Smyrna Times

Many Attend U. S. O. Dance
Orchestra Broadcasts From Airfield on Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands
Enlisted Men's Dance

Personnel of Dover Army Air Field were honored in a radio salute over the Blue Network on Saturday evening when Count Basie and his orchestra broadcast from the airfield on the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands, and later played for an enlisted men's dance. The gymnasium, converted into a huge ballroom for the evening, was jammed with hundreds of enlisted men and officers from the field who were joined by their wives or guests, including USO hostesses from Dover, Smyrna, Middletown and Wilmington. Count Basie's band played for dancing until midnight following the 25-minute radio show and a half-hour pre-broadcast program. Gil Newsome of the Blue Network's New York staff acted as master of ceremonies and introduced Dover's new commanding officer, Colonel Harold J. Rau, and other airfield staff members, as well as representatives of the sponsoring concern, Coca-Cola Company. The formal salute to the officers and men of the Dover fighter base said in part:

"...From dawn to dusk at this great base, young Thunderbolt pilots take their planes aloft and practice the combat techniques which will enable them to outfly, outshoot and out-maneuver the enemy! Thirty-five USO hostesses from Smyrna and Middletown attended the dance."