Enterprise-Journal from McComb, Mississippi • Page A002

A2 SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2009 PAGE TWO ENTERPRISE-JOURNAL, McCOMB, MISSISSIPPI www.enterprise-journal.com American Legion Post No. 14 is sponsoring six area high school trips to the American Mississippi Boys State Conference, which will be held today through May 30 at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. Pictured are, from left, Taner McDaniel, Jonathan Buie, Jody Lampton and Ben Kavanay. Participants not pictured are Tyler Scoggins and Taylor Doherty. Those attending will gain knowledge of state and local government, elections and democracy.

AARON Headed to Boys State In focus Published daily, except Saturday, by J.O. Emmerich and Associates P.O. Box 2009, 112 Oliver Emmerich Drive, McComb, MS 39649. Periodicals Postage Paid at the post office in McComb, USPS 355-580. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to P.O.

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Monday through Friday; or 7-10 a.m. Sunday. A paper will be delivered to subscribers in the McComb city limits. Other subscribers should notify their carrier. HERE A LWAYSA ARGAIN in the Enterprise-Journal classifieds Mississippi River stages Pearl River stages Cairo 40 46.7 Memphis 34 33.7 Greenville 48 52.8 Vicksburg 43 47.1 Natchez 48 53.7 Red River 48 56.6 Baton Rouge 35 39.2 New Orleans 17 16.0 Jackson 28 7.8 Rockport 25 Monticello 22 9.9 Columbia 17 6.0 TODAY Cloudy Hi: Low 80s Lo: High 60s FloodStage24 hr StageSat.change FloodStage24 hr StageSat.change FloodStage24 hr StageSat.change FloodStage24 hr StageSat.change This winning numbers: Powerball: 19-23-34-52-57, Powerball 21 Power Play 5 Lotto: 9-29-8-36-7-26 Easy 5: 8-21-23-4-31 Saturday Pick 3: 1-6-5 SaturdayPick 4: 8-0-2-1 Friday Pick 3: 1-7-7 Friday Pick 4: 5-9-2-3 LOUISIANA LOTTERY MONDAY Cloudy Hi: Low 80s Lo: High 60s TUESDAY Partly cloudy Hi: Mid 80s Lo: High 60s WEDNESDAY Partly cloudy Hi: High 80s Lo: High 60s THURSDAY Partly cloudy Hi: High 80s Lo: High 60s CAUTHERN: a miracle I WWII veteran says FROMPAGE1 heard some guy yell out, damn aggravating us on Sunday Cauthern said.

was the Navy, all right, but it was the wrong He got up, walked to a large picture window near his bunk on the second floor ofhis barracks and saw the plane coming. was a regulation baseball field in front of where I was, and you could see him come in he said. had four machine guns, and they were going. He had a guy in the back of his plane, and he had a machine gun. plane just destroyed that plate glass window where I was standing with those machine guns.

a miracle I Cauthern said. After his encounter with the plane, Cauthern said, he put on overalls and shoes and left the barracks to see what was going on. was a lot ofshoot- he said. plane came toward me and he was firing his machine guns. I knew I had to get out of Cauthern ran to a nearby laundry that was operated by civilians and dove under it.

was up high enough so I could get he said. was a drain pipe under that building for the washing machines, so I got close to He the only one seeking shelter under the building. Several women and some soldiers also sought refuge there, he said. was a second lieutenant who was holding his arm out, and everything from the wrist to here (showing his hand) was he said. know he lost his hand; you see He convinced some men near the officer to use the web strap from a gas mask bag to make a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.

were just he said. had to tell them what to After a while, Cauthern left the building and helped an ambulance operator take wounded to a nearby hospital. had four wounded people he said. we got to the hospital, we took them inside. We went and got four more and were told to leave them on the porch.

We got another four and left them on the yard. The last four we brought, we left on the edge ofthe Cauthern said officers at Hickham Field set up a command post in a hangar on the field, adding that a field kitchen was set up to serve food. His barracks was destroyed during the raid. lost everything I had except what I was he said. He went to another barracks and found shirts and pants from a supply room that had been damaged, he said.

Cauthern later went to the officers club and slept in the liquor closet for several days before his unit was ordered to Wheeler Field, another air corps field near Pearl Harbor. we got there, we were put in a barracks that had been hit by a bomb a corner ofthe building was he said. were no lights and no running unit was later sent to the Solomon Islands after the island of Guadalcanal was taken. soon as they had another island ready for us, move. Finally, we were on the last island in the chain.

We go any he said. The 26th Heavy Bomber Group was later reassigned to Kwajalein Island in the Marshall Islands group and then Guam in the Marianas Islands. It was at Guam in 1945 that Cauthern got his orders to go home. sent me to Guam ahead ofeverybody he said. was really nothing for me to do He said he was walking on the island when he heard someone call his name.

stopped, and this fellow told me the first sergeant wanted to see Cauthern said. went to see him in his tent, and he asked me, you want to go I told him ofcourse I did. The sergeant told Cauthern there was a Navy transport sitting at the airfield one seat left. Go get your bag and get on Cauthern got on the plane and flew back to Hawaii and then to San Francisco, where he caught a train to New Orleans and then McComb. He thought he was going have to walk to his home in the Enon community, until he saw his uncle, who worked for the railroad.

uncle lived at Creek, which was about eight miles from my he said. saw my uncle and told him, have a way to get He told me, get you After arriving at his house, his aunt and one ofher daughters drove him home. we arrived, my mother came out on the porch and she jumped the steps and over a flower he said. had to help her up. She was stove up for a while, but she was glad to see THE WEATHER.