Sloan Brothers—
Meet in North African City
Vern, Gail McCandless Together First Time Since 1941
Sloan, Iowa – Special: It’s a small world after all, think Corporal Gail and Sergeant Vern McCandless, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Harry McCandless of Sloan.
They had not seen each other since November, 1941, when they were home on furloughs from the army until recently when they happened to meet on a street in a North African City.
Corporal Gail informed his parents of the meeting in a recent letter. He told of meeting Vern and of spending a day with him later. It was a happy reunion and Vern was in good spirits, Gail said. Vern and Gail were stationed in the same area when Gail wrote.
Another McCandless son, Basil, is serving in the navy and is stationed in Rhode Island. He enlisted in August and was 31 on February 3. Vern is 23 and Gail is 28. Another son, Bill McCandless, 19, the youngest of the family, is still at home, but appeared for his last physical examination Saturday and is expected to leave for duty within two weeks, making four sons in the service.
Two older sons, older than the ones in the service, are doing their share in the war efforts by working in defense plants.
Gail McCandless left Sioux City with the National Guard unit and was stationed at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana and Fort Dix, New Jersey, before going overseas. Vern is in an engineer’s unit and was stationed at Camp Bowie, Texas and Camp Edwards, Massachusetts before being sent across.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, Sunday, Feb. 14, 1943 (photo included)
