Grayson County TXGenWeb

June 23, 1946

Business Planned on Guam by Servicemen is Post-War Reality for Two Denisonians
by Charles Stacey

A telephone call and an invitation to share chow on Guam, from a Seabeeto an AAP pilot was indirectly the beginning of three new store fronts on Main street in Denison.
But AAP Lt. John W. Bengel was probably most interested at the time in the prospective chow, and Seabee Warrant Officer Albert B. Danielson in seeing an old friend.
The meeting was set when Lt. Bengel flew into Guam as co-pilot in a B-24 bomber of the 11th Bombing Group. Danielson was already established on the island, having come in with the second...of Seabees. Together for the next three months, they had time to do plenty of talking and make some plans for a partnership - Bengel and Danielson, Contractors.
The two contractors first were acquainted through work in Denison. At Perrin Air Field they worked together as carpenters. Mr. Bengel, a local man, moved from Perrin to Denison Dam. Mr. Danielson, born in Wisconsin and for six years with Spencer, White and Prentice, contractors in New York, did layout work on the dam, having had some 20 years experinece in all kinds of contracting.
Mr. Danielson was first in the service, joining the Seabees in November 1942 as a chief carpenters mate. He trained at Camp Bradfort, Va. and moved to...County following the Guam invasion. He was in charge of 200 men building a large hospital on the retaken island. He was on Guam until June 2, 1945, during which time he and Bengel were three months together, and came back home after 27 months overseas. He was separated in New Orleans in October, having reached Chief Warrant Carpenter rank, and returned to Denison to wait for Mr. Bengel.
Mr. Bengel decided early in 1943 that he wanted to fly. So he arranged to take tests for the Army Air Forces and was one of nine out of 27 passing the stiff tests. On March 8, 1943 he entered the army and had flight training at Santa Ana, Cal. He was put into bomber training and with the 11th Bombing Group trained for overseas at M..., Cal. He flew to Guam as co-pilot of a B-24 Liberator.
From Guan his outfit moved to new fields in Okinawa on July 8, 1945, and on Okinawa First Lt. Bengel stayed until Japan...and.... In October he returned to the States and on December 30 was separated and returned to Denison to go to work in the new parternership.
On Jan...the new contracting firm of Bengel and Danielson started work on a structural glass front for Dad's and Lad's. Now the contractors are busy in the same block with a new brick front for L... Western Wear and a remodeling of the new Lilly-Ayres store.

The dream comes true - Albert Danielson, left, and John W. Bengel are operating in Denison now their Bengel & Danielson construction contracting business they dreamed up on far-away Guam while both were in service. (Denison Herald Photo)