioration
throughout" the United States, t
This Friday, Looking Glass
comes to town. They have one
album and a single, “Brandy,”
which needs no introduction. It
was a giant hit for this quartet
from Rutgers, which first got
together in the summer of ’71.
The album is simply called
“Looking Glass.” It’s not bad
for a premier effort. It has a
lot of piano, tight drumming and
some original material.
The strongest point of “Look
ing Glass,” however, is the vo
cals. Three of the members sing,
even alternating at the lead posi
tion.
As expected, “Brandy” is the
best cut, but there are some close
seconds. “Jenny-Lynne,” the al
bum opener, is a lively number
with a good chorus. Like most of
the record’s songs, it tells a sim
ple little story, which fits in
fine, musically.
“Don’t It Make You Feel Good”
makes me feel good enough to
look forward to their concert
just to see if they have anymore
stuff like it. It is a real rocker
with a couple of chicks singing
back-up that sound too good not
to be black. Hopefully, they will
be along with the rest of the
group.
Looking Glass is a good enough
album to be worthwhile without
having “Brandy” on it — though
John Denver is now
known figure in today
scene. So far, neither tij
or records show it, but»t
out if he still has the
smiling freshness he star
Tuesday night at G. Roll
Coliseum after the bonfire
Denver has put out sis
to date, the most financial!
cessful being "Poems,
and Promises.” It was
strength of this album tlu|
ver made last year’s m
tour, during which he stojj
A&M. As many of youn
her, his show was wan
friendly, one of the yeari
Now his “Rocky Mountain!
LP is selling and he is4
again.
John Denver is on tkc
of the stardom his adva
agency has been claimingfi
last two years. His thr#
television special last
surprised everyone by in
a large audience in the a
“dead” post-midnight ti«
The variety show was
oriented, urging registratia
election interest in genera Undent
came across warm andfri l,ur,s '
The only mistake he mi
allowing Argent to perfona
..TT 1 . v IT J „ „he Newest
Hold 'lour Head Up’fns ||lldent P i al
Set
[ Indent Rat
rurity Gui
Denver gave his "Leath
a Jet Plane” away to Pi
aind Mary and recently
food on Arlo Guthrie's tai
donating “City of New Oil
to Woody’s boy. So, hail!
only had a better original
of his own songs, he mi|i
ready have the stardom her
destined for.
FOR
BEST
RESULTS
TRY
BATTALION CLASSIl
M0ND,
SI
BROII
W1
MOCK F
GERIV
PO
Ch(