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Cpl. VERNON H. DOWNING who entered service January 14,  is now with the Fifth Army in Italy. OTHO W DOWNING F 2/c, who is serving with the Navy somewhere at sea, entered the service April 3, 1944, DAVID F DOWNING, A.O.M. 1/c, USNR has been in service two years and is at present taking a course at the Anti-Aircraft Training and Test Center, Dam Neck, Va. after eight months schooling in Florida. FRANCIS C. DOWNING S. 2/c, USNR, who has been in the armed forces five months is now getting his mail care Fleet Post Office, New York. The four brothers are sons of Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Downing
and were reared at Birdsnest.

Wounded, Iwo Jima.  Mr. and Mrs. Russell Gladden of Birdsnest received a letter this week from their son Pfc. CLARENCE R GLADDEN JR. telling them he was wounded on Iwo Jim on Feb 20 and wa at the time of writing in a hospital.

Joining the United States Marine Corps on April 5, 1943, young Gladden aged 20 years, trained at Parris Island, S.C., and was stationed at Quantico until he left for overseas Thanksgiving of that year. He has been somewhere in the Pacific area sixteen months and his parents had experienced much anxiety during the past eight weeks during which time they had not heard from him.

His letter to his parents, dated March 6, 1945 reads:  "Dearest Mom, Dad and Kids: "Mom, I imagine by this time you have heard from Uncle Sam telling you I was wounded on the island of Iwo Jima Feb. 20. I suppose thats about all you heard though, so I'll tell you I'm not hurt too bad and it is nothing to worry about. I got a bullet wound through my thigh, but thank God it didn't hit the bone in my leg."

"I guess you were worried because I haven't written in such a long time but I just couldn't write where I was. I was transferred to the Fleet Hospital yesterday, and, I guess from what you have read in the papers you know that the battle of Iwa Jima was a pretty tough one. I surprised myself though, I wasn't too scared about fighting my first time."

"The Jap that shot me was only about ten yards from me when he did it. He just came up from out of the ground, so I guess you know that that Jap isn't writing home tonight."

"Well, mom, I guess I'll say so long for this time, but I'll write again soon."

Love to you all
BUD

Otho W. Downing (top left)
Cpl. Vernon H Downing (top right)
David F Downing (Middle)
Francis C. Downing (Bottom)