American Red Cross Canteen Workers in Action AD SCENE . . . This group of Red Cross canteen workers is in readiness to serve the next group of soldiers and sailors that comes booth windows- They are (left to right) Mrs. Harry F. Irwin, first vice chairman of the canteen committee; Mrs. Richard B. Porter, :hairman, and Mrs. Junior; Edward Rich. The canteen is located on the platform of the Ogden Union station. (Staff photo.) Red Cross Canteen Serves Many Soldiers at Ogden Union Depot, Writer Finds "Boy, that coffee's good!'' The spokesman f . . a soldier, Peter Finck of Portsman, N. H. The place . . . the American Red Cross canteen booth at the Ogden union depot. The time . . . between trains. The writer ... a roving reporter getting side glances on the Red Cross workers. "Strange towns . .. strange places . . strange faces . . . strange peo¬ple .. . strange everything. . He was relishing a cookie along with the coffee. "Then we come here and get this." He indicated the food. "Gosh, you have no idea how good it tastes . . . and how swell it makes us feel." I knew what he was trying to say. That it wasn't just the coffee and the cakes (they were smelling plenty good too) But it was the feeling of welcome and friendliness 'that went with them. -We've run onto only three of these canteens on our whole trip," two more of the soldiers remarked. They were Stanley F. Olesefsky, private first class, and Private Mark A. Battles of Langley field, Va. "They were in Omaha, North Platte and here/' they stated, and added that it surely was a help for homesickness. That brought remarks from three others, who stated that they had been in the army long enough now that their homesickness didn't bother them. "At first we were pretty home¬sick, but you learn to adjust your¬self in the army," one of them said. By this time there wer6 dozens of' them lining up to the windows of the booth to be served. Corporal Wilbur Lain of Orland, Fla., told me in his broad southern accent that he liked the army fine. "A'hm in the photographic depart-ment," he said, "and it shoo' is fun." Another was from Las Vegas, Nev. . . . and three more were about to get a five-day furlough. "That's why we're so happy," they said. "After that we hope we get a swing at the Japs." "I hope they put me in Tokyo," Corporal Charles Hatton of Florida said, "What would you do?" I asked. "Anything I could, boy," he said. "Anything to get this thing over." Then there was Burle L. Newth of Western, Neb., and Eugene Pen- ick of Chugwater, Wyo. One said he had gained 20 pounds since he joined the army . . . the other 40 . . . and so it went all through the group. All of them especially ex¬pressed their appreciation of the canteen. Of course I was immediately curious to see who was spreading all this good will through the win¬dows of the booth. There I found Mrs. Richard B. Porter, chairman of the canteen committee, Mrs. Harry F. Irwin, first vice chair¬man; Mrs. Milton H. White, sec¬ond vice chairman; Mrs. Wallace H. Ellis and Mrs. Junior Edward Rich, canteen aids, working with 3lock-like precision to take care of he sudden “rush of business."