The Nearly Everybody Your Quiet Hour Reads The ITEM Companion “Get Wise – ITEM-ize” 2nd Quarter 2019 Good Ole USA Of Undetermined Worth Editor/Printing and Mailing Elodie Caldwell 2731 TERRY AVE LONGVIEW WA 98632-4437 [email protected] Treasurer Bret Job 2801 SW 46th ST CAPE CORAL FL 33914-6026 [email protected] Drawing by Jim Bickers, shown without barbed wire fences or guard towers Webmaster/Blogger Bill Caldwell 2731 TERRY AVE DID YOU KNOW THAT…… LONGVIEW WA 98632-4437 [email protected] …. the Oflag 64 Remembered website, The Polish-American Foundation for the Commemoration of POW Camps in Szubin, the blog for the Museum of POW Camps Contributors to this issue in Szubin, and the Friends of Oflag 64, Inc. nonprofit are all working together? Cindy Burgess Glenn Burgess The Oflag 64 Remembered website is the historical arm of Oflag 64 and brings Tom Cobb together families, friends, and researchers who share a passion for learning about the Susanna Connaughton experiences of the POWs of Oflag 64. Through its website, newsletters, and informal Randolph Holder reunions, Oflag 64 Remembered maintains the ties that created The Oflag 64 Family. Bret Job The Polish-American Foundation for the Commemoration of POW Camps in Szubin Anne Hoskot Kreutzer is the working arm involved in creating the Museum of POW Camps in Szubin. The Rosa Lee Foundation will soon launch their website dedicated to the various POW camps that Marlene McAllister were located in Szubin during all of WWII. John R. Rodgers, Sr. Ted Roggen The Blog for the Museum of POW Camps in Szubin is the publicity arm of the Dave Stewart Museum project. This is where bulletins and updates about the project are posted. Paul Thriffiley III Pat Waters Friends of Oflag 64, Inc. is the nonprofit fundraising arm for the Polish-American Nancy Wyatt Foundation and supports the creation and maintenance of the Museum of POWs in Jan Daniluk-Advisor Szubin. Watch for their website that will enable folks to make donations online. [email protected] We are different arms, but are all working toward similar goals and are supporting Mariusz Winiecki-Advisor each other in our endeavors. In a sense, it’s All for One and One for All. There will [email protected] be links on the Oflag 64 Remembered website to each of these entities as soon as they are fully functioning. We apologize to any others we may have overlooked but We want to thank you for your support of all these endeavors. This is an exciting thank everyone who has venture and one that our Kriegy Patriots and Heroes would be honored to know exists. contacted us. Our best to you always, ! Elodie and Bill Caldwell, www.oflag64.us will be used to help support Thanks to all who have Fund Donations the new Museum in various agreed so far to donate There will now be more than ways. We will keep you artifacts to the Museum of one way to contribute to Oflag updated as soon as other POW Camps in SZubin. 64 related funds. However, donation methods are If you need a copy of since our remaining Kriegies established. the inventory sheet to catalog are usually not able to attend your items before sending or if reunions, we are NOT THANKS to all who have so you have questions about encouraging donations to a very generously donated to artifacts collection, please let Reunion Fund at this time. our various Oflag 64 funds in us know. the past. We are greatly The photo below appreciative. shows examples of some of For contributions to the Postage Fund ONLY, which the artifacts being collected. covers the cost of mailing the printed ITEM to our remaining SAVE THOSE Kriegies, or widows of ARTIFACTS deceased Kriegies, please make your checks payable to We have been advised Oflag 64 Postage Fund, and by the Polish-American send them to: Foundation overseeing the Museum project that the BrEt Job process of collecting artifacts 2801 SW 46th St should begin immediately, Cape Coral FL 33914-6026 hence the emails, letters, and OR phone calls asking for your support. Thank you to the family ElodiE CaldwEll We are particularly of H. Randolph “Boomer” 2731 Terry Ave interested in collecting any Holder for these donations. Longview WA 98632-4437 and all books, diaries, or recorded memories of former Oflag 64 POWs relating to Historical Information and FEEdback ArE Oflag 64 as soon as possible, as they will be used as Always WElcomE reference materials for designing the Museum. If you have anything to submit for print in the ITEM, And, now that we have non- All Oflag 64 artifacts are considered to be please contact Elodie at profit status, the FriEnds of [email protected]. Digital Oflag 64, Inc. is able to significant and all Oflag 64 related artifacts are of value to scans of original photos or receive monetary donations anything that can be sent in for the Polish-American the Museum. We know how difficult .jpg format, works great. If you Foundation. For contributions are unable to scan photos, I to this fund ONLY, please it is to part with cherished items owned by our Kriegy would be glad to scan them temporarily write your checks and send them back to you. and send them to: dads, grandfathers, brothers, and uncles but we appreciate Documents can also be sent in .pdf format. Friends of Oflag 64, Inc. your consideration of our If you notice website 12768 Turberville Lane request for artifacts. They will errors, omissions, or links that Oak Hill, VA 20171 be valued and appreciated by those who visit the Museum don’t work properly, please These funds are separate for years to come. contact me. from the Postage Fund and 2 John Alday, grandson of the late Kriegy Robert Ann RogErs, niece of the late Kriegy Frank N. M. Alday, wrote to let us know that his grandfather Aten wrote: In addition to the Prisoner of War passed away in 2017. Even though time has Bulletin published by the American Red Cross, I passed, we know Robert is greatly missed. just discovered one I haven’t seen previously. Please see the TAPS section for his obituary. Several pages are eye catching because color is used. Printed Name: Gefangenen GaZette. Tom DEtmErs, son of the late Kriegy Arthur V. Dated September 1944, an article on the first Detmers, after receiving one of our blog updates page by Editor Gilbert Redfern states the with photos wrote that he now knows where his following: “the articles and cartoons in the Dad got his little red diary, and the blue one too. Gazette throw a vivid light on camp conditions He shared the following information found in the and on how the men there are temporarily little diaries: “On one page he described the fall of adapting their lives to an atmosphere that must Rome and the invasion of Europe. The “Bird” be completely alien to them.” Ann asked if one or must have been very informative, and another more of these gaZettes will be included in the entry describes being in a boxcar with 20 officers Oflag 64 Museum. As we have not seen the and 30 GIs on their way to Luckenwald probably, Gazette, we will need to do more research to find before he went to Oflag 64. The boxcars were them. often strafed by allied planes, not a good experience.” Ted Roggen, one of our Kriegies, was interviewed by a couple of Kriegy descendants David Hoskot, son of the late Kriegy Nathaniel several months back regarding his POW R. Hoskot shared that he has written an original experiences. He sent a report of the interview by song which honors particularly his father who was Susanna Connaughton and followed it with the buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full report of the interview with David Weinstein. military honors in 2004. He also hopes that it Please see the Kriegy News and Information honors the service and sacrifices of the men and section for his report. women of The United States of America’s armed forces. Please let us know if you would like a Pam WhEElEr WatErs, daughter of the late copy of the words and/or the audio file and we will Kriegy Bertram A. Wheeler would like to know email it to you. which barrack her father was in while at Oflag 64. He was captured on the Mousse River. If you CathErinE JoynEr, daughter of the late Kriegy J. have information to share, please let us know and Jack Monaghan, wrote to let us know that her we’ll pass the information along to Pam. father passed away on April 6. We have added his name to our online TAPS list and have New Contacts/Visitors to our WEbsitE included his obituary in the TAPS section of this ITEM. We know he is mightily missed. Kenna ArchEr – great niece of the late Kriegy Susan Holmstrom Kohnowich, daughter of the Doyle Yardley, asked to be added to the mailing list. late Kriegy Carl Holmstrom who wrote the book “Kriegie Life”, wrote to let us know that she is CathErinE JoynEr – daughter of the late Kriegy updating his book and including original drawings J. Jack Monaghan, asked to be added to the with added descriptions or biographies under email list. each picture. The book is not yet ready for publication but she will keep us posted as to its Linda Gauntt GrEEndykE – niece of the late future availability. Kriegy Doyle Yardley, would very much like to honor her uncle by keeping his memory alive and John Rodgers, Sr., one of our Kriegies, sent a others of Oflag 64.