The Nome Nugget

Nome Chamber
Meeting News

Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Monday was both a welcome and a farewell session.

Welcomed by President Pearse Walsh was Col. F. E. Naughton of Fort Wainwright, who headed the Eielson Air Force group here for the Armed Forces Day program; the entertainers headed by Maj. Robert Faulkner; sponsor of the program Maj. David Money, of the Army Advisor group stationed here with the 1st Scout Bn.; Rev. Art French and wife, who were heading back to Savoonga; Dr. Fenstermacher, new hospital administrator and his wife; George Markham, state sanitarian; Lyman Allen, for Civil Defense, and Paul Monroe, drug salesman.

Farewells were said to Rev. and Mrs. Gerald McCray, who have been at the Community Methodist Church for four years and who will leave soon for Florida; Mr. Conrad Potter, superintendent of schools for the past three years with his wife, who will leave for Kenai; Dr. John Barrow of the MMM Hospital who leaves for a residency in orthopedic surgery at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, and Mrs. Barrow.

Col. F. E. Naughton, Deputy Commander of the 9th Infantry Battle Group, was the main speaker at the luncheon and gave an interesting talk on the importance of the observation of Armed Forces Day in Alaska, explaining that Alaska is the one state in the union where officers have an opportunity to really use their training, intelligence and ingenuity as leaders with the problems set before them involving thousands of miles of uninhabited country. The training, he states, in the various exercises already held and some which will be held not only to train good leaders but give them an opportunity to learn a great deal about this last frontier which they cannot learn on duty in the "softer states."

He called attention to the fact that the 9th Army has been part of Alaska since the Russian flag was lowered at Sitka and Alaska became American soil.

The Armed Forces Day show held Monday evening, Col. Naughton reported, was made possible through the courtesy of Col. S. Wheeler, commanding officer of Eielson Air Force Base.