Star Dust In the Mountains

Some generals are music-minded, others not. The music-minded commander takes great interest in his outfit's band, believes firmly in its morale value. By last week Major General Claude B. Ferenbaugh, who took command of the 7th Division in January, had proved himself the most music-minded general in Korea.

Although they have only 28 instruments for 64 members, Ferenbaugh liberated the bandsmen from KP duty and other rear-area chores, ordered them to spend all their time making music--in the front lines whenever possible. The band's headquarters were moved up from the rear to a forward command post. In addition to the regular band for martial music, there is a 13-piece dance orchestra, a four-piece "hillbilly combo," an eight-piece Dixieland jazz group, a "novelty group" for European folk songs and classics.

Recently the strains of Star Dust rolled out over a valley from a ridge which the G.I.s had taken just twelve hours before. Under the eyes of the tootling musicians, the Communist dead were still being removed from the battlefield.

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