POW WIFE KEPT PACKAGES IN THE MAIL

Virginia Causey was a senior at Greensboro High School in 1940 when her mother died.  Her father moved to Raleigh, but she lived with an aunt and uncle until she graduated.  She worked with Blue Bell/Globe Manufacturing Company, and later transferred with the company to New York City.

Then came December 7, 1941. 

Virginia Causey’s brother would eventually join the Navy.  Her sister, Mary, would marry a soldier.  Virginia Cudworth was already in love with a Greensboro City employee, Jim Cudworth.

 

“Marriage came up early in our three-year courtship.  We knew we were meant for each other, but also knew he would be leaving for the service.  Both his brothers joined the Marine Corps.  Jim and I thought we should wait until after the war to marry,” she recalls.

Jim Cudworth enlisted in the Army Air Forces as an Aviation Cadet in 1942 and was commissioned as a B-17 bombardier in January, 1943.  On March 9, 1943 the waiting to marry ended.  Virginia Causey left Greensboro for Ephrata, Washington – it was her first train ride.  Six days later, she became Mrs. Jim Cudworth.

1943 NEWLY-WEDS VIRGINIA & LT JIM CUDWORTH

A honeymoon furlough was scheduled for June, 1943.  On May 20, the new couple received a wire – all furloughs were canceled.

Jim Cudworth and his B-17 crew were off to England for duty with the 8^th Air Force.  He promised his new bride he would be home for Christmas.  Virginia Cudworth added, “I should have asked him WHICH Christmas he was talking about!”

BOMBARDIER JIM CUDWORTH UPPER LEFT 

Cudworth’s B-17 was one of 30 U.S. aircraft shot down over Bremen, Germany on October 8, 1943.  He was on his 10^th mission.  Wounded in the eye by enemy anti-aircraft fire and captured, Cudworth spent the rest of the war as a POW.  After the war, he elected not to have the flak removed for fear his vision would be lost.

CUDWORTH CREW SHORT SNORTER SIGNED BY CREW MEMBERS

After a week in a German interrogation center, Cudworth was imprisoned in Stalag Luft III, made infamous by the Great Escape.  He wrote his wife, “I am allowed a ten pound package and $50 in cash each 60 days – please send dried fruit and oatmeal.  Give the $50 to the Red Cross, they are doing a great job for us.”

POW CUDWORTH WROTE WIFE TO SUPPORT THE RED CROSS

Virginia Cudworth recalls, “I sent him packages every two months, although I knew he wasn’t getting all of them.”  She kept a record of each package.  One list reads: “Shorts, socks, tooth powder and paste, candies, playing cards, Gillette blades, saccharin, gums, coffee and soap.”

“It didn’t bother me that he wasn’t receiving all of them.  I just hoped and prayed that some of them would reach him, especially the package he requested with dried dates, peaches, apples, books, and Lucky Strikes.  I caught streetcars, but nearly walked my legs off, finding everything he needed – there were no stores that carried everything like we have now.”

Notwithstanding that Cudworth was a prisoner of war, the Army Air Forces saw to it that he was awarded his first Air Medal.  Accepting the award at Basic Training Command #10 in Greensboro, NC was Mrs. Virginia Cudworth.

MRS. JIM CUDWORTH RECEIVING POW HUSBAND'S AIR MEDAL AWARD

At a later date, she was picked up at her home by Army personnel and taken to Drill Field #5, BTC #10, where she reviewed the troops and accepted her husband’s cluster device, representing a subsequent Air Medal.

Cudworth was eventually moved by railcar and force-marches – under frigid and inhumane conditions -- to severely overcrowded Stalag VII-A, near Moosburg.  “When liberated by General George S. Patton, our troops brought in the largest American flag I had ever seen.  I stood so close to Patton that our arms brushed each other,” Cudworth told his wife.

Post-war, the Cudworth family resumed a more normal life.  He returned to his job with the City of Greensboro.  She worked with A. M. Pullen & Co.  They were members of Muir’s Chapel Methodist Church and among the early volunteers to serve at Potter’s House.  They raised two sons, James Richard “Dick” Cudworth and Garry Wayne Cudworth.

The Cudworths’ interest in assisting other former prisoners of war led them to form the Greensboro Chapter of the American Ex-Prisoners of War Association (AXPOW).  Jim served several terms as Greensboro Commander, and three years as State Commander.

Jim Cudworth retired from the City of Greensboro after 35 years of service.  He died September 16, 2008 at 87 – he and Virginia, now 94, were married 65 years. 

Virginia Cudworth remains active in the Greensboro Chapter, American Ex-Prisoner of War Association.  She deflects all credit for supporting her POW husband, “My mother-in-law did more, she wrote each of her three sons a letter every Thursday they were away in the war.”

   

   

THE ERRORS STOP HERE

I didn’t think for one moment that Bill O’Reilly would answer my email message.  After all, it contained a litany of errors found in his recent best seller, KILLING THE RISING SUN.

 

Conversely, I hope he doesn’t think for one moment that I will let those errors go unscathed for readers of this column.  Nor that I come to these pages to condemn his book.

Granted, the message carried a negative tone.  I didn’t care for my first call-out, and recently, when called out for the 300^th time, it wasn’t any more palatable. 

But it’s doubtful he would have responded, even if I had glowingly posted him that I thought this was his best “Killing” book yet – which I do.  Just a guess, but he and his ghost writer buddies are probably already busy, scouring the planet for something else to kill.

Some of his errors are excusable, such as the statement that the distance from San Francisco to Tokyo is 8000 miles.  When I made that trip via troopship in the 1950s, it took 21 days and seemed like 88,000 miles.  However, Google distance says it’s only 5136 miles.

There was no suspense that the plot a book of this genre would lead to the deck of the USS Missouri, in Tokyo Bay, for surrender ceremonies, photo ops, and mass flyovers.  O’Reilly had good words to say about the “Mighty Mo.”  In fact, they were too good!  His mention of the ship’s 25-inch guns would have caused consternation with international treaty folks – 16-inch is the legal maximum – the Missouri has nine of them, but zero 25-inchers.

His glowing accolades went down with the ship when he quantified her length as almost as long as a football field.  At 887 feet, she is much closer to the length of three football fields.

These all too obvious errors were on page 257 of the 300-page jewel of a World War II broad brush – definitely not his best page.

Looking past the errors, allow another disclaimer – this is one great book.  I recommend it wholeheartedly.  Buy, it borrow it, check it out, or Kindle it, you will be glad you did.  Best you buy it, because it is one you will want to read more than once.

O’Reilly struggled with the Marine Corps table of organization during the Battle of Peleliu, primarily on page 40.  He conflicted himself by reporting that the 1^st Marine Division, no longer a fighting force, was relieved by the 5^th Marines. 

Three regiments made up the 1^st Marine Division: 1^st Marines, 5^th Marines, and 7^th Marines.  O’Reilly should have reported, “the 1^st Marines were no longer a fighting force.”

While the errors on page 257 were unforced, unnecessary, and fall in the low-hanging fruit category, the Marine Corps infrastructure mishap on Peleliu is more easily over-looked and forgiven – except for a best-selling author.

What cannot be over-looked and forgiven are errors on page 35.  O’Reilly mentioned a Marine officer named Pope who had first seen action on Guadalcanal in June, 1942.

Numerous Guadalcanal veterans have been written about in these pages, including PFC Speedy Spach of the 5^th Marines, Major General Lloyd Wilkerson USMC (Retired) of the 1^st Marines who was a PFC at the time, and my brother, Sergeant Jack Thetford, of the 1^st Marine Air Wing – even so, Marines did not land on Guadalcanal until August 7, 1942.

O’Reilly’s Grand Poobah comes in dealing with that Marine officer named Pope.  Not only did he place Everett Pope on Guadalcanal when it was only occupied by natives, Korean laborers and Japanese troops – he mistakenly reported Pope was the father of two sons. 

This would have been a shock to his bride of just a few months, Mrs. Eleanor Hawkins Pope.

The Popes did eventually have two sons, Lawrence E. and Ralph H. Pope, but only after Captain Everett Pope returned home from combat campaigns on Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu – during which he earned a bronze star, purple heart, and Congressional Medal of Honor.

The Pope son, Lawrence E., should sound familiar to readers of these pages.  As a retired U.S. Ambassador to Chad, Ambassador Pope was called back into service in 2012 when John Christopher Stevens, U.S. Ambassador to Libya, was murdered by terrorists at Benghazi.

Ambassador Pope has been called upon again more recently.  He will speak at the inauguration of the Bowdoin College Marine Corps Association.  It will be named in memory of his father, a magna cum laude graduate from Bowdoin. 

Hopefully, the Greensboro News & Record will send Bill O’Reilly a gift subscription.  He might enjoy reading about our veterans as much as we enjoyed reading his KILLING THE RISING SUN.

THE MARINES LANDED AT UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA @ GREENSBORO

Call it an experience of a lifetime if you wish – some of us will not be around the next time the Marine Band comes to our town.  Not to fear, everyone over-flowing UNCG Auditorium on Saturday evening October 29, enjoyed patriotic music sufficient to last a lifetime.

STANDING IN LINE IS MARINE CORPS-COMPULSORY

These Marine musicians, made me wish I had worn gloves to protect my clapping hands.  That’s says a lot – I customarily clap three claps and move on.

Coined “The President’s Own,” by President Thomas Jefferson, the Marine Band toured the Southeast for the entire month of October – Greensboro was their next to last performance of this year’s tour.

Their music should have been good – they’ve been performing since 1798, when they were established by an Act of Congress.  Not out of disrespect, but they have played more for Presidents than for Congress – every President except George Washington has heard the band play.

Some Presidents have been more closely involved with the Marine Band than others.  President Warren G. Harding played trombone with the band; then-Governor Bill Clinton played saxophone with the band during the 1991 Governor’s Dinner at the White House; President George W. Bush conducted the band in a performance of The Stars and Stripes Forever, in 2008.

President Lincoln took the band along for his speech at Gettysburg.

Even after his death, President Kennedy was closely connected to the Marine Band – the Marines led his funeral procession.  He once proclaimed, “The only force that cannot be transferred from Washington, D.C., without my permission, are members of the Marine Band.”

The question could be asked – did John Philip Sousa make the Marine Band famous, or did the band make Sousa famous?  The answers would be, “Yes.” 

HARRY THETFORD, MARION SMITH, NAT REED
MARINES ALL

Actually, Sousa was following in his father’s footprints.  Antonio Sousa played trombone with the Band 1854-1879.  His son, John Philip was schooled in the Marine Barracks and originally served in the band 1872-1875.  Another son, George joined the band at age 16 and performed for 30 years.

John Philip Sousa came back as the 17th Director of the Marine Band 1880-1892.  His tenure of leadership brought to the band an unprecedented level of excellence.  Famous Sousa hits, such as Semper Fidelis, Washington Post, and Stars and Stripes Forever established him regally as “The March King,” as compared to his contemporary, Johann Strauss, Jr., known as “The Waltz King.”

During my four-year Marine Corps career, I spent more time on mess duty than trying out for the band.  Consequently, seatmates had to clue me in on some of the musical numbers. 

MARINE BAND ON THE GROUND @ UNCG

I reciprocated by explaining the Marine Corps ranks listed in the program – they were not typos after all.  “GySgt” and “MGySgt” represent gunnery sergeant and master gunnery sergeant in Marine Corps-speak.  Those ranks weren’t around in my day.  They would have been respected at about the levels of today’s brigadier general and major general.  On the other hand, I could have gotten along with the beautiful and demure concert moderator/vocalist, GySgt Sara Sheffield. 

It must be mentioned, this was the first time in history that more Marines stood up during the service medley than any other branch of service.  The sixty Marines in the Band certainly helped our cause.

Kudos to Dr. John R. Locke, UNCG Director of Bands, for sponsoring the Marine Band’s appearance in Greensboro.  Host sites are required to jump through many hoops – of both logistics and political correctness – it was “mission completed” for Locke and his UNCG team.  Kudos to the Band for inviting Dr. Locke to guest conduct a number.

Accommodations for “16 wardrobe trunks,” was one of the hoops.  They must have been high tech wardrobe trunks -- some musicians warmed up in civilian clothes until 7:25, but had their spiffy uniforms on by show time, 7:30.    

Kudos to the band also for recognizing Lieutenant Colonel Jim Hayes, USMC (Retired), a Greensboro businessman.  Hayes reflected on his time with the Band, “Being assigned to Marine Barracks, Washington, DC was a tremendous honor, but to be selected as executive officer for the Band made that tour very special to me.”  During his 22-year career with the Marines, Hayes also served as infantry officer with the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th Marine Divisions.

The Marine Band is the nation’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization.  “Happy Birthday,” wasn’t on their program at UNCG, but the 241^st birthday of the Marine Corps comes up on November 10, 2016.

Happy birthday, Marines – we were honored to have you perform in our town.