“CALLON HELPED DRAW PLANS FOR RECENT INVASION

The Russell Times

Friday, September 1, 1944

Page 2

TOILED MANY TIMES 25 HOURS AT STRETCH, HE SAYS IN LETTER

Haven’t had much of a chance, as you know, to write to your for the past two months or so, but will attempt, with this letter, to make up for it a little. I have three V-Mails and one letter from you to answer, so will try to get that done without telling you what I have been doing since the latter part of June. As you know, I used to be connected with the Commander of this Amphibious Force, an due to the fact that I had experience in the writing up of Operation Plans, they assigned me temporarily to them on the 24th of June, and sent me to Naples to help in the writing of the Plan which was used for the Invasion of Southern Italy on the 15th of the month. Well, to make a long story short, we were required in order to get the Plan written and distributed in time to work continually. Several times we worked stretches of 21 and 25 hours, and then, after three or four hours sleep, we started in again. Thank the Lord that’s over! After the work was completed, and the Flagship left Naples, we were given the opportunity of visiting Rome. We left Naples on the evening of August 11th and arrived there after five hours driving. Well, the next five days I ran myself ragged sight-seeing. I don’t believe I missed anything of interest to the average tourist, and perhaps saw more than the average tourist would, Went through the Vatican from stem to stern, including an audience with the Pope. I saw Saint Peter’s Cathedral, the Sistine Chapel (where Popes are elected), the galleries of Michelangelo and Raphael, etc. Then to the Coliseum. Monument to the Italian Unknown Soldier, Mussolini’s favorite speech balcony, the Catacombs, and numerous other places. While up there I ran into Harry Mansfield, so naturally we got together and did a little looking around together. He and I went out to the Zoo one afternoon and spent three hours looking around. The rest of the time he and I spent in the Red Cross. They have a marvelous place for the enlisted men and treat you royally. Harry rode back to Naples with us, and he and I stayed at his Outfit’s Supply Center the evening and night before we caught planes back to Bizerte. We arrived here at noon the 17th and I have just been laying around trying to recuperate. Will get down to serious work in a couple days. I think that I have told you everything I can, except I had the choice of going on this last Invasion or staying ashore, and , needless to say I had the good sense of choosing the shore job. With my time so nearly up, I would be foolish to run the chance of getting my block knocked off. But I’m happy to repeat that they didn’t run into opposition that was expected, and at present everything is running well ahead of schedule, as I understand it. My guess is that by Thanksgiving this will all be over, over here. Now, it’s time for me to wash the stink off my body. The weather here is so terribly hot that it takes a complete change of clothing twice a day to even come near to being comfortable. Thank goodness I have a laundry now and I don’t have to worry about keeping my clothes clean. If I had to wash them myself, would probably never change. Willis Callon, c/o Fleet Post Office, New York, N.Y.” “The above are excerpts from a letter received this week by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Callon. We think it is a most interesting letter of how a Russell boy helped plan the Invasion his meeting with Harry Mansfield, their visit to Rome etc. Surely hope you are right about that Thanksgiving guess Willis”