MEXICAN VOICE
Poge 5
MEMBERS HELP
Dora Ibanez, Arthur O. Casas and Roger Anton, members of the Executive Committee of the Mexican-American Movement, have been employed as interpreters and English teachers by the Farm Security Administration. Working in the fields and schoolrooms of Pomona, Riverside and El Centro, these three have helped our Mexican neighbors orient themselves while they reduced the agricultural manpower shortage.
READING DOUBLE
For two years Ike Watlon Jr. has been concocting a popular fish and game column in the Daily News of Los Angeles. At the same time, Lupe Saldana was a sports reporter on the same newspaper. Not until Ike Walton Jr. oops, we mean Lupe Saldana was drafted did we find out that they were one and the same person. Ike Walton, or rather Lupe Saldana, reported £o Fort Douglas, Utah.
BEAN GROWER
Ay Señores, I am the bes’ bean grower in all Méjico!” So speaks Gordo Lopez, the cartoon creation of Sgt. Gustavo Arriola. “Gordo” with Pepito, Señor Dog, Pretty Boy, Linda and Goblin have reached national popularity by being syndicated with the N.E.A. The author-artisLjs a native of Florence, Arizona, and presently works as an army animator with Walt Disney in Service Training Cartoons.
The cartoon strip has caught the fancy of not only our Mexican folk but of other groups. In fact, it has created a Mexican-lingo fad.. “Ees too bad, eh keedo? You don’ have read heem, no?”
ALL AMERICAN
Lieutenant Tommy Guerrero, former little All-American in basketball while playing for Santa Barara State College, is now an All-American pilot of a pursuit plane in the A.A.F.
NAVIGATOR
Arthur Cazares, famous runner, is now a navigator in the Army Air Force. Lieutenant Cazares trained at Ellington Field. Texas. His equally famous brother. Gabriel, is now á lieutenant pilot of an dttack bomber.
WAR WORKERS
INVENTOR
We had to read it in the New York newspaper PM to find out that Alejo Garcia won an award from Consolidated Vultee Aircraft of Downey, California, for a new method of applying glue to accidental fabric blisters. In the system devised by Garcia, glue is applied by “giving the needle” to fabric covered wings that have blistered. Formerly, the fabric was laboriously peeled off and the wing re-covered where it had become defective. The new process is an aid to the war effort because it saves tremendous time, money and material.
WAR ARTIST
Juan Casado, popular advertising artist, is now a lead artist at Douglas Aircraft Company. Young Casado, a graduate of Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles and a former drummer, now works in the engineering department leading a group which makes drawings for Douglas Army and Navy catalogues.
ADVISOR
John Gutierrez of Douglas Aircraft Co., who was once featured in an early issue of the * Voice, ia now technical advisor in the Tool Designing department on the swing shift atxEl Segundo. Gutierrez has worked at Douglas Aircraft for six years. In those six years he has worked in 8 different departments and until now has attended night school without a let-up. Recently he was offered an opportunity to teach night school at U.C.L.A. on various aircraft subjects.
-NOW WAR WORKER
Alvino Rey, national known orchestra leader, established a precedent when he and his whole band secured jobs at Lockheed Aircraft. The orchestra, on its nights off. still broadcasts nationally in a L. S. Treasury sponsored program. I he featured vocalist. Andy Russell was rated third best popular singer in a national poll. Andy Russell s real name is .Andrew Rabago. a graduate of Roosevelt High School in Los .Angeles
OUR SOLDIERS
From the research files of the Mexican-American Movement we have studied the contributions^ of our servicemen to our country. In our study that ended on June 30, we find the following data about our Los Angeles County paisanos: 38 have been wounded in action, 22 have given their lives and there are 44 prisoners of war. The following were decorated for their part in the war:'
Pfc. Richard Gomez of Los Angeles was cited by Gen. Douglas MacArthur for extraordinary heroism. Now deceased, Gomez received the Distinguished Service Cross and the Order of The Purple Heart.
Seaman Frank Abasta of Monrovia was posthumously decorated with the Silver Star by the Navy.
Air Medals were awarded to Staff Sergeant Joe Cuellar of San Gabriel, who won his third Oak Leaf Cluster for his Air Medal, and to First Lieutenant Carl Morales of Los Angeles, who won his first Oak I.eaf Cluster. Both Air Force men are engaged in the European theater of war.
Pfc. Jul io F. Esparza of I.os Angeles received the Silver Star for gallantry in action. Esparza was in the battle of North Africa.
First. Lieutenant Fred Lopez of Carpinteria won the Distinguished Plying Cross for ten sortees over enemy territory.
» Corporal Benjamin C. Martinez, Private Joe E. Ruiz and Private Louis D. Deras, all of Southern California, were posthumously awarded the Silver Star. These three heroes appeared on a War Department announcement that included ten heroes.
Private I rinidad Fierro of Los Angeles, who is with the U. S. Army, I Oth Air Force in China, has been awarded the Air Medal for continuous combat missions.
DESTROYS
Alfonso Ortega, ex-Los Angeles Boy Scout executive, is now in the I ank s Destroyer division of the Armed Forces. Ortega is overseas.
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MEXICAN VOICE”