Vol. VI, No*. 8 AUGUST, 1945 Valor Medals New York Radio-Gunner is Decorated Moving Troops P. & L E. Hero Wins Medals to Three; Two to Ports Abroad for Saving 25 Saved Women Immense Task Three New York Central employes, who risked their lives to save others, HEADQUARTERS, OISE INTER• were awarded New York Central MEDIATE SECTION, RHEIMS, Valor Medals last month. Two of the FRANCE — "The Transportation persons they saved were women. The Corps will furnish the necessary men who received the medals were: transportation" . Giacoma Mazzoli, Section Laborer, That T.C. slogan is meeting the Canastota, N. Y., J. H. Crane, Signal acid test daily in the U.S. Army's Foreman, Utica and S. L. Rifkin, Con• Oise Intermediate Section, where ductor, Buffalo. hundreds of thousands of American About 9 a.m. on the morning of soldiers are being transported to await April 3, a woman jumped from an redeployment to the Far East and to automobile in a passing cortege, ran the States. around the west end of the lowered By rail and by highway, these gates on Petersboro Street, Canastota, E.T.O. veterans are being moved to wrapped a coat around her head and the 17 camps of the vast Assembly stood directly in front of an approach• Area Command, and Oise Transporta• ing eastbound freight train. Mazzoli tion Section is superintending the ran directly in front of the train and move. It is a job staggering in its dragged the woman to another track, immensity and complexities. despite her continued efforts to throw herself under the train. The job doesn't end with bringing the troops to the redeployment area. A woman also was saved by Mr. After a short stay in one of the 17 Crane on the morning of January 17, camps, troops are moved out again— Corp. James N. Taylor, of near the Washington Street crossing, McKees Rocks, Pa. to staging areas at Le Havre and Mar• Utica. Screaming, she ran in deep snow seille, preparatory to actual embarka• Corporal James N. Taylor, Medical toward a New York Central work tion. Oise Transportation Section "fur• Detachment, 28th Infantry Regiment, train moving east from the coal dock nishes the necessary transportation." was awarded a Silver Star, plus the middle. At a point midway between Bronze Medal and leaf cluster for tracks 3 and 4 she attempted to go Transportation personnel also are Sergt. Vincent J. Flora for "meritorious achievement in combat aerial flight" concerned with the returning of dis• gallantry in action, February 26, 1945, between the cars but on account of was decorated with the Air Medal by Brig. Gen. Robert D. Knapp. He is in the vicinity of Germany. deep snow was unable to do so. Then serving as a radio-gunner with the 321st Bomb Group in Italy, veteran medium placed persons to their native lands. He traversed over 900 yards of open she tried to throw herself backward bomber unit on the Adriatic sector in Italy. Three train-loads of such persons — terrain, under enemy mortar, tank and toward track 4, on which the work The B-25 Mitchell Bomber Group to which Sergeant Flora is assigned in its Russians, Hollanders, Czechs and artillery fire, to reach 25 wounded train was approaching. Foreman Crane 28 months of overseas service has supported six amphibious operations and others — leave Oise Section daily. Americans. After administering first pulled her away from the train and has been awarded eight battle participation stars. It has twice been cited by These same trains, operated by the aid, he went back to rescue more. His told her to lie down. When she made the War Department. After graduating from Watertown High School the French, are then used to transport courage under fire was directly respon• soldiers from the advanced sectors sible for saving the lives of all these another attempt to crawl between the young serviceman was employed by the New York Central Railroad in wounded comrades. train he held her clear of the tracks New York City as a brakeman. He entered the army in January, 1942. to the redeployment area. Corp. Taylor, son of Mr. and Mrs. until it had passed. Two "leave" trains travel south J. R. Knight, McKees Rocks, Pa., was Conductor Rifkin, on the morning from Luxembourg City, in Oise Sec• employed by the P. & L. E. at Davis of January 28, saved Yardmaster Carey tion, regularly. One, carrying enter• Island Shop, before entering the Ser• in the Middle Yard, on the West tainment-starved G.I.'s to Paris, leaves vice, nearly four years ago. Shore, East Buffalo, when a work Railroads to Make Post-War Jobs; Luxembourg daily. Another leaves train and spreader that were clearing three times a week for rest centers snow from the north track approached Pres. Metzman Urges Bulwinkle Bill along the French Riviera. the Yardmaster. Carey attempted to In wartime, the hauling of supplies Elkhart Looey climb a snow bank but slipped several Railroads will come out of the war in an improved financial condition and is as important as the "necessary trans• times. Then he attempted to save their purchases for improvement and rehabilitation will be a mighty force in portation" for that too. In April Captive 20 Months himself by holding his hands against producing jobs, G. Metzman, President, New York Central System, declared alone, 975,000 tons of freight were the side of the caboose but was spun in a recent address before the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce. moved by rail through Oise Section. in German Camps around with his legs across the near "We are looking forward postwar," de luxe streamliner will be the general In the same month, more than 45,000 Second Lieut. Donald R. Wenger, rail. The engineman applied the brakes Mr. Metzman said, "to the re-establish- standard in railroad passenger trans- tons of supplies were moved by canal employed as clerk with the New but on account of ice they did not ment and extension of high-speed mer- portation. barges. York Central at Elkhart, before en• hold. chandise freight service. Similarly, in Also, in April, nearly one million tering service in March, 1943, re• (Concluded on page nine) passenger service, to the time when the (Concluded on page twelve) military personnel were moved through turned home early in July after spend• Oise by rail and highway. ing 20 months in German prison camps. Huge Sign on New York Central's West Shore Ferry Station at Weehawken Lieut. Wenger was shot down in to Welcome Homecoming Troops Marine Dies at 19 September, 1943, near Salerno, Italy, and parachuted to within 100 yards of a German first aid station, where he was captured and treated for burns. He was held in several prison camps in Germany and was treated "not too bad — but not good." Wenger reported that camp disci• pline was strict, and food rations very small. He stayed in barracks which housed about 200 prisoners. The bar• racks were divided into smaller rooms, 20 feet by 30 feet, in which 22 men lived, ate and slept. They cooked their own food. Lieut. Wenger will report back to duty in Miami Beach, after a 60-day leave. P. & L. E. Men Killed Two former Stores Department em• One of the largest signs greeting home-coming S.l.s in the harbor of New York is shown here in an artist's sketch. Painted ployes at McKees Rocks are war cas• red, white and blue, it is being erected over the five ferry slips on the water front of New York Central's station for Corp. James T. Hardebeck, 19, of the ualties. the West Shore Railroad at Weehawken, N. J. Paul Bachman, Clerk of Storehouse U. S. Marine Corps, was killed May 7, C, was killed in Belgium, December in action on Okinawa. 24, 1944, according to word received Prior to his enlistment February 25, by his mother. He was inducted HOME-COMING G.I.s from Europe far down the harbor by the great ma• The greeting, in blue lettering on a 1944, he was employed as a clerk in March 11, 1943, and was overseas will soon be greeted as they sail jority of troops arriving in New York. white background within a red frame, the office of W. F. Bryson, General only a few months. up North River by a huge sign reading To hundreds of thousands of them, pro• will measure 140 feet long by 16 feet Freight Agent, Cincinnati. PFC John C. Jones, former Laborer WELCOME — WELL DONE, now be•ceeding to Camp 'Shanks, its greeting high. Beneath the sign the river front His mother, Mrs. Emma Hardebeck, of Storehouse A, was killed in ing erected over the river front of New will be particularly significant, because of the station, which covers five ferry a sister and two brothers survive. One Germany April 10, while with an in• York Central's West Shore station at when they disembark from ferries be• slips and measures 480 feet long by 55 of the brothers, Walter, a yoeman first fantry unit. He entered service in Weehawken, N. J. neath it they will be setting foot on feet high, is now being painted red, class in the Navy, is a furloughed em• April. 1942. A brother, Corp. Edward Facing obliquely southward, the American soil for the first time on their white and blue, with a decorative band ploye of the Freight Traffic Department, Jones, is also overseas. sign will be large enough to be read return from overseas. of 13 large white stars near its cornice.