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Reunion Report 1994 · ' lli~IJNif)N lf)f)Ll UTUMN is a special season in Missouri. is the 30th anniversary of the 70th Division Associa­ Days are warm and brilliant with the col­ tion. We see old comrades-many are the reunions of oring of gold and scarlet leaves accenting men who see each other for the first time in half a A the brightness of lush evergreens. Nights century. We hail the buddy we last saw at the Louis­ are brisk with the promise of the new season. And in ville Reunion; we remark on those who are not with the air is a nostalgia that comes in the Fall of a year us. and the Fall of a lifetime. (Two absentees are especially noticed. Chester 1944 in Missouri. Garstki, "Trailblazer" photographer in 1994 as in The 70th Division is in fmal training at Fort Leonard 1944, has been a familiar figure as he bustled about Wood, ready to ship out to combat. Although its des­ with his camera capturing Reunions on film. Emer­ tination is an official secret, there are enough packing gency surgery just two weeks earlier forced him to crates addressed to the Port of Embarkation at Boston cancel out. Thomas Higley, C/275, had travelled 400 to assure every GI that he shall see action in Europe. miles from his Tucson, Arizona home when car trouble And flavoring even routine daily activities is the wiped out his trip. He had been a Reunion regular knowledge that these might well be the last days that and had a running contest with Fred "Casey" Cassidy, we shall be with men who have grown to be our broth­ G/274, over which company would have the most reg­ ers. istrants at the Reunion.) 1994 in Missouri. We know "the days dwindle down to a precious Trailblazers are once again in Missouri, in St. Louis few." If ever there had been a myth that "real men where we had enjoyed our last leave days so long ago. don't cry," it was certainly laid to rest in St. Louis. The atmosphere is both festive and nostalgic. This is Real men, authenticated such by combat, often the 50th anniversary of our voyage to combat. And it dropped real tears.

50th Anniversary The committee works efficiently. Those who Trailblazer events begin early had the foresight to pre-register not only is published four times a It was a Reunion that carried out cher­ save a few U.S. dollars, they saved a lot of year by the 70th Infantry ished traditions-and began what may be­ waiting time. Their envelopes were wait­ Division Association and come new ones. Among the new: ing for them. With the program, tickets to friends. Subscription: $12 Camcorders, dozens of them! And young events and discount coupons from local annually. people-children and grandchildren by the purveyors, were special 50th anniversary dozen. Four days before the '94 Reunion Trailblazer pins, soon to become cherished Editor begins, the lobby of the spectacular Regal souvenirs. Edmund C. Arnold Riverfront Hotel is spotted with the bril­ And blessings upon him who made 3804 Brandon Ave., S.W. #415 Roanoke. VA 24018 liant red axe-head insignia of the 70th Di­ name-tag letters large enough that those in (703) 776-2415 vision. It shines on caps, on jackets, on T­ the tri-focal stage could read them at a rea­ shirts, on bolo clips and women's neck­ sonable distance. Another huzzah rises for Associate Editor* laces. From as early as Sunday, then the brilliant mind who provided auto de- ' Chester F. Garstki through the week, an unofficial welcom­ cals for both inside and outside application. 2946 N. Harding Ave. ing committee greets arriving Trailblazers. (Actually they aren't decals; they are "static Chicago, IL 60618 Lobbies are spacious and the view of the clinging- no adhesive- no residue" wonders (312) 725-3948 majestic Gateway Arch is a constant de­ of modem technology.) light to the eye. River traffic is bustling on Oh, yes, there were snafus, but none was Staff Artist * the wide Mississippi. Facilities are world­ serious. After all, when more than I , I 00 Peter Bennett 3031 Sir Phillips Dr. class and hotel personnel are friendly and people must be served in a limited time, San Antonio, TX 78209 efficient. The Hospitality Room is the larg­ some glitches must inevitably occur. But est we've ever had, its hours are longer and Army veterans have long since learned to Vplume 52 Number 3 it is always well filled. take snafus in stride and the crowd at the Fall. 1994 The Reunion registration desk opens a desk was a cheerful-and happily loud­ day early, Wednesday, Sept. 28, and a busy enclave.

2 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER Oregon Trail whose history the 70th Divi- the many good restaurants that are usually I:· Breakfast honors sion honors with its name. The museum in crowded with fans had plenty of room for colorful dioramas and displays depicts the dining 'Blazers. First-Timers greatest of human migrations, the 19th Cen- (Baseball was in hiatus but softball "First" was the keynote Thursday. The tury "Winning of the West." wasn't. John Krochka, 11276, had to cut his first official activity of the Reunion was a Other favorites were the Anheuser-Busch stay short so he could take part in the World breakfast for those attending their first Re- brewery and the farm that once belonged Series of Softball in Orlando, Florida. He's union. Sixty-eight of them, most accom- to Ulysses S. Grant. The grand Union Sta- a member of the champion Akron Silver panied by their wives, were welcomed by tion proved a tempting shopping area. Oaks.) Association officers. It was an occasion they' ll probably re- member always. Some men, who acknowl- Days of wine and roses edged that they had been apprehensive Fort Leonard Wood about becoming part of the gang after all and a little bit these years, were instantaneously enfolded again 70th goal into the brotherhood. Many found buddies of cheese and cheer As registration continued, seven huge they hadn't seen since ETO days. The traditional wine-and-cheese party is buses began a once-familiar journey to the In an informal setting, each man was in- really the opening of the Reunion. Another Ozarks. Most Trailblazers had ridden that vited to tell about himself. And what sto- tradition is that we run out of cheese. We route in clattery Army buses way back ries unfolded. One Purple Heart veteran did it again! Basicall y it was because a few when. But this time 339 didn't have to (whose name the editor awaits) met another people made dinner instead of hors worry about getting back to the post be- who had crawled a hundred yards under d 'oeuvres of the delicious stuff. But no one fore their passes expired. deadly fire to carry him back to an aid sta- minded too much: the company was excel- (Several men recalled that while on pass, tion. lent, spirits were high; the Dixieland mu- civilians had given them tickets to the World sic was superb and dinner awaited anyway. Series which that year was a local affair, For some that meal was the traditional the Cardinals versus the now-sainted St. German Dinner-now called the European Louis Browns. Others remembered taking St. Louis provides Dinner- for those who had made Trail- a collection to incite the '44 bus driver to blazer Back-to-Europe tours--or enjoyed catch the 3 p.m. train to Chicago. As the !, tourist vignettes them vicariously through the videos and bus couldn't leave camp till weekend passes Many Trailblazers took tours--on land photographs on display in the Hospitality became effective at noon Saturday, the re- and on Mark Twainish paddle-wheelers- Room. Others went to the Top of the suit was a hair-raising sweep through on Wednesday. Some found the shuttle that Riverfront restaurant which ci rcles slowly Ozark mountains on then-minimal roads.) took them across the wide Mississippi to a above the north tower of the huge hotel. At They found that a military installation is riverboat casino on the Illinois side. Some any time of the 90-minute revolution of the far more pleasant to visit while wearing even won a buck or two. dining room the panorama of the city and civvies and getting the VIP tour than it is The towering Arch was thrilling, whether the great river were pulse-tingling. to a soldier in wartime. They saw the 70th you saw it from the ground, ascended to With the baseball season stone-cold in plaque on the Wall of Honor, visited the the top of the graceful arc or visited the the strikers' graveyard, the empty Cardi- post museum and toured the sprawling en- exciting museum in its lower level. St. nal stadium-just around the corner from campment which is now the Engineers Louis was one of the headwaters of the our hotel-wasn't drawing any crowds. So training center.

same year.) down the drain'." Angioplasty, Emergency! So Alex presided at the louis- opening a clogged artery within ville Reunion where he began his his heart with a balloon, was sue- Alex Johnson elected term as President. A rna- cessful and his recovery has been jor duty is arranging Reunions and amazing. knows them well he and his wife Helen had devoted Under strictest orders of his many hours to the St. louis event. doctor-and Helen-to avoid Then, on labor Day, '94, after over-exertion, he turned many of erecting some fence poles at his the duties of presiding at meetings Alex Johnson began his presi- Arlington Heights, Illinois church, to Dale Bowlin and rested on a dency in an emergency. he said "I felt a peculiar tingling prescribed schedule. He feels well He almost ended it the same across my chest and arms. It didn't and looks well and makes it a way. hurt but I asked Helen to call point to warn fellow-'Biazers: As then President-Elect, in the 911." "Don't be hesitant to call 911 if Spring of 1991 he took over when On the table of the emergency you don't feel right. If you do have Neal Gibbs resigned the presi- room to which he had been f• an attack, prompt treatment can dency of the Association because rushed, Alex was hit by "a real save your life. If it's a false alarm, of ill health. (Neal died July 2 the heart attack". It was nip and tuck. there's no need to be embar- "My doctor thought I 'was going rassed."

Fall, 1994 • 3 ' (Mlily 'Blazers were disappointed that crowded. Hotel personnel were astonished they couldn't take this trip for which they Photography at the Reunion was done at the agility of"all those old people in their had signed up. The reason: The Engineers by a commercial firm that has no con­ 70s, dancing to swing." commanders at the Fort-never particularly nection with the Association. The com­ Blazers discovered they have their own friendly to the infantry-decided they just pany will publish a book containing Ethel Merman in Alice McCormack. The couldn't take care of more than 300 visi­ photos taken over a four-day period. wife of Jack, B/884, she took the micro­ tors. This raised a few 70th eyebrows; it Members will be sent proofs of their pic­ phone and belted out a version of "Won't seems that a large and modem Army ought tures by ABS Reunion Visuals, Inc. You Come Home, Bill Bailey" that brought to be able to handle several hundred Ameri­ down the house. The orchestra deserved the peanuts, Arkansas weather sticks. There can transients as readily as they handle hand it got, too. Without any rehearsal it were WW2 memorabilia. Carl Johnson, thousands of Haitian and Cuban refugees.) gave Alice absolutely perfect accompani­ HQ/70, donated many war trophies includ­ But the mess-hall luncheon was good and ment. ing the periscope from a German tank, and individual military personnel were friendly. a gorgeous silver swastika-ed finial for a flag pole. The list goes on and on and only the limitations of space here forces an end to it. But only after noting a package of ar­ It's Orlando madillo droppings. Goin', goin', gone! At press time there has been no final re­ and Labor Day port of the proceeds of the auction although Auctioneer sings out it is well into the thousands of dollars. Meanwhile back at the ranch- For many 'Blazer folks, it was their first for next time After waiting and waiting for the auction. Paul carefully explained the pro­ The biennial business meeting Saturday Leonard Wood patrol to return, the tradi­ cedures and it was a real fun event. Paul, morning had a busy agenda. tional auction began-late but with a bang. of course, is a real old pro. But all his help­ Procedures for choosing the next Re­ Paul Alford, H/274, is a professional auc­ ers were amateurs who did a remarkably union site had been changed at the Louis­ tioneer in his native Ada, Oklahoma. He good job of keeping transactions going ville meeting, because of the exigencies of conducted a spirited sale-despite a tem­ smoothly, a process whose intricacies most finding hotels adequate enough to accom­ peramental sound system. people don't realize. modate a group as large as ours. Alternat­ Proferred items had been on display all ing between the East and the West contin­ the while the great Hospitality Room had ues. So the Time-and-Place Committee, been opened since Wednesday. The items headed by Floyd Freeman, 1/275, was were most interesting. Many members charged only with finding a site "in the brought their own handiwork. There were In the Summer­ East" for '96. several oil paintings that drew especial in­ They did an admirable job. They found terest. Alex Vargo, B/274, for instance, had In the Autumn­ the Clarion Hotel in Orlando, Florida. It can a handsome montage that vividly com­ house all of us under one roof; it can serve memorated the Battle of Nord wind and its Ain't we got fun! our giant sit-down meals; and-incredible 70th casualties. The late J. H. Saterlee, A new feature was Friday Fun Night. as it seems in this time of inflation-its rates Medic 3rd Bn/276, had painted the USS Instead of the buffets of previous Re­ will be $5 lower than those in St. Louis West Point which had transported Trail­ unions-which had proved too arduous and-more incredible-guaranteed for the blazer units to Marseilles in '44. It brought stand-in-line serving-this was a sit-down intervening two years. the highest price of any item, $110. A gold dinner. The food was excellent and service Dates for the '96 Orlando meeting are necklace brought $105. extraordinary. (Your editor, who was on the September 1-9, Labor Day weekend, There were more than 250 items for sale. banquet circuit for 30 years, solemnly at­ and about a month earlier than usual. The auction had to be recessed until after tests that at all events the food was the best Those dates afforded the bargain rates the dinner and Paul had to rearrange his he has ever enjoyed at corporate meals.) that Floyd has negotiated. The report schedule because he had to return immedi­ Les Edwards, B/274, performed his tra­ was ratified unanimously. ately to conduct a sale back in Oklahoma. ditional role of emcee, leading in group One tradition had to be abandoned at the Handicraft items included handsome singing-which could have been expanded biennial business meeting Friday morning. afghans, a colorful quilt top made from with pleasure-and doing a well-received Individual members used to stand and iden­ neckties donated by Trailblazers, a beauti­ vocal solo. Paul Durbin, HQ 3rd Bn/274, tify themselves to start the session. But as ' fully crafted mantel clock made by Henry who, if he weren't a successful Honolulu numbers increased, that took most of the Inselberger, B/882, and I 0 copies of a mas­ attorney, could match his Kaintuck drawl morning. So only two groups were recog­ terfully crafted chap book, the 1992 Hom­ and comic mastery against Andy Griffin nized, men who attended a Reunion for the ily poem, that was hand-set and hand­ any time-told his story of edible and in­ first time and-the very opposite of the printed by Thomas Krakowiak, C/275. edible garbage that simply defies retelling time line-four charter members who at­ Members brought products unique to in print. tended the very first Reunion. These four their area: Vermont and Michigan maple The band played the tunes of the days of men, who formed the national body from a syrup, Hawaiian macadamias and Virginia our youth and the dance floor was always meeting of a single company, Service/275, Mickey Mouseland in '96 // 4 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER HAIL TO THE CHIEFS .... The Executive Board, named in St. Louis, will lead the Association for the next two years. Members are (from left, back row): William Sole, Andrew McMahon, Donald Lindgren, Robert Crother and Ray Yadon. In the front row are: George Marshall, Dale Bowlin, Louis Hoger and Edmund Arnold. (Photo by Byron McNeely) are C. "Gus" Comuntzis, who was the first active recruiting of new members that is assisted by Norman Johnson, A/883 and a national president; Robert Parham, Sv/275; keeping our membership ascending even Past President, and George Hummer, HQ/ Jay Ethridge, D/276; and Ed Fischer, though our Taps column grows. 883-attested that financial records are ti­ K/275. dily legal and accurate. A phrase from the invocation given by The goal of 2,000 membership has the Rev. Harry Durkee, C/275, assistant Member numbers rise eluded us for years. Now it looks as if we Association chaplain, strikes a chord: "Dear will attain Lord, we love our country and we believe despite age statistics 2,000 by 2000 A.D. You do, too." With I ,923 active members, the Asso­ This despite the fact that the "Taps" list Retiring officers gave their reports. Presi­ ciation remains vigorous, said Louis Hoger, keeps growing. But with retirement giving dent Alex Johnson told of the placement of G/275, Secretary-Treasurer. The Infantry many men more opportunity to seek out old plaques at Camp Adair and Ford Leonard regiments account for 80% of the roll. Per­ time buddies, computer-net technology that Wood and the formal commemoration of centages are almost identical for each regi­ facilitates such searches and always the the Division's 50th anniversary at the Livo­ ment with the 275th in a very slight lead. realization that the years grow fewer, mem- • nia, Michigan, headquarters of the "new Divarty has I l % and Special Troops and bership increases. The goal of 2,000 may 70th" Training Division. Headquarters, 8.5%. well be reached before the next Reunion. The growing popularity of regional mini­ Lou's financial report was, as usual, most Edmund Arnold, HQ/70, editor of the reunions was the theme of several reports. simple: "We took in some money, we spent "Trailblazer" magazine reported that the George Marshall, 1/275 and Vice-President/ some money, we have some money left." logistics of a second History Book were just West, said that 150 had attended such a Calvin Jones, Sv/883, and AssistantS­ too difficult to carry out the project. A third meeting at Grand Junction, Colorado and T, gave details. They show a current net printing of the original history. "The Trail­ that plans are well under way for the 1995 balance of $76,000 after biennial expenses blazers," will be done in early 1995. Mean­ mini at Sacramento, California. of some $38,000. (Cal's detailed report while the war stories that were submitted Byron McNeeley, l/274, VP/East, said a appears elsewhere in this issue.) The Au­ for the second book will be printed in the Quad City, Illinois mini, the first ever in diting Committee-Alvin Thomas, HQ/ that area, had attracted 60. He told of the 883 and a past Treasurer was chairman, (continued on next page)

Fall. 1994 • 5 ' be entrusted to arrange orderly dissolution. The committee report was definitely Heights monument I{I~IJNJf)N against the establishment of scholarships as economically impractical and adminis­ already building tratively vexatious. Since it was first suggested in the "Trail­ (Continued) As a brief sidelight to business, the chair blazer" in the Spring of 1990, the subject discovered: of a monument has been on the agenda. The Oldest Trailblazer in attendance was Now the matter was closed-with a glori­ magazine. Arthur Chappue, Sv /883 . The youngest was ous finale! The issue you are now reading was in­ R. D. Kelley, Medics 3rd Bn/275. He en­ There will be a 70th Division monument creased by eight pages to include this ac­ listed at the age of 16, telling a bit of a white on Spicheren Heights. count of the St. Louis Reunion. That ex­ lie to the recruiter. Charles Kelley, HQ/70, had volunteered plains the delay in publication, which nor­ Three members made long treks to St. to raise funds outside the Association bud­ mally would have been Oct. I. Louis. Farthest was William Greenwalt's, get, for such a memorial. He has been most He reviewed how the magazine grew C/276. He came from Buenos Aires, Argen­ active in the endeavor and has worked from eight pages when he took over as edi­ tina. He was accompanied by his wife Caro­ closely with French officials. The Forbach tor in 1982 to the regular 24 and that future lina and his son Butch, a handsome If­ District council has appropriated 35,000 issues may on occasion increase to 32 year-old. Runners-up were George francs-about $6,000 U.S.-for the stone­ pages. His mailing list of 2,400 is much Tartaris, M/276, who came from work. We will buy the bronze plaque which larger than the membership list because it Kaiserslautern, Germany, and Paul will carry inscriptions in three languages: includes honorary members, mostly wid­ Durbin, HQ 3rd Bn/274, from Honolulu, English, French and German. ows of deceased members, and associate Hawaii. Charlie had collected $800+ in unsolic­ members. He cited increased postage costs One member-unfortunately, unidenti­ ited gifts before the meeting. Then he and urged members who migrate south for fied, reported that he has 13 children, the placed a glass bowl for additional gifts; the winter to have someone back home for­ record for the moment. they totalled $1,385 in I 0 minutes! Mon­ ward their mail rather than ask the "Trail­ ies beyond the cost of the plaque will be blazer" staff to change the mailing address. used for ornamental brickwork paving In some instances it costs as much as $3 around the monument. It will be dedicated for a change-of-address procedure. next Spring with a large Trailblazer del­ egation expected. Dues year A proposal to erect a monument at Fort Benning, Georgia was defeated by a wide starts Jan. I margin. The tabled motion to build one at Long-range goals Fort Leonard Wood was also voted down A major change reschedules dues pay­ as the plaque on the Fort's Wall of Honor given priorities ments. All dues will be due January 1 is deemed a sufficient memorial there. instead of the past July 1. Members who Also voted down was a motion to lower The Long-Range Planning Committee, are currently paid up to July 1, 1995, will annual dues to $10. with its chairman, Ted Mataxis, HQ 2nd not be required to pay dues until New Bn/276, reporting, outlined Association Year's 1996. objectives for the foreseeable future: Because in the normal procedure, ad­ Election • Keep the Association alive, active and vance notice woul d be required, a two­ even growing; thirds vote suspended the rules and a unani­ names Bowlin • Publicize the achievements of the 70th mous vote adopted the measure. Karl Division, especially during the 50th anni­ Landstrom, HQ 3rd Bn/274, a Washington versary of its actions in the Vosges and in attorney acting as parliamentarian, handled headman Most important item on the agenda was the Saarland; the legalities. election of officers. For the first time, the • Monuments; Two resolutions were brought from the Association named four vice-presidents • Preserve war memorabilia. Sending it floor. Defeated was the one putting the instead of two. Presented by the chairman to the War College at Carlisle, Pennsylva­ Association on record against placing any of the Nominating Committee, Walter Cox, nia is suggested as the most reliable way to American troops under command of a the slate was unanimously elected. The ensure its preservation for future histori­ United Nations commander. The other pro­ Executive Board for '94-'96 are: ans; tested what was termed a pro-Japanese President: Dale Bowlin, C/883; • Leave until later the dissolution of the viewpoint of the atom-bomb attack on President-Elect: George Marshall, I/275; Association. The only IRS requirement of Hiroshima in a Smithsonian institute ex­ Immediate Past-President: Alex Johnson, our non-profit tax status is that assets of hibit of the Enola Gay, the plane that car­ H/274; the Association may never be divided ried the first A-bomb. (This became a moot Vice-President/North: William Sole, K/ among individual members. With Ameri­ issue as, that same day, it was announced 275; can longevity constantly extending, the that the theme of the display had been dras­ Vice-President/South: Andrew Mac­ Association can reasonably expect at least tically changed.) A new committee was Mahon, E/276; a decade of activity. As membership-still authorized by a resounding vote; a Resolu­ Vice-President/Central: Raymond growing now-declines sharply by the at­ tions Committee will prepare any such Yadon, B/274; trition of age, surviving members can well memorials for future Reunion meetings. (Continued on next page)

6 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER Social highlight: 2.000 by 2000 A.D. gala banquet The ornate ballroom of the Riverfront (Continued) chairman of the selection committee read was packed for the gala Saturday evening Vice-President/West: Robert Crother, B/ the citations for each. President Alex banquet. This was the only "formal" affair 275; Johnson conferred the honor. of the Reunion and the ladies, especially, Secretary-Treasurer: Louis Hoger, G/ Brig. Gen. James Pocock, commanding took the occasion to wear their most beau­ 275; the 70th Training Division, was the main tiful dresses. Suits and neckties were the Assistant Secretary-Treasurer: Donald speaker. He told how the traditions of the uniform of the day for the men and they Lindgren, L/274; 70th Infantry Division are being held up looked fit for a full-dress inspection. "Trailblazer" Editor: Edmund Arnold, for the 70th Training Division soldiers. Most colorful were the Class A uniforms HQno. Today's 70th conducts three 13-week of the many active Army men and women Hoger is the only officer who stood for basic-training cycles annually at Fort in attendance. Among them-and apologies re-election. Arnold is the only ex officio Benning, Georgia. There have been 12 are tendered to those not mentioned by member. He was re-appointed by Bowlin training divisions which prepare the cad­ name-were Lt. Col. Larry Johnson, a war­ for his seventh two-year term and has the res for divisions that would have to be baby Associate, son of Carl Johnson, HQ/ longest tenure on the Board. formed in case of a major war. Defense 70; M/Sgt. Ed Lane, a former "new 70th" Regimental, Divarty and Special Troops budget cuts have reduced these to nine and man, now a recruiter at Fort Knox, Ken­ held separate meetings in the afternoon. The plans are to eliminate two more. There are tucky; M/Sgt. Patricia Drury, public infor­ 274th outfit was entertained by Joe Bow­ five Exercise Divisions which will train for mation non-com of the 70th Training, and man, a new member who is a professional larger-unit action. The 70th has an excel­ Sgt. Scott Wallace, son of Jim Bates, D/ trick-shot performer. He did some fancy lent record and chances are good that it will 274. shootin' that was never contemplated for survive future cuts. Its personnel, though, (Sgt. Drury of Michigan and Bert Drury, an Infantry firing range. has been reduced from 3,000 to about C/276, of Missouri, both genealogy buffs, 2,000. compared family trees but couldn't find Gen. Pocock will retire later this year and common kinfolk.) ''Outstanding'' be succeeded by Brig. Gen. Bruce The aplomb of the Infantry in emergency McDonald. He is vice-president for public was demonstrated when screaming sirens relations for General Motors Corporation and flashing warning lights electrified the honors four and is dedicated to maintaining warm rela­ ballroom-but not the audience. (Later it tions with the Association. Gen. Pocock At the men's luncheon, four Outstand­ was learned that there had been a minor fire will remain a member of the Association. ing Trailblazer awards were conferred on in a guest room high in the tower. It was a Walter Cox, E/276; Cornelius "Con" high tower, too, as many 'Blazers can at­ Cremer, F/275; Rex Doug Jeffreys, F/276 test. There was elevator trouble one evening and William Pierce, C/275. Karl Lanstrom, at dinnertime and long lines awaited. One (Continued on next page) The Treasurer's Calvin Jones Report Assistant Secretary Treasurer

BALANCE 7/1/93: Souvenir Items Purchased ...... 11 ,283 Mission Bank, Mission, KS - Ckg. Acct...... $282 Miscellaneous Expenditures ...... 94 Mission Bank- Money Market Acct ...... 23,391 Treasurer's Fidelity Bond ...... 116 Mission Bank- Certs. of Deposit ...... 47,722 Annual Gratuity, Secretary-Treasurer ...... 600 Citizens S&W, Eureka, IL- Cert. of Dep ...... 10,152 Annual Gratuity, Trailblazer Editor ...... 600 Total Beginning Balance...... $81 ,547 Roster Printing ...... 1,706 St. Louis Reunion -Advance Expense ...... 2,41 0 RECEIPTS: Flowers ...... 50 Regular Dues (901) ...... $10,810 Memorial Plaque- Camp Adair ...... 2,158 Life Memberships (42) ...... 4,200 Total Disbursements...... 38,499 Assoc. Member Dues (47) ...... 568 $15,578 Interest on Deposits ...... 3,394 BALANCE 7/31/94: History Book Sales ...... 660 Mission Bank Checking Account #371990 ...... $107 Other Book & Souvenir Sales ...... 2,467 Mission Bank Money Market Acct. #61111 083 ..... 43,333 Advance Reunion Registrations ...... 37,580 Mission Bank C/D #48658, 4.0% due 2/12/95 . ... 12,816 Spichern Monument Donations ...... 660 Mission Bank C/D #49415, 4.25% due 1/15/95 . .. 12,619 Total Receipts ...... 60,339 Mission Bank C/D #50126, 4.25% due 11/3/95 . .. 12,714 Mission Bank C/D #52169, 4.5% due 9/28/94 . ... 11,646 DISBURSEMENTS: Citizens S&L, C/D #02-6-724590, 6.11 %, 1/10/95 . 10,152 Postage, Shipping & Mail Permits ...... $3,689 Total Ending Balance ...... $103,387 Office Supplies & Telephone ...... 411 Less Reserve for Spichern Monument ...... 1660) Trailblazer Printing ...... 15,382 Net Association Funds ...... $1 02,727

Fall, 1994 • 7 ' ers as a token of the ties between the old Americans hadn't been born in 1944 and and new Divisions. need to know the part played, not only by Ill~t J NJf)N James Bates, D/2 74, was awarded a be­ Trailblazer soldiers but by their wives, who lated Bronze Star with his son Sgt. Walace , kept together the families-indeed the (Continued) also in full uniform, doing the presentation. whole nation. Again the tunes of the wartime era lured Expressing the gratitude of a nation for sturdy member walked down 18 flights of hundreds to the dance floor. military victories, she said, "We admire you stairs.) And all the while the Hospitality Room just for being our parents." Children and grandchildren of Trailblaz­ was a happy, chattering gathering place. It She received a standing ovation, the first ers were asked to stand and their numbers was interesting to note that coffee and soft ever given at a Memorial Service. delighted the veterans. drinks were more popular than the beer and (Already at the end ofthe service so many Major ceremony of the evening was the harder stuff available. A VCR played a 1945 people have requested it, that Mrs. Loomis's inauguration of new officers. Immediate movie newsreel that showed action at talk will be printed in full in the next is­ Past-President Norman Johnson adminis­ Wingen. More recent action, the sue.) tered the oath of office. Gen. Pocock gave Philippsbourg monument dedication, was The two chaplains, Docken and Durkee, silver mugs to each of the outgoing offic- also shown. read 139 names of Trailblazers who have died since the last Reunion. Nine more names were called from the floor. Silence was total. Then, from a distance came the clear notes of"Taps." The "Book of Honor" Second generation joins and the colors were retired after the clos­ ing prayer by Chaplain Durkee. Les Edwards led the singing and ushers in honoring w-ar dead were Ema Dell and Andrew McMahon, E/ 276, and Dorothy and Ralph Ruggles, A/ The emotional highlight of every Re­ legiance and sang "The Star Spangled Ban­ 274. William Pierce took the handsome union has always been the Sunday Memo­ ner." Then the "Book of Honor," that lists wreath to the Jefferson Barracks Military rial Service. The 1994 ceremony perpetu­ the names of all Trailblazers killed in ac­ Cemetery after the service. ated the tradition. tion, was brought to the front of the hall Presenting the colors was the first ritual. and placed on a lectern by Edmund Arnold. Then came that poignant* moment that In the past, Army color guards had per­ In the past, he has been accompanied by ends every Reunion. Departing for home, formed this rite but this time the Henry Inselberger, B/882, who is dressed old friends exchanged handshakes and hugs Association's own members performed the in a colorful American Colonial uniform. and a few tears as they wondered whether honors. When it was known that the 70th But the serious illness of his wife prevented they were saying au revoir, so long or truly Training could not provide the guard as it Henry from attending. So the escort was Goodbye. There was many a silent prayer, had in the past because of budget restric­ Command Sergeant Major McCracken of "Good Lord, let us all come together again tions, Con Cremer, F/275, recruited Rex the 70th Training. The symbolic joining of in 1996." Jeffrey, F/275; William Rorabaugh, C/275, the old and new Trailblazers proved satis­ and Henry Clarke, AT/274, for the detail. fying to many of the packed audience. Sgt. Jeff McCracken, command sergeant As he had done twice before, Arnold major of the 70th Training, who had ac­ delivered the Homily and read a poem com­ companied Gen. Pocock for the second time posed for the occasion. to a Reunion, renewed the old A memorial wreath was presented by Infantrymen's recollections of close-order Marjorie and John Hildebrand, A/274, and drill. Their performance was exemplary. the audience sang "America The Beauti­ They marched with pride and precision and ful." executed "posting the colors" impeccably Then came a departure from old custom. here as they had on two previous days. In the past the main speaker has always (One maneuver impressed the audience been a member of the Association. But this particularly. The Stars and Stripes are al­ year the second generation of the Trailblaz­ ways at the right ofany grouping with other ers was heard. Kathleen Anne Loomis, who flags, this time the Trailblazer Division's. was born while her father was in Germany Another wearer of* the Purple Heart i~ As the colors are brought down from the in '45, spoke on behalf of her generation Harry Dickenson, I/275. He served with platform, they face and salute the president. and their children. Capt. Bill Long, among the earliest 'Blaz­ That puts the Old Glory at the audience's She held the audience in total silence as ers to meet Nordwind. right. A simple about-face would leave the she told her elders to "Pass on your wis­ After his enlistment a year before Pearl American flag at the left of the withdraw­ dom to us. Tell us the whole story. Give us Harbor, in five years of duty, he served with ing guard. So the four men wheel to their heroes." She charged the responsibilities of several outfits including the 90th Division. left and the Star Spangled Banner is at the World War II veterans and their spouses to In the summer of '44 he joined the 70th at right of the unit. The ritual was performed make sure that the nation never forgets why Wood and spent a year at Percy Jones Hos­ perfectly.) the great war was fought and realizes the pital in Battle Creek, Michigan. After the invocation by Chaplain Don profound effect it has had on the life of the He was a housebuilder and draftsman Docken, who arranged the ceremony, the country as on the lives of those who fought. and is retired. He and his wife Frances live large audience joined in the Pledge of AI- She pointed out that the majority of in Orlando, Florida. 8 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER . Your mission is. • • Each member of the 70th Division has an oppor­ tunity-and an obligation to himself and his com­ rades-to make sure that the Vosges campaign is not overlooked by historians or present-day jour­ nalists. This is especially urgent as the world pre­ pares to observe the 50th anniversary of The Baffle of the Bulge. The Ardennes sector of the Bulge, that is. For the Alsatian sector of that great struggle has been sys­ tematically ignored for half a century. To keep the record accurate, here's what you can do. Take the article that starts on the next page­ either in the original, in a photo copy or a typewrit­ ten manuscript, to your local newspaper. Ask them Do so immediately. Newspapers get very busy to reprint it and emphasize that it has a local angle during the holiday shopping season and an early because you were in it. Be sure to give your com­ approach will help get it on their editorial menu for pany or battery, regiment or battalion, and your December coverage. military rating. If there is more than one paper serv­ If that coverage recalls only the Belgian sector, ing your area, call on all of them. On daily papers, write a correction to the letter-to-the-editor depart­ ask for the op-ed page editor. ment.

"Wall of Liberty" cleared All other Allied countries who contrib­ uted to the liberation have been invited to of mismanagement charge erect monuments to their own forces in an international memorial park adjacent to the A swirl of controversy has raised ques­ The General Accounting Office, the Con­ Wall. tions by "Trailblazer" readers about "The gressional agency which is monitoring the The United States government is contrib­ Wall of Liberty", a proposed monument to Foundation agrees that the charges are false. uting nothing to these projects. But Con­ all Americans who fought in the ETO, Highly reputable men head the Foundation. gress authorized the striking of World War North Africa and the Mediterranean the­ Its new president is retired Gen. Patrick II coins and assigned profits from that coin­ aters. Brady, who earned the Medal of Honor in age to assist financing the Memorial Gar­ The Wall will be erected in Caen, the Vietnam. Pierre Salinger, Journalist and den. Normandy city where a Memorial Museum historian who was press secretary for Presi­ The 70th Division Association has no has been open since 1988. It consists of a dent Kennedy, is national campaign chair­ connection with the Foundation although series of stone panels, each inscribed with man for the Wall. many members have registered for the Wall. about a thousand names of veterans of the The Foundation has already accom­ It suggests that any interested veteran write Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast plished several major projects. A monu­ for more information to The Wall of Lib­ Guard and Merchant Marines. Living or ment to Gen. Dwight Eisenhower was erty National Campaign, 1730 Rhode Is­ dead veterans are eligible. dedicated during the observances of the land Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. The Battle of Normandy Foundation, 50th anniversary of the Normandy landings which is conducting the project, is asking by the general's son John. ***** for a contribution of $40 for each name to The Normandy Scholar Program to study If you've enjoyed the sweet sleep that · be inscribed. To date more than 50,000 and preserve knowledge about the libera­ advertisements promise you on a Serta names have been enrolled. tion of Europe, has already assisted 200 mattress, you may have benefitted from the • Charges were made that the Foundation honored scholars to study there under aus­ handiwork of Angelo "Knobby" Pregnato, was misusing contributions. An indepen­ pices of six American universities. There­ B/884. He worked for Serta as an uphol­ dent review committee, headed by Gen. gional government of Normany is restor­ sterer for eight years, starting in 1948. Then John Vessey, former chairman of the Chief ing the 12th Century Abbey D' Ardenne to he took over the local union of his craft as of Staffs and assisted by Price, Waterhouse become headquarters for the educational secretary, treasurer and business agent un­ accounting firm, has reported that the alle­ program. til his retirement in '83. gations were false. Sixty-three percent of Alongside the Caen museum, the United When he came back from service, his old the monies spent were for Foundation States Armed Forces Memorial Garden was job had disappeared. "I didn't push it," he projects. Standards set by the Better Busi­ dedicated June 5, 1994. Each State and ter­ says. I loafed for a year, getting the old ness Bureau specify that more than half a ritory, has contributed an engraved stone '52-20' from Pennsylvania. (That was a charity's expenditures must be for its stated from its region which has been built into program that gave $20 a week for 52 weeks purposes rather than for administration. the foundation of the garden. to veterans hit by unemployment.)

Fall, 1994 • 9 America paid little attention to a more readily launch their awesome V-2 crucial battle in 1945. rocket-bombs in numbers sufficient to Veterans of that bitter victory hope obliterate London, now reeling from less it won't be forgotten in 1995. powerful buzz-bombs falling in waves In December, America, England upon the city. Devastation was horrendous; and France will observe the 50th an­ 38,000 human casualties were totted up in "Blitz II" and more than a million homes niversary of"The Battle ofthe Bulge." were damaged or destroyed in London. And thousands of men fear that their Hitler was convinced that the English spirit heroics in those parlous days will would be broken; the Allies would negoti­ again be overlooked. ate for peace. German troops on the West­ They fear continued distortion or ern front would be freed up to reinforce the deletion of history that was so promi­ defense against the Russians, relentlessly nent in last Spring's commemoration grinding their way to Berlin. of the D-Day landings in Normandy. The southern , Alsatian thrust was In television specials, in documentary stopped by a green American force in its films, in periodicals, in popular and very first battle. These forgotten heroes academic books the German offensive were the rifle regiments of the 70th Divi­ sion, known as the Trailblazers. in the Ardennes was termed "Hitler's last offensive." It is 1944. It wasn't. As the European summer cooled into The real last offensive, with the fate of autumn, the Allies scented victory. The the free world still in balance, was "Opera­ massive Allied invasion had crashed upon tion Nordwind" in the Vosges Mountains. the beaches of Normandy in June. Like an The German army was gravely blood­ inexorable tidal wave, it moved toward the ied all across its Western front. But, like a German border. wounded rattlesnake uncoiling for just one As American supply lines lengthened, The Battle of the Bulge more lethal lunge, the enemy mounted the Hitler's grew shorter and more efficient. threw one-two punch surprise attack that threatened the outcome Fighting on their own home soil for the first of the European war. It was a brilliant time, the dedicated German troops were at German Channel goal double-pincer maneuver. more dangerous than ever. But victory was A northern arm--code-named "Watch sti II distant. on the Rhine" by Hitler-would slice Just how distant became apparent in through Belgium. Then like a boxer's one­ December, 1944. two punch, a second pincer, Nordwind, The winter was the worst in Europe in would hit southward through the steep 50 years, the snow was deep and the cold passes of the Vosges Mountains into the was numbing. And the third week in De­ Alsatian plains where the dreaded Panzers, cember was the worst of the worst. All still remarkably strong, could maneuver planes, reconnaissance and attack, were most effectively. grounded. Their action at standstill, the in­ Permission to reprint all or any Both pincers had the same goal: the At­ fantry huddled down to wait out the storm. portion of this article is hereby lantic Coast. There the ports through which But a fiercer storm was to strike. granted. Credit for its source is most materiel reached the Allies could be On December 16 the Germans unleashed appreciated but not necessary. sealed off. And there the Germans could a surprise, an unbelievable attack along a 10 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER l stripped down to "Task Force Linden" and Task forces were Victory. in the Vosges fought alongside the 'Blazers.) would open Alsace plain Immediately on their landing at military orphans Marseilles, the new troops were rushed to Task forces were military orphans. to Panzer tactics the Alsatian sector. There was none of the Task Force Herren was simply customary orientation into new territory "attached" to a larger unit already in and gradual engagement in combat. action. It had no identity of its own. At 12:01, Jan. 1, 1945, Operation There is no mention of the Trailblaz­ 60-mile front-from the Belgian Hurtgen Nord wind began and the Trailblazers faced ers at the St. Avoid Military Cemetery Forest to the Luxembourg border. A mas­ the formidable, well-seasoned German 6th where a huge metal map shows the sive artillery barrage included all the po­ SS Mountain Division. And stopped it in a Alsatian campaign. Their accomplish­ tent conventional guns, screaming week of fiercest combat! ments were simply credited to the meemies, rockets, buzz-bombs and the vi­ Blunting this main German thrust helped unit which owned them at the mo­ cious V-2s. Behind this rain of metal came other American units to victory elsewhere ment. Germany's best armored and infantry divi­ in the sector. These included the green 42nd As attached troops they fought sions, led by Germany's best general, Field Division's task force that had arrived with without the support of the artillery Marshall Gerd von Runstedt. the Trailblazers, and the veterans, the 45th, they had trained with. They fought Brunt of the first Attack was to the heart which had invaded Sicily and fought up the under commanders they had no of the Ardennes. American forces were Italian boot; the 63rd, which later would knowledge of or empathy with. And overrun; 8,000 Gis surrendered, more than advance clear to the Danube; the 79th, vice versa; they were sometimes at any other place except Bataan. It was at which had stormed the D-Day beaches, and dismissed as inept newcomers by Bastogne, completely surrounded by the 1OOth, of Remagan Bridge fame. "veterans" who may have preceded Panzers, that Gen. Anthony MacAuliffe of But the American home front, now fully them only by days. Like stepchildren the lOlst Airborne delivered one of the aware of the gravity of the Ardennes and they were given the worst duties. most telling-if inelegant--quotations of thankful for victory there, just couldn't Their arduous missions and bone-deep history. To a German demand to surrender, pump up the adrenaline again. The Vosges fatigue were unknown or ignored as he replied simply: "Nuts!" was an overlooked battleground. History they relieved "regular" units who had All available men were rushed to the Bel­ remains, written or not, remembered or not, been on the line for lesser intervals. gian Bulge. Units south of Luxembourg to honored or not. Though overshadowed by When all the Trailblazers were the Colmar Pocket on the Rhine were Bastogne and the Ardennes, the battle of reunited as the 70th Division, they stripped almost to skeleton forces and these Alsace and the victory of those green young opened the Siegfried Line gate at were stretched out into appallingly thin de­ Americans remains a hard fact: The Trail­ Saarbrucken and gave access to the fensive lines. blazer victories at Wingen-sur-Moder, final drive into the heartland of the Philippsbourg and Baerenthal stopped the Third Reich. Eisenhower needed more riflemen-from best soldiers in Hitler's army and stopped the States and in a hurry! The best way to his last offensive, one that could have * get those men to Europe was to send them changed the outcome of the war. as "task forces." No matter how much or how little the One was "Task Force Herren." world remembers, all the men who tri­ It consisted of just the three rifle regi­ umphed in the Vosges can be proud of their ments of the 70th plus only those Special valiant deeds that turned back what was Troops necessary for the mission. The rest really the last and fateful German offen­ of the 70th, mainly Division Artillery, sive of World War II. would come later on a slightly less urgent They deserve recognition from history schedule. (The 42nd Division-with the tomorrow-and from this country right 70th, the last two divisions activated-was now.

IJNSIJN t;~. Fall, 1994 Nordwind-Toughest though overshadowed batrlefield injuries. Not only the Trailblazers, but all "Our toughest fighting in An American sergeant who had the divisions that fought in Alsace France, which, due to the concen­ fought all the way from Africa were ignored. One popular his­ tration of spotlights on the dra­ through Italy and Southern France tory, American Heritage's "World matic contemporary happenings swears that Nordwind was the War II" doesn't even mention the in the Ardennes has as yet failed fiercest fighting he had experi­ Vosges campaign. Neither does to receive adequate aHention." So enced. "Time" magazine's "Timecapsule/ Maj. Gen. Jack Merritt, comman­ Ferocity of the fighting is cHested 1945." Gen. Eisenhower's "Cru­ dant of the Army War College calls by 70th Division casualties. Fig­ sade in Europe" is almost casual the Trailblazers' Vosges campaign. ured by days in combat, they were in its account: "As the Baffle of the While the numbers involved in the third highest of any U.S. divi­ Ardennes wore on, the Germans Alsace, in Operation Nordwind, sion. They were caused by the in­ began a diversionary attack on were smaller than those in the tensity of opposition, not by inept­ Alsace. They were not in great Ardennes, the ratio of opposing ness of green troops or command­ strength but because we had forces remained the same. The ers. Division casualties were 58.2 weakened ourselves in that area, Germans, perhaps, held a slight percent of its total personnel. Batrle the situation had to be carefully advantage. For they had many casualties were 3,966 and non­ watched. I told (Lt. Gen. Jacob) battle-tempered troops while battte casualties-mostiy the vic­ Devers (commanding the Sixth many Americans facing them had tims of the searing cold-num­ Army Group) he must on no ac­ yet to hear a shot fired in actual bered 4,235. Killed in action were count permit sizable formations to combat. 755 men and 92 died later from be cut off and surrounded."

ternational musical career. Several former h•Ray lor the Rosier! coeds also attended and were excited to learn what had happened during the inter­ vening years to those "dashing·· young ca­ The 1994 Roster of the 70th Division Members have been lax in reporting dets." Association was issued in June. Addi­ changes of address and that has com­ With enrollment at the University grow­ tional information is available on plicated issuing the Roster and mailing ing from less than 2,000 to some 30.000, request: Associate and Honorary the magazine. it's not surprising that little of the campus Members, lists of members from any looked familiar. However the smoking area unit or geographic area-or even * was still recogni zable. Association mem­ mailing labels-by writing to Louis Student-soldiers bers came from as fa r a\\'ay as Alabama, Hoger, 5825 Horton St., Mission, gather 'round Ohio, California and Wash ington. A Kansas 66202. Wednesday lu ncheon is planned by the "If any regular or life member has for 50th reunion former BYU cadets precedingS the t. Louis not received the Roster," explains Lou , Fifty years after their ASTP unit was reunion. our secretary-treasurer, "it's because: closed and they were sent to the 70th Divi­ "I goofed, or sion at Camp Adair, several former cadets * "Tiley have a new address and failed returned to the Brigham Young campus at All the way down in Costa Ri ca in to inform me; or Provo, Utah for a reunion. Greg Hosford Central America, Kenneth Griffin, 3rd "They haven't paid their dues for headed the committee with help from John Bn HQ/274, spotted a man wearing a several years." Zagorec, F ra nk Germane and Lela nd 70th Div ision patch on his polo shi rt. It The notation above the name on the Erickson. was Bob Braun, L/276. Ken lives in Por­ mailing labels shows the date through After touring the campus, exploring old tage, Indiana and has re ti red after 40 which Clues have been paid. "LM" residence hall s (one is now a museum) and years operating his mari ne retail business indicates Life membership. Lou wel­ visiting points of interest, they enjoyed a in motor boats, trail ers. etc. He sold the comes information about any needed banquet at the Student Union. Entertain­ business and retired in ·~N. He and hi s changes. He can be reached by mail or ment was provided by Janie Thompson, wife Hi lda have two sons and two daugh­ at (913) 722-2024. former campus leader who enjoyed an in- ters. He joined the Trai lbl;uerWs at ood.

12 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER ' Western Mini-Reunion gets running start for 1995

Dick Haycock, 3rd Bn HQ/274, is wast­ past year. Tahoe, Reno or San Franci:-,co." ing no time in planning the 1995 Western "Sacramento will be at its best at that The Western meeting ha:-, heen :-,tcadi ly Mini-Reunion. More than a year in ad­ season," says Dick, who lives there, "and growing in attendance and a record num­ vance, plans are already well under way. there are so many attractions around here ber may well be expected for next year. The Mini will be in Sacramento, Cali­ that it will be ideal for a combined vaca­ Details of the program wi ll be announced fornia, Apri/27-29, 1995. tion trip. The completely renovated state in the "Trailblazer" in plenty of time for The Red Lion Inn will be the site. Sev­ capitol is well worth a visit. The Railroad members to make travel plan~. Members eral Trailblazer events have been held at Museum, Pony Express statue, Vietnam in the area who want to take part in putting such inns in other states and always com­ War Memorial and Sutter's Fort are just on the event, or who have s u gge~t i ons for ments about the service and setting have some of the notable attractions. Old Sacra­ the program, are invited to ph one Dick at been most complimentary. The Sacramento mento alone is worth a trip to this area. (916) 487-3103 or write to 4509 Morpheus hotel has been completely renovated in the "Within two hours you can visit Lake Lane, Sacramento, CA 95864.

Tour planned to bring Matriarch dies 'Blazers to monument rites 70th matriarch was once editor A special Return-to-Europe tour is be­ ing planned for the anticipated dedication A matriarch of the Association has died of a 70th Division monument on Spicheren at the age of 90. Heights. It will be a Springtime visit rather Eleanor Miller, widow of Ernie, 2nd Bn than the usual trips in the summer or early HQ/276, passed on in Vancouver, Washing­ fall. ton on June 14. Her husband had died four The May 1, 1995 departure will bring years earlier while serving on the Western 'Blazers to Spicheren, Forbach, Saar­ Mini-Reunion committee that met in that brucken and the Alsatian villages just about city in '90. 50 years after their liberation by the 70th. Eleanor and Ernie edited the "Trail­ Details remain to be worked out but a blazer" for two years in the early 70s and tentative program is announced now to en­ their efforts were important in keeping the able Trailblazers to make plans conven­ Association alive during comparatively iently in advance. To make it more com­ lean years. fortable to aging tourists, they will stay in one place for several days at a time to avoid ** the hassle of daily packing and re-locating. CBI men rally The trans-Atlantic flight will land at Paris If you were awarded the Combat and travellers will be sight-seeing there for Infantryman's Badge, you are invited to three days. Then, by train, they will move join an association now a-forming. For on to Saarbrucken for four nights. During more information you are asked to send this period the monument will be dedicated a stamped, self-addressed legal size en­ Sunday, May 7. There will be a memorial velope to leo Kibble, Route 3, Smethport, service at the St. Avoid Military Cemetery. Pennsylvania 16749 . , A bus ride will take the group to Encloserie, a picturesque Black Forest vil­ *** lage and then to Aschaffenburg at the foot 70th honored of the Spessart Hills. "Trailblazer heroism stops elite 6th SS The flight home will be from Frankfurt. CANDID COMMENT .. . Mountain". An optional cruise on the Rhine, from "The finger" was not a common ges­ That's the headline on a piece by Maj. Basel, Switzerland to Dusseldorf, Germany ture in 1945. But Jim Relph, C/275, Robert Blake in the "Army Reserve Maga­ will also be available. For details about the used it to express a common G I zine". It was part of the series ''World tour you may contact Floyd Freeman, I/275, analysis of any situation. This photo War II Remembered". Two excellent pho­ 8959 California Ave., South Gate, Califor­ was taken by Frank Bertch in the tographs by Chester Garstki are used for nia 90280. His phone is (213) 567-0561. Frankfurt-am-Main area right after illustrations along with the axe-head ** the end of the war. shoulder patch. Fall, 1994 • 13 ' ' The Editor's Edmund C. Arnold Barracks Bag

Our temporary neighbors at Camp Adair, that danced all around the horizons. They father who lived in Wi~con~in. At Fort the 104th (Timberwolf) Division, erected came from lumber mills that burned their Leonard Wood, Cam stretched weekend a monument at the old camp site last Spring, waste wood in open fires. Five years later, and three-day passes and went up there to in what they called a belated 50th anniver­ on my first return, there were no such visit his grand pop. The inevitable result: KP sary ceremony. flames. I learned that what had previously duty! The 104th took basic at Adair after its been wasted was now converted into saw­ Move now to Alsace where, on Jan. II , activation in September, 1942. As the 70th dust to burn in special home furnaces, into he became a POW. The next day, his pla­ was organizing, the 'Wolves moved on, in briquets and particle board. toon leader, a Lt. Jenkin~, with a Graves July '43, to desert training in eastern Or­ Now we learn of another waste product Registration team, identified a body as that egon, California and Arizona. Eventually that is being turned into an asset on the old of Boyd. The Army notified hi~ motherthat the division fought in Belgium and Hol­ camp grounds. It's a truly amazing story. he had been killed in action. When she, in land and lost 6,223 casualties in 195 days Coffin Butte was Adair's landmark and turn, told the sad news to her father, he of combat. its steep slopes challenged infantry hikers suffered a fatal heart attack. Another war Deactivated in December, 1945, three and jeep-driver trainees. Since then it be­ casualty. months later than the 70th was, the 104th came a regional garbage dump. And now is today a training division like the "new" that garbage will generate enough electric­ 70th. ity to serve 1,500 homes by a $2.2 million Tom Dickinson,* E/274, arranged to Its monument is near that of the Trail­ power plant. The rotting waste creates show some rare 1945 newsreel film in Trail­ blazers on the site of old Camp Adair. methane gas. This is collected through wells blazer action. Alas! Permission was given in the closed portions of the landfill and to show it at the Reunion only on condi­ When I arrived*** at Camp Adair on a dark then burned to generate electricity. tion that no copies be made. night, I was impressed by the ring of fires * D-Day, 1994 was certainly a day of Have we got a trend* here? It seems that mixed emotions for all of us. An added tinc­ more outfits are putting out newsletters. The ture of sorrow came with the news that latest is that of the 70th Quartermasters that Dean Clark, C /270 Engineers, died on this Doug Fratt edits. If you're a QM-er, he'd commemorative day. His widow Yvonne tells us the somber news.

"Beethoven, Bach* and Brubach" was the caption of a photo in the Winter, '94 issue. It showed a group of unidentified musicians who now have names, thanks to Joseph Kenavan, G/276. Says he: "This was a group of G/276 men who got together to provide music for a morale­ boosting variety show that went around to all the companies. Instruments were bor­ rowed from German citizens. Most were in disrepair and the drum had holes filled with GI towels. Saxophone springs were replaced by condoms. (Safe sax, 1945). "In the top row, from the left, are Earl Godfrey, piano; Robert Ginthner, drums; me, clarinet; and Stanley Wheeles, trum­ LOCAL COLOR ... pet. I don't know the first names of the fel­ When Jack Benny did his na­ lows in the front row -Johnson on strings, tional radio show broadcast Strang on the sax and Masters on the bass. from Camp Adair in 1944, he The picture was taken at Brubach on June also did two shows for the 70th 23, '43, three days before my 19th birth­ ROCHESTER READING ... troops in the field house. He day." Jack Benny's gravel-voiced loaded the program with local sidekick came to Adair to do the jokes and allusions that had ot all war deaths* were on the battle- Sunday evening radio broad· the standing-room-only crowd l"iekl. /\t least one, involving a Trailblazer, cast that was the most popular roaring. Some of his material wa~ l"ar l"rom the Vosges where Cameron show in America in '44. The cast came from the "Trailblazer" Hoyd, /\/276, was righting. rehearsal began with a read· magazine of that day. lie was particularly close to his grand- through of the script.

14 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER '" like to hear from you at 3154 DolonitaAve., pages, the printer has to put the pages to­ Will the man from "3rd Platoon, Co. E, Hacienda Heights, California 91745. gether and I have to OK proofs. The maga­ 274th Infantry" please identify him \elf? He Ernie Richards-ably assisted by wife zine should be in the mail Nov. I. So you tells about a pig that wandered into hi ~ po­ Elinor- does one for B/884. see we don't have the turnaround time of a sition that quickly became pork c hop ~. Un­ "The Company K Communication Cen­ daily newspaper. fortunately the smoke from the pig-roast ter", AKA William Sole, issues a news­ Priorities are determined by several cri­ drew Germany artillery and the g u y~ had letter for its members. They were in 275. teria. In each issue I try to get a balance to go back to K-rations. * among all the 70th units and all the 'Blazer Please, when you send me anyth ing­ I always enjoy getting letters from Trail- battles. I try to get one long story, a few pictures or stories- make ~ ure your name blazers. But one from William Bassak, shorter ones and as many as possible Ar­ and unit are noted on every pi ece. E/274, gave me especial pleasure. With his chives items. These are chosen in the ap­ computer, he ornamented the envelope with proximate order in which I receive them. I shall be proud that* my name will be a four-color emblem, shown here in full The second major category of material inscribed on "The Wall of Liberty" in size, although, alas! not in its brilliant color. is news of current association activities. Normandy. But this is not a commercial for Major space has been devoted to the St. that project. It is my indignant rejecti on of CORRECTION! CORRECTION!* Louis Reunion for several issues including the malicious rumors that have had too CORRECTION! the full report in this issue. Such material wide circulation, that this is a scam to con The 70th Division men who will be hon­ must be printed in a timely manner, of 40 bucks from gullible veteran~ of the ored by a monument in Lixing, France, course, and so gets that priority. ETO. (Story elsewhere in this i~ sue.; were from Company I of the 275th Regi­ Unfortunately, the "Trailblazer" can't I have had the honor of associating with ment. The story on page 2 of the Summer carry news as immediate as that in "Time" retired Gen. Pat Brady, who is president of issue, erroneously identified them as 276th or "Newsweek". Some "news" has become the sponsoring Foundation. When he was men. Let the record be corrected. just too stale before it is sent to me. A re­ at the Pentagon as Chief of Information for port of a mini-reunion lies at my elbow as I the Army, I was a volunteer conductor of If you're planning* to return to Europe write this. It happened nine months ago and seminars and workshops for military edi­ during these 50th anniversary years, you there were two issues of the magazine tors. And I was one proud cookie when he might add the victory Memorial Museum where it could have run while still fresh. It pinned the Distinguished Civilian Service near Arion, Belgium, to your itinerary. is essential that such reports be sent to me Medal on my jacket. Bob Ulin, a retired colonel, says "I lived just as soon as possible after the event. I He is a combat veteran from Vietnam and in Europe for 15 years and I have visited will not run moldy "news". wears the Congressional Medal of Honor. every military museum north of the Alps. I This is your magazine and I want very That little bauble isn't handed out with tell you without equivocation that the Vic­ much to serve every person and every unit. Cracker Jacks. I resent any insinuation tory Museum is the best in the world." It is essential that you tender me the neces­ against his character. And, though I don't It's on the autobahn E411 at the sary cooperation to meet publication dead­ agree with Pierre Salinger's political views, Hondelange rest stop just before the Lux­ lines. I respect him as an able and honorable jour­ embourg-Belgian border. There are five nalist- and a veteran of "our war". He's huge dioramas, more than 200 military I have an interesting* war story I'd like another top Foundation officer. Two fine vehicles, some of them the only specimen to print. But there's no name on the manu­ of its kind, and 300 uniforms on wax fig­ script! (Continued on next page) ures, fully armed and equipped. There are a lot of other tourist amenities. If you want IT'S A LONG, LONG WAY ... more info drop a note to Bob Ulin. 606 Not only to Tipperary, but to anywhere else as Frank Riverstix Lane, Mechanicsburg, Pennsyl­ Bertch, C/275 contemplates. His outfit was stationed vania 17055-2262. in Schmitten, Germany, immediately after the 70th moved into Occupation. Some 'Blazers have* been disappointed because stories they sent in have not been printed promptly enough. One complaint came just two weeks after he sent off his material. My typical schedule: I started writing copy for this issue on June 6 - yes, D-Day- with 17,000 words to produce. As it happens every two years, the date for the Fall issue coincides with the biennial Reunion. So the complete report of the St. Louis meeting must be written after I get home. It will take at least two weeh to get the copy typeset. Then I have to dummy up the

Fall, 1994 "At that time the enemy air force had Matt Wozniak, M/275, passes on the been put out of action and so the only use news that the company motor sergeant, Editor of the searchlights was for such surface il­ Alvin Auliff, is in poor health and suggests lumination. In my opinion, this was a good his old buddies might like to drop him a use. line or get on the phone with him. Alvin "If anyone knows when the 70th started came to the 'Blazers with the 9lst cadre. using those lights, who operated them, or His address is 24059 - 260th Ave., Le anything else about this technique. I hope Claire, Iowa 52753. they'll tell the 'Trailblazer' about it." Want to know anything* about ranches Alvin Thomas, HQ/883,* and former As- in Hungary, Germany, France, Australia, men who would never take part in a shady sociation sec-trez, tells us that James New Zealand-and the United States? Just come-on! Laycock, of that battalion, has taken a ask John Murphy, HQ/884. He has vis­ couple on the chin. He fell and broke a hip ited all of them on tours with "Western I got mad at Dan *Rather saying that the and soon after had an angina attack. So he Livestock Journal." He owns Quarter Ardennes was Hitler's last offense. So I did had to move from his house to a nursing Ranch horses and often helps cowboys with what you ought to do: I wrote a Jetter to the home. He'd mightily like to hear from any their cattle. editor of our daily newspaper, pointing out 'Blazer. So why not drop a cheer-up to him He was at the University of Oregon when that Operation Nord wind was really the fi­ at Room 310, 3306 So. 6th St., Spring­ Uncle Sam sent greetings in 1942. He came nal German attack. field, Illinois 62703. from Camp White to Camp Adair in the One reader was Warren Kindt, 3rd Bn AI also tells us that his wife Ruth is do­ 9lst Division cadre. After his discharge in HQ/274, who lives in my new hometown ing well after a couple weeks in the hospi­ 1946, he came back to his native Ashland, of Roanoke, Virginia. After a phone call tal with internal bleeding. Oregon and managed a department store from him, the Association has a new mem­ for eight years. Then he worked for 30 years ber. And so do the "Babies of the Battal­ * for the electric department of that city un­ ions". Born Feb. 21, 1926, Warren is the til his 1977 retirement. 38th youngest Trailblazer. Another of the younger set is Robert * Hays, M.D., C/274, who was born March 14, '26. He was with us from Wood to Saarbrucken, where he was wounded. NOT 'BAD' AT ALL ... It was billed as "PWP* June 16, 1994" Bad Kreuznach, Germany, was one of that country's and it was a resounding success. most luxurious spas. And the grand hotel there, on Company B of 370th Medics put on their an island in the Lahn River, had been headquarters "Post War Party" at Cincinnati, Ohio. for the Kaiser in World War I. When the 70th moved Twenty-eight were in attendance. They en­ into the town and took over the hotel. this gang of joyed a tour of the city, a riverboat cruise Medics quickly got used to a new style of life. Unfor­ and dinner and Jots of good fellowship. tunately, the Division was soon bumped by higher Karen and Lawrence Strassburg were echelons and "normal" Infantry accommodations hosts at the Holiday Inn at Ft. Mitchell, were re-affirmed. Kentucky, just across the river from Cincy. Freeman Bishop reports the event.

A note, card or *letter from you will brighten a day for Arthur Winchell, G/274. Fighting a gallant fight against Lou Gehrig's disease, he finds great satis­ faction from hearing from old buddies and reads and re-reads his mail. And, says his wife DeLois, he devours the "Trailblazer" cover to cover. Their address is 1505 Sage, #4, Gering, Nebraska 69341.

When did the Division* start using search- lights? Earl Hargrave, C/274 (and probably many more of us) would like to know. "I was wounded on Jan. 14 near Philippsbourg. Up to that time I can't re­ call ever seeing searchlights in use. When I returned in March, there were searchlights in back of us. They threw enough light so we coul<;J see any movement in our area.

16 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER I

Artillerymen shoot • • • and get shot at!

The Infantry thinks the Artillery just shoots. But Ralph shell hit the stone wall above us. The wall was so thick and sturdy Johnson, HQ/884, can testify that artillerymen also get shot at. that it stopped the shell; but it made such a cloud of dust we He recalls for us: couldn't trace the shot our artillery had just fired. "When Divarty caught up with the regiments, we were as­ "We tried again. Called for fire, were told it was en route. signed some extra artillery units that fired through our fire di­ Meanwhile we were hit again by the enemy. rection center. With so much artillery, the high brass decided that we should have a forward observer with every Infantry com­ ' 'W E ASKED for smoke and they gave us phospho­ pany on the line. So they needed more bodies. I was in the sur­ rus which produces a fine, long-lasting column vey section which someone decided was under-employed. of white smoke. With two more rounds we had "So Lt. Bill Howard and I were declared surplus and along them bracketed in. But during that time the enemy had hit us six with Cpls. AI Meznarsic and Joe Stainke formed a forward times On 'Fire for effect!' we loosened a "Battalion six rounds! " observation team that was assigned to G/276. (It was commanded In retrospect, that doesn't seem very sporting--our dozen 155s by Capt. Edward Hennessy who later became a general. Arno versus one German 88. (Actually it was more likely a little 75 Deneke, who later became an Oregon State Supreme Court chief howitzer but we called everything bigger than a rifle an 88. If it justice was at the fire direction center.) had really been an 88, it would probably have penetrated the walls of the church.) I hope those people had sense enough to E SPENT the first night with G Company on the run when they saw they were bracketed. ' 'w hill by the famous Tower ofForbach and the next "Lt. Howard was a gutsy fellow. He stood up at that window day we moved into that city. We chose a big and called the shots as cool as if it were a training problem at church that stood on a rise and commanded a fine field of view Yakima. Now ifl had been up there alone. I would have dropped of all the action. It was a fme observation post except for one to the floor and then set some kind of record descending that flaw-it was also a fine target for the big guns of both sides. spiral staircase. But I couldn't do that in the presence of wit­ "Our artillery had already shot out half of the bell tower and nesses. Besides, it was Howard's window they were shooting at. about half of the church roof. Meznarsic was out splicing tele­ "Next day I checked the outside of the tower. There were six phone wire which mortar shells had chopped up. Howard Stainke, hits in a perfectly straight line, just above his window. Appar- ' carrying that awful 75-pound radio, and I climbed up the spiral ently they had started high and were working their way down. If staircase to the belfry. we hadn 't put that howitzer out of commission. the next round "We left Joe on the belfry floor with his radio and the lieuten­ or two would surely have come through the window and re­ ant and I climbed up above the bells. There were two tall lou­ moved the lieutenant's head." vered windows on each side of the tower with open lancet arches Ralph Johnson was with Dimrtr.fimn Adair on and after com­ at the top. By standing on the beams from which the bells hung, bat served with the Ground Force Training Center at we could look out of the tops of those windows. I was getting Fontainebleau , France. He was u cirilengineer with the U.S. sort of on-the-job training as I didn't know anything about fire Department of Agrimlture .fiw .:?3 reurs and then was a self­ direction. Lt. Howard took the right window and I took the left. employed consultunt .fiw ICJ more rears. He /ires in Srockton. Almost immediately we saw the muzzle flash of a field piece California with his wiji· .loatlllll. ~rlwm he married in 1971. His about 1,500 yards to our left front. Howard called for artillery first wifi', Ethel. died aficr 30 rears ofnwrriage. fire, 155s. Just as we heard the first 'On the way!' a German

Fall. 1994 • 17 ' filS IS my first opportunity to visit with you, the members, ties. The Western States have used the mini-reunion to build a since being elected to lead our Association. I intend to use this tradition that was started by Floyd Freeman, Paul Thirion and T space to pass along information about our organization, our plans Doug Jeffery in '89. This annual affair has grown to nearly 150 II and our concerns. And I will attempt to do it with a bit of humor. You people at both Grand Junction in '93 and Corvallis in '94. With have been exposed to much of my past (maybe too much) and in the Regional Vice-Presidents to get things started I foresee more next few months you will witness a few of my idiosyncrasies (licorice mini-reunions in the coming months. And the State Coordina­ is one of my favorite candy flavors). tors will be bringing a closer Association presence to the indi­ We have all kept Alex and Helen in our prayers since his heart attack and were pleased that his doctor allowed him to come to St. Louis to vidual members. This should improve our dues situation and fulftll presidential responsibilities. He and Helen develop a greater awareness of the 70th by the general public. devoted much of the past two years putting to­ gether our Golden Anniversary affair. And we thank them for steering our Association through The President's a most active three and a half years. He is now our Immediate Past President and we will con- tinue to benefit from his counsel. Report Dale Bowlin In addition to the several pages* of Reunion reports, I want to comment on a couple of special moments that I experienced. There are still untold numbers of former Trailblazers who do not There were over 70 men attending their first national Reunion. know of our organization. The majority of them learned of our Association since Louis­ There are plans to expand the Membership Roster to include ville. Some as late as the very week of the Reunion. Most of telephone numbers along with the unit and state breakdown. them and their wives joined Association officers for the First Please let Lou Hoger know if for some reason you do not want Timers breakfast. your number listed. Lou welcomes corrections for the Roster The Sunday Memorial Service provided enough emotional which is such a vital part of our connection to those we knew 50 stimulation to last most of us for the next two years. Edmund years ago. Arnold's traditional Homily was outstanding. The reading of the One of the special events planned for 1995 is the dedication names of our recently deceased members by Harry Durkee and of the memorial at Spicheren Heights. What Charles Kelly started Don Docken reminded us again of our own mortality. For me as a voluntary-contribution project a year ago has now been the inspirational and motivational high came when Kathleen adopted by the French people of that region. Dedication will Loomis, a second generation Trailblazer, eloquently reminded occur during a celebration on May 7, 1995. Floyd Freeman is us of our place in history. She stressed the need for both men leading a tour that coincides with the dedication. That area holds and women to describe the disappointment, the joy, the excite­ a special attraction for me since 50 years ago next February 21 ment, the pain, the pride and even the horror that we lived through. three other Trailblazers and I were captured within three miles She said our children and grandchildren have a right to know of the memorial site. Next May will be an emotional experience. this part of our past. They will, she said, live wiser, richer lives for having heard these stories from our own lips. Thank you, The future does hold many exciting* possibilities and you are Kathleen, for awakening us to this duty. Incidentally, Kathleen's part of that. Phyllis and I are thankful for the opportunity to parents are Ed and Viola Arnold. meet and visit with so many in St. Louis. Now we look forward A brief history of the 70th Association that Cal Jones put to­ to getting to know many others in the next two years and to gether recently made me aware that our Association was born enjoy the thrill of sharing past experiences. 30 years ago, Aug. 13, '64. To see four of the founding men at St. Louis, all looking great, was heartwarming.

Now for a quick look into the* future. The new regional format gives us many more opportunities to expand our reunion activi-

neighborhood. Rather, after de­ self in a Nazi prison. French heroine cades of living in America, it sti ll She is an officer in Rhin et is the lilt of French. Danube, the French war veterans' extends thanks She does not look like a LeCarre association which has an Ameri­ for I iberation spy-novel character. But she truly can section. Several Trai lblazers is a World War II heroine. are members. When Madame As a young schoolgirl in Dantartes heard about the St. Louis Strasbourg, Marlene Dantartes was meeting, she asked for the oppor­ She does not look like the hero­ a messenger for the French Resis­ tunity to thank the 70th for its part ine in a cloak-and-dagger movie tance. She made countless jour­ in the liberation of her cou ntry. thriller. neys through dangerous German­ Her remarks were brief, deeply She looks like the Cleveland held territory to Nazi sta lags. There sincere and touching. She gave her matron she is. Neatly dressed, she secretly brought plans, maps, thank-you at the Saturday banquet gentle in manner, she has a pleas­ food and documents to aid Allied and it was received with a stand­ ant accent. But it's not of her Ohio POWs escape. She spent time her- ing ovation.

18 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER

·------' I

II II I

OVER THE HILLS Raids" in the early Spring of 1945 that set up the fi­ AND THROUGH THE WOODS .... nal victorious thrust across the Saar River. It looks like a quiet walk in an autumnal forest. It The patrol-its unit unknown-shows excellent isn't! discipline as it spreads out to avoid making a single It's a tense and dangerous reconnaissance patrol target for enemy artillery that was active in the area. moving toward strong German positions just a few (Photo by Chester Garstki) hundred yards ahead. This was part of the "Oetigen

mander, one executive officer; six ser­ ETO. He even put in a couple of months geants, the top-kick and those in charge of with the 3547 Ordnance in Marseilles after Count Off! supplies, the mess, ammunition, reconnais­ the Division came home. Secret document sance and transportation; a company clerk, He put his Army skills to good use as a armorer-articifer and bugler; five cooks civilian auto mechanic and then as a farmer. solves mystery helpers; a mechanic, three messengers and With his wife Lois, he has built a sturdy Although the Army does everything to eight "basics." family tree of five sons, 11 grandchildren precise specifications-from the number of Rifle platoons: Three of 41 men each. and four great-grandkids. He lives in rounds a soldier must frre from his rifle on These were divided into three squads. Each Charles City, Iowa. the target range to the number of handker­ platoon had a commissioned leader, a ser­ chiefs he can take overseas-a supposedly geant, a guide and two runners. After half century* crucial number was ignored when Task Weapons platoon: 36 men and officers. Force Herren shipped to the ETO: How The companies who took along extra Edmisten's hush-hush many men in a rifle company? men-supposedly all or many of them­ At Sandia Base, New Mexico, all kinds Tom Higley, C/275, found that the T/0, lost the extras as soon as they got to the of hush-hush atomic projects have been which had been secret, has been de-classi­ combat zone. They were sent up to the Bel­ under way for five decades. Edward Ed­ fied and is at repositories across the coun­ gian Bulge as desperately needed replace­ misten, M/274, served there with the 38th try. He found the document at the library ments. Engineers Battalion and his work, in the of the University of Arizona. hectic period of '46 to '50, is still classi­ According to the "table of organization" Cross, Founding* Father, fied. He has two Bronze Stars. which ranked just above the Ten Com­ He was a 20-year Army man-plus mandments, a company in 1944 consisted came as 70th cadre-man seven months. He joined the 70th at of 187. Yet it's a fact that Companies C and William Cross, Sv/274, was a cadre­ Leonard Wood. Now he's a retired farmer. G of the 274th each had 10 more men walk man from the 91 st Division. So he His wife is the former Bobbie Greer and up the gangplank. automatically becomes a Founding Father they have two sons, a daughter and a grand­ Here is the official T/0 of that year: of the 70th. He came to Adair in 1943 and child. They live in Harmony, North Headquarters Company: one com- stayed with the Trailblazers all through the Carolina. • Fall, 1994 19 ' ' yards south of Wingen between the cem­ 'I never saw a man die ••• etery and the Zittersheim Road. The platoon ' was receiving intensive machine gun fire ... and then his friend from the cemetery, sniper fire from the church tower and frequent mortar barrages. was found by mortar We were virtual prisoners in our fox holes and pinned down but good, when a By FRANK LOWRY easily identifiable by their wine-stained uni­ mortar shell exploded on the right parapet A/276 forms. Many suspected that the officers of the hole occupied by S/Sgt. Bill Powers While traveling north in 40-and-8 from were not as unhappy about having a battal­ and myself. We were sitting side by side in the staging area at CP-2 to Brumath, ion of half-loaded Gls as they were in not the bottom of the hole; Powers to the left France; the train transporting the 1st Bat­ having been able to participate in consum­ and I to the right. talion, 276th Infantry was held up for ing the newly di scovered treasure. For a few Seeing a few drops of blood running several hours in the railroad yards at a town from my hand, Powers asked "Where did in the vicinity of Lyon, France. It was it get you, old man?" then slumped forward. Christmas Eve, the weather was bitter cold. A piece of shrapnel tore through his hel­ The men were chilled to the bone. met and entered his head at the right temple. There was a string of tank cars on the While calling in vain for an aid man, I re­ next track, which we soon found to con­ moved Powers' helmet and clumsily tain red wine. Using improvised siphons applied a first aid packet to his bloody head and axes, it wasn't long before the Gls had in a futile attempt to stem the flow of blood the red wine pouring from the tanks into which was, with every gasp, gushing pro­ their canteen cups. After drinking all we fusely from his nose and mouth. I was could hold, several filled their canteens and stunned to see the size of the wound in steel helmets. Powers' right temple from a piece of shrap­ When the troop train started, many en­ nel that did not even graze my own helmet countered some unsteadiness and though I was sitting directly to Powers' experienced a little difficulty in getting right. Our heads could not have been more back aboard. There were a few minor inju­ than fifteen or eighteen inches apart. ries, the worst of which was a fractured leg. ~~t-:. b(ij) -n./~ ,l.f:;j)l(> ; -Ja:t= _5 LYf -1J..ff'...£ Within a few minutes, which seemed like It seemed that the train jerked much more ~~ 1 1-h L- S. • • • hours, Bill Powers was dead, his battered than usual in starting up, which caused the head in my sticky blood-soaked arms. wine to splash and spill from the steel hel­ Company A lost one of its oldest and best mets. Nearly as much of the red stuff was hours, the frigid temperature did not seem Nco's. Ironically, Powers should never poured down the outside of men and uni­ to bother the Gis nearly as much as it did have been in that forward position where forms, as went into the inside. earlier. he was killed. He had come out to the ex­ As one might expect, the officers weren't Never in my life had I seen a person die, posed area to take over for the Platoon overly pleased with the whole situation that not even a natural death. That all ended on Sergeant who was back at the CP, a victim afternoon, and some made threats of pun­ Jan. 5, 1945. The 2nd Platoon of A/276 was of shock and unable to carry out his respon­ ishment for the perpetrators who were holding positions in an exposed area 100 sibilities.

Re-up for Pacific duty 70th Mr./Mrs. team Wedding Belles altered by war's end takes championship When we asked for news about 70th Donald Vorce, l/275, re-upped to go to In Twinsburg, Ohio, they have a program "war brides" in a recent issue, we were the Pacific after the defeat of Hitler. But called Team Challenge. Twenty-five talking about foreign girls who married while he was on his way across Europe, people make a team and one year 1,800 Trailblazers. But Richard Foster, 70 QM, the Japanese surrendered. So he stayed on participated. Albert Kollman, 1/276, and quite correctly tells us that his Edna june in France and served in the Military Po­ his wife Betty were on the team that won is a war bride, too. For they were mar,­ lice. He remembers an R&R leave to championships in swimming, basketball, ried smack-dab in the middle of WW2. Holland as a high spot of his service. The golf and walking in '89, '90 and '92. She and Dick met in Silverton, Or­ low was the death of his BAR man who AI went into the Air Corps at Kessler egon, her home town in May of '43 and crawled onto a mine. Field, Mississippi, and joined the 70th at were married exactly a year later in Entering service in July of '44, Don be­ Wood. He was discharged at Camp Immanuel Lutheran Church in that city. came a Trailblazer "somewhere in France" Atterbury, Indiana, in April, 1946. He had Included in the wedding party were in January, '45. done Occupation duty in Berlin with the three men from the 1st Platoon : Cpl. In civilian life he was a meat cutter and 78th Division. Alan Swanson, the best man, and Cpls. was active in the Legion and VFW. His As a civilian he worked in the propane Walter Norman and Leroy Bussman. wife is the former Louise Verenkamp and division of Phillips 66. Then, at the age of they have three children and twice that 40, he changed careers and went into life many grandchildren. He lives in Eau Claire, insurance. He had a successful 22 1/2-year Wisconsin. run in that profession. 20 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER USS' West Point, SS America a once-proud ship lies dead ....----~~- At least one Trailblazer who travelled to France in '44 on the "USS West Point" had hoped to take a pleasure cruise when it became the civilian "SS America" after World War II. He'll never make it. For that proud ship lies, broken in two, on the floor of the Atlantic. The pride of the country when it was built in 1939, it was one of the fastest and finest liners in the world. In '41 it was in­ ducted into the Navy and sailed under its new name until return­ ing to commercial service in 1946. As trans-oceanic airplanes lured more and more travelers, the "America" was sold to a Greek line and refitted as an immigrant liner called "Australis". Later one of its identifying funnels was removed, she got another new name, "Italis", before being laid up in Greece. This Spring she was sold again. While a Ukrainian tugboat was towing her from Greece to Thailand, she went aground off the Canary Islands and was broken in two by heavy storms. The Robert Delaney, who sailed o*n the "America" from Boston to 26,215-ton vessel sank far too deep to salvage. Marseilles with his 1st Bn HQ/276, reports this maritime news. Another wartime friend forever asleep. ***** Dear john • • • Dreaded letter arrives 'My worst job . .. ' Just before death in battle Forward observer Receiving a "Dear-John letter" from wife about drinking that bottle and I gave it to a helped the Medics or fiancee, saying that a marriage or ro­ platoon sergeant. By ARTHUR LAYTON mance was washed out, was dreaded by "Many years later, I learned a bit more H/276 many a serviceman. Richard Becker, Land about the sad event. At a 70th Reunion, My military assignment was as forward Sv/275, recalls such a tragic incident. another friend of the lieutenant told me that observer for our 81mm mortars in a little "As Co. L was getting ready to jump off just a few days after our CO was killed, his town above Forbach. But circumstances on the assault on the Siegfried Line in Feb­ wife - who so wanted a divorce - was imposed the worst job I ever had ... with ruary, 1945, the company commander­ asking when she could collect his insur­ the Medics. just a lieutenant - gave me a bottle of ance! " My telephone line had been cut by heavy whiskey. He said we'd drink it after we Richard made a military career of 27 German 88s shelling all night so I left my reached our objective. If he were killed, I years. He put in two years in Korea during position to find the break. Alongside the was supposed to drink it alone. combat and five years in Vietnam. He road were about 20 dead Gis. Some were "At Etzlingen, the night before we were served in the field artillery before joining boys who had never shaved; some were to attack the fortifications atop Spicheren the 'Blazers at Camp Adair in '43. Here­ replacements who had joined the company Heights, he was called to Battalion CP for ceived the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, just the night before. Some were crying out briefing. When he came back he told me the Purple Heart, three Bronze Stars, three for help and the Medics were working on we would really catch hell the next day and Army Commendation Medals, and the them. that he wouldn't be alive 24 hours from Meritorious Service Award. He and his wife After I checked the phone wire, I started now. I wanted him to sit down and share Elsie live in Lebanon, Missouri. helping carry out the wounded. We were the whiskey with me right then, but he re­ under constant rifle, machine gun and burp fused. * gun fire. Seeing soldiers with their legs "Then he told me that a few days before, blown off, their arms torn off and their he had received a letter from his wife ask­ Lu cky lrisher lower jaw shot away was the worst job I ing for a divorce. He was terribly depressed. Dale Burleigh's story of 36 hours at ever had. I urged him to catch a few hours sleep but Philipps bourg reminded Russell Sullivan, My observation post had been in a church he just wanted to sit with me and talk about D/275, how lucky he was. "I was next to steeple because of the enemy attack, I had his past life. He also told me that I would Dale when he was hit and I was close to come down from there, Just after that a remain behind and man the rear command the leader of the heavy machine gun pla­ German 88 hit the steeple and demolished post, keeping in touch with Battalion. toon when he was killed. I was also very it. I continued carrying out wounded and "He was killed the next day. lucky in Korea when I was called back to our mortars finally knocked out the enemy "I was far too choked up even to think active duty with the 3rd Division." 88s. • Fall, 1994 21 '~ Axe-head

The filth of that city, the ladies of ill re­ Archives pute, the black market-all that was shocking to me. Later, of course, I found that these were ways of survival in war­ tom countries. I have made three trips back to England, France, Luxembourg and other Howard Ellinwood, B/275, wanted to It was early in his military career that countries and have found that Europeans, find out about some books about World War Andrew Perez, B/884, learned a lesson that are just like Americans. II. In conversation with a man at the U.S. has stood him in good stead ever since. "On each visit I have found they are very Center of Military History in Washington, "When I received my first pay check at appreciative of U.S. efforts in World War D.C., he learned about the Association. He Camp Chafee, California, I was introduced II and that they are still our friends." quickly signed up and we welcome him. to the dice by some of my not-too-kind Bill worked for 35 years with the U.S . He entered service at Camp Dodge, buddies. I lost every penny. I couldn't go Department of Agriculture in agricultural Iowa, and was assigned to ASTP at the to the PX until my parents wired me some stabilization and conservation and received University of Iowa. He then was sent to money. I have never touched any dice since several honors for that work. Camp Robinson, Arkansas for Infantry ba­ then. It was maybe the best lesson I ever sic and then on to the 70th at Leonard learned." Anthony Videle, C/275,* stayed on Uncle Wood. He worked for the East Texas Motor Sam's payroll after he got through serving He was captured at Philippsbourg. He Freight, specializing in rates and traffic, and with the 70th in the ETO. He got the Purple was taken to Stalag IV-B and forced to work is now a traffic consultant. At meetings of Heart on March 7, '45, above Forbach and in bombed-out railroad yards until his lib­ the trucking industry, he met and knew Lou spent several months in the hospital. Fi­ eration late in April, '45. Hoger, Association secretary-treasurer, but nally, as a civilian, he was with the Air He is a retired geologist and with his neither man knew of their common 70th Force police of the Department of Defense. wife, Jean has five children and four great Division service. So it was a pleasant sur­ He lives in San Carlos, California. grandkids. He lives in Incline Village, Ne­ prise for both when Andy applied for vada. membership on the invitation of Ernest "I was with the 70th* at Camp Adair even * Richards, B/884. before it was organized and I made that As a member of H/276, Walter Bott * famous--or infamous-train trip to Fort apparently had enough of ground-slogging. We'd never heard of the Seniors Coali- Leonard Wood." So Robert Moore, G/ So when he got out of uniform after three tion until Edward Szmansky, HQ/274, 275, starts his story. years and 18 days, he took to the air. told us that he had heard of the Associa­ "We were training for Pacific duty but He took his Bachelor's and Master's in tion in the Coalition newspaper. the Hiroshima A-bomb ended that. So I engineering at the University of California He had an interesting military career. He went to the 3rd Division for Occupation. at Berkeley and then made a career as an came to the 70th at Wood and after combat Since then I have been trying to make con­ aircraft engineer with Douglas and served with Special Forces in Italy and tact with some old buddies. Here are a few: Northrop. Greece. He has the distinction of being the Pfc Walter Carroll, who came from West Inducted at Fort MacArthur, California first and only Michigander to receive a cer­ Virginia and joined us overseas; Sgt. Day, in February, 1943, he was assigned to medi­ tificate as an automobile trimmer on the GI from Oregon, who was with the 70th in the cal detachments until he volunteered for Bill on-the-job-training program. States. Infantry duty and joined the 70th at Leonard He and his wife, the former Yvette Vi not, "Basic training at Camp Adair was thor­ Wood. Retired, he lives with his wife Eva whom he married in Lyon, France in May, ough and tough. (One thing I remember in Oceanside, California. 1946, live in Garden City, Michigan. most is that horrible poison ivy.) I want to refute the charges that S.L.A. Marshall Remo Tedeschi, HQ/Divarty* , does it the A one-day pass to *Marseilles was an eye- made, that American troops were poorly right way. On his business card, he lists his opener for William Tramel, 1/276. "I was trained. Like everyone else, I hated basic hours as "Tuesday-Saturday 10 to 5; Sun­ an 18-year-old boy from rural Mississippi. training. But when we hit the enemy I day by chance or by appointment." thanked the U.S. Army and God for my Remo and his wife Mildred run an anti­ training. That's why I am here today." quarian book store, Black Kettle Books, in Deposit, New York. He came to the Trail­ The Naples (Florida)* Players Theatrical blazers at Camp Adair and served all Group is a well-known organization. And through the ETO. Called back in the Ko­ Jack Zimmerschied is its treasurer. He has rean war, he was a French interrogator at long been connected with the stage as he Verdun, France, for a year. He is a founder served with the 116th Army Band in and was first president of the Tri-Cities Marseilles, France. But that was only after Opera Workshop in Binghamton, New he had done combat duty with B/882. York, a nationally renowned organization. He had been at Montana State College He has also served on the local school l5 ~ m · ;;.T 94 with the ASTP program, then came to the board. H LH 'v1iU::.-¥-.¥ B'-'T ~<..:, 'Blazers at Camp Adair. Until his retire­ * ~~nLr-- ~'\.. .-'(,_-..j) _ . l ment he was an asphalt contractor. 22 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER A piece of cake and also a little bit of homemade fudge

After being wounded at Philippsbourg and spending about a month in the hospi­ tal, John Hildebrand rejoined A/274. He found several surprises. "Two friends who had been Pfcs at P'bourg were now a lieutenant, Aaron r Adkins, and a staff sergeant, Arthur Pratt. They not only welcomed me back to the Second Platoon but announced that I was now the platoon runner. "They also told me that my first order was to open two packages from home that were with my accumulated mail. One was a cake, packed in popcorn; the other was a coffee can full offudge. Neither lasted very long. "I have talked with Aaron on the phone but haven't been able to locate Arthur. Does anyone know where he is?" John wears the Purple Heart with an oak leaf cluster, a Bronze Star and the CIB. From March, '45, the second time he was wounded, until his discharge in May, '48, he was a patient at Valley Forge General Hospital and in three other military hospi­ tals. He was a teacher, high school prin­ ciple and school superintendent in Mel­ bourne, Iowa, then was director of classi­ fied personnel at two California school dis­ tricts. Retired, he lives in Fullerton, Cali­ fornia, with his wife, Marjorie.

When Kenneth Fletter,* K/275, came home to Fort Wayne, Indiana, on his dis­ charge in December, 1945, he wore the Purple Heart, a Silver Star and a Bronze Star. He went into service a month before Pearl Harbor, at Fort Harrison, Indiana, and came out four years and a month later. He joined the 70th at Fort Leonard Wood. He is a member of the Travelers' Protective Association and was named its Man-of-the­ Year. His wife is Betty. * HIGHBALL FOR THE RED BALL .... In the Summer of '44 American forces smashed to Northern France and Belgium. through the enemy in Central France with such mo­ Here an MP at Alencon, France, waves through a mentum that many predicted victory before Christ­ Red Baller carrying the ll.OOOth ton shipped that day. mas. The major problem was keeping up with U.S. That was a bit more than half the daily quota the troops with the necessary materiel. truckers had set for themselves. So the Red Ball Express was organized. Quarter­ A shortage of gasoline finally stopped Patton's master trucks bearing the red insigne had the right armor at Metz. German lines reformed and the stage of way over everything else. On a 'round-the-clock was being set for the Battle of the Bulge. (Signal basis, they rushed gasoline, food and ammunition Corps photo) • Fall, 1994 23 Mail

at least one person at the Reunion. He also Lamar enclosed a letter from John Call told me that my ammo bearer is still alive. Kerestan, American Legion membership Coincidence thrives You just don't know how pleased I am service representative: to finally locate the 70th Association. On May 25 , 1993, Public Law 103-22 in Texas town Is it possible for me to obtain an was signed by President Clinton.1t provides I was reading about the passing of a Eisenhower jacket or a full uniform any­ authorization to construct a memorial dedi­ local resident. In the article, her husband, where? Mine was destroyed years ago in a cated to the veterans of World War ll. C. H. McGuire stated that they had been fire. I have replaced my lost badges. I'd Prior to this, President Bush had signed married in a small white church at Camp appreciate any information that anyone can into law a commemorative coins bill. All Adair and that his best man was Wilmer give me. proceeds from the sale of these coins Jeans (Capt. Jeans was company com­ Elliott Kenyon, C/274 ( avilable now from the U.S. Mint) are used mander of G/275). I have known this man PO Box475 for this project. Further funding will come for some 45 years but neither of us knew lone, Washington 99139-0475 from the people of the United States as it of the other serving with the 70th. (509) 442-3937 has for the Korean and Vietnam Memori­ At church one day we discussed our in­ als. Site selection and design have yet to denture with Uncle Sam and the 70th. He Burch looking* for be determined. Therefore the time line for was transferred out about the time that all its construction is not in place either. the privates and PFC were transferred. He 276 musical friend went into another Division in Europe. He On page 5 of the Spring "Trailblazer" in That train incident* was a 2nd Lt. and got hit and shipped back an article by Walt Winebrenner, K/276, to a hospital in the states. about the musicians pictured on page 17 of -from another angle McGuire gave me the first three 1943 the Winter issue, he mentions Cpl. Ken I was commander of 274's troop train publications of the "Trailblazer". Later I Cobb. Ken was a good friend of mine at arriving at Brumath Dec. 24, 1944. During was telling a church member about Camp Adair and Fort Leonard Wood, but the trip I had pulled my .45 on the engineer McGuire and I being at Camp Adair. Lo we lost touch in Germany. If Walt, or any­ but not to stop the train; instead to start it and behold, the party I was talking to also one, can tell me where Ken is now and how up. Maybe the apocryphal story relates to served at Adair in a Special Detachment. I can locate him, I sure would appreciate a different train. I got the train moving again The population of this town in 1942 was it. despite the engineer's protest that some­ 8,500. There were 487 that served in the John Burch, E/276 thing was wrong with the locomotive's en­ armed forces, most of them in the 36th or 1544 North Sheridan gine. 45th, the Texas National Guard Divisions. Wichita, Kansas 67203 The short rest stops were only one of To think that three served at Adair and for many inconveniences on the trip, among some 50th years we did not know of the Let's get going* on which was the intense cold. Here is how a other being there. writer in the 274th history sums up the trip: I was in HQ Co/275, radio section, which monument for our war Christmas Eve, 1944. The rickety "40 consist of 16 men. I was the youngest, just I recently found in my old footlocker a and 8" freight train slowed down and then turned 18. Clive McCauslin was the old­ copy of "The Trailblazer" magazine printed came to a halt with a final jerk that sent us est, he was 37. He is 85 now and lives in at Camp Adiar. Listed under Division Pub­ stumbling over piled baggage everywhere Joshua Tree, Calif. He and I talk every Sat­ lic Relations was "Pvt. Edmund Arnold, in the crowded box cars. We had reached urday morning. Ever now and then we slip editor" Quite interesting! our destination-Brumath, France- af­ off to Vegas for two or three days. Why have we been sitting around for 50 ter traveling some 500 miles from Elwood Knox years and still have no fitting WW2 monu­ Marseilles.1t was cold and dark as we un­ HQ Co/275 ment in Washington? I have never heard of loaded and lined up alongside the train, any project to erect such a monument or waiting for the next thing to happen. Our Where can new* member how to contribute to it. morale wasn't any too good, for we were Someone really has to get aggressive pretty well petered out from the long trip. replace Ike jacket? higher up to get something done before all I would hope that someone will write in While reading through the batch of of us left from service in Germany are gone identifying the real battalion commander. "Trailblazers" that Lou Hoger sent me in without even seeing an artist's sketch of This is as close as I can come. my new-member packet, I came across the such a monument. Karl Landstrom name of "Preach" Horton. So I gave him a Lamar Stirewalt 3rd Bn HQ/276 call. He remembered me immediately. So F/276 you know how elated I am that I will know * * WHERE'S THE SNOW? . . .. Although Alfred Grinnell, HQ Co/275, says this was taken in Germany in February, 1945, the bare landscape suggests it was later in the winter. With Lt. Al (at the right) is Cpl. John Granarski. (We are now able to use old photographs if they are in sharp focus and haven't turned brown with age.) 24 Enemy honors safety of Medics litter crew

Getman observance of safety for medical personnel is well we treated wounded Infantrymen and carried some out on lit­ remembered by Freeman Bishop, B/370 Medics. ters. "1 was leader of a litter squad of Millard "Chief' Dunfee, "We knew our luck would not hold out as we moved back. William "Tex·· Cunningham and Woodrow Winn and myself. Slowly, from building to building, we made our way back with Our main function was to give first aid to the wounded. So we the wounded. To our utter amazement, we reached safety with­ worked very close to the front lines. Sometimes we would be out a single shot having been fired on us. The German com­ led by one of the riflemen on the line. mander had honored the code of not firing on Medics." ··on this day we were led into a French village that had been Freeman joined the 70th at Wood just before we took off for under fire all day from German 88s. The shelling continued into the ETO. After combat he was in Occupation duty in Vienna. the night. We moved slowly from house to house. After seven years as manager of the ladies' shoe department of a ··our guide told us we were right under German fire. Sure big store, he put in 22 years with a national life insurance com­ enough; I looked up and there, on top of the ridge, the German pany. gunners were looking right down on us. They held their fire as *****

A • • • A is for Artillery. And A is for apple. And for Edward Thomas, Sv/725, the two combine into an unusual war story. "After basic training at Camp Adair, we were sent to the firing range at Yakima, Washington. That summer there was a huge crop of apples ready for harvest but no one to pick them. Capt. Clark ordered the whole battery out one Friday and we travelled by truck for the orchards. We picked all that educators, drove from our home in Walnut not too much has changed in that part of day, Saturday and Sunday. We slept in pup Creek, California, through what was left of Oregon by the high-tech wave. tents and it was the most enjoyable bivouac. the original Camp Adair. I walked on the "For me there couldn't have been a bet­ "Our 'pay' for the weekend was one of same ground I had trod 50 years ago and ter place for an Army encampment. After the finest picnics I have ever enjoyed. The looked up at Coffin Butte, a favorite hik­ leaving Indianapolis and the hot Midwest wives of local farmers put out enough food ing destination of our first sergeant. I re­ in August, Oregon weather was wonderful. for a whole battalion. membered Route 99 and the many trips to Leonard Wood was nice and St. Louis was "Last summer my wife, Lillian and I, Corvallis, Monmouth, Independence and fine. But the friendliness of Oregonians was retired after many years as public school Albany. The natives are still friendly! And super."

were sent down to Fort Ord, California, for A true 'horse soldier' Pacific training. But Walt had dislocated Ernie Richards rode his right knee in basic and it kept him State-, side. He stayed at Ord till his discharge in before he hiked 3.60 a day as a coal miner. In the Army February. '46. He was with a Transporta­ his compensation was $21 a month. lie tion Company all that while. Can any other Trailblazer say he was an started at Fort Bliss, Texas, with the famous As a civilian he was a mason contractor. actual " horse soldier"? Besides Ernie 1st Cavalry Division's artillery. More important. perhaps. he was com­ Richards, B/HH4, of course. mander of a Civi I Air Patrol Squadron for For Ernie is a real cavalryman, taking H/276 members*** ~..f years retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. his basic on a real live four-lt:gged '>tl.:l.:d. In '64 his squadron earned the George Born in New Castle, England, he came to sought by Zielinski Washington Medal of the Freedoms Foun­ America at the age of four. In January, I1 )4 I, I r you Wl'l"l' in ( 'o . 11/2 7 (1, Walter dation at Valley Forge lk's rl.'tired and he was drafted "for one year." It turned out Ziel inski would lii-.L' to hear rrotll you. ln­ lives in Winfield. Illinois \\ ith his wife to be a pretty long one-of 57 month-,! ducll:d in ( 'hicago in .July. '...)3 with the 70th. Mildred. Write to him at 0 S 753 Forest On his first civilian joh, he had carm:d Thl.: ll all the plain-sleeves in the company St., Winfield. I L 60190.

Fall, 1994 25 Out in front- Naumczik manned OP on Oetingen line The Oetingen attack remains a vivid memory for John Naumczik, K/276, after half a century. His outfit had been blooded at the Lichtenberg Forest in the Vosges in Janu­ ary, '45. "On the 13th we were relieved there by a unit of the 45th In fantry Divi­ sion. The following day they were counter attacked and lost most of the ground that Another man of the cloth we had taken earlier. joins the Association Good for rabbits? "We spent a night on the Maginot Line near Jaegertthal, France, and then moved Bad for Germans? on to relieve elements of the 103rd Divi­ "As I join the Association that has sev­ One of the WW2 weapons that drew sion in the vicinity of Reisinger-Hof. Here eral ministers as members, I hope that one mixed reviews was the carbine carried by we manned the MLR (main line of resis­ more will encourage all of you to go to headquarters personnel at various levels tance) and the observation outposts. church on Sunday." and men whose primary duties were not on "We had seven such outposts, foxholes That's the observation of John Baur, the line. One of them was Tom Higley, well in front of the line. We reported tank C/275. He was a Baptist minister for more when he was first sergeant of C/275. Tom movements, fortifications, buildings and than 30 years and has an interesting ecu­ tells us about the weapon: mortar emplacements. If we saw or heard menical background. "Officially it was a 'Carbine, caliber .30 any activity at all, each position would take "After the war I was in charge of an of­ MI' introduced in 1942. Unoffically, we a compass reading and relay it back to a ficers mess in Hoechst, Germany, near called it the 'pip-squeak.' It would have 4.2 mortar unit wh ich would lay down a Frankfurt. There was a Lutheran church a been a good rabbit-hunting gun. barrage. few blocks away and I enjoyed worship­ "Its muzzle velocity was 1900 feet per "The enemy was concerned about us and ping there. On Sunday evenings the Ger­ second and its chamber pressure was there was plenty of night patrol activity. All man congregation would join with us at our 40,000 pounds per square inch. The nor­ this activity led up to the attack against services held there. They sang in German mal range was I 00 to 300 yards. But at 300 Oetingen on Feb. 6." and we in English and it was a harmonious yards the 'human figure black target' mea­ service. They seemed to enjoy our Chap­ sured about 4 feet." lain Gebaur's sermon which was translated (Editor's note: I carried a carbine made by their pastor. at the Saginaw, Michigan plant where my "After I was discharged from Jefferson wife worked in the metallurgy laboratory. Barracks, Missouri in March, 1946, I went So I always had a hometown souvenir. My to work for Capt. Durtschi in my home eyes were bad and 100 yards was about as "That is impossible, of course. as he has town of Dixon, Missouri. Many at Fort far as I could see. But if I could see it, I us married two days before we even met. Leonard Wood will remember that town. could usually hit it and I qualified as ex­ "I hope someone can tell us the actual "I went to Southwest Baptist College and pert on the weapon. I do not share Tom's date of the ship launching and parade. Our then served in many ministerial capacities. comtempt for it. ECA) address is Rt 1, Box 750 Eye. Wilcox. Ari­ Since my retirement in '81 I have served zona 85643. Please write:· with the Salvation Army, the Ministerial 1 **** Louis Hoger, Association sec-trez. dug Alliance and pastored a small country It didn t rain on this up a copy of the original 1944 ·Trai !blazer." church. Now I teach a Sunday School class Voila! The parade was June I 0! and often conduct Sunday evening services PARADE Margaret says that Ken was .. the first 18- as a supply pastor." "I Love a Parade" ought to be "our year-old to sign up with the 70th Division He joined the 'Blazers as a replacement song" for Margaret and Kenneth Hough, when it was being organi zed at Camp Adair in March, 1945. After one night of guard B/274. Margaret tells us why: in 1943. He was sent there. alone. by trail1' duty, Sgt. John Mercy assigned me to the "Ken marched in the Trailblazer parade and when he arrived there were only a few kitchen and I was in cooking the rest of my in Portland that preceded the launching of men there. A lot of his records have been Army career. the great ship of that name. Two days later lost. He was in a train wreck just before he "That career almost came to an early end we met. A very short time later, July 2, was supposed to be discharged and was in Anspach, Germany. One evening as I was 1944, we were married. injured quite seriously. Earlier. in Texas, a cutting up chicken for the next day's meal, "I am writing the story of my life at the truck he was riding in rolled over on him Mess Sgt. Cal Kennedy came in with an urging of my family and, of course, the and he was hospitalized. He was also hos­ old German pistol he had found., He was parade is important. I asked Tom Higley, pitalized in Missouri with rabbit fever. His fooling around with it and it went off. The C/275, a close friend of Ken's with whom records show none of these occurrences. We bullet passed between my left arm and my we have maintained contact for 50 years, have tried to locate a Maj. Trennis, who body. An inch either way and ...." the date of that parade. Tom said it was the was his doctor in Missouri, but without *** Fourth of July, '44. luck." 26 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER CURTAIN UP ... A rare military tactic was used by the Germans in Saarbrucken. As they were preparing for their with­ drawal from the city under intense pressure from the 70th Division, they screened off their busy main route with huge swatches of fabric. This seemed to be as effective as the smoke screens that customarily masked military ground movements.

Haycock was there ... Who? What? and whyinell? It was one of those black nights that a wartime Saarland so often conjured up. When Harry talked to Joe Richard Foster, 70 QM, was in a convoy of trucks going to Stiring-Wendel. Sud­ denly a very bright light flared up toward He thinks he's one of the few living per­ partite Conference in Potsdam, Germany. their left. sons who saw President Harry Truman I saw all the top brass of World War II, in­ "I didn't have any idea what it was and I talking with Russia's Joseph Stalin. He's cluding the whole American delegation. got more nervous as we drove over the top Dick Haycock, HQ 3rd Bn/274. That's where I saw Truman and Uncle Joe. of the hill overlooking the town. There we Dick was one of the group of Air Force "In the last few years I had been trying would be exposed to anything that might cadets who were shipped to ground troops to get in touch with the colonel. In the be in the deep blackness ahead of us. when their program was axed. It was just "American Legion Magazine" I read about "We down-hilled fast to get out of the days before he was to start pre-flight train­ a 70th mini-reunion. It was that of Co. G. glare. Now we noticed that our truck was ing but his orders were changed and he went 274th at Asheville, North Carolina. very noisy, much louder than a 2 1/2-ton to Camp Adair instead. There he was as­ "I called Fred Cassidy, who had been Army truck that was supposed to be in good signed as driver to Col. Karl Landstrom, CO of the company and was organizing the condition. The Germans could hear us as Battalion commander. He stayed on this meeting. He invited me. (There I saw Col. far away as Berlin and zero in on the sound. assignment until after combat. Landstrom for the first time in 48 years. The driver explained that that afternoon he "Col. Landstrom had recommended me (Their reunion was reported in the Spring, had replaced the muffler with a straight for a commission and so I was sent to of­ '94 issue.) After we met- our wives said exhaust pipe. Why? Who knows?" ficers' school at Fontainebleau, France. I - we didn't stop talking for three days. And what was that bright light doing out was commissioned and became assistant Later we went to Washington, D.C., and there in the boonies that night? Who transportation officer for the historic Tri- spent two more days with the Landstroms." knows? • Fall, 1994 27 Underdog becomes top dog After three years, first combat remains ... and the troops guffawed vivid P'bourg memory You might say the troops were cheering the official party moved toward the stand, for the underdog. A great American tradi­ the dog was at Dahlquist's heels. But at the tion if not a military attitude. steps he bounded ahead, went to the top As a veteran of three wars - ETO, It was at the full-dress parade - with step and sat down. Top dog! Korea and Vietnam - Robert Escott, bayonets fixed, no Jess-for Organization From the ranks came a low rumble that C/275, has many war stories to tell. Among Day of the 70th Division at Camp Adair. In soon swelled to a very un-military roar of the most vivid of his memories are of his "battalion front", some 15,000 men stood laughter. Although there were dour expres­ first taste of combat. at proud attention before a reviewing stand sions on the face of many officers up there, "I was a rifleman in the 1st Platoon that awaiting military and civic dignitaries. the program went on with speeches and the was assigned to guard the road that came There was Gen. John Dahlquist and his final "Pass in Review!" into Philippsbourg from the north on Jan. staff, local and state officials, the editor of But there was an aftermath. Orders went 2 (the day after Nord wind started) I was in the Portland "Oregonian" and their nicely out to the MPs to shoot any stray dog on a fox hole all by myself. German 88s were bedecked ladies. And there was a little dog. the reservation. And Tom Higley, C/275, coming in all over but I wasn't hurt. Out of nowhere popped up this cute little recalls that all weekend passes were can­ "We didn 't sleep for three days. On Jan white pup, tai l held high and waving. As celled. Soldiers do not laugh in formation!! 5 I was the first scout who moved out in Or do they? front of the company up into the hills." Robert put in 26 years and retired as a Frank was inducted and discharged in 2 1/2 years in Occupation. Later, at West­ first sergeant. He was inducted in May, Hawaii and lives there now in Hilo with over Air Force Base in Chicopee, Massa­ 1943 , and joined the 70th in September at his wife Mabel. He was a truck driver and chusetts I qualified for Air Cadet and took Wood. After WW2 ended he went to the mail clerk and worked in construction be­ flight training at Randolph Field, Texas. By 3rd Division as a squad leader near Frank­ fore retiring. When James Dunbar, G/274, then I was age 22 and, along with every­ furt. Then he went to the 2nd Division at came visiting to Hawaii, he told Frank one who had a light beard was ordered - Fort Lewis, Washington and on to Korea. about the Association. direct order!- 'You will shave every day! ' In 1956 he married his wife, Imamoto in whether you need it or not. Yokohama, Japan. After VietNam service *** "I still occasionally go with a couple of he was discharged at Fort Lewis in 1970. 11 Not by the hair shaveless days before my wife calls me on Then, for 20 years, he was supply super­ it." visor for a manufacturer of recreation ve­ hicles. on my chinny-chin-chin!" * Among the very youngest "Babies of the Battalions" is James Bates, D/274. He was born on July 26, 1926. The wrong month had been reported previously. A life saved • • • "I never realized how young- and how young-looking - I was when I went into a life lost the service," Jim recalls. "The guys in ba­ When Frank DeSil va, Jr., F/274, was sic training and in the group of replace­ shot through the thigh by shrapnel at ments with whom I went to Europe were Stiring-Wendel, his friend, Sgt. Lee all about my age. Through various repple Stafford , applied a tourniquet that saved depples, John O'Leary of Brooklyn and I him from bleeding to death. Then Lee asked came to the 70th at Habstedicht, a section permission to take him back to the aid sta­ of Forbach. tion. No, said the company commander, "My platoon sergeant in basic used to leave him for the Medics. inspect my face periodically for ' whiskers' The Medics did evacuate Frank. From and doubted me when I insisted that I had the first aid station he went to the 36th Gen­ shaved that morning. (I hadn't.) Fortunately eral Hospital in Dijon, France. After a he was too busy training us to take the time month he was sent back to his company to watch me shave. which by then was in Darmstadt, Germany. "After basic, I had 't shaved since I don't When he asked for Sgt. Stafford. Frank know when, probably on my I 0-day delay learned that he had been killed shortly af­ en route in Bridgeport, Connecticut on my ter saving Frank \ life. way to Fort Meade, Maryland for shipment "I only knew him a ~ hort time. I joined overseas. the 70th on Feb. I o, '45, at Tentlingen. But "After serving with the 70th through he became a good friend and I think of him com hat and transferring to the 3rd Division, often, he is alw a y ~ on my mind." I n:-cnlistcd in the Air Force and spent

28 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER As P'Bourg honors Trailblazers

George Barten, 2nd Bn HQ/275, Colonel Infantry U.S. Army, retired, gave this address at the dedication of the Philippsbourg monument. IN TRIBUTE To the men of the 275th Infantry Regiments and the 1st Battalion 274th Regiment, his is a beautiful country. It is beautiful now, and even U.S. 70th Division during the winter of 1944-45 it had a singular but forbid­ ding beauty. T Who in defending Alsace, stopped But it is summer now. the German "Operation Nordwind" attack Then it was winter, the most severe in a hundred years. at Philippsbourg and Baerenthal, January 2-3, 1945 Throughout the years your hospitality and generosity had been enjoyed by our men and their families coming here to revisit the and in memory of those who gave their lives in battle field of combat they knew as young soldiers. Then their right to be here was hotly contested. They endured Dedicated by the U.S. 70th Infantry in the tradition of the Continental Army, which at the birth of our (Trailblazers) Division Association nation weathered such a winter in 1777-78 at Valley Forge near and by citizens of Philippsbourg Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. The American men before you now are more mature by half a 17 July 1994 century. As young soldiers first bloodied in combat here and at Baerenthal they shed their youth as combat veterans, tried by the triple ordeal of frigid weather, frozen earth and enemy fire. Oth­ ers gave up not only their youth but their lives. And still others the Wehrmacht both here and at Baerenthal. As Battalion Com­ left with wounds and memories as reminders of the Vosges mander of the 2d Battalion, 275th Infantry, I proceeded to throughout life. Baerentha1 by way of Zinswiller and the Zinsel. And they returned throughout the years. Our military mission continued upon relief by other U.S. Why were we here? forces. We were sent to the area south of Saarbrucken to eventu­ General Eisenhower referred to our presence as "Crusade in ally take that city and finally cross the Rhine. During the subse­ Europe." quent occupation our men saw duty in Austria, Bavaria and even At Valley Forge and later during the American Revolution a Berlin. Some served in other wars: Korea, VietNam. mercenary Hessian officer, no friend, noted not only the hard­ In a Jetter to members of the American Expeditionary Forces, ships endured by the American soldier, but their espousal of lib­ before they sailed, President Roosevelt wrote: "Yours is a God­ erty, not as something they were fighting to get, but what had fearing, proud, courageous people, which throughout history, has always been theirs as a way of life. put its freedom under God before all other purposes. You bear Our being here was to protect the freedom and liberty right­ with youth the hope, the confidence, the gratitude and prayers of fully yours, which the D-Day landings on the beaches of your family, your fellow citizens, and your President" - and I Normandy insured. might add, your elders of a past generation. It was here in Philippsbourg that Battalion commanders of the Peace and freedom, chiseled in stone on this monument to 275th Infantry and 1st Battalion, 274th received orders to engage last forever, has prevailed.

the north side," says Bill, "she was prob­ Second generation ably standing near the spot where I had dug my foxhole. keeps memories "It was a good narrow and deep hole, A constant satisfaction for any 'Blazer but by morning, after caving in from Ger­ veteran is the interest his children take in man and American fire, it was about five Trailblazer activities and in World War II feet in diameter and two feet deep. During ' history. the shelling that night, a fragment ripped J.W. "Bill" Westmoreland , Jr., I/276, through my lower dog-tag and left nary a had vivid memories brought back by his scratch on me. It's been a memorable sou­ daughter Laura's visit to Forbach, Wingen venir. Two days later, another shell frag­ and the St. Avoid Military Cemetery. Half ment ended the war for me." a century ago his company had secured the ancient tower in one of the most dramatic * Trailblazer episodes. As her visit to the tower was late of a December afternoon, the photographs she LUCKY DOG took can't be reproduced here, unfortu­ Bill Westmoreland cherishes the ID tag nately. "When she took one picture from that saved his life at Forbach Tower.

Fall, 1994 29 '

fense in Washington, learned about the Long, cold and scary. • • Association. Maury joined up pronto. At the Las Vegas Reunion he met Barrack, Cox and others of his old outfit. That was jan. 6, 1945 He was an administrator in higher edu­ cation for more than two decades and is very active in non-profit organizations which have recognized him with many hon­ "The longest, coldest and scariest night of his Trailblazer buddies. His son, doing ors. He and his wife Elizabeth live in of my life" is the way Maurice Kleiman, some research at the Department of De- Brockport, New York. E/274, remembers Jan. 6, 1945. "When the enemy counter-attacked, my *** platoon was the advance unit of the 2nd Battalion at Win gen. I was not yet 19 years old. I had never seen a dead body. I cer­ tainly was not prepared for the horrendous intensity of infantry combat. "Our squad leader, Bill Barrack, man­ aged to lead us into a building in the vil­ lage. We discovered a number of wounded men, Gis and Germans. Some German Medics were treating the men of both sides. "I stood guard all night at the front door. I could see and hear the Germans all around us. They were yelling insults and taunts in an effort to get us to respond and so give away our position. We didn't, though. The next morning the rest of Easy Company came up the street with Lt. Walter Cox leading them. He broke out into a broad smile when he found that most of us were alive and well." After leaving the 70th for the 5th Divi­ sion and duty at Fort Campbell, he lost track

II "Limited • • • to what? "Limited duty" said the induction papers for Archie Smith, E/274. As his orders sent him to Scott Air Field, Illinois, he thought that ought to be good duty: maybe the Air Force, maybe band duty. After all, he had eight years of experience in high school and university marching bands. The limiting phrase was translated for him by a classification sergeant. "Yep," he told the inductees, "you are limited to ser­ vice on six continents." I'M RIGHT WITH YOU ... So Archie wound up with the 70th. "An Each soldier on the firing range had his own coach educational experience," he calls it. After who stayed with him all the time. Even so far as to the war he served as platoon leader and assuming the prone position right next to the company commander for five years with shooter. A good coach was a real asset as Trailblaz­ the 32nd Division. Archie was in the dairy ers qualified for a marksmanship rating. The business-sales, sales manager, general gunnery badges were the first military awards won manager. He was also town clerk of Rich­ and worn by 70th men in the summer of 1943. mond, Minnesota. He and his wife Evelyn Notice that the soldiers are still wearing WW l­ live in Shawando in that state. style leggings. 30 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER ARSENAULT, Gilbert S. B/884 FA Died April 8, 1956 *TAPS* HARTMAN, john E. BERTINO, Eugene j. ROCHA, Theodore R. 1048 R Road 1420 jahn Drive B/884 FA Mack, CO 81525 Santa Rosa, CA 95401 Died November 13, 1992 B/276 70th Recon 70th Infantry Division Died July 5, 1994 Died August 19, 1994 SCHOHR, john B. Association Biggs, CA HARTWRICHT, jack C. EXECUTIVE BOARD BOlliNGER, Winifred B/274 Umatilla, Fl President 2032 Sylvan Drive Died in 1991 B/274 Dale Bowlin Abilene, TX 79605 6712 Mountain lane Died in 1981 SHOAP, Walter P. B/274 Vancouver, WA 98661 6128 Greenbriar ln. Died in 1990 (206) 696-0871 JONES, Maurice Fayetteville, PA 17222 3215 Dye Drive * BORDElON, john E. C/274 Falls Church, VA 22042 President-Elect 1640 Creed Street Died August 10, 1994 F/274 George Marshall Pineville, LA 71360 8214 East Highland Ave. Died Nov. 22, 1993 TIPPS, William B. D/274 Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Died August 14, 1994 109 Cotton Mill Rd. KLINE, Elton R. Fayetteville, TN 37334 * 312 Hillcrest Past President BRUST, William E. 70th Recon Pawnee, OK 7 4058 Alex C. johnson 3023 N. Avalon Pl. Died October 22, 1991 K/275 833 N. Carlyle lane Peoria, ll 61604 Arlington Heights, ll 60004 Died july 7, 1994 VOJACEK, Valerina A. 5 70th Signal · (708) 506-9884 Died in 1992 B/884 FA HINCKEN, Edwin S. Died November 3, 1979 * 621 E. Mt. Pleasant Ave Vice-President/North CHAMBERS, Earl l. William l. Sole Ambler, PA 19002 WilD, lawrence R. 1901 S.W. 356th St. 47 Wapping Wood Road A/270 Eng. PO Box 07420 Federal Way, WA 98023 Ellington, CT 06029 Died june 15, 1994 Milwaukee, WI 53207 HQ/275 (203) 872-4411 Died june 29, 1993 M/276 MAllOY, john T. Died December 8, 1993 * 6050 Margarido Drive Vice-President South CHOCAS, Nick Andrew MacMahon Oakland, CA 94618 YATEMAN, Richard 70th Recon 112 Tam-0-Shanter Drive HQ/275 St. john, New Brunswick Died july 1993 Blythewood, SC 29016 Died in 1994* Canada (803) 754-9362 ClARK, Dean W. C/274 MARTIN, William H. * 138 Ranier Circle Died in 1980 106 S.W. 171st. Vice-President/Central Vacaville, CA 95867 Seattle, WA 98166 Raymond E. Yadon C/270 Eng. C/274 3158 East Redbud St. Died june 6, 1994 Died May 8, 1994 Springfield, MO 65804 * DWIGHT, Gaylord "Jake" MERRill, Cale H. Vice-President/West 4784 Bellevue Rd 903 Oak Trl Robert Crother Onondaga, Ml 49264 Canton, MS 39046 1000 S. Main St. #528 Died August 26, 1994 Chaplain M/276 The Rev. l. Donald Docken Sacramento, CA 93901 (408) 484-9358 Died Oct. 12, 1991 170 N. Ruth St. #1 005 EMERSON, levi * Sacaton, AZ St. Paul, MN 55119 NARRAMORE, Marvin E. (612) 735-8325 Secretary-Treasurer E/276 B/884th FA louis Hoger Died in 1972 * Died October 26, 1983 Asst. Chaplain 5825 Horton St. Mission, KA 66202 FATER, Ermest j. The Rev. Harry Durkee PENDlETON, james H. (913) 722-2024 B/884 FA 7739 Via Napoli 8528 Waycross Dr. * Died February 2, 1971 Burbank, CA 91504 las Vegas, NV 89134 (818) 767-0794 Asst. Sec.-Treasurer Donald Lindgren HALE, john W. HQ/3rd Bn/275 * Died july 17, 1994 Historians 9001 Beacon Ave. 108 Glen Cove Dr. Vancouver, WA 98664 PO Box 72 Donald C. Pence PIERSON, Claude Wallace (206) 693-8787 Clark lake lA 50428 Carolina Trace K/275 285 Fairway lane * C/275 Died july 3, 1984 Editor "Trailblazer" Died in june 1994 Sanford, NC 21730 (919) 499-5949 Edmund Arnold PRECHT, Ervan 3804 Brandon Ave. SW HAMilTON, lawrence E. * #415 Fisherville, VA 905 - 11th Avenue Dr. Eugene Petersen Rochester, MN 55901 Roanoke, VA 24018 B/274 HC 60; Box 143 570th Signal (7030 776-2415 Died july 20, 1993 Cable, WI 54821 Died in 1984 (715) 798-3397 *

Fall, 1994 31 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE 70th Division Assn. PERMIT - 131 0 Louis Hoger RICHMOND, VA. 5825 Horton Street Mission, KS 66202 ------r

LISTENING TO THE LEGEND ... after a ceremony at Wiesbaden, Germany in July, Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery was the most 1945. He pre sented British medals to these represen­ famous British commander in WW2. Colorful and tative 70th men as symbols of England's apprecia­ controversial, he was hailed for his victory over the tion for American efforts in the war. Afrika Korps and chided for his caution as com­ After formal ceremonies, he asked the men to mander of Allied ground forces in the Normandy gather 'round and spoke with them as soldier-to-sol­ invasion. dier. He displayed an engaging personality that He made many an admirer among Trailblazers charmed his audience.

Jerries turned us loose before encounter­ ing the Russians. The only satisfaction I 'Lucky to survive' have is that nobody would have anything to do with him after that. He is now de­ Young was ceased. "Some of our officers didn't live up to defiant POW their obligations to see that their men were • properly taken care of. Two of our officers Hardly a "model prisoner" was Thomas Force, bombed by our planes in a night just came walking in where we were. They Youngblood, D/275, in the infamous Stalag while we were in a German railroad yard. did nothing for us although we wore the 4B. "One of the things that burns me to a same clothes for nearly seven months, "I just refused to knuckle under for the crisp was that my best buddy at Leonard didn't shave or take a bath. We had no Krauts and so I was branded a trouble­ Wood was a turncoat. About the third day toothbrushes or toothpaste, no nothing. We maker. Once I was court-martialed by a we were at Stalag 4B he turned up as boss did get a typhus shot. German tribunal and given three days in of most of the details, potato peeling, wood "I joined the Division just before it left solitary. gathering and preparation of different for Europe. Most of my squad were KIA "I guess I am real lucky to have survived. things. He had clean clothes, new shoes, a or captured and as POWs we were scattered I was almost choked to death by a wild Ger­ new corduroy cap, razor, toothbrush and, all over. So I lost all contact with the 70th man guard, was strafed by our own Air above all, he had a horse to ride when the until now." 32 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER