(Jacob) Paul Twitchell U.S. Naval Reserve War Service 1942 - 1945 by Santim Vah
Copyright © 2014-01-04 All Rights Reserved
Lieutenant (j.g.) Paul Twitchell U.S. Naval Reserve early 1945
In 1941 before joining the U.S. Navy shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack, Paul Twitchell was recorded as a self-employed Freelance Writer. Paul had over 100 articles published during the year in Our Navy Magazine, Ripley's, Newspapers, Poetry books and the like. Twitchell decided to dedicate his efforts to working full time as an author after his mothers passing in April 1940. Previously he had been working as a Clerk for Gulf Oil in Paducah Kentucky but was ‘let go’ towards the end of 1939. Being a paid employee was never to be Paul’s strength in life. Paul Twitchell was listed as a Writer in the Paducah Ky. City Directory 1941-42. He was then living at the family home 1625 North 12th Street with his father Jacob Noah Twitchell and his divorced sister Katherine D. Twitchell, known as Kaydee. Page 1 of 20
A Paducah Sun-Democrat newspaper article, a self-promotion piece by ‘the great Kentuckian’ himself, reports on Twitchell’s first year as an Author 1940-41. His short stories, articles, poetry, anecdotes, and essays were published in several magazines and newspapers. One article was titled ‘A Great Naval Exploit’. It was re-titled in Our Navy published on 1941-04-01 to “When the Navy Got Caught in the Woods - A Description of One of the Strangest Adventures in Naval Annals”.
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1941 Paul's photo & personal story used in a Royal Typewriters advertising campaign
From 1928 until 1937 Paul Twitchell had been fully involved in sports coaching, fitness, and recreation activities in Paducah beginning with director of the YMCA and coaching at the high school and colleges he attended. He was involved in Kentucky activities with the 1936 US Olympic Committee preparations and New Deal WPA programs in McCracken County and across the state. Organizing sports training, track and swimming meets, boxing tournaments and the like Paul was able to learn firsthand all about public relations and writing sports reports for the newspapers. Later as a new author, he formed good connections with writers, journalists, and the Navy officers attached to the Our Navy magazine who accepted his many stories and articles for publication. Due to these leadership positions and his experience as Recreation Director of McCracken County and across Kentucky it appears that Paul came with very good ‘character references’. Soon after his enlistment he was selected for Chief training in the Naval Reserve. He was so well prepared he was immediately given the responsibility as ‘Welfare and Recreation man’ at the newly formed Naval Training Center for the Seabees (Construction Battalions) at Norfolk Virginia, and later at Davisville. US Navy Service Record Extracts: USNR TWITCHELL, Paul (n) Service Number: xxx xx xx Enlisted: Louisville, Ky. 1942-02-02 Basic Training: None Recorded Transferred immediately to the Construction Battalion (CB - Seabees), US Naval Construction Training Center, Naval Operating Base, Norfolk, Virginia
1942-02 Paul Twitchell selected for Chief Specialist Training (group of 100 out of 2500 enlisted men) Assigned Training Camp NCO Responsibility for Morale, Welfare, & Recreation Programs; Camp Allen
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Background information about the US Navy Seabees http://www.seabee.navy.mil http://www.seabeesmuseum.com/History.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seabees_in_World_War_II The Fighting Seabees - Movie starring John Wayne 1944 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wpHkmU5u7s HISTORY OF THE 27th SEABEES BATTALION http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~haywood/profiles/jamespro/jamesh.htm
Naval Operating Base, Norfolk, Va. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Station_Norfolk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk,_Virginia
Establishment of the Naval Construction Battalions occurred on March 5, 1942 United States Naval Construction Battalion 1 - Second and Third Detachments With the advent of World War II, the United States Navy determined that there was a crucial need for advanced naval bases along the South Pacific supply line connecting the Panama Canal with Australia and New Zealand. To build these advanced bases, the Navy began recruiting skilled construction workers, the men who later became the famed Seabees. About a thousand of these men were assembled at the Naval Construction Training Center, Camp Allen, Norfolk Virginia, and were formed into United States Naval Construction Battalion 1. The battalion was commissioned at Camp Allen on March I5, 1942. http://www.history.navy.mil/museums/seabee/UnitListPages/NCB/002%20NCB.pdf Page 4 of 20
“The SeaBees in World War II,” by Admiral Ben Moreell At its peak, on 30 June 1945, the SeaBees numbered 258,872 officers and men on active duty, of whom 83 percent were outside the continental limits of the United States. The officer strength had grown from 159 on 30 June 1939 to 10,186 on VJ Day, 15 August 1945. As all existing naval training facilities were already heavily congested, a new SeaBee training station at Norfolk, Virginia, was authorized in March 1942. Until this camp was completed, recruits were given two weeks of military training under Marine Corps instructors at National Youth Administration Camps, after which they were trained for several weeks in the handling of advancebase gear at the Naval Air Station, Quonset Point, Rhode Island. The training camps at Norfolk (Camps Allen and Bradford) quickly became congested. Camp Endicott at Davisville, Rhode Island, was built to accommodate 350 officers and 15,000 men in June 1942. In November 1942, Camp Peary near Williamsburg, Virginia, with a capacity of 50,000 men, was placed in operation. At the end of 1942, Camp Parks was established near Livermore, California, primarily as a replacement and recuperation center for battalions returning from overseas, but it was used effectively for tactical training of organized SeaBee units transferred from the East Coast for embarkation. What kind of men were they? Perhaps their favorite definition of themselves will give us a clue. “A SeaBee,” they said, “is a soldier in a sailor’s uniform, with Marine training, doing civilian work at WPA wages.” http://www.navalhistory.org/2012/02/29/seabees-name-and-insignia-officially-authorized Another one of these ‘sold and published articles’ appeared in Time Magazine April 1942
1942-04-06 ‘Old Fashioned Man’ by Paul Twitchell
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US Navy Service Record Extracts: USNR TWITCHELL, Paul (n) Service Number: xxx xx xx Enlisted: Louisville, Ky. 1942-02-02 1942-04 NCO Promotion: Chief Specialist (A) AA (aka Chief Petty Officer. Senior enlisted rank above Sgt. eg an Army Warrant Officer) 1942-07 USNR Twitchell, Paul is transferred to the Construction Battalion, US Naval Construction Training Center, Camp Endicott, Davisville, Rhode Island.
1942-04-21 Walter Winchell’s syndicated newspaper column ‘On Broadway’ mentions our new Chief Specialist Paul Twitchell by quoting his latest news letter sent to Walt. News item; "Paul Twitchell of Paducah, Ky., one of the most prolific writers known to the writing world, is now a Chief Specialist at the U. S. Naval Training Base at Norfolk, Va. Twitchell will continue his writing while in the service" . . . Good thing his name isn't Winchell—or there'd be a Congressional inquiry!
Navy Chief Specialist - Petty Officer Insignia
Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) was Commissioned 4th July 1942 Muster Roll End of July 1942 was 899 total Station Crew - 572 transferred out - 327 on board. Muster Roll End of June 1943 on board 2,025 Muster Roll End of Sept 1944 on board 3,400 (including many women) The vast training camp built at Davisville, Rhode Island in 1942 provided more than 100,000 men of the U.S. Navy's Construction Battalions, "Seabees," with construction training during World War II. Seabees Museum Davisville: http://www.seabeesmuseum.com/ - Google Map Camp Endicott: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Endicott Camp Endicott Historical Register 1977: http://goo.gl/4mE4F6
Paul’s first marriage was to Camille Ballowe After a successful six months in the US Navy and transferring to NCBC Davisville, Rhode Island, Paul Twitchell (32 years) married Camille Ballowe (34 years) both of Paducah Ky. in Providence R.I. by a Methodist Minister on August 12th 1942. Page 6 of 20
Copy of Record of Marriage 1942-08-12 Paul Twitchell (1912-10-22) Camille Ballowe (1908-07-21)
The 1912 date of birth for Twitchell above is incorrect, as he used a Birth Certificate Copy procured by his father in Paducah circa May 1941. At that time Paul was in Washington DC and New York City with some writing friends including Navy officers connected with Our Navy magazine, Walter Winchell syndicated journalist & retired USNR Officer, and Charles B Driscoll syndicated columnist. Given the United States would enter the War at anytime, there was a common practice of those with connections to try to secure a Commissioned Officers role in the military before war was declared. L. Ron Hubbard of Scientology infamy is one example who was able to do this. For reasons unknown Paul Twitchell wasn’t successful, though he did acknowledge several times later that he was in fact trying to obtain a Commission before December 1941 and the Pearl Harbor attack. Paul’s real DOB was October 23rd 1909, in the very early hours of the morning shortly after midnight. There was always some confusion of this date within the family, but as his birthday was celebrated on the 22nd October that date became the most common recorded, and used by Paul himself. But he believed he was born in 1908, the date he used in his 1936 Who’s Who in Kentucky entry. This was when he was serving as the Municipal Recreation Director for McCracken County, based in Paducah for a year. At 34 years of age Camille Ballowe had never been married, though she and Paul had remained long term friends and casual sweet hearts on and off. Paul always believed they were both born in the same year 1908. Camille herself confirmed to others in the early 1980s that Paul was born to his mother Effie in the hour after midnight on the morning of the 23rd October. This was known to be the case in Paducah Ky., and Paul had been well regarded as a tall story teller since childhood. Page 7 of 20
Paul has mentioned that he was upset with the ‘errors’ made on this birth certificate, namely being that it made him appear to be four years younger than Camille. Many have believed that Paul’s full name was John Paul Twitchell. However there is not one other record that exists except for the 1936 Who’s Who in Kentucky entry, where he or others have used the name John Paul. Not one. Kentucky, Birth Index, 1911-1999 Name: Date of Birth: County: Mother's Name: Volume Number: Certificate Number: Volume Year:
Jacob P Twitchell 22 Oct 1912 Mccracken Eilie Twitchell 110 54564 1941
Source Information: Ancestry.com. Kentucky, Birth Index, 1911-1999 [database online]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Kentucky Birth, Marriage, and Death Databases: Births 19111999. Frankfort, Kentucky: Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.
This record entry is a ‘one off’. It does not refer back to any original Birth Registration record. Also none of Paul’s three siblings have an original birth registration recorded in official archives either. It appears more likely (>95% certain) that this DOB record was conjured up at the Paducah Town Hall registry offices in May 1941 between Jacob Noah and a friendly clerk. It is equally likely that Paul’s father Jacob Noah would have definitely known what Paul’s full birth name was, ie ‘Jacob Paul’. Instead Paul wrote it out as ‘Paul Twitchell’ dropping the ‘Jacob P’ entirely, whilst still using the 1912 certificate date when registering for the Marriage License.
July 1942 USNR Chief Specialist Paul Twitchell
th
Paul Twitchell & Camille Ballowe August 12 1942
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During his time at Camp Endicott CSp Paul Twitchell continued to write and send out his articles for publication whenever possible. One small anecdote is this very short piece that was used as a newspaper space filler in The Times Recorder, Zanesville Ohio on Friday December 18th 1942. WRITER LAUGHS DAVISVILLE R.I. Dec. 17 – Paul Twitchell, Chief Specialist in United States navy station port at Camp Endicott, has sold 1,200 stories and articles in 2 years of writing. Twitchell attended five colleges – yet never made a passing grade in English. From 1942 into 1943 Paul & Camille Twitchell lived and were listed in the Local Directories at this Providence RI address: The Maples, Lodging House, 70 Mawney St Apt 6. At Camp Endicott Twitchell was assigned to the Administration office continuing with his responsibilities in planning and organizing Morale, Welfare, & Recreation Programs. His past experience in sports and fitness programs, running boxing tournaments, and as assistant coach roles would have been invaluable. His general easy going, upbeat, and fun-loving nature would also have been appropriate in organizing entertainment activities. It is unknown exactly what Twitchell’s regular routines were or how he managed his responsibilities overall. But given these were a new kind of Training camp facility for the Navy and his background it appears likely that he played a role in developing various kinds of sports and fitness programs, monitoring those in Camp, and writing up Training and Procedure Manuals. Reports by those who knew him at High School and the local YMCA also suggest he was quite a task master as well, who was strong on discipline and attention to details regarding sports and fitness routines and performance. He must have done a very good job overall. In February 1943, after only one year since enlisting in the Navy Paul Twitchell was again promoted and given a Commission as a junior Officer.
1943 USNR Ensign J. Paul Twitchell @ 33 years
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US Navy Service Record Extracts: USNR TWITCHELL, Paul (n) Service Number: xxx xx xx Enlisted: Louisville, Ky. 1942-02-02 1943-01-01 Muster Roll of the Crew: Twitchell, Paul still onboard Camp Endicott, Davisville RI as CSp A AA 1943-02-21 Commissioned Officer Promotion: Ensign 1943-02-21 Reassigned for further Training, writing articles for Our Navy, and future Public Relations duties
During the spring and early summer of 1943 Ensign Paul Twitchell was retrained as a Gunnery Officer. He was ready and waiting for his deployment on a ship by the fall of 1943. A November 1943 article by Twitchell, ‘A Fortunate Victim’, was sold and published in the CourierJournal newspaper of Louisville, Kentucky. Another insightful self publicity piece, this was again about Paul’s own short history as an author, and a little about his time so far in the US Navy.
‘A Fortunate Victim’ by Paul Twitchell – published 1943-11-07
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The concluding part above reads: “He received his commission several months ago and was sent into training as a Gunnery Officer. His training is now completed and he is waiting orders to board ship. He will be gunnery officer in charge of all protective equipment aboard ship but will have nothing to do with the cargo.” By the time this was published, Ensign Twitchell was already on his way sailing across the Pacific Islands. From late 1943 into early 1945 letters to others and short notes in published articles suggest he was on board ship as a Gunnery Officer and also in charge of a specialist ‘Armed Guard Unit’. Everyone on board had a formal Ship’s role assigned in case of enemy attack, such as ‘Gunnery Officer’. The ships Paul sailed on were not active duty war ships however. It appears clear that his primary role on board was being assigned as the senior ‘Security Officer Escort’ and liaison/support person for ‘USO entertainers’ (the cargo) travelling to do shows for the troops in the Pacific. There are photos of Paul Twitchell as an Ensign and later Lieutenant meeting with movie stars and other dignitaries as a part of his regular work. How and when he was assigned to Our Navy magazine as a correspondent, supporting the USO effort and Public Relations, or War Bonds activities is unclear. Maybe at various times he managed a bit of everything. He certainly was never an active fighting officer on ship, he never saw any ‘action’ but always remained focused on the ‘arts’, training, promotions, and writing about his experiences. Including submitting freelance articles for paid publication Here are a couple of examples of the work the USO did. Paul would have fitted right in here. Bob Hope and his USO WWII show troupe 'Somewhere in the South Pacific' August 12th 1944. http://youtu.be/j2CD2MXSTTU Documentary extracts ‘Entertaining the Troops’ http://youtu.be/rlTuV2y4eK4 We do not know exactly how Paul was engaged in writing for Our Navy Magazine. If that was a formal Navy role, commissioned paid freelance work, or self-originated articles he submitted of his own bat. At the same time he was officially assigned to various Naval Bases and transportation ships in set roles. In August 1943 he mailed a list of recently published stories he had written to the Paducah Library, as was his pattern at that time of keeping an archive record there and at Western Kentucky University of his ‘personal publishing successes’. His address was listed as 1 Marlborough St. Boston, Mass. These articles included several for Our Navy magazine some which were not published until October that year. Google Maps shows this address is across park to the Navy Recruiting building in Boston http://goo.gl/maps/PRkcC
Our Navy, Our Army, and Sea Power Magazine Articles Our Navy was published for commercial distribution covering the activities of the U. S. Navy. It began publication in 1897 initially issued on the first and fifteenth of each month. During the war years (World War I and II), they would also list information for casualties reported by the Navy Department. See: http://goo.gl/CaYDJe Page 11 of 20
Articles by Paul Twitchell published in Our Navy Magazine Our Navy 1941-04-01 When the Navy Got Caught in the Woods - A Description of One of the Strangest Adventures in Naval Annals http://www.wartimepress.com/WWII-Archives/images/68/Our%20Navy%201941%2004%2001.jpg Our Navy 1941-05-15 Once A Soldier-Sailor http://www.wartimepress.com/WWII-Archives/images/68/Our%20Navy%201941%2005%2015.jpg Our Navy 1941-08-01 Not the Sword but the Hat Our Navy 1941-09-15 The Commodore Bagged an Army - How One Gunboat and a Naval Officer Took Several Thousand Troops Our Navy 1941-11-01 Revolutionary Hero http://www.wartimepress.com/archives.asp?TID=Our%20Navy&MID=Navy&q=68&FID=63 ====== Articles by Paul Twitchell published in Our Army Magazine Our Army 1942-03 Army Mottos Our Army 1942-06 The Horse is Still With The Army & Forrest Was the Original Blitzkreiger (Bedford Forrest) Our Army 1942-07 The Star Spangled Banner http://www.wartimepress.com/archives.asp?TID=Our%20Army&MID=Army&q=539&FID=36 ====== Similar articles were published by one Walter Winchell (syndicated journalist), Lt. Commander U.S.N.R. (Retired). A very good friend of Paul Twitchell from 1941, and infamous American newspaper and radio gossip commentator. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Winchell Sea Power 1941-10 Salt Water Daffies - Mishaps and anecdotes during a noted columnist's tour of duty http://www.wartimepress.com/WWII-Archives/images/69/Sea%20Power%201941%2010.jpg http://www.wartimepress.com/archives.asp?TID=Sea%20Power&MID=Navy&q=69&FID=63 Our Navy 1941-09-15 Sailor, Beware! Our Navy 1941-11-01 Things I Never Knew 'Til Now About the Navy ====== Three examples of Twitchell’s stories have been included on our Scribd website account. 1943-12 Carmelite Sisters magazine published ‘Nation's Fate Decided by Refusal of an Order’ http://www.scribd.com/doc/196128883/Nation-s-Fate-Decided-by-Refusal-of-an-Order-CarmeliteSisters-Magazine-1943
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1943-12-01 Our Navy Magazine published ‘Jack of All Trades: The Fighting Seabees’ This is an excellent detailed article by Paul about the creation and activities of the Seabees in the war zones, including insights of the training activities that occurred at Camp Endicott and other Bases. http://www.scribd.com/doc/196128881/Jack-of-All-Trades-The-Fighting-Seabees-Our-NavyMagazine-1943 1943-10-15 Our Navy Magazine published ‘At Three O'Clock’ http://www.scribd.com/doc/196091006/1943-10-15-At-Three-O-Clock-by-Paul-Twitchell-Our-NavyMagazine In 1944 to 1945 Paul Twitchell appears as assigned to the Pawtucket Naval Base in North Providence RI. This is very close to the Massachusetts Navy centers, and to his and Camille’s home in Providence. This ‘fits’ with Twitchell working for Our Navy magazine and/or the US Navy Public Relations Department and through the media. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawtucket,_Rhode_Island, and the Old Navy building.
US Navy Public Relations Insights into the US Navy Public Relations field during the 1940s and 1950s. Two comedy movies starring Glenn Ford were made in the late 1950s which reflect poignant insights into some likely aspects of the naval career of Paul Twitchell, including the range of people he also would have been dealing with such as Our Navy correspondents, photographers, the military system, and the public relations people. Don’t Go Near the Water 1957 was set in the Pacific theatre. A tribute to those "unsung heroes" of WW2: the men and women of the Navy's Public Relations Department. Thousands of miles away from the shooting war, Lt. Max Siegel (aka Lt. Paul Twitchell & Glenn Ford) and the rest of the PR staff spend their time issuing colorful reports of Naval heroism and sucking up to visiting US dignitaries on a tiny South Sea island. Siegel and company also battle the anal-rententive pettiness of such superior officers as Lt. Cmdr. Clinton T. Nash (Fred Clark) and such potential foes as abrasive war correspondent Gordon Ripwell (Keenan Wynn). http://www.allmovie.com/movie/dont-go-near-the-water-v82312 “Don't Go Near the Water” starring Glenn Ford, Ann Francis, Eva Gabor on Youtube Part 1/14 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9M2JK_jZeA
Cry for Happy 1961 set in Japan during the Korean War (1952). This comedy-drama revolves around the amorous entanglements of four US Navy Combat Camera Unit/Our Navy magazine photographers on leave in Japan from their last mission in the Korean War. The men, headed by Chief Specialist NCO Andy Cyphers (aka Paul Twitchell & Glenn Ford) check into a house with four resident geishas and immediately misunderstand what a geisha does for a living. Once they get straightened out about the musical, cultural, and educational background of geishas -- and after spending some time with the four women, the men begin to pair off. More misunderstandings are in store but it definitely looks like at least two of the men will not go back to the U.S. alone. http://www.allmovie.com/movie/cry-for-happy-v88307/cast-crew
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"Cry For Happy" starring Glenn Ford, Donald O'Connor, Joe Flynn (McHale’s Navy) on Youtube Part 1/9 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLdC5CO4TMA
1944 to 1945 During late 1944 Paul’s father Jacob Noah Twitchell turned 65 years and ‘retired’ from The Marine Ways in Paducah where he had worked since the early 1900s. He ‘sold’ the main family home at 1625 North 12th Street, Paducah to Paul’s sister Kaydee and her new husband Paul Iverlet and Jacob moved out of Paducah.
US Navy Service Record Extracts: USNR TWITCHELL, Paul (n) Service Number: xxx xx xx Enlisted: Louisville, Ky. 1942-02-02 1944-07 Commissioned Officer Promotion: Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG)
A one bar Second Lieutenant in other services
1944-09-02 Charles Driscoll, syndicated newspaper column, The Monessen Daily Independent, Pennsylvania Lieutenant (jg) Paul Twitchell, of the Armed Guard service, writes me oftener than any other man in service. He was a newspaperman, and likes to write. "I meet a great many of your readers at sea, scattered throughout the Pacific," he says in a recent letter. "When they learn that I know you they gather around and ask all kinds of questions about you, your family, and a thousand details." Well, Paul, give 'cm a good report I'll be wanting them to read my stuff again when they come back.
1945-01-22 Charles Driscoll, syndicated newspaper column, Gazette and Bulletin, Williamsport, Pennsylvania New York Day by Day By Charles B. Driscoll NEW YORK - Diary: A whole day devoted to the mail is a luxury I seldom can afford, but today I'm indulging. Lt. (j.g.) Paul Twitchell, of Paducah, Ky., commanding an armed guard unit with a fleet post office address, sends me a copy of the letter he wrote to the mother of every one of his men, recently. It's a good letter, and God knows the mothers need such encouragement. . . . Page 14 of 20
US Navy Service Record Extracts: USNR TWITCHELL, Paul (n) Service Number: xxx xx xx Enlisted: Louisville, Ky. 1942-02-02 1945-03 Commissioned Officer Promotion: Lieutenant (LT)
A two bars First Lieutenant in other services
1945-04-07 Charles Driscoll, syndicated newspaper column, Joplin Globe, Missouri New York Day by Day By Charles B. Driscoll My old friend and correspondent from Kentucky, Paul Twitchell, newspaperman, now in the armed guard unit as lieutenant, writes me on a typewriter that has been more places than my oldest portable, now undergoing $25 worth of repairs. Paul's machine has written staff from India, Africa, Panama, Oceania, Tonga, Palestine, Crete, and a few other spots. So Paul, thinking of his friends back in Kentucky and New York, wrote a little poem, which I think is not bad. He was looking at a star, an evening star, which he believes to be the very one that led wise men to the manger. So he wrote this: Evening star, In the bowl of night and God, Over a horizon you wait so patiently, while down the bloody road millions trod. Well maybe you like it and maybe you won't. Every man for himself, in poetic appreciation. But it's good to hear from an old friend, and to know that poetry is in his soul, despite the stuff they are throwing at him!
US Navy Service Record Extracts: USNR TWITCHELL, Paul (n) Service Number: xxx xx xx Enlisted: Louisville, Ky. 1942-02-02 1945-09 US Naval Reserve: Honorable Discharge
1945-10-15 Charles Driscoll, syndicated newspaper column, Gazette and Bulletin Williamsport, Penn.
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New York Day by Day By Charles B. Driscoll … I have lost a reader in Hardin county, Ill. Paul Twitchell (Lt. U.S.N.R.) writes me that his grandmother, Mrs. Mary Twitchell has died at the age of 96. She read the column daily until her eyes failed; then had it read aloud to her … Note: Paul’s Grandmother (Grands) Mary Cousert-Twitchell passed away on 1945-08-27 at Rosiclare. Charles Benedict Driscoll (October 19, 1885 – January 15, 1951) was a U.S. journalist and editor. Driscoll was born south of Wichita, Kansas on a farm that was purchased by his father after emigrating from Ireland by way of New York and Ohio. Driscoll wrote of his life in Kansas in the Kansas Irish trilogy; the first two books published in 1943 (Kansas Irish) and 1946 (Country Jake) and the last East and West of Wichita in manuscript. He began his career as a journalist writing for the Wichita Eagle, and is popularly credited as the originator of the "school page" in newspapers. Driscoll became editor of the Wichita Eagle in 1919 but was forced out of his position in the 1920s by the Ku Klux Klan, active in Kansas politics at the time. Driscoll worked as an editor for the McNaught Syndicate from 1928 until his death, and continued the popular New York Day by Day column after the death of its creator O. O. McIntyre in 1938. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Benedict_Driscoll
After the U.S. Navy and World War Two In the short well researched 1996 Biography on Paul Twitchell by Dean McMakin (an Eckist from McCracken county Ky.) he states that Twitchell became a full Lt. in USNR (Reserve) before discharge, and also up for promotion to the rank of Lt. Commander at the time. We have not yet confirmed this. By early December 1945 Paul Twitchell accepted a civilian job as correspondent with Our Navy Magazine and Training Manual production with the Department of the Navy in New York City. In, early 1946, before spring, he was transferred to Washington D.C. He and Camille relocated permanently to take up these positions, but it did not last long before he resigned or was ‘let go’. In a newspaper column by Charles Driscoll in published in April 1946 it said: ‘Paul Twitchell of Paducah Ky. is living in New York while finishing an important novel. “I get tired of writing so I am taking two weeks off”.’ Further notes by Dean McMakin in the Twitchell Biography said that Paul Twitchell was a Freelance Writer and/or worked in public relations for the National Home Builders Association, the National Chamber of Commerce, several local Companies, and a Hospital from 1946 to 1950 in Washington D.C. area. From 1946 Paul Twitchell put most of his attention on further developing his ‘craft’ in writing pulp fiction novels in the Wild West, Detective thrillers, and Sci-Fiction genres. Almost all of these works by Twitchell were published under pseudonyms. He did become quite popular in the UK market. It was during this period among the writing circles he mixed in that Paul hooked up with another far more successful and famous pulp fiction writer who went by the name of L. Ron Hubbard who Page 16 of 20
founded Scientology. Also a Lieutenant in the US Naval Reserve they both had very similar interests and some unusual co-incidences. A Naval Officer, a pulp fiction writing career, long term interest in parapsychology and the psychic occult arts, a career as a guru, controversial biographies, and some strikingly similar personality traits. Reports clearly show Twitchell was involved with Hubbard during the early days of Dianetics circa 1950 to 1952, before it was renamed Scientology.
In March 1942, soon after joining the US Navy, Paul Twitchell was featured in the international print cartoon panels for the popular Ripley: Believe it or not!’. Paul had made several submissions to Ripley’s which were published in his first year or two as a freelance writer.
Believe it or not, perhaps became a questionable template for Paul in what came later, especially when he began Eckankar in 1965. Including the spiritual seekers after truth that enthusiastically became members of Eckankar long after Paul Twitchell died in September 1971.
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Original Document URL
http://www.scribd.com/doc/196135686/Paul-Twitchell-U-S-Naval-Reserve-War-Service-1942-1945 Last Revision 2014-02-17
References: Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897-February 20, 1972) was a famous newspaper and radio gossip commentator. Joining the Vaudeville News in 1920, Winchell left the paper for the Evening Graphic in 1924, and in turn was hired on June 10, 1929 by the New York Daily Mirror where he finally became the author of what would be the first syndicated gossip column, entitled On-Broadway. Using connections in the entertainment, social, and governmental realms, he would expose exciting or embarrassing information about celebrities in those industries. This caused him to become feared, as a journalist, because he would routinely impact the lives of famous or powerful people, exposing alleged information and rumors about them, using this as ammunition to attack his enemies, and to blackmail influential people. He used this power, trading positive mention in his column (and later, his radio show) for more rumors and secrets. By the 1930s, Winchell was "an intimate friend of Owney Madden, New York's No. 1 gang leader of the prohibition era", but "in 1932 Winchell's intimacy with criminals caused him to fear he would be 'rubbed out' for 'knowing too much.'" He fled to California, and "returned weeks later with a new enthusiasm for law, G-men, Uncle Sam, [and] Old Glory". Within two years, he befriended J. Edgar Hoover, the No. 2 G-man of the repeal era. He was responsible for turning Louis "Lepke" Buchalter of Murder, Inc. over to Hoover. His newspaper column was syndicated in over 2,000 newspapers worldwide, and he was read by 50 million people a day from the 1920s until the early 1960s. His Sunday-night radio broadcast was heard by another 20 million people from 1930 to the late 1950s. During the 1950s Winchell favored Senator Joseph McCarthy, but he became unpopular as the public turned against McCarthy. The most controversial part of Winchell's career was his attempts, especially after World War II, to destroy the careers of personal or political enemies. A favorite tactic was to accuse them of being communists or of sexual impropriety. Whenever friends reproached him for betraying confidences, he responded, "I know — I'm just a son of a bitch." By the mid-1950s he was widely believed to be arrogant, cruel, and ruthless. Even during Winchell's lifetime, journalists were critical of his effect on the media. On August 11, 1919, Winchell married Rita Greene, one of his onstage partners. The couple separated a few years later, and he moved in with June Magee, who had already given birth to their first child, a daughter named Walda (a mirror-mirror case of sexual and moral impropriety no less). Winchell and Greene eventually divorced in 1928. Winchell and Magee would never marry, although the couple maintained the front of being married for the rest of their lives. Winchell and Magee successfully kept the secret of their non-marriage, but were struck by tragedy with all three of their children. Their adopted daughter Gloria died of pneumonia at the age of nine, and Walda spent time in psychiatric hospitals. Walter, Jr., the only son of the journalist, committed suicide in his family's garage on Christmas night, 1968. Having spent the previous two years on welfare, Winchell, Jr. had last been employed as a dishwasher. Winchell announced his retirement on February 5, 1969, citing the tragedy of his son's suicide as a major reason, while also noting the delicate health of Magee. Exactly one year later, she died at a Phoenix hospital
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while undergoing treatment for a heart condition. Winchell spent his final two years as a recluse at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Larry King, who replaced Winchell at the Miami Herald, observed: “He was so sad. You know what Winchell was doing at the end? Typing out mimeographed sheets with his column, handing them out on the corner. That's how sad he got. When he died, only one person came to his funeral: his daughter.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Winchell -----Charles Benedict Driscoll (October 19, 1885 – January 15, 1951) was a U.S. journalist and editor. Driscoll was born south of Wichita, Kansas on a farm that was purchased by his father after emigrating from Ireland by way of New York and Ohio. Driscoll wrote of his life in Kansas in the Kansas Irish trilogy; the first two books published in 1943 (Kansas Irish) and 1946 (Country Jake) and the last East and West of Wichita in manuscript. He began his career as a journalist writing for the Wichita Eagle, and is popularly credited as the originator of the "school page" in newspapers. Driscoll became editor of the Wichita Eagle in 1919 but was forced out of his position in the 1920s by the Ku Klux Klan, active in Kansas politics at the time. Driscoll worked as an editor for the McNaught Syndicate from 1928 until his death, and continued the popular New York Day by Day column after the death of its creator O. O. McIntyre in 1938. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Benedict_Driscoll -----The military career of L. Ron Hubbard saw the future founder of Scientology serving in the United States Armed Forces as a member of the Marine Corps Reserve and the Navy Reserve in 1941–50. He saw active service between 1941–45, during World War II, as a naval Lieutenant, junior grade and later as a Lieutenant. After the war he was mustered out of active service and resigned his commission in 1950. As with many other aspects of L. Ron Hubbard's life, accounts of his military career are much disputed. Hubbard’s account of his military service later formed a major element of his public persona, as depicted by his Scientologist followers. Hubbard joined the United States Navy during the summer of 1941, a few months before the United States entered the Second World War. He applied in March 1941 and was commissioned as a Lieutenant, Junior Grade on July 19, 1941, entering permanent active duty in November. He specifically volunteered for "Special Service (intelligence duties)" an assignation recorded on his commission papers. He spent only a brief time in this nominal role with the Office of Naval Intelligence. After four months working in public relations and at the US Hydrographic Office, he spent three weeks at the Third Naval District in New York training for the role of Intelligence Officer. Hubbard's training was curtailed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and on December 18 he was sent to the Philippines via Australia. He was put ashore in Brisbane in January 1942 when his ship was re-routed. He was ordered back to the United States the following month at the instigation of the US Naval Attaché to Australia, who cabled Washington to complain. His official Navy service records indicate that "his military performance was, at times, substandard", that he was only awarded a handful of campaign medals and that he was never injured or wounded in combat and was never awarded a Purple Heart. Most of his military service was spent ashore in the continental United States on administrative or training duties. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_career_of_L._Ron_Hubbard ------
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Ripley's Believe It or Not! a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. The ‘Believe It or Not’ panel proved popular and was later adapted into a wide variety of formats, including radio, television, comic books, a chain of museums and a book series. The Ripley collection includes 20,000 photographs, 30,000 artifacts and more than 100,000 cartoon panels. With 80-plus attractions, the Orlando-based Ripley Entertainment, Inc., a division of the Jim Pattison Group, is a global company with an annual attendance of more than 12 million guests. Ripley Entertainment's publishing and broadcast divisions oversee numerous projects, including the syndicated TV series, the newspaper cartoon panel, books, posters and games. At the peak of its popularity, the syndicated feature was read daily by about 80 million readers, and during the first three weeks of May 1932 alone, Ripley received over two million pieces of fan mail. Dozens of paperback editions reprinting the newspaper panels have been published over the decades. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripley's_Believe_It_or_Not! -----The Coins of Gold Story, book of poetry published in 1939 http://www.littleknownpubs.com/Dialog_Coins.htm Paul Twitchell Early Careers - part one Sports Athletics trainer, assistant coach, and director Who's Who in Kentucky 1936 – note it WAS submitted by Paul personally Paducah Library files have over 100 articles by or about Paul Twitchell up to 1943 [Beware of the rationalizations and several assumptions made here] http://www.littleknownpubs.com/Dialog_careers1.htm Paul Twitchell Early Careers - part two Paducah Library articles shed light on Paul's early writing career Articles by and about Paul, and Our Navy and other articles texts The Wreckers of Goat Island, Freedom Granted, and At Three O'Clock [Beware of the rationalizations and assumptions made here as well] http://www.littleknownpubs.com/Dialog_careers2.htm ------
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