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TRAIL~ · ~ rj BLAZER I WINTER2004 I The President's Report Stanley J. Lambert ere it is again-a deadline! schedule. The Friday activities re the late Donald "Charlie" Pence. Our worthy "Trailblazer" ceived much of our attention and The auditorium will be named for H Editor isn't one to let his have required a gen erous amount him. contributors forget. As if that re of Dorothy's and my e-mail, phone The 70th RRC made a further minder was not enough, the bel and U.S. mail exchanges for the request. They wanted information lowing calves we have just weaned past month. Fortuitously, the on a Loren Christianson, the WWII and corralled are distinctly crying, peripatetic Floyd Freeman (I/275) 70th Band Director, for whom the "Trailblazer - November 15." and Anne S chmidt paid us an music library in a wing of the au overnight visit in early October. ditorium will be named. Can any * Floyd was of tremendous help in one tell us anything about him? After the great Central States arranging a Chicago River cruise, Reunion in Cedar Rapids, Dorothy bus and meal accommodations * and I, graciously accompanied by etc. ebmaster Steve Dixon, HM Jack Nothnagle, 570 Signal; and Registration details will appear W has drawn our attention to Paul and Peggy Sumner, E/276 in the Spring "Trailblazer," but a poignant "USA Today" article made a two day visit to our 2004 you can expect the usual fare of (November 10, 2003) about a baby n a tional reunion site in Arlington events, plus a surprise or two. boomer's search for the experi Heights, Illinois. We had been Committee chair persons have ences of his reclusive WWII father. there previously, but the hotel had been or will be appointed. It goes The boomer r eceived fulfillment, changed hands. We further laid without saying that volunteers will as have numerous 70th Division plans for our September 1-5, 2004 be welcome ... or drafted. The in "children," wh en he located his dispensable Lou Hoger, G/275 dad's old unit's reunion. will be backing up our registration Which brings me to the recur crew (John Craig, F / 275; Jack ring interest in extending full vot Nothnagle and others) . Start ing rights in our 70th Infantry Di planning now for your contribu vision Association to the Associate The tion to the Silent Auction chaired Members in good standing. No Trailblazer by Paul and Peggy Sumner. Other vote on such an amendment in committee chairs will be listed in 2004 could be taken without due is published four times a year the Spring "Trailblazer." process. I would, however, sug by the 70th Infantry Division gest a cool and dispassionate dis Association and friends. Sub * cussion of the matter at our 2004 scription: $16 annually. artier in the fall I received a business meeting. call from our friends at 70th At Walter Cox's (E/274) urg Editor E Regional Readiness Command ing we contemplate reopening unit Ed Lane (RRC), US Army Reserve which is attendance competition in 2004. P.O. Box 1282 h eadquartered at Ft. Lawton, That was a feature of earlier re Radcliff, KY 40159 Washington. They requested that unions. Units would be defined as (270) 352-0753 we select a WWII T railblazer for rifle or weapons companies, artil [email protected] whom a new a uditorium at Ft. lery batteries, headquarters com Staff Artist Lawton will be named. That panies, signal companies, etc. Peter Bennet posed a problem, for there a re Perhaps a traveling trophy will en 3031 Sir Phillips Dr. many Trailblazers, living a nd ter t he picture, although not too San Antonio, TX 78209 dead, who are worthy of recogni many bienniums may pass before (210) 828-5477 tion. it ends up a t the Pearly Gates. Our Vice President-Central, All of which brings me to this Graphic Designer the much decorated Bill Trotter, appeal for a banner turn out at Martin E. Biemer B/275 had no doubts. It should the 2004 reunion. As always the Louisville, KY be h is old commanding officer. main attraction will be the renew Volume 62 Number 1 Further aided by the gripping ar ing of friendships forged during WINTER2004 ticle in the Fall "Trailblazer", the t h e seminal occurrence of our Executive Committee settled on lives. Spouses, associates and ex- 2 70th Infantry Division Association TRAILBLAZER f)l~l~I(;I1.\J.. N()'Jl(;E First call for propositions tended families are, of course, a cherished part of our gatherings_ for September 2004 reunion We have found that the Chicago area has afforded a very attractive irst call for propositions to be mit propositions. voted on at the September Lake-River Cruise, plus an excit F Please send your new proposi 2004 biennial reunion. New ing guided bus tour of the city_ tions to Jim Hanson at the ad propositions will be published in This will be on our Friday sched dress below to be received by Feb the Spring 2004 issue of "Trail ule. The lady's programs, the lun ruary 1, 2004 so the Resolutions blazer," requesting member com cheon meetings and the Friday Committee can get them into the ments, along with the two Spring and Saturday night dinners and Spring issue of "Trailblazer." 2003 mail vote propositions that programs will make this a memo Please include a brief explanation failed to achieve sufficient votes to rable time_ Chaplain Peterson's of what your proposition will do, meet the required minimum of 1 O Sunday morning memorial service and why you think it should be percent of active member will make a fitting climax to our adopted. 2004 reunion. strength. Mail to: Reminder: All Association $/mi membership categories may sub- Jim Hanson 2595 Landview Circle Virginia Beach, VA 23454 Propositions may be e-mailed to Jim at the address shown in the Special Appointments box in the back of this edition. Resolutions Committee: Jim Hanson (Chair) John Hildebrand Dave Mackie 2004 dues are due! Please send annual dues of $16 or Life Member dues of $100 as soon as possible to: DON LINDGREN 9001 Beacon Ave. Vancouver, WA 98664 On the cover • Items for the next edition • • are due in the Editor's mail 11 11 11 11 • Trailblazer Staff Artist Peter Tex Bennet, HQ 2nd Bn/276 has fur- box by February 16, 2004. nished us with a tableau illustrating that soldiers are a band of brothers We will be mailing April l. Their lives are dependent upon each other more than those who have no~ been there can ever know. Winter 2004 3 Enemy interrogation of Major John Duffie By Frank Sawyer U soon (after capture) I was my debriefing, which I did. F/275 taken far behind the lines "The questions he threw at me for interrogation, to the office of a were all fictitious. He did not ask Frank Sawyer is the former G-2 Colonel. At first he was very me anything they did not already CO, F/275. He wrote thefollowing stiff and formal as we introduced know, he said. To prove it h e article after reading about the cap each other, and he spoke with a pulled the canvas cover off the ea ture of Major John Duffie on page heavy British accent, better En sel and displayed there were the 31 of the Summer 2002 issue. glish than you or I would have 275 positions in detail, more accu spoken in similar circumstances. rate and more complete than on ew days before Hiroshima I noted there were two armed my own map back at the 3rd bat p;_ I was in Maastricht, The guards in the room with us along talion CP. I had no reason to Netherlands, at the R&R with a telephone, a radio, a record think the information he had on Center "recovering" from two player and a large easel covered the other battalions was anything weeks in London. As I crossed the with canvas. Then came the tor less excellent. footbridge into downtown rent of questions, so furious and "As if the map information was Maastricht I was surprised to see fast that I hardly had time to say not enough, he then recited the a familiar figure, one I never ex 'name, rank and serial number'. names of our battalion command pected to see again. "Then he started again, speak ers and some of the company It was Major John Duffie, HQ ing slowly, almost gently, like we commanders including your own 3rd Bn/275 on the corner waving were visiting as old comrades. first name, Frank; a nd the fact and calling - we literally ran into 'Yes, McAlear was competent; that you spoke German (which I each other. We quickly retired to Malloy and Barten are given high did not know at the time). He the nearest bar for the rest of the ratings by our Unter Officers.' wanted to know your age and ci day and most of t he night. We Shortly the decibels began to rise vilian and military backgrounds, had both been "kicked around a until at last he was ranting and of which I knew nothing; n or did I bit" and had plenty to commiser raving like Adolf, threatening and know why he wanted that infor ate about our respective com screaming to the extent that I mation. manders who shall remain name thought the armed guards wer e "These items were shocking to less. Such are the fortunes of war there to protect my Geneva Rights me and I had to wonder if we had throughout history.