Fall, 1998 Cousin in Chicago Named Levy." Ended
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;o -:z:a -9P • MINNEAPOLIS REUNION REPORT Pages 26-32 • 70th ready for next century I want to thank all you Trailblazers for electing me President of most appropriate that we honored Viola Arnold for helping her this great 70th Infantry Division Association. Along with the new husband Ed Arnold get out the "Trailblazer" so many years. Executive Committee, I will do my best to lead the organization As my first official action, I appointed Associate Member, Ed into the year 2000. lane, as the new editor of the "Trailblazer". He is retired Army, a We will keep in mind the purpose of our organization: former member of the 70th Training Division, and is known per To extend the fellowship and patriotism of living members; sonally by many of the Trailblazers, having attended many na To perpetuate the memory of all men who served in the 70th tional Reunions. Infantry Division; To promote and perpetuate the memory of the achieve ments of the Division, and The President's To hold regular Reunions. This Reunion, as reported on page 26, endured many possi- Report !\ndrew McMahon bilities for disaster. But the true Trailblazer spirit prevailed de- spite the problems caused by the Northwest Airline strike that Ed Arnold will help him get started on the next issue. The issue forced many of our members to cancel and were unable to at you are now reading is his last. We thank him and Viola for bring tend. ing us the award-winning "Trailblazer" lo, these 16 years. He has Past President George Marshall and his wife, Barbara, had also been the longest-serving member of the Executive Commit planned a great Reunion for us. It was a deep disappointment tee, giving valuable advice in our discussions. We hope he will that they were unable to attend. We missed them. The good news continue to give us advice as we move into the 21st century. is George has returned home after 19 days in the hospital and is At our Executive Committee meeting Sunday we all agreed that progressing well. We will keep George and Barbara in our thoughts our committee should have more timely meetings where we could and prayers. sit down and discuss the needs and opportunities of the Associa As immediate Past President, George continues to serve in the tion. Accordingly, we will have an Executive Committee meeting organization as a valuable member of the Executive Committee. at the Western States mini-reunion May 6, 1999. We will enjoy his counsel and fellowship. An up-to-date Membership Roster should be completed after With the spirit that "the show must go on", the officers and the first of the year. It will include our Constitution and By-laws committee chairmen all pitched in and we had a truly fine Re as amended in the Minneapolis business meeting. union. I especially thank all those good helpers, especially Past Andy President Dale Bowlin and President-Elect John Nothnagle for handling the daily affairs and meetings. Kudos to all the committee chairmen and their co-chairmen (another name for their wives) for the splendid work that they did. A special Huzzah for the spouses! Thank you, ladies, for all the MANY THANKS! support you continuously give us and this organization. It was Ema Dell and I are grateful for the many words of sympathy expressed to us on the loss of her brother Henry Pinkney Hobbs, Jr., of Birmingham, Alabama, who passed away while we were in Minneapolis. "Pin key" was a warrior of the first order, one of our "band of brothers". He served in the Navy in WW2 and earned battle stars for every major naval engagement in the Pacific. He The served on the aircraft carrier USS Cabot. He was active in the Trailblazer annual reunions of Division C of the Cabot. He served his family and his community well. We miss him. is published four times a year by Andy and Emma Dell McMahon the 70th Infantry Division Asso ciation and friends. Subscription: * $12 annually. Editor Edmund C. Arnold "Go 'way! I'm busy!" sez Sherwood 3804 Brandon Ave., S.W. #415 Roanoke, VA 24018 Even a German barrage didn't slow a German town when he was halted by the (540) 776-2415 down T/5 Bob Sherwood's repair job. wreckage left by a Nazi rocket. One tire The 70th QM driver was coming through started hissing, apparently victim of shrap Staff Artist * nel. Just as he had jacked up his truck and Peter Bennett Oh, for mercy's sake ... removed the fe ll ed tire, a real barrage 3031 Sir Phillips Dr. The POW was trembling, sweating and settled in . Grabbing the deflated tire and San Antonio, TX 78209 just about to collapse of fear as he stood (210) 828-5477 his patching kit, he dove into a nearby base in front of a 275th POW interrogator. ment. There he calmly proceeded to fi x the Volume 56 Number 4 He sobbed, "Please, Captain . I have a fl at. He finished the job just as the barrage Fall, 1998 cousin in Chicago named Levy." ended. * 2 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER lli~P Hundreds of Trailblazers came into the Division - or left the Division - as replacements. No sooner had Task Force Herren landed at Marseilles, than the Companies were combed for rifle men to plug those horrendous holes inflicted by the German oHensive of The Bulge. And when the ' Blazers suf fered severe casualties in Operation Nordwind's continuation of The Bulge, it was replacements who stepped into those holes in the ranks. No one who has been in battle be comes a " veteran" in 1 0 seconds. And veterans have always bemoaned that "rookies" weren't up to the " old-tim ers" standards. It took those same 1 0 seconds for the new men to show their admirable mettle - and to be accepted as a true Trailblazer. Here is the story of one of them as told by the staH art ist of "Trailblazer" and whose work illustrates this story. days of field training Gen. George Marshall visited our area- easily distinguished by Only partly trained~ his trenchcoat, combat boots, and absolute attention to what was going on. I do not they filled holes think I have ever seen a man who looked more like a general officer than he did ramrod-straight bearing, behavior, and un Nordwind wreaked mistakable purpose and determination. I am glad he was on our side. (Ed note: On completion oftheir abbre- , ByPETER "TEX" BENNET viated Basic, the group went to the Port of New York and boarded the great Isle de HQ 2nd Bn/276 France.) As we sailed up the west coast of En gland, a line of British destroyers formed an escort screen. We sailed into the Firth nia. Most of us were 18 or 19, but a of Clyde, Scotland, past my ancestors' W E WERE replacements few appeared to be in the 35-year sent to the front to fill the holes in home oflsle ofBute. We disembarked and draft bracket. dragged our duffel bags into a waiting train, the 70th's ranks caused by We trained at Camp Croft, South Caro non-stop to Southhampton. There in the Nordwind's fury. We were mostly lina, uphill and downhill - day and night moonlight, hundreds of men hurried country boys from Virginia, North - since they had cut two weeks off the aboard a British destroyer which took us and South Carolina and Pennsylva- normal 17 week cycle. During our final to France. Mercifully the trip was short, • FALL 1998 3 (continued) Albert Morgan, CO of the 276th, ad "Kamerad" thinking he had hit German dressed our "packet" with the admonish lines. He and the rest of our fearless lead but the great adventure was going over the ment against throwing away equipment or ers came back down the hill like a herd of side of the ship and down a heavy rope lad clothing. Because, he said, when "the rampant alligators. Two flares were fired, der to the landing craft below which was snow is ass-deep to tall giraffe, you'll need and I thought they would never go out. But heaving up and down with the waves. Here it ..." He also told the story of a scout I saw Olney beside me. I told him I had a we learned that they didn't cover everything who lost his grenade launching attachment, grenade ready and if they opened up again, in Basic. and when his unit came under fire from an I would throw it and we would take off MG 42, he couldn't launch a grenade to down the hill toward the searchlights that ROM LE HAVRE we went on to kill the gunner. shone behind our lines. Nancy and the Seventh Army Re We were loaded into the trucks again and We finally backed down the trail like F placement Depot where we were were shown how fast a truck can acceler snakes and headed back toward Forbach. herded into what appeared to be a factory ate before hitting the crest of an artillery God must have had something else for us with a moat of water over which the latrines rue hill - those Quartermaster truckers to do because He led us past "schu mines", were built. knew what happened to slow or careless snipers, perimeter riflemen, random mor At Nancy we were issued the magnifi drivers. tar fue and Lord knows what else. We came cent Rifle Cal .30 M-1.