Uploaded: 12-Dec-2020
The Cub
Vol. 68, No. 2, Apr., 2012
Belgium Memorial to "The Last Five Hundred Men of the 106th"
Golden Lion and current first Vice-President of the 106th Infantry Division Association, Herb Sheaner (422/G) and his family joined the 106th Infantry Division Association's Belgium Liaison Carl Wouters and his fiancé Sofie last fall in Belgium for a very special tour of the 106th Infantry Division's battlefields during the Ardennes Offensive.PHOTO: Carl Wouters (left) and Herb Sheaner, 422/G memorialize the spot where the last of the 400-500 men of the surrounded 106th Infantry Division were surrendered and saved during the first days of the Ardennes Offensive.
Read more and see additional photos on pages 27 and 28.
tri-annual publication of the 106th Infantry Division Association, Inc.
A nonprofit Organization
Total Membership April 1, 2012 - 1,235
Membership includes CUB magazine subscription
Annual Dues are no longer mandatory for Vets/Non-Veterans:
Donations accepted
Payable to "106th Infantry Division Association"
in care of Treasurer -- See address below
Elected Offices
President Sy Lichtenfeld251-639-4002
Past-President (Ex-Officio) Newton W. Weiss
1st Vice-Pres Herbert "Mike" Sheaner
2nd Vice-Pres Randall Wood
Business Matters, Deaths, Address changes
First Name = Chairman / Second Name = Backup
Adjutant: Murray Stein (423/I) (new address as of 5/1/12) 8372 Calabria Lakes Dr., Boynton Beach, Fl. 33473 561-499-7736 greg0803@bellsouth.net
Treasurer/Membership: Harry F. Martin Jr. (424/L) 121 McGregor Avenue, Mount Arlington, NJ 07856
973-663-2410 hmartin19@optimum.net
Acting Chaplain: Ed Christianson (331st MED/C) 303 Harper Hollow Lane Winchester, VA 22603 540-877-1643 deconed@webtv.net
Memorial Chairman: Dr. John G. Robb / Frank Trautman 238 Devore Dr., Meadville, PA 16355 814-333-6364 jrobb238@hotmail.com FTrautman@indy.rr.com
106th ID Association's Belgium Liaison: Carl Wouters Waterkant 17 Bus 32, B-2840 Terhagen, Belgium cell: +(32)479247789 carl_wouters@hotmail.com
CUB Editor: William McWhorter 166 Prairie Dawn, Kyle, Texas 78640 512-970-5637 williammcwhorter17@gmail.com
CUB Publisher: Susan Weiss 9 Cypress Point Court, Blackwood, NJ 08012 856-415-2211 sweiss@gccnj.edu
Board of Directors
Dr. John G. Robb (422/D) (2012) 238 Devore Dr., Meadville, PA 16355 814-333-6364 jrobb238@hotmail.comJohn M. Roberts (592/C) (2012) 1059 Alter Rd., Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304-1401 248-338-2667 jmr810@aol.com
John Schaffner (589/A) .(2012) 1811 Miller Rd., Cockeysville, MD 21030-1013 410-584-2754 pumexim2@verizon.net
Frank S. Trautman (422/D) (2012) 600 Morningside Dr., Zionsville, IN 46077-1903 ftrautman@indyrr.com
William "Bill" Stahl (422/K) (2013) 211 Arapaboe Ct., Junction City, KS 66441 785-238-2364
Herbert "Mike" Sheaner (422/G) (2013) P.O. Box 140535 Dallas, Texas 75214 214-823-3003 Herbsheaner@SBCGlobal.net
Donald F. Herndon (424/L) (2014) 8313 NW 102, Oklahoma City, OK 73162-4026 405-721-9164 oklastamps@aol.com
Bernard Mayrsohn (423/CN) (2014) 34 Brae Burn Drive, Purchase, NY 33138 914-428-8200 Ethelbarn@aol.com Web site: www.mayrsohn.com
Newton Weiss (423/HQ 3Bn) (2014) 400 Morse Avenue, Gibbstown, NJ 08027-1066 856-423-3511 newtruth@comcast.net
Tom Hoff (Non-Veteran) (2015) P.O. Box 298, Warrington, PA 18976 tjhoff@milesaheadmedia.com
Randall M. Wood (Non-Veteran) (2015) 810 Cramertown Loop, Martinsville, IN 46151 woodchuck01@sbcglobal.net
Historian John Schaffner/William McWhorter
Atterbury Memorial Representative Frank Trautman
Resolutions Chairman Reverend Ewell C. Black
Order of the Golden Lion John Schaffner
Nominating Committee Chairman Tom Hoff tjhoff@milesaheadmedia.com Mini-Reunions.. Edward Christianson/Dr. Ralph Nelson
Membership Chairman Harry F. Martin Jr.
Well here it is, less than six months to go for our next reunion in Washington D.C. We all have been busy trying to get the details worked out. Although we have been to Washington before, there are so many interesting places to still be explored. The planning committee is hoping to make this reunion the best one yet. As most of you know, a tour operator had contacted us to alert our membership of a forthcoming tour of our old work place, The Ardennes. The tour is not sponsored by the 106th Infantry Association, but is being accompanied by two of our own, John Schaffner and John Gatens. For those that will be able to accompany them, we are sure you will have an unforgettable experience.
In February of this year, Herb Sheaner, 1st Vice President and I along with our wives were invited to attend a WW II luncheon hosted by the Department of the Air Force Retiree Activities Office in Shreveport, LA. Unfortunately due to health reasons, I was unable to attend at the last moment and Herb represented the 106th. [Also attending the 2012 Barksdale Air Force Base luncheon was Bob Howell, past president of the 106th I.D. Association, accompanied by his wife and daughter.] Along with the 106th, there was also recognition made to WW II Vets and Ex-POWs that were in attendance.
We are progressing with our reorganization of the Elected Officers lineup for the next term. The nominating committee will be announcing the new candidates to the Board and the membership at the next reunion. Murray Stein, our most able Adjutant will be retiring at the conclusion of this year and is in the process of turning over the duties and records to our next Adjutant.
It seems that this year is flying by at a rapid pace. I hope that we all have been able to meet the challenges that we face day in and day out. Again I wish to remind all of us to continue to participate in our Life Plus and Regular Donations Programs as this is our only source of funds for the financial needs of our organization.
Have a great summer.
Sy
PHOTO: Sy Lichtenfeld, 422/I
106th Infantry Division Association President 2011-2012
901 Somerby Dr., Apt 334, Mobile, AL 36695, 251-639-4002 slich44@gmail.com
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The position of the Association's Chaplain is currently vacant and the Board of Directors would like to hear from any interested members (Division veteran or non-veteran) regarding their desire to serve as a replacement for the 2011-2012 year of service.
Please contact any board member whose contact information is listed on the inside front cover of this CUB.
PHOTO: Shadows of Slaughterhouse Five
From Ervin Szpek Jr., Non-Veteran Member
Ervin Szpek Jr. (Non-Veteran Member) is pleased to announce after many years of research that his and his colleagues' book on the infamous Arbeitskommando Slaughterhouse Five has been released. Nearly every man of this POW work camp (near Dresden, Germany) originated from the 106th Infantry Division including former 106th Association President, Gifford Doxsee. The book is their story, in their words, and accounts for nearly every POW at the camp; it also chronicles the recollections and reflections of the 150 American Ex-POWs, many of whom are members of the Association.
Newly released by iUniverse press at www.iUniverse.com, the book is also available at www.amazon.com and www.BarnesandNoble.com. With best wishes for 2011 and with appreciation for your efforts -- thank you.
2012 REUNION -- Mark Your Calendar!
PHOTO: The Doubletree Hotel in Arlington, VA, will host the 66th Annual Golden Lion Association Reunion on September 5-9, 2012.
The Association has held a reunion there before, but there is always something new to visit in the D.C. area.
Enter these dates on your 2012 calendar now.
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My Brothers,
I have been in contact with many of our Board members to discuss plans for 2013. Most of our people wish to continue to at least the next year 2013. Our thoughts are to give our new non-veterans an opportunity to prove that enough of our non-veterans are willing to do what is necessary to keep the 106th Association alive!
So many people have been contacting our 106th Veterans to gather information to write books about the exploits of our 106th Division during WW II and especially stories of the "Battle of the Bulge." The many heroic actions of this CIVILIAN ARMY of 18, 19, and 20 year OLDs. In every instance, these writers were so very impressed with the many stories of the actual combat and the experiences
of those of us who were POWs.
I am in contact with president Sy Lichtenfeld and V.P. Herb Sheaner asking their input on the 2013 Reunion locations. We will discuss these suggestions at the Reunion in September at our Board meeting.
On a personal note, my wife Barbara was hospitalized again in January and is now in a Rehab facility learning how to walk again. She is making very slow progress, but we're hopeful that she will be walking with a walker and be coming home. I am trying to sell my house, as I have just purchased a new four bedroom home where I will live with my son Greg Stein and his two daughters, Lauren Stein (20) and Sabrina Stein (7). Life takes funny bounces, in these our senior years!
Hope all is well,
Love ya, Murray Stein
PHOTO: Murray Stein, 423/I, Ex Comm, Adjutant
7614 Charing Cross Lane Delray Beach, FL 33446 561-499-7736
greg0803@bellsouth.net
As of May 1, 2012 Murray Stein
8372 Calabria Lakes Drive Boynton Beach, Fl. 33473
Editor's Note:
It is with the deepest regret that we must forward the sad news that Barbara Stein passed away on April 7, 2012. Please look for her memoriam in the next issue of The CUB.
Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with Murray and his family through this difficult time.
William and Susan, and the Officers and Board of Directors
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Golden Lions During World War II--A Photo Article
Requested by Murray Stein (424/I)
Every so often, I see a picture in The CUB of one of us as a young soldier. In a previous issue (Vol. 67 - No. 1) I thought it would be fun to have as many of our soldiers' photos as are available, to be published in The CUB. Editor William McWhorter agreed to my request to continue this series in subsequent issues of The CUB. Look for the photos below and throughout the magazine and keep sending them in!
PHOTO: From 1st Lt. Arthur Thompson (106th Signal)
This is a photo of myself and the Non-Coms of the T&T Platoon of the 106th Signal Co. taken after the Battle of the Bulge. I am very proud of these guys. A Silver Star, The French Croix de Guerre and a number of Bronze Stars attest to the great job they did during the battle. My poor memory prevents me from identifying each person. In second row, left to right is Sgt. Calabreze, fourth left, Sgt. Joe Bull, sixth left is Master Sgt. Clyde Foster (Silver Star, French Croix de Guerre). I am in front row (the guy with the tie.)
PHOTO: Rudy Hirsch (589 FA/Hq)
Golden Lion Rudy Hirsch (589 FA/Hq) submitted the above photo. Mr. Hirsch states, "This photo was taken at the end of May 1945 when we came back from Lorient to start training at Nurburgring before, (thank God) not going to the Pacific. Left to right is Trent Acosti [from N.J.??] and Rudy Hirsch, both were part of the Wire Section. Trent was a hell of a nice guy."
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Don Beseler (424/A)
Golden Lion Don Beseler (424/A) thought the following three photos might be of interest to the Association's readership. According to Mr. Beseler: Photo 1, is of Pfc. Lloyd Brunner a BAR man. He was one of the few from Company A that survived through the whole ordeal of the Battle of the Bulge. He was a member of most of the patrols.
Photo 2, is of Sgt. Pete Mahonacheck.
He was our Mess Sgt. He too was a survivor, serving in the line after losing our kitchen to the Germans on December 17th. I (Beseler) am the other person in the picture. Company A was in the Marxzel Area for a very short time before we were assigned to prison cage work in the Rhine River area. I was the only surviving officer from the original Company A.
Photo 3, was taken near Berk, Germany. This was as far as we got in the drive to the RhineRiver. The man on the right side of the picture is 1st Sgt. Wallace Rifleman. He managed to escape from either the 423rd or the 422nd when they were surrounded. He is deceased. I have no knowledge as to what happened to ? Burns or ? Muchanus (pictured?)
Best Wishes, Don Beseler
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PHOTO: Delmar Paul Garnhart James E. Garnhart
PHOTO: Delmar Paul Garnhart (422) Submitted by James E. Garnhart, at nrgage@rushmore.com
Left is a photo of my father, Delmar Paul Garnhart (422nd) at Camp Atterbury, he is the one on the left. Does anyone know who the other man might be? I would be happy to make a copy of this photo for the family of this other man. The second photo is dad's POW ID card reading, "Stalag IV, Nr. 311826, Name Garnhart, Vorname Delmar."
PHOTO: Wilbert Paquette (589 FA)
Albert Pachmayer (son-in- law of Mr. Paquette) submitted the two photos left and right. Pictured in the individual photo is Wilbert Paquette (589 FA), in the second photo is Wilbert and Howard Schlehuber (with Corporal stripes).
PHOTO: Edgar R. Carpenter (81st ENG)
Golden Lion Edgar R. Carpenter passed away on July 13, 2011; his Memoriam listing can be found later in this issue. He was a 1st Lieutenant with the 81st Engineer Combat Battalion.
His widow Martha J. Loynes found the photo in Ed's things titled, "Staff Meeting -- 1st Platoon-Rebuilt B Company, 81st Engineers, March 1945, Germany." Pictured are: 1. Lt. Ed Carpenter, 2. S/Sgt. George Japp, 3. Sgt./2nd Squad Disbon, 4. Cpl./2nd Squad Anderson, 5. Pvt. Jeep Driver Churchill, 6. Sgt./1st Squad Kegerice, and 7. Pvt./1st Squad Hosier.
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PHOTO: Pictured lower right are Charlie Ace from HQ Company, 423rd and Mr. Cooley, third from lower right. The other four men were British troops [captured in 1942 near Tobruk in North Africa] with whom we had been hiding for a week in a farmer's barn loft, awaiting liberation. By May 20, 1945, Mr. Cooley was back home.
Donald Cooley (423/1st BN/HQ/I & R Platoon)
In response to the photo which ran in the May-Aug. 2011 (Vol. 67, No. 2) issue of The CUB, page 5, submitted by Golden Lion Walter Greves, of the Communications Platoon of Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 423rd Regiment, where Mr. Greves asked,
"Can you help identify some of the soldiers in this photo?"
Golden Lion Donald Cooley (423/1st Battalion/HQ/I & R Platton), then a Battalion Clerk, was captured during the Battle of the Bulge. Mr. Cooley submitted this photo and the following update.
"On Christmas Day 1944, while in a boxcar from Gerolstein to Stalag 4B, I circulated a blank copy of a Battalion Daily Journal, which I had in my pocket, for the men present to ‘sign in.' Several 28th Infantry Division names appeared on the impromptu sign in sheet. The next day, December 26, was my 21st birthday, and exclusive to just the men on the aforementioned guest list. Ha!" Mr. Cooley wonders how many of those prisoners of war are still around.
Mr. Cooley also submitted the photo above taken the day he and his fellow troopers were liberated, April 20, 1945 near Dessau, just north of Leipzig, by the tank scouts of the 104th Infantry Division. The men of the 104th gave Mr. Cooley and others captured swords and pistols.
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Historians Message
There is apparently a resurgence of interest in WW II history and as a
result I have had my experience used in several books (that I know about) with two more in progress. Last October Lil and I were invited to attend a book signing at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. by the two authors of a new one titled "Voices of the Bulge." One fellow is American, Michael Collins PHOTO: (pictured far right) and the other a Scot, Martin King (pictured wearing a white scarf, center) who resides in Belgium and conducts tours of the Ardennes. The others pictured with me are James "JT" Taylor, LCDR, USN (Retired) and, of course, my wife Lil.
It was a small gathering in the museum's auditorium and they invited me to speak. I suppose it went over OK since I was asked to sign as many books as the authors. There are two more books in progress that will be very important to the history of the 106th Division. One titled "Red Legs of the Bulge," about the artillery, by C.J. Kelly, to be released soon and the other is "The Last Infantry Division" by Kenneth Johnson. Johnson's book is nearing completion and will be based solely on the experiences of the men of the 106th Division. He has worked on this project for several years and by using memoirs written, personal interviews, and the full cooperation of other WW II historians, has compiled an outstanding work that all of us 106th veterans will be proud to hand down to future generations.
It is "our" story, as complete as one can put it on paper, and digital. There will be an electronic version that will contain newsreel footage with sound, Google maps that will show actual terrain and locations of various units for one to view using an iPad, or other devices that I believe are now on the market. Check with your grandchildren. This latest electronic stuff is fascinating, almost unbelievable until you have one in your hands. Get with it guys.
PHOTO: John R. Schaffner 589/A, Historian, Past President 2002-2003 1811 Miller Road, Cockeysville, MD 21030
410-584-2754, pumexim2@verizon.net
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Historians Message
PHOTO: The commemorative picture honoring Lt. Eric F. Wood, 106th I.D., 589th FA is hung on the wall of the Valley Forge Military Academy where he was a graduate. The gentleman on the left is LTC Shawn A. Phillips, USA (Ret.), the Superintendent of Valley Forge Military Academy, and on the right, Martin King, co-author of "Voices of the Bulge," noted WW II historian and guide of the Ardennes to returning veterans.
JRS
Order of the Golden Lion Committee
John Schaffner has been named the new Chairman of the Order of the Golden Lion Committee. Mr. Schaffner invites all those who have received a Golden Lion award to send any nominations to him at:John Schaffner (589/A) 1811 Miller Rd., Cockeysville, MD 21030-1013 410-584-2754 pumexim2@verizon.net
MY WAR
by Fredrick Smallwood
This is the story of my experiences as a young boy from a small town in south Georgia with the 106th Infantry Division during World War II. I was initially in the A&P Platoon of 1 Bn. Hq. Co. of the 423rd Regiment. I was one of the few who made my way through the German lines back to the Allied lines at St. Vith.Books are $15 plus $4 for shipping. You can contact me at fsjs@mchsi.com or P.O. Box 1923, Bainbridge, GA 39818.
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Treasurer's Report
Treasurer, Harry F. Martin Jr. (424/L) asked the staff of The CUB to inform the readership that, while dues are no longer necessary, the Association is very appreciative of any donation it receives.
For the Association to be able to meet not only yearly expenses, these donations make possible the enjoyable time at each Annual Reunion.
Please consider donating to the Association.
Please report all changes of address and deaths to
Association Treasurer and Membership Chairman:
Harry F. Martin Jr. (424/L)
121 McGregor Avenue Mt Arlington, NJ 07856 Phone: 973-663-2410 E-mail: hmartin19@optonline.netAssociation Membership As of March 8, 2012
Total Membership
1,235
Veterans members
911
Non-Veterans members
324
LIFE PLUS and REGULAR DONATIONS:
424A James Forsythe
Non-Veteran Marcel Gustin
424/C Royce E. Lapp
Non-Veteran Andre' Hubert
423/E Raymond Kegerreis, Jr.
589/A John Schaffner
589/A Floyd L. Elston
523/L Irving Schrom
589/HQ Rudolph Hirsch
424/M Milton Weiner
422/I William S. Blaher
423/K Burton Benson
422/F Francis L. Plumly
424/A Donald Beseler
106 RECON William Steward
422/G Herb Sheaner
422/SV Donald Regier
423/A Robert Byram
423/F Jack Sulser
422/A Roger C. Fournier
DIV/HQ Kenneth Schuetz
424/HQ Robert M. NLN?
422/C Thomas H. Kapsalis
423/F Coy Tate
423/I John W. Collins III
424/HQ 1BN Wendel Albaugh
424/AT Jack C. Weingarten
422/B Daniel A. Simone
422/HQ Clifford D. Armgard
Non-Veteran Jeff Garn
423/HQ 3BN Gifford B. Doxsee
81st ENG/A Louis Braznik
423/SV John Steward
Non-Veteran Wilma Wood
Non-Veteran Mary Vandermast
81st ENG/C John Aalsburg
Non-Veteran K. Avedisian
422/I Donald Young
Non-Veteran Robert Himberg
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Treasurer's Report
MEMORIAL DONATIONS:
PHOTO: Richard L. Rigatti (423/B)
Submitted by Mark J. Rigatti
It is with great pride that I am able to provide the enclosed Memorial Donation in honor of my father Richard L. Rigatti (pictured left). My Dad entered service to his country through the Civilian Military Training Corp. where he lied about his age to enroll. From there he earned the rank of Technical Sergeant and proudly served from Ft. Jackson to the European Theater of Operations with the 106th Infantry Division, 423rd Regiment, Company B. He was a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge where he was captured and became a prisoner of war.
As a POW he was pulled from the ranks and spent his incarceration being forced to march between German cities in the winter of 1944. My father was awarded the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for valor.
He was a past 106th Infantry Division Association President, on the Board of Directors and three-term Treasurer. He was truly honored to serve the 106th and to be recognized by the division for his award of the Order of the Golden Lion. My Father was part of the Western Pennsylvania Prisoner of War Association and dedicated
his time, through appointment of the Governor of Pennsylvania, to the Veterans Administration where he was an advocate of Veteran's rights and homeless veterans. My father died on Veteran's Day, November 11, 2006. He is missed by many and loved by all.
Salvatore Grasso (423/Service)
In honor of Salvatore Grasso, 423/ Service Co. by John Starmack
NEW MEMBERS:
106/HQ Clarence L. Buckman
Non-Veteran Ronald Steen
Non-Veteran Marc Bartusek
Non-Veteran Bernard Weiner
Non-Veteran Adam Weiner
Non-Veteran Jeff Garner
YOUR Annual Dues Are NO Longer DUE
If you are an ANNUAL member (not a LIFE member), your annual dues are no longer due. At the last Board of Directors meeting held during the 2010 Reunion, the board voted to dispense with the annual dues payments. We are asking for donations, whatever you can give, to help defray the cost of printing and mailing the CUBs, which go out to you three times a year. We will also continue to collect Memorial and Life Plus donations. Please make all checks payable to "106th Infantry Division Association" and mail them to the new treasurer listed below :Harry F. Martin Jr., Treasurer
121 McGregor Avenue, Mount Arlington, NJ 07856
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Treasurer's Report
/
John Schaffner (589/A) says about the tour,
"There is an Ardennes battlefield tour being arranged by the MilSpec Tours Inc. as I write this.
The tour will be 13-20 May 2012. It will begin with an assembly of participants in Brussels at a hotel at the airport and end with a return flight from Frankfurt Airport. The area to be covered by the tour will pinpoint the locations of the major events of the Battle of the Bulge. I will be going, accompanied by my two sons, daughter, and a grandson. It will be a treat to once again be in the company of those folks who live in Belgium & Luxembourg. They certainly do roll out the red carpet for the American veterans who return. Once you meet them you will realize how grateful they are to the Americans who restored their freedoms."
*The tour mentioned on this page not sponsored by the 106th Infantry Association. It did lead to a donation to the 106th Infantry Division Association.
NEW CD #5 due out Next Year
Jim West and John Schaffner are once again undertaking the huge task of putting together another CD containing more of the history and stories of the 106th Infantry Division.
If you still have a story to tell, contact either of these gentlemen and let your tale be told.
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Front & Center
From the editor of The CUB of the Golden Lion
Hello, my name is William A. McWhorter and I am the editor of The CUB of the Golden Lion (The CUB).
I am an admirer of your outfit and hope that I can assist in keeping open the lines of communication for our Association. Please send news items that you would like reviewed for potential inclusion in upcoming issues of The CUB to me. Whenever possible please send them to my email address (williammcwhorter17@gmail.com). If you do decide to send them via postal mail, if possible, please TYPE OR PRINT your messages (it helps me get names spelled correctly). Thank you.
Board member Tom Hoff would like you to contact him if you are interested in serving on a future Board of the 106th I.D. Association. Tom's contact information is tjhoff@ milesaheadmedia.com and is also located on the inside cover of The CUB.
Just a reminder . . .
If you have pictures and information you would like included in a future CUB, the due dates are as follows:
For the edition that comes out in AUGUST each year all material is due by JUNE 15
For the edition that comes out in DECEMBER each year -- to include pictures from the reunion -- all material is due by OCTOBER 9
For the edition that comes out in APRIL each year all material is due by FEBRUARY 15
Articles and pictures can be mailed or emailed to:
CUB Editor: William McWhorter 166 Prairie Dawn, Kyle, TX 78640, 512-970-5637, williammcwhorter17@gmail.com
CUB Publisher: Susan Weiss 9 Cypress Point Court Blackwood, NJ 08012, 856-415-2211 sweiss@gccnj.edu
The Lion's Path
By C.J. Kelly
In December 1944, a raw American infantry division has its baptism of fire in the Battle of the Bulge. Caught up in this maelstrom of death and destruction are two very different Americans. Trapped behind enemy lines, they experience the horror of war and a humanity borne of sacrifice.
Available at Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com
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Front & Center
Yes, I Am Proud to Have Served the 106th
By Herb Clark (422/Cannon)
Golden Lion Herb Clark (422/ Cannon) submitted the following letter to readership of the CUB.
"I am an old timer, assigned [during the war] to Co 422nd of the 106th Infantry Division. Prior to that, in the Spring of 1944, I was a member of the U.S. Army Specialized Training Program, the ASTP, [along with fellow Golden Lion] Ralph Nelson.
I was assigned to a Cannon squad, and was a jeep driver. [But getting there late] all the "clicks" were formed, so I was on the outside looking in.
Just before shipping out to the ETO, I finally started to be accepted more.
[However, things started to get better], on December 11, 1944, I was assigned to a four-man log cabin. We served during the Battle of the Bulge, forward of St. Vith, and on the 18th or 19th, as possibly the last weapons carriers we had to pull out of our positions and head for Veilslam. There we were told to get breakfast and return to St. Vith for another load.
[As many of you know, the battle went on.] Out of the 3,000 of us from the 422nd, I was one of 32 not killed, wounded or captured. Truly a lucky son of a gun--as I survived the good, bad and ugly. Yes, I am proud to have served the 106th. One high point was to drive General Perrin up front a couple of times. He was a wonderful officer and gentleman!!
My goals are to check out at book value. No reason to be the last Bulge survivor--turn out the light and shut the door, just join my bride who died in 1981."
Jim West and the www.IndianaMilitary.org Website
Non-Veteran member Jim West has created an excellent Web page at the following address:
http://www.indianamilitary.org/106ID/Cubs-106/InfoRequest.htm
It is hoped that this new webpage will increase awareness of the 106th Infantry Division Association and perhaps our membership. Check it out at your earliest convenience. To join the Association visit: http://tinyurl.com/join106th
Jim West has been adding photos to the website's roster. He is nearly finished going through all the old issues of The CUBs and will start adding names from other sources, such as the Camp Atterbury Photo Album. However, he will not be able to find every veteran's photo without your help.
continues on the top of the next page
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If you visit his website, listed above, and a photo is not shown for an individual, and the family has one available, all they need do is email him a scan. Preferably a single person and not in a large group, and accurately identified. You can email Jim West at his new email address jimdwest@centurylink.net.
Jim would like to thank the AmVets of Indiana! Through their generosity
of support and hosting of the entire website, they are making it possible for the 106th to have a presence on the Web.
Where is the 10th Anniversary (Reunion) "Record"?
From Association Member Jim West
In the April and May 1962 issue of The CUB (pictured here), Jim West found notation of a "record" (which we interpret as an audio recording) made of the 10th Anniversary Reunion. He would like to know if The CUB readership has any thoughts on the location of this "record," or for that matter, the possibility that the St. Vith dedication ceremony recording mentioned in this article might have also been turned into a "record," and where a copy might be.
Here is the text, mentioning the "record." Dr. De Laval (a dentist who in the usual European fashion is referred to as ‘M. De Laval') recorded the whole ceremony, inside and out and has given it to me. It will probably not be the same speed as the States, but perhaps I can have it made into a record as I did the 10th Anniversary record. The Army made a sound picture of the entire outside ceremony and will contact me when it is ready so that I can show it at the Convention.
If you have any tips to share with Jim West, please email him at jimdwest@ centurylink.net.
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Front & Center
PHOTO: Chevalier de la Legion d' Honneur --
"Knight of the Legion of Honor"
By Christian W. de Marcken, Secretary and Historian of Chapter XXII, Central Massachusetts Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge
Fourteen years ago as I retired from Norton Company, my wife Jeanne and I decided that we would devote our time to help Veterans retrace their steps through their Battle of the Bulge's battlefields. We bought 158 books concerning the Battle of the Bulge, most of them signed by their authors, who we met at conventions or at their homes.
Mr. Chester Wenc (424/B) and his wife Janice accompanied many other veterans, who would come to our home to review their WW II experiences. On that first day "Chuck," as Chester likes to be called, said to my wife, "It's no use for me to talk about these past experiences, you would not understand what was going on." When Jeanne answered, "I was there in the combat zone all through the war, if I cannot understand, who would?" he opened up. For the next two hours Chuck related many of his sad and terrible experiences. It was an eye opener for all of us. I decided to retrace Chuck's steps through the battle.
I was able, thanks to my fluency in the Belgian language, my four and a half years of experience in Belgium during WW II, and my background as a special investigator in the United States Military Police to literally trace Chuck's path from the Siegfried line, back into the Saint Vith area. Then to his Company B's various actions as support of an armored Battalion, then in support of a Airborne Company in the areas of Ennal, Spineu, and Logbierme, Belgium in December 1944. Chuck was scheduled to accompany me with two of his Central Massachusetts Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge friends for a tour of their battlefields in Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in May 2008. Unluckily, Chuck developed a heart condition which did not permit him to fly to Belgium. We nevertheless went to his battlefields and took pictures of many of the Memorial Monuments, which were erected by the grateful Belgians around Saint Vith and other locations.
A year ago I heard from a veteran living in Worcester, MA, who had been told by another veteran, who lives in Florida, that the French Government was giving out the very prestigious French decoration called: Chevalier de la Legion d' Honneur, "Knight of the Legion of Honor" to living American
PHOTO: Mr. Christophe Guilhou, Consul General of France pins medal on Chester Wenc (424/B)
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veterans who could prove that they fought in France. After calling the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., I was told to contact the Consulate General of France in Boston, MA. The latter gave me the requirement necessary to apply for such a highly regarded award. Having listened to Chuck's war experiences, I knew that he had fought in the Metz area of France. It took some doing to gather the appropriate documentation, which proved that he had fought in France. These documents were reviewed by the Consul General of France in Boston; then the whole file was sent to the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. for approval. Finally the documents were sent to Paris, France, for final investigation and approval to be signed by Mr. Nicolas Sarkosy, the President of France.
In early November last year we were called and notified that we should arrange a special ceremony to be held on November 29, 2011, at which time Mr. Christophe Guilhou, the Consul General of France, would come to bestow the decoration to all the veterans for whom we had been able to gather all the necessary documents required by the French Government. Ninety-six people showed up to honor our eleven veterans. The ceremony was enhanced by the presence of Congressman James P. McGovern, Senator Stephen Brewer, General Leonid Kondratiuk, a representative of the Governor and Vice Governor of Massachusetts, a representative of Senator Scott Brown, and Mr. Michael O'Brien the Worcester City Manager. Lunch was offered at O'Connor's Restaurant on West Boylston Street, Worcester, MA. At least five different newspapers had reporters and photographers record this very unusual and very emotional ceremony.
PHOTO: Eleven recipients of the Legion of Honor. From left to right: William Ford, John Kreckler, Richard Woolson, Francis Gaudere, Charles Kady, Helen Rusz, Joe Landry, Dorothy Barre, John Judge, Arthur Hubbard, and Chester Wenc
PHOTO: Chester Wenc (424/B) and his wife Janice Wenc at their home in Grafton, MA
PHOTO: Francis J. Gaudere, 30th Inf. Div., Joe Landry 776th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion, Chester Wenc (424/B)
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The BaTTle for Snow MounTain
by Donald Young
The Battle for Snow Mountain is a comic novel -- based on Young's experience -- which gives a surreal picture of the German attack on the 106th Division in the winter of 1944. The story deals with two soldiers, their odd love affairs at home their war experience in the Battle of the Bulge, their accidental capture, escape from POW camp, and return to freedom.The Battle for Snow Mountain by Donald Young can be purchased by April 1, from Pocol Press, 6023 Pocol Drive, Clifton, VA 20124, 1-703-830-5862. It can also be ordered at Amazon.com, $17.95, ISBN 978-1-929763-48-1
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My Service During World War II
By Vernon Brumfield (589 FA/C)
PHOTO: Golden Lion Vernon Brumfield of the 589th Field Artillery, Battery C submitted the following article about his service:
I was born in a rural community, in which farming was the major occupation and cotton was the chief money crop. The name of the community was Darbun, Mississippi. During the school year of 1943-1944, while a senior, I received a message from the Uncle Sam Draft Board to report to Camp Shelby, Mississippi on November 15, 1943, exactly one month after my birthday. I complied with the instructions. I reported and was given my basic rights. He stated and I repeated, "I do." I'm in the army now.
I received my basic training at Fort Bragg, N.C. Oh yes; I will never forget my arrival upon Fort Bragg. There was snow everywhere, being only a few days before Christmas, and Bing Crosby was singing White Christmas, several of the men started crying. I was sad to see their reaction. I didn't realize then that the Fort Bragg incident was nothing in comparison to the events that would occur in the future. In April of 1944, I was sent to Camp Atterberry, Ind., to join the 589th F.A. Battalion Battery C, 106th Division. Army trucks met us at the station in Indianapolis, Ind., and brought us to the camp. In the back of an army truck on the way to camp is where I met Ed Malone, a mountain of a man and my big brother, or protector. Maybe he thought this country boy needed all the help he could get, and you know, he was right.
Moving Forward
We either completed our responsibilities at Camp Atterberry, or Uncle Sam needed the 106th elsewhere. We were sent to the Port of Debarkation in Boston, Mass., then across the Atlantic to England. While in Boston, I recall three outstanding events in which I was implicated. One, my name was placed on the board to report for duty K.P., "kitchen police." I had the honor of cutting butter all night long. Never did I believe that I would eat any more of that fatty substance.
The second event to take place was me being informed to report to the quarter master department, Sergeant LeMasters, to get everything prepared for the big trip across the Atlantic, I entered the building from one end and the good Sergeant was walking toward the old stove like he had been on a drunk the night before. He gave a command, "Make a fire!" I didn't appreciate the tone of his voice and also I didn't feel very well, for it was cold. I ignored LeMasters and again he gave the command; only this time he gave it with more emphasis and dressed it up with a few choice words.
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Sergeant LeMasters' action angered me and I answered by stating, "If you want a fire, build one yourself." The Sergeant reached into his pocket, pulled out a knife, opened the blade and proceeded to march in my direction. I assume LeMasters was going to force me to obey his command. I sidestepped the knife and the good Sergeant landed on his back due to my assistance. He replied that I had broken his back and that he was going to have me court marshaled. Ed Malone entered the building during his aggressive move and observed the event. Malone proclaimed that if LeMasters brought charges, then he would testify on my behalf that it was self-defense because he was attempting to cut me with a knife. LeMasters dropped the charge and did not report the incident. I heard later from some of the men that Brum beat the hell out of LeMasters.
The third event in Boston caused me and others some difficulty, because no one enjoys an all-out inspection. You know the procedure all G.I. articles have on display according to regulations, but this inspection was different from all the others. They were looking for one particular item: a pair of underwear "shorts." I made a preparation on a previous inspection and detected that someone had borrowed or stolen a pair of my shorts. I proceeded to replace the article by robbing Peter to pay Paul. I understand that no good soldier ever came up short in equipment; therefore I replaced the missing item by stealing another pair of shorts. I removed the ink number and replaced the number with my own, 7037. The soldier without his drawers reported the incident. I heard the officer proclaim that whoever committed the crime would be severely reprimanded. I was depressed and worried about the possibility of the blurred number causing me problems. The soldiers were upset and angered about the inspection. I'm not sure, but this was probably the first underwear inspection in the history of the U.S. Army. The inspection team examined and re-examined every pair of shorts in the unit. During the first round of their inspection tour they found nothing to indicate any wrongdoing. However, on the second round, I had the inner feeling that one of the officers noticed something suspicious, but he smiled and moved on. Oh, it was such a relief to escape the humiliation.
Europe, Here We Come
We departed from Boston Harbor on the U.S.S. Wakefield, destination unknown. We arrived in England around Southampton where we remained for about two weeks, prior to crossing the English Channel to Normandy. I didn't enjoy the British invitation and I'm sure, under different circumstances, they would have preferred we'd remained at home. The climate was unique, causing wet pants and socks in the morning.
Black-out and robot "Buzz" bombs were enough to warn one of the conditions in a strange land. We crossed the English Channel in LSTs prepared for action.
In spite of the turbulent weather conditions, we landed at Normandy, went up the Seine River to Rouen, France, across Belgium, and on to the front line in Luxembourg to defeat Hitler's Third Reich. The members of General Courtney Hodges' First Army
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entered the "sacred soil" of Hitler's Third Reich and moved to the Siegfried Line where we made our stand to defend an area of about 24 miles. The division was entrenched atop the Schinee Eifel.
Battle of the Bulge
General Von Rundstedt in the Battle of the Bulge made a final desperate attempt on December 16, 1944, to break through the allied lines to reach the channel ports and Paris. He took advantage of foul weather, which grounded allied planes. The heavily wooded terrain in the Ardennes and strategic surprise would give them the opportunity to accomplish their objective to regain supremacy of Western Europe. During the early hours of December 16, I was awakened from a peaceful sleep by German tanks and mortar explosions. Soldiers dressed and began to disburse in all directions. Some of the members of Battery C tried to eat breakfast, but to no avail, as the kitchen utensils were vibrating and some of the men were seeking protection under the dining tables. I didn't enjoy the meal and decided to report to the field phone behind the 105 MM Howitzer.
That afternoon, Col. Kelly ordered the commanders to defend our positions across an open field. I was stationed behind a machine gun in a semi-fox hole with some protection along the inner area of the Ardennes forest. I looked eastward for approaching Nazis along the open field of snow. It was difficult to locate the moving targets in the snow, because the Germans camouflaged their uniforms. Sporadic firing occurred along the line all afternoon. I was surprised when I looked to my left and observed our buddy, Corporal Rhinebrick, behind a 50-caliber machine gun and as white as snow. I yelled to Rhinebrick that this action was like a wild west picture show. He replied, "Brum, you will change your tune after a while." My thoughts and concepts changed drastically. Soon thereafter, one of the men was hit in the back by a piece of shrapnel. He yelled and screamed for several hours. I think this event awoke me from my dream and I began to realize that I was in the middle of another phase of World War II, or maybe the destiny of humankind.
Volunteered to Get Ammunition
In the later afternoon, approximately one hour before dark, Malone came to my position and stated that we were nearly out of ammunition. I replied by stating, "Why in hell doesn't someone go and get ammunition?" Malone replied, "Brum, I informed Captain Rockwell that I would volunteer."
I was surprised, but I accepted the challenge and departed after arrangements had been made for a replacement at my position. Malone and I moved westward toward St. Vith; the objective was to get the necessary equipment back to the front lines. We moved through the forest and snow- covered terrain for about one hour and came in contact with a Sergeant and a dozen of his men. I believe the Sergeant stated they were from Battery B. He proclaimed that his unit had been in
a firefight and they were going to St. Vith. The sergeant assumed command and we proceeded along a valley, until we approached an elevated region. We detected the possibility of an ambush.
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The group leaders outlined the strategy. We were to move across an open area, (the moon was shining brightly) at a distance of fifteen to twenty yards apart. The sergeant stated he would go first and moved out. Four or five men were ahead of me, but they refused to move after the leader had gone beyond thirty yards. I exclaimed, "If you are afraid, move aside so that I can pass!" Malone was behind me and stated, "Brum, I will follow you." As we were crossing the open areas, I heard a sound to my left and immediately I fell into the snow. Simultaneously, the Nazis opened fire, killing or wounding most of the men in the group. The sergeant, Malone, another GI and I escaped the massacre, but we were under fire all night on the side of a hill.
The next morning I couldn't locate anyone. I had slept for about an hour before daylight. I couldn't believe I was alone, and where was Malone? I got out of the foxhole that I had dug during the night. With gun in hand, I moved across the hill to a farmhouse. As I approached the house, I identified about twenty-five or thirty American troops. A colonel appeared and shouted, "Anyone here in the 589th Battery C?" Another soldier and myself answered and he stated, "Your outfits have been either destroyed or captured; follow me." The colonel moved toward his jeep and took his position in the front seat. His driver was sitting behind the wheel and the motor was running. He moved fast because this was an opportunity to ride back to safety. We left the farmhouse, again moving westward toward St. Vith. We traveled two or three miles and came under the assault of artillery or mortar fire. One of the explosions forced the jeep off the road into a snow bank. The driver tried to get the jeep back on the roadbed, but was unsuccessful because of too much loose snow. The wheels were spinning and shells were exploding. We jumped out and pushed the jeep back onto the road. While under fire, I realized that individuals under severe stress will react in different ways. That Colonel was a fighting man. He proved his courage. I am sorry that I never heard or asked his name. He had no identification on his uniform. Thereafter, we continued our movement westward and joined another unit in a wooded area to reorganize and move toward St. Vith.
The third day of my western retreat was not as eventful as my preceding experiences. We established a camp in a wooded area for protection and began to reorganize the dislocated personnel. The commanding officer attempted to contact other units to obtain assistance in order to establish a fighting unit. The morning of the nineteenth, we departed from
the camp area in a convoy. The convoy consisted of about 15 trucks, escorted by about 100 infantrymen. We traveled westward toward Belgium for about three hours, through valleys and over hills in the snow covered terrain. It was about ten o'clock in the morning. I was sitting in the back of a covered truck, next to the last truck in the convoy.
Then suddenly, the fury of the German tanks and artillery bombarded the convoy. Immediately after the first bombardment, I jumped from the rear of the truck onto the ground and rolled to the bottom of the ravine (approxi- mately 50 to 60 yards), then I looked
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up to observe the annihilations. I saw balls of fire from the German tanks and guns. American soldiers were flying through the air. The trucks had been destroyed and were burning. The sounds and vibrations were beyond description. I trembled and prayed. Then, by some supernatural force, I moved under the cover of underbrush to the other side of the hill into a wooded area. As I moved up the hill, I found a wounded soldier. I picked up the casualty and carried him with me to safety.
We were constantly under fire as we moved northward into the forest. The tops of trees and branches were falling as the Germans continued their assault. I staggered on with one arm around the waist of the wounded GI and his right arm around my neck. We pressed on until late afternoon, traveling northwest to my destination. Later, I located a medical tent. The Red Cross tent was visible in the light of the afternoon sun as we moved westward through the Ardennes. I asked the unknown soldier if he could walk alone to the medical unit and he stated, "Yes." After I had traveled about 150 yards, I looked directly to my left and observed my wounded friend as he entered the medical unit, which became consumed by fire. His body was blown to pieces. The Germans had made a direct hit on the medical unit. I exclaimed, "Good Lord, have mercy upon us." The hand of God, or some inner force, was directing me as I continued to move northward. I finally approached an area in which I heard voices, and after some recognizance, I detected they were Americans and joined the group, which was a motor pool of American soldiers.
German tanks and troops surrounded the motor pool in the Ardennes during the night of December 19. Several hundred Americans had assembled on this hill in the motor pool. Sporadic bombardment occurred throughout the night.
Prisoner of War
The next morning, the German commander of the tank corps launched a direct assault for several hours. To prevent a massacre, the Nazis dispatched an officer waving a white flag to discuss terms of surrender. The German officer was shot and killed; the flag of truth was ignored. Thereafter, the enemy bombarded us for eight hours, a rain of destruction. We were at their mercy. It was a miracle that any of us escaped alive. The Commander must have had some compassion for mankind, because another officer was sent to negotiate surrender. I do not know when the discussions started or ended because I fell asleep, due to exhaustion.
On the morning of the 21st, I was awakened by a German trooper who stuck me with a rifle. He was standing over me with a bayonet approximately 12 inches from my heart. The German soldier commanded me to discard my rifle and to move toward another group of Americans who had been disarmed and captured. This was one of the most embarrassing and humiliating events of my life. I marched from the Ardennes, a prisoner of war in Hitler's Third Reich. As I moved from the motor pool with about 500 other Americans, I was angry, depressed, hungry, and exhausted. I had slept only about six hours in the past five days, and I had barely eaten anything.
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We march to Stalag IV-B in Muhlberg, a British prisoner of war camp, where we were interrogated. The expedition to Stalag IV-B was a horrendous experience. We marched three days and nights without food or sleep. Wounded soldiers fell out and some were left behind to die. Other soldiers tried to obtain food by digging snow and earth from storage areas. We found potatoes and were lucky if we returned to the column before the guards inflicted bodily harm. The German civilians would take our shoes and overcoats and mistreat us as we passed from town to town. I moved to the middle of the marching column and was not harassed as many of the weary American soldiers were. The fourth night of the journey, we were forced into railroad boxcars like cattle. There was not enough space for all of us to sit, and the smell was deplorable. There were no bathroom facilities available. I do not recommend this kind of trip for a vacation. The British Royal Air Force strafed us the first night of this ordeal. They killed two soldiers in my boxcar and wounded one beside me during this raid.
Prison Camp
We arrived at Stalag IV-B about the middle of January. Upon arrival, we were interrogated by the Gestapo. The secret police lived up to their name by demonstrating their brutality. Two Americans tried to escape prior to our entrance into the compound. They hid under a building and the troopers turned their police dogs on to the men. The dogs literally tore the prisoners apart. It is difficult to observe that type of scene, but helpless to assist. The guards marched us into the compound and forced us to remain in formation throughout the night. I nearly froze; my feet were cold, I was hungry and exhausted, but I never lost my determination to live and to survive the ordeal. Several of the men fell into the snow, only to meet a greater tragedy from the guards. The next morning, I passed through the interrogation center. We were searched and relieved of all valuables. I escaped the search with my wristwatch. The watch had an elastic band and I pushed it up my arm, which was covered by my coat. I traded the watch to the British for cigarettes, and then exchanged one cigarette for a piece of bread that helped me to survive and to alleviate starvation. Most of the British at IV-B were captured in the African and Italian campaigns. They were pessimistic and accepted their role as being prisoners of Germany the rest of their lives. They quoted, "We will never get out of here." I didn't enjoy discussing the future in a negative tone. I had great aspirations to return home to the United States, and I had faith God would aid me throughout this tragedy.
I remained at the British Non- Commission Officers Camp at Stalag IV-B for about one week. Then I was sent to Leipzig, Germany to a slave labor camp where we repaired railroads that had been destroyed by American airplanes. The allies bombed Leipzig on an average of four times daily. The city was a main artery in moving troops and supplies to or from the American or Russian fronts. The Germans proclaimed that the Americans had destroyed the railroads and the Americans would repair the tracks. We worked from sun up to
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sun down. Sometimes our work hours were determined by the destruction of the main lines, and frequently we worked through the night. Early one morning we were transported by rail to Halle, a town approximately 25 or 30 miles from Leipzig, to repair the railroad track that had been destroyed the previous day. We arrived around six in the morning; the sun arose in the east as usual, and we observed the beauty of the day. Then, around seven, it became cloudy and visibility was difficult. The Americans had dropped a smoke bomb prior to a low altitude raid. Suddenly the Germans sounded the alarm and mass confusion prevailed as fighter planes struck the city and the railroad junction. Civilians throughout the area ran for protection along with some of the prisoners. The guards started shooting as we fled for cover. I fled to an area next to a lake about a mile from the junction, only later to have a guard join me. We observed the water in the lake, jumping up and down due to the bombardments. The raid lasted only a short period of time, but the railroad yard had been destroyed. In fact, one locomotive engine had been thrust by the concussion of the attack onto a shattered building one story high. It was an excellent example of power and destruction during war. The removal of bodies and debris was not beautiful; our day had been one of despair. Thank God we survived another day.
One afternoon we were returning from work and marching in formation to the compound, I began to whistle a tune. I heard the guard give a command but didn't realize he was talking to me, therefore, I continued to whistle. All of a sudden I had been knocked into the snow. The guard hit me in the back with the butt of his rifle. I got to my feet and was circling the guard in preparation to attack. One of the prisoners grabbed me and pulled me back into the group. Today I believe that was a good move, because the guard had his bayonet pointed in my direction and ready for action.
The Germans informed us that we would receive more food on the work projects outside of the prisoner-of-war compounds. They did not inform us that we would not receive Red Cross parcels or that we would be subjected to no protection during air raids, but we didn't have a choice and were forced
to comply or suffer. I believe we would have endured incarcerated life to a great degree in a permanent location.
Our ration consisted of one small piece of bread and three potatoes; most of the time they were defective or rotten. Occasionally the railroad officials would prepare a soup after a bombing attack, provided that some type of animal had been killed and enough was available for the prisoners. The soup was usually millet, skin or bone. We received about one cup each. Lack of food was a problem and the Americans often discussed menus. This angered some of the prisoners and it brought about conflicts. One morning after the cup of hot water, bread, and potatoes had been issued; the guard accused two Americans of stealing a small jar of jelly. The guards used a large stick and whipped the prisoners to death. They also forced us to observe this atrocity.
In the middle of April 1945, the allies were moving toward Berlin. We heard artillery fire from the West and knew
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the Americans were on the way. The Germans moved us from the city of Leipzig toward the east just before the arrival of the Allied Forces. We marched for nearly two weeks to the Eble River. The bridge across the Eble was blown up the night of the 24th, which prevented us from being liberated by the Russians. The morning of the 25th at ten o'clock, I saw a jeep, then two jeeps, with fifty caliber machine guns mounted on them and rolling towards us. A few shots were fired and the guards threw down their guns, which were picked up by ex-prisoners, and additional firing occurred. Some of the guards lost their lives. We were free men; a day of rejoicing, because we had been liberated from Hitler's Third Reich. The freedom of man, do we really appreciate its significance and its value? God bless the USA. I moved eastward from the Elble River, after liberation, seeking a German guard--the one who had knocked me down with the butt of his rifle. I confiscated a bicycle from a German girl and rode from town to town. After one week, I gave up the search because we were to be air lifted to Camp Lucky Strike in France to return to the greatest nation on the planet: the United States of America. The Western coast of France, Camp Lucky Strike, was used as a rendezvous for ex-prisoners of war as they assembled from various Stalags from Germany. After VE Day, the Ameri- cans attempted to build up our strength before we crossed the Atlantic by feeding us raw eggs and milk. I remained at Camp Lucky Strike for about two weeks, crossed the Atlantic to Norfolk, Virginia, then to Hattiesburg, Mississippi on my way home. I did not inform my parents of my arrival in the states. In fact, they hadn't heard anything from me since they received the telegram that I was missing in action. I walked through the front door of my parents' home and they nearly fainted. I was home for sixty days and then reported to Miami, Florida for recuperation. I remained in Florida for about one week and was sent to Fort Still, Oklahoma, where I was discharged December 1, 1945.
I entered college under the GI Bill in 1946. I received a B.S. degree at the University of Southern Mississippi and did graduate work at Louisiana State University. I married my child- hood sweetheart Eleanor Willoughby December 25, 1947. We have two children Beverly Dianna Brumfield and Wendell Milton Brumfield and 6 grand- children. My wife and I have taught school for forty years. We retired in 1986, and we are enjoying the Great Freedoms in our democratic society. I thank God for the United States of America and the democratic freedom we enjoy. We pray that future generations will preserve, protect, and defend this great nation, The United States of America.
I have summarized my experiences on the battlefield and my period of incarceration. I would have to write a book to describe everything in detail. In outlining my experiences, it may appear that I was at the right place at the right time to escape death. I sincerely believe that God saved my life. I prayed the Lord's Prayer and quoted the 23rd Psalm. Yes, I made requisitions to God, and he preserved and protected me throughout my tribulation. I thank God, and today I glorify his name because he interceded in my life and made it possible for me to live.
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Feature Stories
PHOTO: Memorial To "The Last Five Hundred Men"
Submitted by Herb Sheaner (422/G)
Golden Lion and current first Vice- President of the 106th Infantry Division Association, Herb Sheaner (422/G) submitted the following article.
Mr. Sheaner, his wife and son landed in Brussels, Belgium on a beautiful October day in 2011. After renting a car, two and one half hours later they were in the wooded hills of the Ardennes Forest where the 422nd and 423rd Regiments faced the onslaught of the German Offensive of December, 1944. According to Mr. Sheaner, "We had lodging there, of all places, in the small village/town of Bleialf, where we were to meet Carl Wouters the next day. Bleialf was the town behind our lines to the south and to the west of the 422nd and 423rd's frontline positions where the Germans, with superior assault troops, took Bleialf early on in the battle and at the same time easily took Schoenberg, a town that was also behind the lines of the two regiments to our northwest. The Germans then quickly took the road from Bleialf to Schoenberg and the two regiments were trapped.
Mr. Sheaner added, the next day, we met Carl, his fiancé Sofie and his dad in front of our beautiful lodging/restaurant in Bleialf. Our greetings were warm and sincere. Carl is a Belgium who adopted the 106th Infantry Division early on. He was a young school boy when he was first taken to the battle area and learned of the demise of the 106th Infantry Division. He fell in love with the Division and learned of its difficulties and hardships. Today he is our Belgium 106th Infantry Division Liaison and local Historian, a very mature twenty- three year old young man with a keen respectful interest in the men of the 106th Infantry Division.
After a short introduction, we drove east out of Bleialf on the road toward Prum, Germany. A short distance out of Bleialf we stopped at a road coming from our left that dead-ended at our road. Here we got out of our cars and Carl said, "The road to our left is ‘Skyline Drive,'" and it was at this place and up the road on which we were traveling that the Germans had a clear view of movement on the road.
Photos of the plaque Herb "Mike" Sheaner, Carl Wouters and Sofie left at Hill 576, where the Lost 500 held out in the 422nd Regimental Motor Pool. It's a simple wooden plaque that Carl hand engraved and varnished. "But I felt it provided the brave men of the 106th Infantry Division with a special recognition."
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I remember as the 422nd Regiment was going to its positions during the early evening darkness over this road, we stopped our line of trucks and proceeded to go over this high point on the road, traveling one truck at a time over the hill. This was the area where German "eighty-eights" had shooting practice on American moving vehicles. We did not receive a shot . . . may be, they held up shooting for their "Big Offensive." The area is void of trees, so it was a real "road hazard."
A bit further up the road we stopped at a vacation-spot restaurant for lunch. Across the road in the woods, from where we were, Carl told us that the 423rd Regiment occupied pill box positions in the old German Siegfried Line in the woods along the road on which we were traveling. After lunch we traveled further east into Germany moving along the line of 423rd positions to our left. We turned left on a road, where now, the 422nd occupied old German Siegfried Line positions
and then we turned left again, going down a forest trail where we came to my Company "G" position with its German concrete bunker. We were the last company of the 422nd before reaching the cavalry group that held positions some "uncovered" two miles distance to the north of our position.
The old German pillboxes/bunkers had been blown up by the French . . . still we examined them and they are still there. Next, we went to Schlausenbach, 422nd Regimental Headquarters, where I found the barn across from headquarters--where I had my last meal, breakfast--torn down and a small building set there. In the earlier morning of December 17th, on orders, Company "G" left its frontline position and was ordered back to protect Schlausenbach. Here, Carl spent some time speaking to the Germans that occupied the old head- quarters house. They knew nothing about the war. They were new to the area.
Next, we drove to the area where the last men of the 422nd and 423rd regiments were surrendered on December 21, 1944. I was there. We were hungry, without sleep, cold, numb, without food, with little or no ammunition, no fire support, no medical help for the wounded and facing the promised deadly fire of concentrated German artillery that evening of December 20th. Our officers voted to save what was left of our surrounded Division and surrendered us, December 21, 1944, 8:00 A.M. It was here, this October day, 2011, that Carl Wouters memorialized the spot where the last of the four hundred to five hundred men of the surrounded 106th Infantry Division were surrendered and saved. Carl nailed a memorial on a tree at the spot where the decision was made. I was asked to sign it as a member of that surrendered group. It was a moving moment. It was a place that I will never forget . . . this moment and the moment of December 21, 1944. The memorial is still there and awaits the arrival of any survivor to sign his name to the new 106th Infantry Division Memorial.
Thanks to Carl Wouters for his kindness and for this memorial and for his love of our historic 106th Infantry Division during the 1944 "Battle of The Bulge." The photos were submitted for this article by Carl Wouters, Association Belgium Liaison and his fiancé Sofie.
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PHOTO: Bill Mauldin US Postal Service Stamp
Submitted by Murray Stein
The United States Postal Service (USPS) deserves a standing ovation. Bill Mauldin got his own postage stamp. Mauldin died at age 81 in the early days of 2003. The end of his life had been rugged. He had been scalded in a bathtub, which led to terrible injuries and infections; Alzheimer's disease was inflicting its cruelties. Unable to care for himself after the scalding, he became a resident of a California nursing home, his health and spirits in rapid decline. He was not forgotten, though. Mauldin, and his work, meant so much to the millions of Americans who fought in World War II, and to those who had waited for them to come home. He was a kid cartoonist for Stars and Stripes, the military newspaper; Mauldin's drawings of his muddy, exhausted, whisker-stubble infantrymen Willie and Joe were the voice of truth about what it was like on the front lines.
Mauldin was an enlisted man just like the soldiers he drew for; his gripes were their gripes, his laughs their laughs, his heartaches their heartaches. He was one of them. They loved him.
He never held back. Sometimes, when his cartoons cut too close for comfort, superior officers tried to tone him down. In one memorable incident, he enraged Gen. George S. Patton, who informed Mauldin he wanted the pointed cartoons celebrating the fighting men, and lampooning the high-ranking officers to stop. Now!
He won the Pulitzer Prize, was featured on the cover of Time magazine. His book "Up Front" was the No. 1 best- seller in the United States. On March 31, 2010, the USPS released a first-class denomination ($0.44) postage stamp in Mauldin's honor depicting him with Willie and Joe.
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The Envelope
By John M. "Jack" Roberts (592/C)
Golden Lion Jack Roberts (592/C), submitted what he calls, "a kind of a nostalgia sort of item that many of the members will recall if, and when they were first contacted to join the 106th Infantry Division Association.
When this ‘notice' (see right) came to my home I did not join immediately; I was busy helping support my mother as my father had recently passed away. I was involved with civic projects in my home town to represent the company I worked for and I was also going to evening college two nights a week at the University of Cincinnati, working for my degree in Personnel Administration which related to the kind of work I was doing while working for General Motors. I promptly forgot about the invitation but I did keep the post card and just now recently found it. I did not join the Association until 1987 when I heard that the Association was still active. I will never regret joining because I have really enjoyed meeting a host of new friends and comrades, their families in the Association.
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In for the Long Haul:
PHOTO: Westfall Served Throughout World War II
Previously published in Ouraynews.com by Sandy Barnes on November 13, 2011
Submitted By Jim West
Army veteran and Ouray resident Cecil Westfall served his country the entire duration of World War II, except for a brief time in a hospital that kept him out of the infamous Battle of the Bulge in late 1944. Drafted at age 21 in March 1941, several months before the war began, Westfall was assigned to the 63rd Engineer Camouflage Company at Fort Belvoir, Va."After the war started, we were sent to Panama, where we did camouflage work until Aug. 31, 1943. We then returned to the U.S.A. where we underwent further military training. During that time, I applied to the U.S. Army Air Forces and was accepted into their Qualified Air Cadet program," Westfall recalls. While he was waiting to begin flight training, Westfall's plans to be part of the U.S. Army Air Forces came to a halt. Gen. Henry H. "Hap" Arnold issued an order transferring several thousand cadets into ground forces in preparation for the D-Day invasion into France. Westfall has a copy of Gen. Arnold's order, which states: "This action is necessary as the result of a critical and immediate need for the young, vigorous and well-trained men with qualifications to meet the urgent need of the ground and service forces." "I never got to fly," said Westfall. "There were thousands waiting to start training and never got to do it." Instead, Westfall became a squadron leader in the Company G, 2nd Battalion, 424th Infantry Regiment of the 106th Division known as the "Golden Lions." After undergoing basic infantry training, Westfall was promoted to Staff Sergeant and in October 1944 headed from New York to Scotland on the Queen Mary.
Westfall and his company then traveled to a camp at Adderbury, England, where they stayed for several weeks. "On Dec. 2, 1944 we embarked at Liverpool onboard the S.S. Monowai for Le Havre, France," he said. However, because of bad weather, Westfall's company didn't land in France until Dec. 6. After several days in a truck convoy, his company arrived at St. Vith, Belgium. Westfall's regiment relieved two Division troops on Dec. 12, 1944, four days before the Battle of the Bulge, in which there were severe U.S. casualties. The German attack on Allied troops was unexpected, bitter and bloody. More than 7,000 American soldiers in the 106th Division
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were cut off and captured in the battle. However, Westfall was far away from the action at the time. Westfall had suffered a knee injury during training exercises in England, which continued bothering him. "I was hobbling around on a bad knee, and on Dec. 10, 1944 the doctor decided to send me back for treatment, since it appeared that there would be no trouble from the Germans… They were sure the war was over," he recalls. When Westfall left his squadron to go to England for treatment, his assistant took his place. Westfall later found out that the soldier lost both of his arms in the Battle of the Bulge. "It was kind of a sad day," said Westfall while remembering the news he heard about the badly wounded soldier. "Once in a while I think that if I hadn't gone back, that would have been me." After Westfall's injury healed, he was assigned to a collecting company in Bonn, Germany, where he saw VE Day on May 7, 1945. Ultimately, Westfall rejoined his original company near the Rhine River in Germany. After receiving an honorable discharge from the Army on Oct. 9, 1945, Westfall returned to his hometown of Rochester, N.Y., where he had been working for Eastman Kodak before the war. He met and married his wife Marion Westfall and later decided to go to college on the G.I. Bill. Westfall moved to Boulder, Colo. to attend the University of Colorado where he received a degree in mechanical engineering. After working at Los Alamos and for Martin Marietta in Littleton for most of his career, Westfall and his wife retired in Ouray 30 years ago. Their son David Westfall serves as Ouray County judge. The Westfalls have five other grown children.
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PHOTO: Jack "Dew Drop" Rain's Golden Lion
By John C. Rain (589 FA/B)
Golden Lion John Rain, radioman and driver from Battery B, 589th FA Battalion submitted the following photo and this note. "Walked up to neighbor's yard sale and this Golden Lion stared me down. Purchased on site and now it guards my fire place. Scared my kitten! Very best to everyone.
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Past Association President Inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame
From the Athens, Ohio newspaper The Messenger, October 28, 2011
Submitted by Frank S. Trautman (422/D)
An Athens man is one of 20 Ohioans who will be inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame during a ceremony next month. [Golden Lion] Gifford Doxsee (422/HQ 1BN) will join 408 others who are enshrined in the hall, which, according to a news release, is dedicated to recognizing Ohio veterans who, after their military service, put their skills and abilities to work in their communities and inspire their fellow citizens. Doxsee is a U.S. Army veteran and former prisoner of war who served in World War II. He returned from war and received a doctorate at Harvard University. Today he continues to volunteer at the Good Works shelter in Athens and is a weekly volunteer at Appalachian Community Hospice in Athens. In addition, he volunteers at the Kairos Prison Ministry at the Hocking Correctional Facility in Nelsonville. Doxsee is also a founder and multi-term board member of the Athens County Historical Society and Museum. In May, he was inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame. Doxsee and the other members of the Class of 2011 will be inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame during a ceremony on November 10 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Columbus.
Prisoner's Odyssey
by Herb Sheaner (422/G)
Prisoner's Odyssey is a story of survival, hunger and reflection from a teenaged prisoner of war inside Germany near the end of WWII. From capture at the Battle of The Bulge to the final escape from his German guards, Herb Sheaner allows us a glimpse into the despair and agony of being a prisoner in a foreign land. During World War II, Herb Sheaner served as a private first class in Company G, 422nd Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division.
After receiving ASTP training at University of Alabama, he joined the 106th at Camp Atterbury in Indiana where he earned Expert Rifleman honors and was designated Co. G Sniper and Regimental Scout. Fifty years later he recalls his experience.
Available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and Xlibtis online.
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Remembering Their Stories:
The Story of World War II Veteran John Koukol
First published at wickedlocal.com by Rich Harbert of Wicked Local Plymouth
Submitted by Jim West
I knew it was enemy fire, so I hit the ground. Within seconds, ammunition ricocheted off the tree beside me and went straight through my leg. Straight through my leg, rather than through the gas can laying beside me that would've taken my life. I enlisted with my father's permission when I was 17, and until I was 18 I endured my basic training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga. Basic training was brutal; you began the day crawling under real fire from machine guns and ended it with a 20-mile march lugging the heavy rut-sack on your back.
When I turned 18, the last week of August 1943, I was shipped over and stationed in Germany, in the 106th division. Twenty-six and one half hours on the front line was all that passed before I was hit. The fear never came. You do go to bed at night and are able to think about what could happen, but in action, like that day, Dec. 11, you have no time to think. The wound in my leg was luck or fate, but either way the shell hit me instead of the gas can that could have taken all of me.
Even though it was the first 26 hours of battle, the medic had no morphine or other medical supplies. I endured the night, and in the morning they put me in the back of a truck. That's when the general came to see me. "They'll take good care of you soldier. . ." he said. It took 59 years for me to learn I was the first wounded in the 106th division; I was the general's first injured soldier. The truck brought me to Liege, Belgium. From there, I took a train to a hospital in Paris, France. I recovered in England for three months, and at the end of that time, the war was over.
Today, I live here in Plymouth, and more than any other town in which I've lived, I am continuously being thanked for my service. Plymouth is very conscious of veterans and the importance of their service. I am a part of VFW Post #1822. Last year, I visited Luxembourg and received the Legion of Honor Award for my services from the people of Luxembourg. For my wound, I also received the Purple Heart. That was my proudest moment; my injury is a badge of pride I wear every day.
Certification of Adoption for Harold F. Cassidy
By Ed and Anita Tiebax, through email correspondence with Jim West
In late 2011, Ed and Anita Tiebax from the Netherlands adopted the grave of Harold F. Cassidy, buried at the American Cemetery and Memorial Henri-Chapelle.
Rank: Private First Class
State: New York
Serial Number: 32795310
He died on 16 Dec. 1944
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GoldenLion Frank J. Schiro (424/E)
By Joe Schiro
From a December 24, 1964 issue of The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin)
Tech Sgt. Frank J. Schiro of Madison, Wisconsin served in the 2nd Battalion, E Company, 424th Regiment. Joe Schiro (his son) submitted to The CUB readership, the following 1964 article in The Madison Capital Times about his father's experiences with the 106th Infantry Division.
"It wasn't the poignant strains of "Silent Night, Holy Night' that carried the message of the birth of Christ to Frank Schiro on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 20 years ago. The ear-shattering explosion of aerial bombs and the whine of angry shrapnel brought different sounds than the carols of the Nativity and the Prince of Peace to Schiro, prisoner of war, held in a Nazi camp near Limburg, Germany. A Christmas Mass, the only Mass he would have an opportunity to attend for many dreary months was held Christmas morning immediately after a 10 a.m. bomb run by American planes. And there came gifts, faded, threadbare French overcoats with which to keep warm. Schiro and his fellow prisoners, most captured by the Nazis days earlier in the Battle of the Bulge, were ordered to clean up the debris in the camp after the bombing. Then an altar was brought into the compound and a priest from Limburg proceeded with the Mass. Several hours later, the American bombers pounded the city in their daily afternoon raid. And in the evening came the British planes, just as they dumped bombs on Christmas Eve.
It was a Christmas Schiro says he will never forget. The enemy had captured many American troops, most of them from the 106th Infantry Division, in which he was serving. The division, fresh from the States, had been sent to the lines a few days before the Nazis unleashed their surprise offensive in Belgium in December 1944. Schiro was a tech sergeant with a platoon in the 424th Infantry Regiment near St. Vith, Belgium. His unit had been ordered to hold a position while the 28th Infantry [Division] pulled out its units in a regrouping to fight the Nazis. Schiro and a handful of men, some wounded, were in a valley with three captive Nazi soldiers. He and his buddy, Sgt. Milan Brummet, now of La Junta, Colorado, decided to go to the top of the hill to observe the German actions, when the enemy artillery opened up. He and his pal dived into a fox hole and suddenly were surprised by a Nazi patrol. A German held a rifle at Schiro's back and in perfect English ordered him to come out of the foxhole. Schiro and his companion were ordered to take off their belts, surrender their .45 caliber pistols, and first aid kits. They also had to give up their overcoats. The enemy marched them to the rear and occasionally packed them into boxcars for short rail trips to the German interior. "When we marched through German villages and cities, the women and old men jeered, cursed, and spat at us. Some threw stones at us," Schiro said. At
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Caption: 1961 Newspaper Article from the Capital Times, pictured are, Back Row (left to right), Bobbie Schiro, Karen Schiro, Jodey Schiro, Marie and Frank Schiro. Front Row, twins Carla Schiro and Kathy Schiro.
night when marching the Nazis locked their prisoners in barns. The first night in captivity, they were sent to a German pillbox, where a kindly German doctor treated the wounded and served good coffee to the captives, Schiro recalls.
But if kindness was a sign of the first day, it did not remain so there- after. When they arrived at Limburg, they were greeted by a master sergeant American, who now collaborated with the Germans in the camp. He warned the captives that when he blew a whistle to "fall out" they must do so immediately. On the first day, when the sergeant blew his whistle, the men fell out slowly. The turncoat kicked over huge garbage cans of coffee meant for the prisoners, because they reacted slowly. At Limburg, the prisoners received small Red Cross parcels of food and cigarettes, which they were required to share among six fellow prisoners. Eight weeks later, the prisoners were moved to Stargarten, near Poland. Here they received one slice of bread a day and "lousy German tea." The guards never gave the soldiers a chance to clean up. Filthy conditions prevailed. Schiro recalled that in a temporary encampment, he was one of 25 prisoners picked to be
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shot because one of their number had cut up a conveyor belt in a bar where they were quartered. A frightened Canadian prisoner "squealed" on the GI who had done it. The "offending" GI was singled out and never heard from again. As the war neared an end and Russian troops swarmed toward the prison camp, the American captives were marched by older German troops at the point of bayonets to New Brandenburg. And from there the soldiers were released at war's end.
Schiro had been married to the former Marjorie Drives about a year when he entered the service. When he went overseas, he weighed 175 pounds. When he was released from the Nazi prison camps, Schiro weighed 98 pounds. Hospitalization at "Camp Lucky Strike" near Rouen, France, where he and other below-weight prisoners were fed five times a day helped him to recover the weight. Now Schiro is in business with a liquor store in the building where he lives. He has a son, Joe, who is helping in the shop; a daughter, Karen, attending the University of Wisconsin; another son, Bob, currently in California and twin daughters, Cathy and Carla, seniors at West High School. Tonight, with his family, Frank Schiro will enjoy a Christmas at which the sound of Christmas will be joyous and the sound of bombs and Nazi gutturals a distant memory.
Veterans and Family of the 106th Infantry Division TATTOO* Requests
With space in The CUB at a premium, yet Reunited Buddies and Their Families an important commodity, the editor of The CUB of the Golden Lion created the following list [In Their Own Words, most often] of inquires submitted to him in hopes of helping people get in touch with the 106th I.D. Association Family. The following are requests for information. Feel free to contact them if you believe you can be of assistance. The CUB staff has received permission from all listed below to print their inquiry and their contact email (phone and address when available).
In addition, Non-Veteran member Connie Pratt Baseman, daughter of Lt. Gerald Pratt (Field Artillery), has been one of three people helping to manage the 106th's online "message board" (set up by Jim West) for people to write an inquiry, looking for comrades, or for people who might have known a relative who is now gone. Sadly, some inquires sit unanswered when the answers may be out there with a reader of The CUB who doesn't use a computer. The list has gotten quite long and Connie has asked that whenever there is room in The CUB we add a few of the requests. You can find messages like these below, along with other searches on the 106th Message Board at the following Web address: http://106thdivision.proboards.com/index.cgi
*The original meaning of military tattoo was a military drum performance, but subsequently it came to mean army displays, or a form of gathering more generally. For our Association, letting members know that someone would like to speak with them is "why we do this! So keep sending in your stories, as an old friend may find you!" -- Susan Weiss (Publisher of The CUB) and William McWhorter (Editor of The CUB)
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John B. Martin -- Mrs. Pearl Martin would like to get in contact with anyone who knew her husband during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Her husband, John B. Martin was a physician rank captain with the 106th I.D. (no regiment, battalion, or company reported). Mr. Martin passed away in 2003 at the age of 84. Mrs. Martin may be reached at 724-785-4987 and 221 Matteo St., Brownsville, PA 15417-8807.
PHOTO: Dan H. Grady -- My grandfather's (Dan Grady) DD 214 states that he was with the 3rd Infantry Regiment. This is confusing to me, because the only reason we figured out that my grandfather was with the 106th was by his talking about the patch he wore on his shoulder. He is still living but doesn't talk much about it. His health is starting to decline. We are trying to get his shadow box together. He has mentioned that he wished he could find some of the soldiers that he served with and see if they are still living. He does not remember any names, but
if you know of any, or know of any photos of my grandfather and his fellow soldiers we would like to know. If you recognize my grandfather's name please give me a call. Ashley Wheeler, 919-223-0405 or by email at goldsboor99@hotmail.com.
Alfonso (Al ) S. Fusco -- I had a brother in the 106th, Alfonso S. Fusco (T/Sgt), Company L/423rd Infantry Regiment. He was captured in the Battle of the Bulge and I have been trying for the last six years to find out any information about him from one of his friends who served with him. He never talked about it on his return and died of cancer in 1960. I know that his
co-Sgts. in Co L were Sgt. Grasso and Sgt. F. Montiverdi. If you knew my brother please email me at Godfatherfus@gmail.com or call me at 301-829-9990
Earl Steen (423/B) -- Ronald Steen is a BRAND NEW MEMBER of the Association, and says he was very young when his dad Earl Steen (423/B) died. Ronald Steen would very much like to speak with any and all veterans of the 106th Infantry Division, regardless of whether or not they have personal information about his father, (sometimes referred to as "Bill Steen" while with the 106th) and his time in the U.S. Army. Ronald Steen wishes to express how greatly appreciated any form of communication would be. Mr. Steen can be reached at 823 Bluefield Rd., Lexington, SC, 29073, by phone at 803-667-1976, or by email at choundog43@yahoo.com.
PHOTO: Alfred J. LeBlanc (424) -- Karrie Bennett is searching for information regarding her grandfather Alfred LeBlanc pictured here. She has questions about his service. His company combined with the 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division to fight as a combat regimental unit. Her question is, does anyone know what companies of the 106th's 424th Regiment would have met up with this group? Thanks in advance for your time. Sincerely, Karrie Bennett at kaben3@verizon.net, by phone at 978-537-7179, or by mail at DES, Attn: Karrie Bennett, PO Box 2795, Worcester, MA 01613.
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Raymond F. Reece Jr. (423/E) -- LCPL Reece states: my grandfather served in the 106th Infantry Division from the time he was enlisted until he was wounded (don't know how) and became a POW sometime early in the Bulge offensive. Can anyone who knew him give me some information on what the 423/E did during the battle. I am also serving in the military which makes whatever I find out all the more meaningful. I'm looking for locations, too, as I might try to take a trip and see where he fought. I can be reached by email at: reeces90@gmail.com
Vincent J. Byrnes (423/Service) -- I am the daughter of Vincent J. Byrnes and I'm interested in learning more about my father's time in combat during the Battle of the Bulge. What I do know is my Father was driving a truck when gunfire erupted, the soldier sitting next to my Dad was shot and died instantly. I do not know his name. From that point, little else is known, other than he left the truck, and grouped with some other soldiers. I am searching for further information as to his involvement in the battle, capture, etc. He is listed as captured on Dec. 19, 1944. He eventually was permanently encamped in Stalag IIIa, Luckenwalde. I would appreciate anything anyone might be able to help with completing the story of my dad's time in service. Our family's Hero sadly passed away on Nov. 25, 2009, at the age of 87. My sincerest thanks, Karen M. (Byrnes) Fuoco, 120 Twinbrook Lane, Bellingham, MA 02019, and phone at 508-657-1132.
PHOTO: Colmer Patton (424) -- J.D. Edwards and his cousin are trying to identify the soldiers to the left and right of their uncle Colmer Patton (pictured at right) from Arkansas who passed away in 1994. PVT. Patton, in the center, drove for Chaplain Alford V. Bradley, they believe from the 424th. They think the soldier on the left of their uncle may be named Charles H. O'Brian (Brinkley, AR and passed away in 2007). You can reach Mr. Edwards at jedwards@scsk12.org
In Response to a Tattoo Request -- submitted by Everett Firth Perryman (424/A) in the last issue of the CUB, (Vol. 67, No. 3), the following update was submitted by Golden Lion Archie Ross (424/Cannon).
I went over with Hdqtrs Co. 1st BN, until the Bulge started; after which the few of us standing were stragglers. The division was annihilated (officially). Then the stragglers were [picked up or picked off]. How we managed to rejoin Company A, let alone the [remains of the] Division, I don't remember. But I do remember St. John from the Hdqtrs Co., because he was outstanding. The last I remember was St. Vith, the night of the black parachutes, and we formed a small convoy, and rode through the hills with food for our guys who were trapped behind German lines. I also remember Sgt. Zilch. He was a platoon leader, and a hard working, good guy. [First Name not provided] Rifleman was 1st Sgt., and he was a good guy.
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Someplace in the CUB 1st Lt. Herndon was mentioned. I'm not sure of the name, but I think he was the head of A Co, The night we sent out a patrol, and he was killed. The guys in the company were saddened, because he was admired by us all. Major Welch was wounded that same night. His was a "million dollar" wound. I was a BAR man, and was resting, and my replacement on that patrol was also killed. These things have been difficult for me to talk about all these years, because I still cry, and Stavelot is just as bad. We were on this side of the bridge, and the German column was on the other side. We had a foolish emplacement of a 20 mm. anti-tank gun on the German side of the bridge with 2 young GIs. They were killed, unnecessarily. The column was made up of our vehicles, and powered by our fuel. The paratroopers were dropped in the wrong place; in the line of fire between the two forces. Our air corps came in, and devastated the German column. There were dead German SS strewn about like weeds. We marched to Stavelot in peace and quiet. What disturbed me all these years; most of our losses were kids, like me, about 20 years old. Bearing witness was difficult.
Frequent Flyers Miles Solicited For Veterans
World War II Tours -- 2012
This is the ninth year that Vi Ranney will be escorting veterans and others to Europe for the 68th anniversary of D-Day. The tour is produced by Rupiper Travel and designed by WWII veteran Dr. Brooks Ranney of Yankton, SD. Highlights will include:
Paris, Normandy, and Eisenhower's headquarters in France
Patton's grave in Luxembourg
The Battle of the Bulgearea in Belgium
The Remagen Bridge, Munich, Dachau, Hitler's Eagle's Nest and more in Germany
The tour features professional guides, great hotels, most meals, and is economically priced. Two departures are slated: June 3-13 and August 8-18. Veterans are especially honored at the June 6th ceremonies.
Mrs. Ranney stated that "since our WW II veterans are elderly and often living on a small pension, a trip like this is not always feasible unless help is solicited.
Therefore, we are asking individual, businesses, large corporations, VFW and Legion Posts, and other departments for contributions of extra frequent flyer miles. If we could get the air transportation covered for our needy veterans, they could afford the rest in most cases. Each year I hear from between three and four hundred veterans who would like to make the trip, but just can't afford it. After all they have done for us, isn't it a shame they can't go. They need to go back and make a closure. If you can help, please call me at 605-665-3596 for a brochure or to donate frequent flyer miles.
Editor's Note: See Mrs. Ranny's ads on page 31 and the inside back cover of this CUB.
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Mini-Reunions
The Importance of a Mini Reunion
by Ed Christianson 331st MedBn/C Mini-Reunion Chairman
Of corollary importance to the Annual Reunion are the individual "mini- reunions" which are held throughout the year in various locations around the country. In the past, a reunion provided a social event whereby men of the 106th and their ladies gather close to that infamous date of 16 December to remember fellow men with whom they served.
A dozen or more years ago The CUB would be filled with pictures and stories of men proudly gathered under a banner of the "Golden Lion." I am sad to report that for the year 2009 only 14 mini-reunions were reported. For these groups, I am thankful and I encourage you to keep it up. For others whose interests may have dwindled, or haven't gotten around to hosting a reunion yet, I invite you to do so this year. I assure you that it will be a satisfying experience for you. If you need further encouragement please contact me. My contact information is on the inside cover of this CUB.
Fraternal Regards, Ed
Atlanta, Georgia Mini-Reunion
Submitted by Frankie Burkes
The Mini-reunion was held on December 11, 2011 at Rafferty's restaurant in Kennesaw, GA. A total of 25 attended and they are looking forward to another mini-reunion in December 2012.
PHOTO: The Veterans are seated: Lee Darby, Carl Canup and Ewell Black, with the Rafferty's restaurant managers standing.
Northern New Jersey Mini-Reunion
Submitted by William S. Blaher , 422/I
The 106th Infantry mini- reunion of Northern New Jersey was held December 14, 2011 at
the Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway Township, NJ.
PHOTO: Left to right: Ken Scheutz, Floyd Elston, Newt Parker, John Gatens,
William Blaher. Missing: Ralph Richter, Al Sussman, Harry Martin Jr.
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PHOTO: Maryland and Washington D.C. area Mini-Reunion
Submitted by John Schaffner (589/A)
We held our annual December VBOB Chapter III meeting at the Club Meade (Ft. G. G. Meade) which also serves for the 106th Infantry Division's Mini-reunion in this area. There were forty eight present including members, families, and friends. The caterer provided us with a grand buffet that included a selection of brunch foods, from soup to nuts that certainly satisfied everyone's appetite. Our guest speaker was the eminent military historian, Bob Mullauer. Bob talked about the Battle of Stalingrad and the horrific events that occurred during the attempt to take the city by the German Armies. The Russian defenders were relentless in their efforts to prevent a German victory to the extent that from both sides more than a million soldiers lost their lives during the battle.
Once again I want to offer thanks to our good members who we can't get along without. (Come to think of it, that includes all of you.) Of course the big gun is John Bowen who is a "just do it" kind of a guy. He does the VBOB Chapter III newsletter that is the glue that keeps us all stuck together. Madeleine Bryant and Lew Nash help with the details of our meeting and Marcy keeps the books. About all I am left with is banging the gavel. Time marches on, and there are still many of us able to march with it. (Just don't give the command to "Double Time!"). Thanks again to John and Mary Ann Bowen for their part in organizing our December mini-reunion event.
PHOTO: Seated: Neil Thompson and Stephen L. Heffner, Jr. Standing 1st row: John R. Schaffner, Tom Dobinski, Mick Stinchcomb, Michael Stiarretta, Mike Levin, Albert Darago, Milt Bromberg, and Bill Everett. Second row: Richard Buchanan, Bill Mercer, Marbury Councell, uniden- tified, Rev. Davis Peck, John Worthington III, and Dee Paris
Southern California Mini-Reunion
Submitted by Milton Weiner
The reunion was held on December 11, 2011 at Mimi's Café in Downey, California. Golden Lion Milton Weiner (424/M) first said a prayer from the prayer book given to him as he boarded HMS Aquitania in 1944. Veterans in attendance and pictured were Morris Chester (422/HQ), Joseph Sadacca (423/1st Bn/HQ), and Milton Weiner (424/M). Also in attendance were Teresa Hunter (who brought the Golden Lion cake pictured in this article), Lori Marsh, Martin[?] Chester, Bella Weiner, and Bernie Weiner. For information about Southern California Reunions, please write or call Milton Weiner at 28121 Ridgethorne Court, Ranch Palos Verdes, CA 90275 and 310-544-0470.
PHOTO: The Mini- Reunion Cake
PHOTO: From left to right, Morris Chester (422/HQ), Milton Weiner (424/M), Dave Fournier, and Joseph Sadacca (423/1st Bn/HQ).
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Memoriam. . .
PLEASE REPORT ALL CHANGES OF ADDRESS AND DEATHS TO ASSOCIATION TREASURER AND MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN:
HARRY F. MARTIN JR. (424/L) 121 MCGREGOR AVE., MT. ARLINGTON, NJ 07856 PHONE: 973-663-2410 E-MAIL: HMARTIN19@OPTONLINE.NET
AVERY, CHARLES W. 423/HQ
--Date of Death: Not reported/unknown
It is with great sadness that I bring to your attention the death of my father, Col. Charles W. Avery, a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge and long-time member of your organization. I believe that he attended some functions of yours over the years. If anyone there knew him and his wife Helen particularly well, I would enjoy the opportunity of corresponding with them.
Submitted by his son, Peter W. Avery via Harry Martin
AUSTIN, CLIFFORD N. 589/C
--Date of Death: May 26, 2011
Clifford Austin, 86, a distinguished and honored lifelong resident of Vergennes, VT, passed away last May. He and his three brothers all saw active duty in WW II. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 13, 1943 and served with the 589th FA, Battery C. On December 17, he was captured and sent to a POW work camp, Arbeits Kommando #1315 in Oberullesdorf (Occupied Poland) near Zittau, Germany for six months. He was liberated by advancing Russians in May 1945. Mr. Austin was an active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the founder of the "Zittau Survivors."
Submitted by Conrad Malavazos, whose father served in the same battery as Mr. Austin
PHOTO: BACHMURSKI, STANLEY M.
--Date of Death: December 13, 2011
The last year of his life, Dad and I worked on his Memoir. He hand wrote every page and I typed them up. We finished the draft manuscript on 5 December, just days before Dad died. From Memoir of a Soldier from the Greatest Generation; the life of Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Stanley M. Bachmurski, "We went ashore over the Mullberry A, the code name for the harbor built in England and floated to Le Havre to replace the one the Germans destroyed. After all the battalion equipment was off loaded from the Parker, we motor marched into action. We were attached to the reactivated 106th ID, which was decimated in the Ardennes forest during the Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 - 25 January 1945). The skills I learned as a boy - marksmanship and stealth - paid off in combat. One of the 401st FA BN fired into the French city of Saint-Nazaire where the Germans had surrounded approximately 5,000 soldiers of the American Army. The first time our guns were registered was in Belgium (other than those at Saint-Nazaire).We moved fast along the German Autobahn east behind a defeated, retreating German Army.
Submitted by his daughter Ann Marie Keech
44
Memoriam. . .
BLOCH, JACQUES 422/K
Reported by Murray Stein
BRITTON, BENJAMIN 424/E
--Date of Death: May 20, 2010
Former 106th Infantry Division Association President (1977-1978) passed away in Auburn, Massachusetts.
Reported by Mrs. Britton, via Murray Stein
BYRD, AUSTIN 589 FA
--Date of Death: Not reported/unknown
Reported by Jackie and Harry Martin
CARPENTER, EDGAR R. 81st ENG/B
--Date of Death: July 13, 2011
He was a U.S. Army Veteran, who served as a 1st Lieutenant with the 81st Engineer Combat Battalion. Mr. Carpenter was born on March 26, 1923 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He married Judy Popper on September 2nd, 1944. They raised three children: David Carpenter, Peter Carpenter and Deborah Carpenter. After the passing of Judy, he later married Martha J. Loynes on July 19, 1986. A lifelong member of the 106th Infantry Division and VFW Post 7409, he was also a long time member of the American Legion Post 10. Ed and Martha enjoyed attending the 106th Infantry Division Association Reunions.
Reported by his widow Martha J. Loynes
CRAWFORD, JOHN 590 FA
--Date of Death: September 8, 2011
Reported by Murray Stein
DIMEGLIO, JOHN P. 424/I
--Date of Death: September 30, 2010
Reported by Mrs. Viola DiMeglio (widow),
via Murray Stein
GIESLER, CARL W. 591/HQ
--Date of Death: April 21, 2011
Mr. Giesler died at the age of 88. He served as a Staff Sergeant in the 591st Field Artillery.
Submitted by his wife, Margerie Giesler
GILDER, P. P. ROBERT
424/HQ 1ST BN
--Date of Death: unknown
Reported by Murray Stein
HEAD, DONALD 423/G
--Date of Death: November 27, 2011
Mr. Head died peacefully, with his daughter by his side, at Spokane
Veterans Home on November 27, 2011. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 and was captured during the Battle of the Bulge. He was held as a POW until March 1945 in Germany. In 1946 he married Patricia Higgins, with whom he had two children, Thomas Head and Betsy Head. Mr. Head served with the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1951 until retirement in 1975. He was very active in his community and volunteered for many organizations. He is survived by his children, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Submitted by daughter Betsy Ressa, via John Kline and Murray Stein
45
Memoriam. . .
HONAN, JOHN J. 423/E
--Date of death: Not reported/unknown
John J. Honan, age 86, WW II U.S. Army Veteran of the 106th Infantry Division and a POW passed away.
Beloved husband of Patricia (nee Brennan) Honan and the late Patricia Burke Honan; loving father of John M. Honan, late Terrance (Marge) Honan, Patricia (Michael) Viasek, Mary (Gary) Wagner, Joan (George) Tomaszewski, Carol (John) Ziegler and Michael (Debbie) Honan; stepfather of Tom & Mike & Bob Brennan; proud grandfather and great-grandfather of 28; dear brother of George Honan and Maureen Honan; fond son of the late John and Sarah Honan. John lived in Johnson Creek, WI and was a long time resident of Chicago.
Reported by Jim West
HIRST, ROBERT 424/HQ
--Date of death: Not reported/unknown
Reported by Murray Stein
PHOTO: KIENDL, THEODORE JR. 589th/FA
--Date of Death: January 9, 2012
Died of heart problems. He was 89½ years old and had lived in France for most of the time since WW II. Lt. Kiendl was Executive Officer for Battery A and later for Battery B. He was severely wounded on December 16, 1944 and evacuated to a military hospital. Having recovered and returned to duty he took command of Battery A after the reconstitution of the Division in April 1945. Ted Kiendl was affectionately known to his men as the "Big Bear" and was highly respected. His military experience is briefly covered in the book by Gerald Astor, A Blood Dimmed Tide.
Via letter from Gregory Kiendl, son of Theodore Kiendl, Jr. Submitted by Walter M. Snyder 589/A and John R. Schaffner 589/A
KINGERY, HUGH 590/A
--Date of Death: July 31, 201
Mr. Kingery was a combat veteran of the Battle of the Bulge. He was captured and made prisoner of war, spending six months in a German prisoner of war camp. After the war he graduated from Iowa State University. Since the war, he faithfully attended reunions of the 106th Infantry Division. A long-time Birmingham, AL resident he died at home. He is survived by his wife Nina Hamilton Kingery, his sons, Ken Kingery, James Kingery, and Michael Kingery and two grandsons. His wife stated he was, "a sweet man and greatly missed."
Reported by widow Nina Hamilton Kingery,
via John Robb
LEBLANC, ALFRED J. 424
--Date of Death: January 2011
Submitted by granddaughter Karrie Bennett
NAUMANN, DONALD W. 422/A
--Date of Death: September 5, 1996
A captain in the 106th, Mr. Naumann passed away in 1996, and is buried in Fort Logan National Cemetery.
Submitted by Tamara Naumann, via Jim West
46
Memoriam. . .
FRANCIS "KELLY" XAVIER PARKINSON 423/K
--Date of Death: February 21, 2012
Golden Lion Francis Xavier Parkinson, 87, of Bella Vista, Arkansas died at Northwest Medical Center of Bentonville, Arkansas. He was born November 29, 1924 in Indianapolis, Indiana to William J. Parkinson and Mary Irene Reihl Parkinson. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II including "Battle of Bulge" and was a POW at Stalag 4B in Muhlburg, Germany. He was discharged December 19, 1945. He returned to Chicago and worked as an optician and married Marianne Howe on December 4, 1954 in Chicago, Illinois. They moved to Palatine, Illinois in 1966. They moved to Bella Vista in 1992 from Palatine, Illinois. He was a member of St. Bernard Catholic Church. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Marianne, and others. He is survived by one sister, Rita Lopotko and husband, Alex of Crystal Lake, Illinois; sister-in- law, Pauline Parkinson of New Jersey; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Reported by Murray Stein
SHEARIN, HUGH G. 424/A
--Date of Death: April 4, 2010
Reported by Dwight T. Stokes
SMITH, KENNETH M. 423/H
--Date of Death: Not reported/unknown
Reported by Murray Stein
STEPHENSON, WILLIAM J. 589/B
--Date of Death: November 27, 2011
Reported by his wife, Helen Stephenson
WAGNER, HARRY H. unknown
--Date of Death, July 14, 2011
Harry H. Wagner, 85, passed away at Lancastor Manor, Lincoln, NE, after a long illness of cancer and heart disease. He joined the U.S. Army on November 20, 1944, and was discharged in 1946, but later completed 20 years in the military. He is survived by three children and wife, Phyllis. He was buried at Ft. McPherson National Cemetary, Maxwell, Nebraska.
Submitted by his wife Phyllis Wagner
WANDELL, ROY W. 424/K
--Date of Death: September 4, 2003
Mr. Wandell was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 22, 1925. Golden Lion Sgt. Wandell was a true American patriot who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was cited for heroism and bravery. He was awarded the Silver Star, four (4) Bronze Stars, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, and the Combat Infantry Badge. After being discharged from the service, he spent many years in the construction industry and remained active in the VFW and the American Legion in Lisbon, Maine. He is survived by a son Roy Richard Wandell, daughter Vera Ellen Wandell. and grandchildren Roy J. Wandell and Amber Wandell. Elizabeth Nielsen, sister, also survives. Mr. Wandell was laid to rest, with full military honors, in the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta, Maine.
Submitted by Elizabeth (Wandell) Nielsen, Sister, via Frank Trautman and Murray Stein
47
Memoriam. . .
ZORDELL, JACK W. 422/M
--Date of Death: January 18, 2011 Mr. Zordell passed away in Hot Springs Village, AR. He is survived by his wife, G. Jean Zordell and three children, nine grandchildren, and born just this year, a great-grandchild. He was in Stalag IV-B Mulberg. We miss him.
Reported by Catherine Zordell via Jim West
Editor's Special Notifications:
Board Member Frank S. Trautman submitted a correction to the recent Death Notice of Robert M. Shaver, Headquarters Company. 424th Regiment, 21(?) February 1923- 25 October 2011
Robert Shaver's address should have read:
Robert Shaver, 7682 Wickfield Way, Indianapolis, IN 46256-4011.
Lillian Lang, 88, of Poughkeepsie New York, beloved wife of E. Russell Lang (423/I) with whom she shared 65 years of marriage passed away on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at New Horizons Assisted Living Facility, in Marlborough, MA. Born Lillian Evelyn Yurco on March 22, 1923 in Torrington CT, she was the daughter of Joseph and Amalia Bucenec Yurco. Growing up in Torrington Lil and Russ met, fell in love and were married on May 25, 1946. In 1952 the couple moved to Poughkeepsie where they resided until 2011. She dedicated many years to community service through her position on the board of the Vassar Warner Home and her active roles with the Coterie and PEO organizations. Lil enjoyed traveling with her husband, spending time with her children and doting over her grandchildren. She was an avid Yankees fan and made the best apple pie the world has ever tasted. She is survived by her loving husband Russ of Marlborough, MA; daughter Laura Barker and her husband Harry of Scotts Valley, CA; daughter Cindy Bonahue of San Diego, CA; her son Russell Lang, his wife Bonnie and two grandsons, Ryan and Chris Lang all of Northborough, MA. A Memorial Service was held at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 55 Wilbur Blvd., Poughkeepsie, NY, on Saturday March 3.
Submitted Russ Lang (son), via Murray Stein
Ruby "Marie" Beeth, was born in Connellsville, Missouri on November 2, 1926 and passed away in Valrico, Florida on January 25, 2012 of lymphoma. She was a registered nurse and a member of the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during WW II. A beloved wife to her husband Lyle Beeth for 60 years, a loving mother to three children, a treasured grandmother to seven grandchildren and a revered great-grandmother to three great-grandchildren. A beautiful and caring soul, that has left this earth, but will forever live on in our hearts.
Submitted by her husband Lyle Beeth, 424/AT, via Susan Weiss
48
We are all feeling the effects of the current financial upheaval, including the 106th I.D. Association. The Annual Dues of $10 are no longer billed or collected. We are now accepting only donations for membership, memorials and Life Plus.
The previously-allowed payment of $75 for Life Membership creates
a financial shortfall, as our expenses exceeds our income.
Our solution?
We are asking you to join the
LIFE PLUS+ Club
Those Members who contribute to the LIFE PLUS+ Club will have their names (only, no amounts will be shown) published in the next CUB.
You can donate as much or as little as you can, and as often as you like.
By donating, you are helping perpetuate the 106th Infantry Division Association.
To those Members who we haven't heard from for a long time -- please take the time to join this exclusive club. Thank you!
Send your contribution, check made payable to 106th Infantry Div. Association, to:
Harry F. Martin Jr.
Treasurer, 106th Infantry Division
121 McGregor Ave., Mount Arlington, NJ 07856
Index for This Document
104th Inf. Div., 10106th Div., 11, 22, 24, 42, 45
106th Inf. Div., 1, 12, 15, 17, 19, 37, 38, 47, 51, 53, 55, 59, 64, 66, 72
106th Inf. Div. Memorial, 38
106th Infantry Division Association, 15, 40
106th Sig. Co., 7
112th Inf. Regt., 53
28th Inf. Div., 10, 47, 53
2nd BN, 424th, 42
30th Inf. Div., 22
3rd Inf. Regt., 53
401st FA BN, 62
422/K, 2, 64
422/M, 70
422nd Inf. Regt., 37
422nd Regt., 38, 44
422nd Regt.al HQ, 38
423rd Regt., 10, 12, 15, 37, 38
424/A, 8, 55, 68, 71
424/C, 55
424/E, 47, 64
424/I, 7, 64
424/L, 1, 2, 13
424th Inf. Regt., 47
424th Regt., 47, 54, 70
589th FA, 12, 24, 43, 62
589th FA BN, 24, 43
590th FA BN, 64
591st FA BN, 64
81st Engr., 9
81st Engr. Cbt. BN, 9, 64
'A Blood Dimmed Tide', 66
Aalsburg, John, 14
Ace, Charlie, 10
Acosti, Trent, 7
Adderbury, England, 42
Albaugh, Wendel, 13
American Cemetery, 45
AmVets Of Indiana, 20
Anderson, Cpl./2nd Squad, 9
Arbeitskommando Slaughterhouse Five, 5
Ardennes, 1, 4, 11, 12, 27, 31
Ardennes Battlefield, 17
Ardennes Forest, 27, 37, 62
Ardennes Offensive, 1
Armgard, Clifford D., 14
Arnold, Gen. Henry H. 'Hap', 42
Astor, Gerald, 66
Austin, Clifford, 62
Austin, Clifford N., 62
Avedisian, K., 14
Avery, Charles W., 62
Avery, Col. Charles W., 62
Avery, Peter W., 62
Bachmurski, Stanley M., 62
Barker, Laura, 70
Barre, Dorothy, 22
Bartusek, Marc, 15
Baseman, Connie Pratt, 51
Battle of the Bulge, 6, 7, 8, 10, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, 27, 42, 43, 47, 53, 55, 57, 62, 65, 66, 68
Beeth, Lyle, 70, 71
Beeth, Ruby 'Marie', 70
Belgium, 11, 17, 21, 25, 29, 37, 39, 47, 57, 62
Bennett, Karrie, 53, 67
Benson, Burton, 13
Berk, Germany, 8
Berlin, 34
Beseler, Don, 8
Beseler, Donald, 13
Black, Ewell, 59
Black, Rev. Ewell C., 3
Blaher, William, 59
Blaher, William S., 13, 59
Bleialf, 37
Bloch, Jacques, 64
Bonahue, Cindy, 70
Bonn, Germany, 43
Books, 12
Bowen, John, 60
Bradley, Chaplain Alford V., 55
Braznik, Louis, 14
Brennan, Tom & Mike & Bob, 66
Brewer, Stephen, 22
Britton, Benjamin, 64
Britton, Mrs., 64
Bromberg, Milt, 60
Brown, Scott, 22
Brumfield, Beverly Dianna, 35
Brumfield, Vernon, 24
Brumfield, Wendell Milton, 35
Brummet, Sgt. Milan, 47
Brunner, Pfc. Lloyd, 8
Brussels, 17
Brussels, Belgium, 37
Buchanan, Richard, 60
Buckman, Clarence L., 15
Bull, Sgt. Joe, 7
Burkes, Frankie, 59
Burns, ?, 8
Byram, Robert, 13
Byrd, Austin, 64
Byrnes, Vincent J., 55
Calabreze, Sgt., 7
Camp Atterbury, 44
Camp Atterbury Photo Album, 19
Camp Lucky Strike, 35, 51
Camp Shelby, Mississippi, 24
Canup, Carl, 59
Carpenter, Deborah, 64
Carpenter, Edgar R., 9, 64
Carpenter, Lt. Ed, 9
Cassidy, Harold F., 45
Chester, Martin[?], 60
Chester, Morris, 60, 61
Christianson, Ed, 1, 59
Christianson, Edward, 3
Churchill, Pvt. Jeep Driver, 9
Clark, Herb, 19
Collins, John W. III, 13
Collins, Michael, 11
Cooley, Donald, 10
Cooley, Mr., 10
Councell, Marbury, 60
Crawford, John, 64
Dachau, 57
Darago, Albert, 60
Darby, Lee, 59
de Marcken, Christian W., 21
DeLaval, Dr., 20
Dimeglio, John P., 64
DiMeglio, Mrs. Viola, 64
Disbon, Sgt./2nd Squad, 9
Dobinski, Tom, 60
Doxsee, Gifford, 5, 44
Doxsee, Gifford B., 14
Dresden, Germany, 5
Edwards, J.D., 55
Elston, Floyd, 59
Elston, Floyd L., 13
Ennal, 21
Everett, Bill, 60
First Army, 25
Ford, William, 22
Forsythe, James, 13
Fort Belvoir, Va., 42
Fort Bragg, N.C., 24
Foster, M/Sgt. Clyde, 7
Fournier, Dave, 61
Fournier, Roger C., 13
Frankfurt Airport, 17
French Croix De Guerre, 7
Ft. Jackson, 15
Fuoco, Karen M. (Byrnes), 55
Fusco, Alfonso (Al ) S., 53
Fusco, Alfonso S., 53
Garn, Jeff, 14
Garner, Jeff, 15
Garnhart, Delmar Paul, 9
Garnhart, James E., 9
Gatens, John, 4, 59
Gaudere, Francis, 22
Gaudere, Francis J., 22
Germany, 9, 32, 35, 38, 43, 44, 45, 57, 65
Gerolstein, 10
Giesler, Carl W., 64
Giesler, Margerie, 64
Gilder, P. P. Robert, 64
Grady, Dan H., 53
Grasso, Salvatore, 15
Grasso, Sgt., 53
Greves, Walter, 10
Guilhou, Christophe, 21, 22
Gustin, Marcel, 13
Halle, 34
Harbert, Rich, 45
Head, Betsy, 65
Head, Donald, 65
Head, Thomas, 65
Heffner, Stephen L., Jr., 60
Henri-Chapelle, 45
Herndon, 1st Lt., 57
Herndon, Donald F., 2
Higgins, Patricia, 65
Hill 576, 37
Himberg, Robert, 14
Hirsch, Rudolph, 13
Hirsch, Rudy, 7
Hirst, Robert, 66
Hitler's Eagle'S Nest, 57
Hodges, Gen. Courtney, 25
Hoff, Tom, 2, 18
Honan, George, 66
Honan, John & Sarah, 66
Honan, John J., 66
Honan, John M., 66
Honan, Maureen, 66
Honan, Michael (Debbie), 66
Honan, Patricia (Nee Brennan), 66
Honan, Patricia Burke, 66
Honan, Terrance (Marge), 66
Hosier, Pvt./1st Squad, 9
Howe, Marianne, 68
Howell, Bob, 4
Hubbard, Arthur, 22
Hubert, Andre', 13
Hunter, Teresa, 60
Japp, S/Sgt. George, 9
Johnson, Kenneth, 11
Judge, John, 22
Kady, Charles, 22
Kapsalis, Thomas H., 13
Keech, Ann Marie, 63
Kegerice, Sgt./1st Squad, 9
Kegerreis, Raymond, Jr., 13
Kelly, C.J., 11, 18
Kelly, Col., 27
Kiendl, Gregory, 66
Kiendl, Lt., 66
Kiendl, Ted, 66
Kiendl, Theodore, Jr., 66
King, Martin, 11, 12
Kingery, Hugh, 66
Kingery, James, 66
Kingery, Ken, 66
Kingery, Michael, 67
Kingery, Nina Hamilton, 66, 67
Kline, John, 65
Kommando, 62
Kondratiuk, Gen. Leonid, 22
Koukol, John, 45
Kreckler, John, 22
Landry, Joe, 22
Lang, E. Russell, 70
Lang, Lillian, 70
Lang, Russ, 70
Lang, Russell, 70
Lang, Ryan & Chris, 70
Lapp, Royce E., 13
Laval, 20
Le Havre, France, 42
LeBlanc, Alfred, 53
Leblanc, Alfred J., 53, 67
LeHarve, 62
Leipzig, 10, 34, 35
Leipzig, Germany, 32
LeMasters, Sgt., 24, 25
Levin, Mike, 60
Lichtenfeld, Sy, 1, 4, 6
Liege, Belgium, 45
Limburg, 47, 49
Limburg, Germany, 47
Liverpool, 42
Logbierme, Belgium, 21
Lopotko, Rita, 68
Lorient, 7
Loynes, Martha J., 9, 64
Luckenwalde, 55
Luxembourg, 17, 21, 25, 45, 57
Mahonacheck, Sgt. Pete, 8
Malavazos, Conrad, 62
Malone, Ed, 24, 25
Marsh, Lori, 60
Martin, Harry, 62, 64
Martin, Harry F., Jr., 1, 3, 13, 16, 72
Martin, Harry, Jr., 59
Martin, John B., 53
Martin, Mrs. Pearl, 53
Mauldin, Bill, 40
Mayrsohn, Bernard, 2
McGovern, James P., 22
McWhorter, William, 2, 3, 7, 18, 51
McWhorter, William A., 18
Mercer, Bill, 60
Metz, 22
Milspec Tours, 17
Monowai, 42
Montiverdi, Sgt. F., 53
Muchanus, ?, 8
Muhlberg, 32
Muhlburg, Germany, 68
Mulberg, 70
Mullauer, Bob, 60
Munich, 57
'My War', 12
Naumann, Donald W., 67
Naumann, Tamara, 67
Nelson, Dr. Ralph, 3
Nelson, Ralph, 19
New Brandenburg, 51
Nielsen, Elizabeth, 69
Nielsen, Elizabeth (Wandell), 69
Normandy, 25, 57
North Africa, 10
Nurburgring, 7
O'Brian, Charles H., 55
O'Brien, Michael, 22
Order Of The Golden Lion, 12, 15
Pachmayer, Albert, 9
Paquette, Wilbert, 9
Paris, 27, 57
Paris, Dee, 60
Paris, France, 22, 45
Parker, Newt, 59
Parkinson, Francis 'Kelly' Xavier, 68
Parkinson, Francis Xavier, 68
Parkinson, Mary Irene Reihl, 68
Parkinson, Pauline, 68
Parkinson, William J., 68
Patton, Colmer, 55
Patton, Gen. George S., 40
Patton, Pvt., 55
Peck, Rev. Davis, 60
Perrin, Gen., 19
Perryman, Everett Firth, 55
Phillips, Ltc. Shawn A., 12
Photos, 37
Plumly, Francis L., 13
Poland, 49, 62
Popper, Judy, 64
Pratt, Lt. Gerald, 51
Prisoner Of War, 15, 31
Prum, Germany, 37
Purple Heart, 15, 45, 68
Queen Mary, 42
Rain, Jack 'Dew Drop', 43
Rain, John, 43
Rain, John C., 43
Ranney, Dr. Brooks, 57
Ranney, Vi, 57
'Red Legs of the Bulge', 11
Reece, Raymond F., Jr., 55
Regier, Donald, 13
Remagen Bridge, 57
Ressa, Betsy, 65
Reunions, 60
Rhine River, 8, 43
Rhinebrick, Cpl., 27
Richter, Ralph, 59
Rifleman, 1st Sgt. Wallace, 8
Rigatti, Mark J., 15
Rigatti, Richard L., 15
Robb, Dr. John G., 2
Robb, John, 67
Roberts, Jack, 40
Roberts, John M., 2
Roberts, John M. 'Jack', 40
Rockwell, Capt., 27
Ross, Archie, 55
Rouen, France, 25, 51
Rusz, Helen, 22
Sadacca, Joseph, 60, 61
Sarkosy, Nicolas, 22
Schaffner, John, 2, 3, 4, 12, 13, 17, 60
Schaffner, John R., 11, 60, 66
Schaffner, Mr., 12
Scheutz, Ken, 59
Schiro, Bobbie, 49
Schiro, Carla, 49
Schiro, Frank, 47, 51
Schiro, Frank J., 47
Schiro, Jodey, 49
Schiro, Joe, 47
Schiro, Karen, 49
Schiro, Kathy, 49
Schiro, Marie & Frank, 49
Schiro, T/Sgt. Frank J., 47
Schlausenbach, 38
Schlehuber, Howard, 9
Schoenberg, 37
Schrom, Irving, 13
Schuetz, Kenneth, 13
Seine River, 25
Shaver, Robert, 70
Shaver, Robert M., 70
Sheaner, Herb, 1, 4, 6, 13, 37, 44
Sheaner, Herb 'Mike', 37
Sheaner, Herbert 'Mike', 1, 2
Shearin, Hugh G., 68
Siegfried Line, 21, 27, 38
Simone, Daniel A., 14
Skyline Drive, 37
Slaughterhouse Five, 5
Smallwood, Fredrick, 12
Smith, Kenneth M., 68
Snyder, Walter M., 66
Southampton, 25
Spineu, 21
St. Vith, 12, 19, 20, 21, 27, 29, 55
St. Vith, Belgium, 42, 47
Stahl, William 'Bill', 2
Stalag 4-B, 10, 68
Stalag IV-B, 32, 70
Stargarten, 49
Starmack, John, 15
Stars and Stripes, 40
Stavelot, 57
Steen, Earl, 53
Steen, Ronald, 15, 53
Stein, Barbara, 6
Stein, Greg, 6
Stein, Lauren, 6
Stein, Murray, 1, 4, 6, 7, 40, 64, 65, 66, 68, 69, 70
Stein, Sabrina, 6
Stephenson, Helen, 68
Stephenson, William J., 68
Steward, John, 14
Steward, William, 13
Stiarretta, Michael, 60
Stinchcomb, Mick, 60
Stokes, Dwight T., 68
Sulser, Jack, 13
Sussman, Al, 59
Szpek, Ervin, Jr., 5
Tate, Coy, 13
Taylor, James 'JT', 11
'The Battle For Snow Mountain', 22, 23
The Last Inf. Div., 11
'The Lion's Path', 18
Thompson, 1st Lt. Arthur, 7
Thompson, Neil, 60
Tiebax, Ed & Anita, 45
Tobruk, 10
Tomaszewski, Joan (George), 66
Trautman, Frank, 2, 3, 69
Trautman, Frank S., 2, 44, 70
Valley Forge Military Academy, 12
Vandermast, Mary, 14
Veilslam, 19
Viasek, Patricia (Michael), 66
'Voices of the Bulge', 11, 12
Von Rundstedt, Gen., 27
Wagner, Harry H., 68
Wagner, Mary (Gary), 66
Wagner, Phyllis, 68
Wakefield, 25
Wandell, Amber, 69
Wandell, Roy J., 69
Wandell, Roy Richard, 69
Wandell, Roy W., 68
Wandell, Vera Ellen, 69
Weiner, Adam, 15
Weiner, Bella, 60
Weiner, Bernard, 15
Weiner, Bernie, 60
Weiner, Milton, 13, 60, 61
Weingarten, Jack C., 13
Weiss, Newton, 2
Weiss, Newton W., 1
Weiss, Susan, 2, 18, 51, 71
Welch, Maj., 57
Wenc, Chester, 21, 22
Wenc, Janice, 22
West, Jim, 17, 19, 20, 42, 45, 51, 66, 67, 70
Westfall, Cecil, 42
Westfall, David, 43
Westfall, Marion, 43
Wheeler, Ashley, 53
Willoughby, Eleanor, 35
Wood, Lt. Eric F., 12
Wood, Randall, 1
Wood, Randall M., 2
Wood, Wilma, 14
Woolson, Richard, 22
Worthington, John III, 60
Wouters, Carl, 1, 2, 37, 38
Young, Donald, 14, 22, 23
Yurco, Joseph & Amalia Bucenec, 70
Yurco, Lillian Evelyn, 70
Ziegler, Carol (John), 66
Zilch, Sgt., 55
Zittau, Germany, 62
Zordell, Catherine, 70
Zordell, G. Jean, 70
Zordell, Jack W., 70