Index for this issue of The CUB
Original Cub Document

Uploaded: 24-Nov-2022

Our Everlasting Gratitude
    In response to being awarded the Order of the Golden Lion, Carl Wouters, the 106th Infantry Division Association's Belgium Liaison has written a very special letter to the entire 106th Inf. Div. Association.

    PHOTO: Young Raphaël Monfort at the Flag of Friendship ceremony who placed the flowers for CRIBA at the Division memorial in St. Vith.

    This prestigious award of the Order of the Golden Lion and the legacy that comes with it greatly encourages us to continue to perpetuate the history of the 106th Infantry Division here in Europe. Yet, what we do to remember the sacrifices made during the winter of 1944–1945 are just small ways of expressing our gratitude towards the men and women of the Greatest Generation, to whom we are indebted so much.
We owe the veterans of the Division our everlasting gratitude.

See additional photos and story on pages 22 and 23.


A tri-annual publication of the 106th Infantry Division Association, Inc.

Total Membership as of March 15, 2017 – 1,074
Membership includes CUB magazine subscription
Annual Dues are no longer mandatory: Donations Accepted
Payable to "106th Infantry Division Association" and mailed to the Treasurer -- See address below

Elected Offices
President Leon Goldberg (422/D)
Past-President (Ex-Officio) .Brian Welke (Associate Member)
1st Vice-President Wayne Dunn (Associate Member)
2nd Vice-President .Robert Schaffner (Associate Member)
    Adjutant: Randall M. Wood (Associate member) 810 Cramertown Loop, Martinsville, IN 46151, woodchuck01@sbcglobal.net, 765-346-0690

Business Matters, Deaths, Address changes to:
Membership: Jacquelyn Coy 121 McGregor Ave., Mt. Arlington, NJ 07856 membership@106thinfdivassn.org 973-663-2410

Donations, checks to:
Treasurer: Mike Sheaner
PO Box 140535, Dallas TX 75214, sheaner1@airmail.net, 214-823-3004

Memorial Chair: Dr. John G. Robb (422/D)
238 Devore Dr., Meadville, PA 16355
jrobb238@hotmail.com
814-333-6364

Chaplain: Vincent J. Charron
vincent@tcmleadershipgroup.net

106th ID Assn's Belgium Liaison: Carl Wouters
Waterkant 17 Bus 32, B-2840 Terhagen, Belgium
carl_wouters@hotmail.com
cell: +(32) 47 924 7789

106th Assoc. Website Webmaster: Wayne G. Dunn
620 Coachmans Way, Parkton, MD 21120
Host106th@106thInfDivAssn.org
410-409-1141

Committee Chairs:
Atterbury Memorial Representative Jim West
Historian John Schaffner/William McWhorter
Membership Chair Jacquelyn Coy
Mini-Reunions Wayne Dunn
Nominating Committee Chair Brian Welke
Order of the Golden Lion Carol Falkner/Beth Garrison/ John Schaffner
Public Relations Chair Wayne Dunn
Resolutions Chair Bernard Mayrsohn
Reunion Co-chairs Randy Wood, Brian Welke
CUB Editor: William McWhorter, 200 Morrell, Kyle, Texas 78640 williammcwhorter17@gmail.com 512-970-5637

CUB Publisher: Susan Weiss, 9 Cypress Point Ct, Blackwood, NJ 08012 CUBPublisher@106thInfDivAssn.org 856-415-2211

Board of Directors (all positions held through 2016)
Jacquelyn Coy, Membership (Associate member) jsc164@aol.com
121 McGregor Ave., Mt. Arlington, NJ 07856 973-663-2410

Wayne G. Dunn (Associate member) Host106th@106thInfDivAssn.org 620 Coachmans Way, Parkton, MD 21120 410-409-1141

Joe Gardner (Associate member) K7Ci@hotmail.com 315 Ridgewood Drive, New Paris, PA 15554 814-839-2473

Leon Goldberg (422/D) Lgoldberg-cpa@comcast.net 307 Penbree Terrace, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004-2333 610-667-5115

Donald F. Herndon (424/L) oklastamps@aol.com 8313 NW 102, Oklahoma City, OK 73162-4026 405-721-9164

    Henry LeClair (Associate member)(father:422/G) henryleclair13@gmail.com 209 Range Road, Windham, NH 03087 603-401-3723

Sy Lichtenfeld (422/I) [Past President] slich44@gmail.com 901 Somerby Dr., Apt 334, Mobile, AL 36695 251-639-4002

    Bernard Mayrsohn (423/CN) [Past President] website: www.mayrsohn.com ethelbarn@aol.com 34 Brae Burn Dr., Purchase, NY 10577-1004 914-946-2908

    Kris Rice (Associate member) krazyrice@comcast.net 23109 Glenbrook Street, St. Clair Shores, MI 48082-2194 586-206-0018

    John M. Roberts (592/C) [Past President] jmr81024@aol.com 1059 Alter Rd., Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304-1401 248-338-2667

Dr. John G. Robb (422/D) jrobb238@hotmail.com 238 Devore Dr., Meadville, PA 16355 814-333-6364

    John Schaffner (589/A) [Past President] pumexim2@verizon.net 1811 Miller Rd., Cockeysville, MD 21030-1013 410-584-2754

Robert Schaffner (Associate member) rschaffner@verizon.net 706 Morris Ave., Lutherville, MD 21093 410-773-4297

    Herbert "Mike" Sheaner (422/G) [Past President] herbsheaner@SBCGlobal.net PO Box 140535, Dallas, Texas 75214 214-823-3003

Mike Sheaner, Treasurer (Associate member) sheaner1@airmail.net PO Box 140535, Dallas TX 75214 214-823-3004

Jeanne M. Walker (Associate member) jeanne16jr@hotmail.com 22 Woodbine Rd., Marshfield, MA 02050-3632 781-837-8166

Newton Weiss (423/HQ 3Bn) [Past President] newtruth@comcast.net
311 Route 73, Apt. 245, Voorhees, NJ 08043 856-210-6696

    Brian Welke (Associate member) [Past President] brian423rd@gmail.com 1821 Morris Street, Eustis, FL 32726-6401 352-408-5671

Janet Wood (Associate member) KipKai2000@yahoo.com 308 Camden Cove Circle, Calera, AL 35040 205-910-0542

    Randall M. Wood (Associate member) [Past President] woodchuck01@sbcglobal.net 810 Cramertown Loop, Martinsville, IN 46151 765-346-0690


Greetings to all Veterans and Associates of the 106th, families and friends,

    I hope you are all enjoying good health and are planning to attend our coming reunion in Orlando. I am looking forward with great anticipation to gathering together and sharing new and old stories.
    I am having mixed feelings, however, about the tone of the politics of our nation. The anger and disrespect felt for one another, the absence of open and honest discussions about the serious issues we face, the increase in the feelings of despair in large portions of our country and the condition of our aging infrastructure (no, I'm not talking about us and our bodies) are all in need of help that is lacking, to the detriment of all Americans.
    We have had major disagreements in the past, with different attitudes and perceptions, but we have somehow gotten through them and come together again. I don't remember a time, though, when we were faced with such a rapid pace of major domestic concerns perceived so differently by different portions of our citizens at a time when our world was facing the international threat of nuclear war instigated by a nation as capable of launching the first attack as North Korea may be.


PHOTO: Leon Goldberg (422/D)
106th Infantry Division Association President 2016–2017
307 Penbree Terrace Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004-2333
610-667-5115
lgoldberg-cpa@comcast.net

    I believe that we who have experienced the pain and tragedy of war together should be able to discuss all these issues in an open and civil way and I propose that we set some time aside in Orlando for such discussions. The futures of our children and grandchildren's lives, and of our beloved country, depend on people like us paving the way to resolving some of these problems.
    Despite my concerns, I do believe that somehow as Americans we will be able to reach out to one another and come to better terms, as we always have in the past. For right now, it is a time for prayer.
I look forward to seeing you in Orlando.
My best wishes to all.


71st Reunion News!
    To let everyone know, this year's Reunion event has been organized by a committee of 106th Association members headed by Adjutant Randy Wood and co-chaired by Brian Welke. They have put together a great package of activities and plenty of time to gather and visit with old friends. So get your forms from the inside of this CUB and mail them in today!
    If you need additional information or forms for family members, contact: Mike Sheaner, Treasurer at sheaner1@airmail.net or call Wayne Dunn at 410-409-1141 or visit the association's website at
www.106thInfDivAssn.org


If you haven't done it yet --
Make your plans NOW!!
    to join us for the 71st Annual Reunion of the 106th Infantry Division Association at the Park Inn Hotel – Orlando, FL from September 13 to 17, 2017
    Contact Mike Sheaner, Treasurer at sheaner1@airmail.net for additional registration forms and paperwork or call Wayne Dunn at 410-409-1141 if you have any questions.
For additional information about the reunion visit: www.106thInfDivAssn.org


Perspective
What is your perspective in life?
    How do you see life? Is it a rollercoaster of trials and tribulations peppered with blessings or is everyday a gift which comes with challenges that help us improve our self-worth and character? Every perspective has two sides; Side one is how an individual views his/her own life, side two is how an individual portrays life to others.
    When you hold a poor perspective on life you will lose hope of doing better for yourself. A great artist was once asked, "What is the best picture you've ever painted?" "The next one," he replied confidently. Even though as an artist he might have had many failed attempts or paintings gone wrong his perspective was one of, "My next painting is going to be the best." When we hold onto a healthy perspective for our own lives it gives us hope and in turn allows us to give hope to others.
    Consider the following story. "Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man could sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to receive his daily medical treatment. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, and where they had been on vacation.
    Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by the description of activity and color of the world outside.
    The window overlooked a park with a beautiful lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers held hands and walked amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man described his view from the window in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
    One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing through the park. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see the parade in his mind's eye, as the gentleman by the window developed a detailed picture with his descriptive words.
    One morning, the nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.
She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
    As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
    Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. To his surprise the window faced a brick wall.
    The man called for the nurse and asked what could have compelled his deceased roommate to describe such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you." -- (Author Unknown)
    The blind man's perspective helped to encourage his roommate and thereby providing him with hope. As human nature would have it, that man's life has been significantly impacted in a positive manner and therefore will in some way pass on the power of maintaining a positive perspective in life.
What's your perspective of life and who is feeding off that perspective?

Be Blessed


Vincent Charron
(PFC Nelson Charron 422/D)
Chaplain
Senior Pastor, Grace Covenant Church Ogdensburg, NY
Twitter-@vjcharron Facebook/VJCharron vincent@tcmleadershipgroup.net



Shadows of Slaughterhouse Five
From Ervin Szpek Jr., Non-Veteran Member
    Ervin Szpek Jr. (Associate 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 2016 and with appreciation for your efforts –– thank you.


    Our 2017 Reunion planning is well underway. We have attempted to put tours and activities together that will highlight the Orlando/Kissimmee, Florida area as well as allowing you to rekindle friendships with members of the 106th Division from years past.
    The veterans of the Division made a change in recent years that passed the responsibility for the organization on to you, the 2nd and 3rd generation. As John Schaffner wrote recently: "When you wish to visit the area where the Battle of the Bulge was fought, there is a multitude of residents living in the area of the battle that will jump at the chance to assist your every need while visiting the area. They will drive you around, they will feed you, they will even put you up in their homes." I know, my wife and I have experienced it. The majority of those assisting these visitors are 2nd and 3rd generation decedents of those who were liberated by our veteran's actions. They have the desire to perpetuate the history and the gratitude for the efforts of our veterans and all the veterans who fought in the battle removing the Nazi regime from their borders. As Marcel once told me, "We love Americans, if it were not for the Americans, we would not be here."
    Our 2nd and 3rd generation must do the same -- never let the memory and the honor of our veterans fade. We must tell their story and celebrate their military exploits, friendships and their lives. One way you can do just that is to get involved, bring your veteran to the reunion September 13-17, 2017 and be a part of the festivities. If we don't do it, nobody will. Please come join us.


Randall M. Wood (Associate member) 810 Cramertown Loop
Martinsville, IN 46151
765-346-0690
woodchuck01@sbcglobal.net


    Last year we met in conjunction with the 104th Division and it was a delightful experience. This year we are inviting all of the veterans and their families that fought in the Battle of the Bulge whether they were from the 106th Division or not. Veteran of the Battle of the Bulge (VBOB) Murray Stein was a coordinator for the former POWs from his home town, was a member of the VBOB groups in Florida and was our link to those groups. He invited them to join us and they expressed excitement about the chance to come. Since Murray's untimely death, we need you to continue the invitation. The registration forms for this year's reunion are in this CUB. Please share it with those that might want to participate.
    We purposely scheduled this reunion in Florida near Disney World, Universal Studios and other great family attractions to promote family participation. (2nd and 3rd generations) There is a Shades of Green Hotel near Disney where Active and Retired Military personnel can purchase deeply discounted ticket for the attractions.
Come and take advantage of the hospitality of the region.
    Our reunion will be at the PARK INN by Radisson, located in Kissimmee Florida, just outside Orlando, on September 13-17, 2017. Wednesday the 13th is the Board meeting to discuss association business and the direction we should take in the coming year. That meeting is followed by a Get-Together Reception in our hospitality room with light snacks and beverages. Thursday, we have a tour to visit the Warbirds at the Kissimmee Air Museum and then on to the Museum of Military History with lunch in between on your own. This tour is included in the reunion package and all registered guests are invited to attend at no additional cost. On Friday, we will be celebrating our Memorial Service honoring all from our Division who have passed away. At noon on Friday, we will have our Business Luncheon meeting. Later that day, we have the opportunity to attend the Dinner Show at CAPONE'S. They have an all-you- can-eat buffet including dessert and drinks. It is a family-friendly show that will be great fun. On Saturday after breakfast, we get to do something very unique. Our tour is to the Chocolate Kingdom where you will see and taste chocolate from the cocoa bean to the finished product. You will get to make and or decorate a chocolate treat and even taste Chocolate Wine if you wish. Saturday evening is our Banquet with a guest speaker and the honoring of the newest addition to the Golden Lion. Did I mention, we have a breakfast buffet daily included at no additional charge?
    Please take the registration form from the center of this CUB, fill it out, mail it in and begin to plan for this great reunion and how your 2nd and 3rd generation can get involved.
Remember, for us to continue, we need you to participate. Bring your family and celebrate the life of your veteran.


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.


    Time marches on and another year is relegated to the dusty archives of history. I am happy to be able to say, "So far, so good." While many social organizations founded on
    WW II events and activities, division, ship, regiment, wing and other types of unit associations are rapidly becoming things of the past, I know that ours is looking towards the future. The reason is obvious, we have the next generation interested in our past and what my generation thought to be important is also important to them. Patriotism is the rock that we all stand on. It is our United States of America that is of prime importance. At times we are faced with apathy and disregard by citizens who "want it all" but are not aware that those who went before have already paid their dues for them. They are the "ME" generation.
"WE" will carry them along with us.
    It is certain in my mind that many of those who were involved in the Battle of the Bulge wanted nothing more to do with war, and even Europe in general, once it was over and they were home. I was one. This reaction must have been prevalent, since the years from 1945 and into the '90s those men I knew were content to never talk about their experience. But then came the reckoning for me. I returned to the scene of the action in 1992, places that I had left devastated by the war as it moved through, cities and towns totally destroyed. It had all changed from what I remembered. There stood lovely houses with neat window boxes overflowing with flowers. Streets were clean and open to travelers. But the people, ah, the people, that is what impressed me the most. Once the people discovered we were American and had been there fighting in 1944–45 to drive the Nazis out and had restored their freedom it was, "game over," as the younger generation says. I saw the results of the reconstruction of the fought over countries. I felt the sincere friendship that existed between us. It was, and is, a bond that will be broken only in death. Today the population of those areas dominated by Nazi cruelty not only remember, they are insuring that succeeding generations will not forget who they are indebted to for the freedom they enjoy today. There seems to be a resurgence of interest in World War II in general here in the United States as well. When one searches the book sellers he can find books on every phase of World War II, no matter where his interest lies; ships, planes, vehicles, destruction, restoration, medical, engineering or baking biscuits. It is obvious that peace throughout the world cannot be achieved, so, the U.S.A. must stand strong and ready to repel any attacker.
    During the last decade, I have discovered that there are many organizations in Europe, and especially those places where World War II was fought, that are vitally interested in preserving the history of the wars of the 20th Century. I am just one of many American veterans sought out and interviewed by young people from the war-torn nations who are now seeking information, not only for themselves but, for groups of re-enactors, students of journalism, and those establishing museums containing the myriad of left-over instruments of war. If you are invited to participate in preserving your own personal history these researchers want to interview you. You will do well to contribute your piece of history.
Old Italian proverb:
After the game the King and the pawn go in the same box.

John R. Schaffner 589/A, Historian, Past President 2002-2003 1811 Miller Road, Cockeysville, MD 21030
410-584-2754, pumexim2@verizon.net

"I Was No Hero in the Battle of the Bulge"
One Step to Hell: Letters From
My Father Telling Me I Was Too Weak & Too Frail to Face the Enemy
A new book by Harry F. Martin, Jr.
    This is the story of Harry F. Martin, Jr., in L Co 424th Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division who fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.
    In his own words: "We were going to a quiet sector on the front lines. This was an area where combat troops were sent to rest and green troops like us were sent to gradually break in. The Germans did the same thing in this sector. The Americans had gone into combat at the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944 and fought their way just inside Germany, securing a foothold in the Siegfried Line in the Ardennes."
Find it at: createspace.com/6329426
List Price: $10.95



Make checks payable to "106th Infantry Division Association" and mail them to the Treasurer:


Mike Sheaner, Treasurer
PO Box 140535
Dallas TX 75214 sheaner1@airmail.net 214-823-3004

Please report all changes of address and deaths to the
Association Membership Chair:


Jacquelyn S. Coy, Membership
121 McGregor Ave.
Mt. Arlington, NJ 07856 membership@106thinfdivassn.org 973-663-2410


106th Challenge Coin -- Have You Gotten Yours Yet?
    You can read more about it and see a color image of the coin on the association's website at www.106thInfDivAssn.org The coins cost $10 each, plus postage.
    Adjutant Randall Wood is the contact person for the purchase of the coins and you may order them at any time. They will be sent directly to you when the payment is received.
Any questions or orders may be emailed to Randy: woodchuck01@sbcglobal.net
or call 765-346-0690.


"We were once Brothers…" and will remain so forever.
    Once, brother carried brother through the trials of training at Camp Atterbury and endured in battle on the Schnee-Eifel of Belgium and Germany. Support the 106th Infantry Division Association by making a Memorial or Honorary contribution in the name of your brother, friend, father or spouse.
    New membership applications are available for everyone in your family. Membership is only $25 and is open to all veterans and people (of every generation) and comes with full voting privileges. We encourage all family members to join to help honor our veterans and continue the legacy of the 106th.
    Contact: Membership Chair, Jacquelyn S. Coy, membership@106thinfdivassn.org or Treasurer, Mike Sheaner, sheaner1@airmail.net.


Memorial, Honorary and Contributions of All Kinds are Essential for Keeping this Organization Going
    A suggested annual donation of $25 to help underwrite the cost to publish and mail The CUB through the "Last Man Standing" and beyond is appreciated. The Association exists on donations from its members and interested individuals. Your gifts are essential to maintaining The CUB magazine in its current format with high-quality content and tri-annual delivery. The cost of printing and mailing each edition of The CUB exceeds our current level of giving. Therefore, we encourage all readers to make an annual contribution, as you are able, to help defray the cost of printing and mailing.
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 from whom we haven't heard 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:
Mike Sheaner
Treasurer, 106th Infantry Division, PO Box 140535, Dallas, TX 75214


Treasurer's Report:
October 1, 2016 – February 28, 2017

Beginning Balance:
 $13,859.87

 Money In:
 $3,745.54

 Money Out:
 $2,880.47

 Difference:
 $865.06

 Ending Balance:
 $14,724.93



Association Membership As of March 15, 2017

Total Membership
 1,074

 Membership Veterans
 608

 Associate Membership
 466


LIFE PLUS and REGULAR DONATIONS:

James P. Adsit 422/D
Clifford D. Armgard 422/HQ
Louise Awalt Associate Member
Marc A. Bartusek Associate Member
Harry H. Bell, Jr. 422/F
Willis Bouma 422/D
Xavier Bryche Associate Member
Frank W. Chirumbole 423/D
Frank J. Grasberger 424/G
Lester A. Helmich 424/HQ
Kathryn M. Howard Associate Member
Dr. Vance S. Jennings Signal Corp
William T. "Chub" Jones Div.HQ A-G Section

Beatrice F. Keeber Associate Member
Stanley Kurek 423/F
Elvira Lannuzzi Associate Member
Michael W. Liskiewicz Recon
Bernard Mayrsohn 423/CN
Dr. Ralph J. Nelson 422/CN
John P. O'Meara 424/3BN/HQ
Robert E. Pope 590 FA/A
Glynn Raby 424/1BN/HQ
Robert G. Rhodes Associate Member
John Schaffner 589/FA
Fred A. Sebastinelli Div. HQ/AG Postal
Calvin W. Shifley Recon
Carol Starmack Associate Member

NEW MEMBERS:
Albert (Al) B. Bell Associate Member
Diane Husk Associate Member
John P. O'Meara 424/3BN/HQ



Diane Pearson Associate Member
John Vallely Associate Member


HONORARY DONATIONS:
In honor of my dad, S/Sgt Thomas B. Bell, 423/B
Given by Albert (Al) B. Bell


MEMORIAL DONATIONS:
    In the memory of Niles Dedrick Maroney, 423/L. We thank him for his service to our great country. Given by USAFCA Detachment 15 in honor of Niles Maroney's son, Michael Maroney, who served 31 years in the Army and retired as Chief Warrant Officer 5.
Given by USAFCA Detachment 15

In memory of my husband, M/Sgt John Mikalauskis, 424/H, who served in WWII Battle of the Bulge and Korea War.
Given by Dolores Mikalauskis

In honor of Murray Stein, 423/I Given by Carl & Sofie Wouters in Belgium


Returned Issues of the Latest CUB of the Golden Lion
    Membership Chair Jacquelyn Coy asks that the following names (and partial addresses) be listed in this issue of The CUB in hopes that anyone reading this issue might know the people listed and can get word to them that their address listed with the Association is incorrect or out-dated. If you know anyone on this list (or if you know they are deceased) and can get word to them, please ask them to contact Jacquelyn directly at the address listed on the inside cover of this issue with an updated mailing address. Thank you.

Donald L. Vogelsong, Brevard, NC
James B. Thomas, Henderson, KY

Betty L. Wassgren, Half Moon Bay, CA
Frederic P. Smoler, New York, NY

    "I am grateful to Don Prell, 422/AT, who, in the process of trying to organize a mini-reunion in Southern California, was able to find many lost people -- some living and some dead."

Rick Barrow
Herb Eidelman



    PLEASE NOTE: Membership Chair Jacquelyn Coy is working to update the Association's roster with veterans and their units. If you use email, please
    email her directly at membership@106thinfdivassn.org. In your message, please let Jacquelyn know your name and 106th Infantry Division unit. Thank you.
    Ms. Coy would like to acknowledge Rick Barrow (Associate member), who has been researching names for her, as well as Herb Eidelman (424/SV) for his continued assistance. Ms. Coy asks, "If anyone else wants to join in, it would be most helpful."
    To the widows of Golden Lions, if you would wish to continue to receive The CUB after the passing of your husband please let Membership Chair Jacquelyn Coy know. Her contact information is located above, in this box.
    CUB Staff occasionally receive requests to stop the mailing of their issue of The CUB. If you no longer want an issue to be mailed to you, please contact Jackie Coy, Membership Chair.

Please Let us Know Your Preferences!
    To reduce the cost of communicating with members, we would like to take advantage of using email delivery whenever possible. General correspondence (i.e. annual reunion paperwork) and sending The CUB as a PDF, or link to the website, are two examples where an impact can be made. In addition, we would like to gather your email address. Please respond to the following:
Preferred delivery method for general correspondence: MAIL or Email
Preferred delivery method for The CUB: MAIL or Email
Email address:

You can let us know your preference by emailing:
membership@106thinfdivassn.org

Robert E. Humphrey



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

Just a reminder . . .

    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.

    If you have pictures, an article, or some other form of information you would like included in a future issue of The CUB, the due dates are as follows:
May 1, 2017 -- mail date July 1, 2017
October 1, 2017 -- mail date November 30, 2017 (to include reunion photos and remembrances)
January 1, 2018 -- mail date March 30, 2018 (issue will include reunion paperwork)
Articles and pictures can be mailed or emailed to:

CUB Editor: William McWhorter 200 Morrell, Kyle, TX 78640, 512-970-5637
williammcwhorter17@gmail.com

CUB Publisher: Susan Weiss 9 Cypress Point Court Blackwood, NJ 08012
856-415-2211
CUBPublisher@106thInfDivAssn.org


Visit the 106th Association's Website!
By Wayne Dunn

    To complement the wonderful websites that are already out on the Internet, including our own members Jim West (www.IndianaMilitary.org) and Carl Wouters (www.106thinfantry. webs.com), the association has launched our own website at www.106thInfDivAssn.org.
    This is where you can find: info on upcoming events; copies of the member- ship application for your family to join; the complete latest issue plus additional photos and articles from The CUB.

Also look for our Facebook page at Facebook.com/106thInfDivAssn.
    This is where you can find up- to-the-minute information and where you can connect with friends and make plans for the next reunion.
    If you have any additional reunion photos or information that you would like to see on the website or Facebook page, please contact the Webmaster, Wayne Dunn at Host106th@106thInfDivAssn.org
or 410-409-1141.


Jim West and the
www.IndianaMilitary.org Website
    Associate member, Jim West (OGL-Officers, 2004) has created an excellent website at http://www.indianamilitary.org. It is hoped that this website will increase awareness of the 106th Infantry Division Association and perhaps our membership. The site has had 1,708,009 visitors to date. It is rated as the largest private site in Indiana at more than 50 gigabytes of unaltered history and is the largest depository of local historical photos. Check it out at your earliest convenience.
    In addition to a very large section devoted to the 106th Division, it also contains information on Camp Atterbury (Indiana) and all the divisions that trained here in World War II and Korea.
    They include the 28th, 30th, 31st, 83rd and 92nd Infantry Divisions, plus Fort Benjamin Harrison, Freeman AAF, Atterbury/ Bakalar AFB, the German and Italian POWs held at Camp Atterbury and Wakeman General Hospital. There is also a section for the several German Prisoner of War camps where some 106th members were held. There are dozens of 106th diaries and personal remembrances. The directlink to the 106th web is http://tinyurl.com/ IMO-106th
    The 106th Roster at http://tinyurl.com/106th-Roster now contains information on 17,792 Veterans with 555 individual photos. If you visit the website, listed above, and a photo is not shown for an individual and the family has one available, all they need do is email a scan of him to Jim West.
    All 106th General Orders have been reviewed and all the information has been added to the Roster. These General Orders allowed for the addition of 513 previously unknown names to be added and a huge amount of service numbers and other data were added. All the original General Orders are available for viewing on the website. These were made possible by a friend, John Bowen, of the 31st Division Association (Camp Atterbury, Korean War).
    Every available issue of the 106th CUBs are available on the site, in addition to the Camp Atterbury Camp Crier, published when the 106th was there. Find the Camp Crier under the section for Camp Atterbury. You can email Jim at 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.


Support the Association -- and Get a Great Book!
    A new book on the 106th Infantry Division was recently published and will be available Memorial Day. Association Historian John Schaffner reports that the authors, Martin King, Ken Johnson and Mike Collins have decided that partial proceeds will be contributed to the 106th Association. Schaffner goes on to state, "I am really pumped up. I hope that everybody else is too. I have worked on the first draft and only regret that it doesn't include every vet who served in the division."
Authors, King and Johnson state, "…
    the publisher Casemate is the world's leading military publisher and they are anticipating the release of this volume to such an extent that it is already appearing on websites. This will be augmented by such major players as Barnes and Noble and Walmart and many, many others over the coming months."
Find the book at the following:
http://www.casematepublishing.co.uk/index.php/distributed-publishers/ casemate/warriors-of-the-106.html
https://www.amazon.com/Warriors-106th-Last-Infantry-Division/ dp/161200458X



A Golden Lion Shares
by John O'Meara
    John O'Meara recently joined the 106th Infantry Division Association as a Life Member, and when doing so he shared the following story from the Battle of the Bulge.
    Gifford Doxsee and I were together when our train was bombed on a rail siding on our way to Stalag IV-B. We were lying in an open field as three bombs fell around us, holding hands and praying. We were okay, but five of the others who had broken out of the rail car were killed. I lost track of Gifford when we were sent to different work camps near Dresden.
O'Meara hopes to make the 2017 annual reunion, and he shares that one of his sons may bring him.

John Dizikes
Wallace Wood

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.


    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


Order of the Golden Lion Committee
    This award is provided in three classifications depending on the qualifications of the recipient. The most prestigious is "Commander Class" issued in gold finish. This award is usually provided to someone who has served the Association faithfully over an extended period of time.
    The second is "Officer Class" issued in silver finish. This award is usually provided to someone who has served the Association faithfully over an extended period of time.
    The third is "Companion Class" issued in bronze finish. This award is usually provided to someone who has served the Association faithfully in the

capacity of assistance in the operation of the Association.
The specifications for making the award are intended to fit many instances where an individual is deemed worthy.
The award should be determined by the recipient's contributions to the Association.
    The Co-chairs of the Order of the Golden Lion committee will poll the members of the Board of Directors for recommendations for the OGL awards. The President or Co-chairs may select additional members to the committee.
    Nominations will be submitted in a format suitable for composing a formal citation to accompany the award of the medal. This must be done in ample time prior to the next Reunion in order for the manufacturer to produce the medal(s) on time.
    All citations should be kept confidential between the nominator and the Committee Chairman prior to the actual awarding ceremony.
LEAD TIME -- 3 WEEKS, MINIMUM
Send nominations to any of the Co-chairs of the Order of the Golden Lion Committee at:

Carol J. Faulkner 3179 Kestrel Court, Martinsville, IN 46151, 765-342-1872, faulknerskeepe05@yahoo.com

Beth Garrison 618-628-4733, 7766 Haury Road, Lebanon, IL 62254 rbamg@earthlink.net

John Schaffner (589/A) 1811 Miller Road, Cockeysville, MD 21030-1013, 410-584-2754, pumexim2@verizon.net


Sgt. Robert "Bob" Glover


Permanent Home for the Lt. Eric. F. Wood, Jr. (589/A)
Monument at VFMA
by John Schaffner
    Hugh Roberts (VFMA Alum) has invited the 106th guys to the Valley Forge Military Academy (VFMA) for the installation and (re)dedication of the Lt. Wood monument in its permanent location on the Post. This is the replica of the monument to Lt. Eric. F. Wood, Jr. (589/A) that stands in the woods in Meyerode, Belgium, and was dedicated on the VFMA grounds on April 30, 2016. The date for the re-dedication event is April 29, 2017 at the Academy. Details will be forthcoming.
    To those folks who are within a reasonable distance and who would like to attend, please RSVP to John Schaffner at: 410-584-2754 or
pumexim2@verizon.net


Let's mark our calendars and have a nice turnout!

    The new replica Lt. Eric. F. Wood, Jr. (589/A) monument at the dedication ceremony on April 30, 2016, Valley Forge Military Academy, Wayne, PA.


/

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 experiences.
Available through Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and Xlibris online.


…Our Everlasting Gratitude…
An Open Letter to the Association
From Carl Wouters, 106th Infantry Division Association's Belgium Liaison


Dear all,
    First of all, my very best wishes to you for the New Year. May this year bring you good health, joy and many blessings. Now that the busy holiday season has ended, I would like to take the opportunity to address a word of appreciation to you and the Association.
    The commemoration ceremonies on 17 December 2016 were well attended and it was good to see so many people with a genuine present interest in the Division's history. Flower wreaths in the name of the Association were placed at the Division Memorial in St. Vith, the Rencheux Bridge memorial in Vielsalm, and at Parker's Crossroads. The day was topped off with a wonderful dinner party at the Auberge du Carrefour on the Baraque de Fraiture, where veterans, families and friends of the 106th will always have a home. Bernadette, her daughter Esmeralda and the rest of their staff did a wonderful job, as usual.





The Division monument after the ceremony, with all the flowers presented.

Order of the Golden Lion recipients, left to right: Doug Mitchell, Bernadette Lengler Lehaire and Carl Wouters.

    It was at the Auberge where we were genuinely caught by surprise by the great honor of being bestowed with the Order of the Golden Lion.
    Words cannot begin to express how I feel personally, and I'm pretty sure this applies to the other awardees (Doug Mitchell and Bernadette Lengler as well as André Hubert, though due to illness, he was in absentia). Humbled, honored and thankful are only a few of the apt feelings I can convey. To join a line of recipients, whom we all have long admired and respected is a great honor indeed. The Golden Lions are in our hearts and we are lucky to be a part of this wonderful worldwide family.
    2016 was an especially interesting year, filled with visits of families and veterans. We were able to bring the families of Lt. Col. Fredrick Nagle (423/HQ) and Major William Garlow (423/2BN HQ) back to the former battlefield, as well as facilitate the first-time return visits of Juan Mejia (424/L) and Marcus Bartusek (424/H). With regular returning veteran Dick Lockhart (423/AT) we revisited the historical grounds of Camp Lucky Strike in France, as he reported in the latest issue of The CUB. Sadly enough, we also had to say goodbye to several people: John Kline, Murray Stein, Russ Hoff, John Gilliland, Willy Rikken, and several others.





    Bernadette holding the portrait of our dear departed friend John Gatens (589/A), who was a very frequent visitor to Belgium and considered Bernadette and her family as part of his. John served as gunner on the 105mm Howitzer during the battle for Parker's Crossroads.



    The color guard of the USAF base at Spangdahlem, Germany, who participate in the ceremonies each year. These men did a wonderful job.

Recipient of the Flag of Friendship, Mrs. Solange Dekeyser, president of the U.S. Memorial Wereth.

    This prestigious award of the Order of the Golden Lion and the legacy that comes with it greatly encourages us to continue to perpetuate the history of the 106th Infantry Division here in Europe. Yet, what we do to remember the sacrifices made during the winter of 1944-1945 are just small ways of expressing our gratitude towards the men and women of the Greatest Generation, to whom we are indebted so much. We owe the veterans of the Division our everlasting gratitude.
Wishing you all the very best for 2017! Warm regards from Belgium,
Carl


Looking Back at Representing the Association at Camp Atterbury
By Damon F. Young

    This is a photo taken at Camp Atterbury, Indiana at the annual memorial service in memory of the military units that trained there from WWII through Iraq. I attended the annual service and represented the Association, along with Phil Cox, Company B, 423rd Infantry Regiment (from Indianapolis); along with two other members of the Association from 1993-2006.
The photo was taken on or about August 2006. Pictured left to right are:
    SFC E-7 Damon F. Young, USA (ret.), Company D, 423rd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division -- Barboursville, West Virginia Isiah Benton, 365th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division -- Indianapolis, Indiana Unidentified veteran, 92nd Infantry Division
    First Sergeant Luther B. Hall, the first sergeant of Company C, 365th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division. This Division fought in Italy with the 5th U.S. Army -- Indianapolis, Indiana



John W. Morse


My Story
By Calvin Shifley
    Calvin Shifley received his induction notice in August 1944 when he was 19 years old. On November 9, 1944 he left the rural Bucyrus, Ohio, farm where he, his parents, and his five siblings had farmed during the Great Depression. After reporting to Fort Hayes in Columbus, Ohio, he left by train for Camp Atterbury, Indiana, where soon thereafter, and in typical army fashion, he and the other draftees were put on a train with no idea where they were headed. After several days, they arrived at Camp Wheeler in Georgia for 15 weeks of basic training.
    When the Battle of the Bulge began in December 1944, their basic training was cut short so that they could leave to support the troops in the European theater. After a brief visit home he was off to Fort Meade, Maryland, to be issued supplies for overseas duty and then sent to New York City for deployment.
    To minimize the risks of being seen by German Atlantic patrols, the Liberty Ship he was on (and the other 62 ships in the convoy) left New York in darkness. The Liberty Ship he was on carried 2, 500 men in its hold.
Fortunately, the convoy was not attacked during its 13-day voyage.
    Unfortunately, that didn't mean the trip was uneventful. The wartime security procedures of sailing without lights led to a collision between two of the ships in the convoy, killing three men. They were buried at sea. The troops on Shifley's ship had to deal with the typical but largely overlooked challenges many troops faced when going to the European theater -- severe seasickness (because of the numerous storms they encountered on their way), boredom, social isolation, and food poisoning.
    Three days out from Europe, both the risk and the utter devastation of the war became everyday realities. As they came close to Europe, the men began wearing their life jackets because of German naval activity in the area and the risk of mines. Arriving in Le Havre, France, they saw the carcasses of seemingly countless sunken ships that still remained from the Normandy invasion. At Le Havre, the men of the convoy waited for the smaller transport ships to bring them to shore, or at least most of the way to shore. From there many of the men in his convey were next transported in "forty-and-eight" boxcars to Rennes to be assigned to their units.
    At Rennes early one day, thousands of men were marched to a huge field, where each man stood waiting to hear his name (via loudspeaker) and the unit to which he was being assigned. Each man would then leave to join his unit. Since there were thousands of men, this process of calling out names took hours. Eventually, late in the afternoon, there were two men left standing in the field, one of them being Calvin. Wondering what was going on, he saw a Half Track come zipping toward him with an individual inside barking out the question, "Are you Private Calvin Shifley?" That's when he was told he has been assigned to the 106th Reconnaissance Troop. (The troop had

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    been decimated by the Battle of the Bulge and needed replacements. Of the 143 men in the troop that began the battle, 28 men were left at the end.)
    Shortly thereafter, in a bit fortuitous timing, the troop commander was in need of a driver. For some unknown reason, perhaps because his record showed that he had driven a milk delivery route back in Ohio, he was one of several individuals told to "try out" to be the driver. With the unsolicited advice from a previous driver candidate to "keep on going no matter what," Calvin's test began. The armored car weighed tons and during the test the troop commander and the gunner were up in the turret. The test course had hills, trees, and mud. Seeing his first muddy area and remembering the advice to keep going, he floored the vehicle. The timely acceleration and the shear mass of the vehicle propelled them, bouncing and shaking, through the mud. Overall, it was a rough ride, especially for those in the turret, but Calvin got the job!
    Being a driver was handy at times. It allowed Calvin to see the German cities of Bonn, Koln, Heidelberg, Mossburg, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Wetzlar. Of course, all the cities showed the ravages of war.
    The end of the war came when Calvin was in Eupen, Belgium, and he witnessed a big parade held to celebrate the war's end. And, with war's end, the army's needs changed. He was briefly transferred to the 3rd Armored Division and then promoted to Sergeant and transferred to the Constabulary Unit, to help police their assigned areas of Germany.
    Given their visibility, the members of the constabulary always faced the risk of reprisal from former German soldiers and any diversion was welcome. Occasionally the men of the unit would shoot deer for the mess hall cook to make into venison stew (a welcome change of menu). The men would also occasionally have some popcorn, which they heated using the small K Rations stove.
    Of course, any furlough was welcome and Calvin's took him to Berne, Lucerne, and Geneva in Switzerland. But the best thing was getting to go back home. Calvin was discharged on August 24, 1946 -- after an 11-day voyage back to the United States and a trip to Fort Meade, Maryland. From there he took a bus to Washington, D.C., and boarded a train to Crestline, Ohio. Arriving at 3 a.m., he was able to call home and wake his brothers and convince them to pick him up at the station. He continues to live in Bucyrus, Ohio. He and his wife, Velda, have three sons and five grandchildren.

An Update on the Camp Mühlberg Memorial Site
    In the last issue of The CUB, Vol. 72, No. 3, on page 27 an announcement title "Urgent Assistance Needed from All 106th Veterans," spoke to the current threat to the Camp Mühlberg site. The following is an update provided in an email to the Association's Officers.


Dear friends,
    Today I want to give you some update on the situation around the camp Mühlberg memorial site. First of all, let me thank you once again for the letters that you sent in order to express your interest in the continuation of the memorial of Stalag IVB/NKVD special camp Nr.1. I can assure you, that exactly your letters were a key argument for the positive developments of the recent weeks.
    During the last weeks, there have been a number of talks involving Initiativgruppe Lager Mühlberg e.V., BVVG (the holder of mining rights), the Brandenburg mining authority, the Brandenburg parliament and prime minister Dietmar Woidke, the German Ministry of Finances, the local municipalities Mühlberg and Bad Liebenwerda and the mining company Elbekies GmbH.
    To be honest, all participants acknowledged the importance of the memorial of Stalag IVB. They were working hard to find a legal solution that would save the former area of the camp from gravel mining. In January, the head of the Brandenburg mining authority, Hans-Georg Thiem, said publicly: "It is an illusion to believe that we will ever agree to mining activity on the area of the former camp Stalag IVB/NKVD camp Nr.1." Under these circumstances, BVVG agreed to a compromise, that the potential mining area will be divided in two parts. For the southern part, including the camp area and Neuburxdorf, mining rights will be reversed, so that never again mining will be possible on this area.
    The border between the split parts is drawn a few hundred meters north of the camp site, so that it can be excluded that future mining activity will interfere with the mass graves of the NKVD camp at the northern camp border. This is, in our opinion, the best possible solution. The memorial camp site and also cemetery Neuburxdorf will be saved forever from gravel mining.
    Please let me notice, that in our times, where nationalism and hatred are on the rise in many parts of the world, we have seen around camp Mühlberg in the last weeks an extraordinary and quite different development. People from many countries, backgrounds and ideologies, even former enemies of WWII and their relatives, acted united in order to rescue a memorial for the victims of these cruel times. We were all focused on the people who suffered in camp Mühlberg. We were focused on the need to remember these times in order to work together for a more peaceful future for all our countries. And exactly this unity of the wish for peace and friendship over all borders

continues on page 28

    lead to our success. I have no words to express my deepest thanks to all of you who made this possible. It is very remarkable. We achieved something that would be so desirable for many other ongoing conflicts in the world, where we can only hope that today's enemies find in the future the power to a common memorial over the graves and places of suffering of their beloved ones. Thank you very much, dear friends, you gave an example to the world that will stand for all times.
    Finally, let me highlight the activity of the head of our Initiativgruppe Lager Mühlberg e.V., pastor Matthias Taatz, who spend many hours in discussions with all kinds of authorities, making clear that we were utterly determined to resist a destruction of the memorial site, but ready for every useful compromise.

Please spread this information to all interested people you might know.
With best regards and wishes, Uwe Steinhoff
Member of Initiativgruppe Lager
Mühlberg e.V. Ploener Strasse 15a 14193 Berlin, Germany
email: info@lager-muehlberg.de




Warm Memories of Cold Spring
by Beatrice Fulton Keeber

    A Golden Lion's war experiences forged a boy into a man. But what really defined him as the person he became was his "happily ever after" with his family and his 60-year love story. Warm Memories of Cold Spring is not a war story! It's a smile-producing tale of "what came next" that reminds other vets of their own "afters," their children and grandchildren of Dad's and Mom's or Grandpa's and Grandma's lives.
    Pfc. Willard H. Keeber, with Co. G, 424th Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division, was placed on-line December 11, 1944 near St. Vith, Belgium, two months past his 19th birthday, five days prior to the German Tank Assault that smashed directly through his position, launching the Battle of the Bulge.
This is the story of a veteran's legacy that left his world better than he found it.

Online at www.amazon.com (simply type the title in the search bar)
Print copy – $9.99; Kindle – $4.99


"How I Survived World War II" -- Continued from Vol. 72 No.3
By Robert Pope


Part 2 --
Photo: Robert Pope circa 1944

Leipzig Was Our New Home

    After a few days about a hundred of us American privates were taken out and transported by train to Leipzig. We arrived at the railroad station, a massive building not unlike many large city railroad stations in the United States at that time. We left the train and walked down the platform and through the huge lobby to the front of the station. There a tandem trolley was waiting for us and we all crowded into it. It was about a thirty minute ride to the end of the line. From there we walked several blocks to a medium sized building which would become our new "home."

    Our new "home" had been a night club before the war, but it had been converted for our use. The main floor where couples danced had triple bunk beds with straw mattresses. The balcony, a three step rise from the dance floor, had picnic style tables and benches. The kitchen and offices were in back and there were a couple of rooms where the guards stayed.
    Our menu was pretty much the same every day, barley soup, blood sausage and dry brown bread. Most of us had soup and bread for breakfast and again for dinner and a blood sausage sandwich for lunch. Red Cross packages never reached us.
    Our days and weeks were pretty much the same. We arose early each day, and got dressed. Most of us slept in our underwear to give our clothes and bodies a break.

    After "breakfast" we walked to the trolley line, boarded a waiting trolley and rode to the railroad station. We walked through the main lobby and down the platform to waiting flat cars loaded with railroad ties and rails. When we were all seated on the flat cars, the train eased out of the station and went as close as possible to a section of railroad that had been bombed the night before by the Royal Air Force. Our theme song was "I been working on the railroad all the live long day."

    The damaged rails and ties would be removed and the craters were filled in by hand with dirt and stones called ballast. Then we laid new ties and rails. The ties were heavy, four inches by six inches, creosote soaked wood and difficult for two of us to maneuver into place. But we managed to lay them straight. Six of us would then carry a forty foot section of rail using three two-handled tongs and set each in place. After the rails were measured for the proper width between rails and were leveled, other prisoners would hammer the spikes in with sledge hammers. If the rails were not level, we would use a special pick to pound in more ballast under low ties until the track was level.

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    At the end of the day we returned to the railroad station and the waiting trolley for the trip back "home." On the type and quantity of food rations we had it was a pretty tough day, but it could and would get worse.
    Upon arriving "home" we would wash up and eat "dinner." We usually retired early as we were tired and there wasn't anything to do but sit and commiserate with each other. Besides, most nights our sleep was interrupted by sirens and the sound of bombs in the distance. When the sirens woke us we frequently would get up and look out the windows. We could see the flashes from the bombs in the darkness. This
would tell us in what direction and about how far we would be going to work the next day.
    The guards were not too numerous and worked shifts with only one guard on duty at night because all of the doors and windows had bars and locks. One night a number of us discovered the guard on duty that night not only spoke fluent English, but was quite friendly and very funny. It turned out that he had been a comedian before the war and he asked us about Bob Hope whom he had met before the war. He told us some jokes and we had some laughs together. Unbeknownst to us, the officer in charge was watching. The next day this guard was sent to the Russian front, the worst punishment they could inflict.
    The Germans were sticklers about short hair and insisted on all of us having short hair. This is how it was accomplished. One among us had been a barber in his pre-war life and somehow he managed to keep a manual hair clipper. The guards asked him to stay in one day each week and cut the hair of the clean-up crew. Yes, one day each week about a dozen of us took turns at KP and janitor. He refused saying they couldn't make him perform his trade free. So the guards took the clippers from him and asked for a volunteer.
    My hand shot up fast as cutting hair sounded much better than working on the railroad, and it was one day every week instead of one day in house every six weeks for KP.
    These were the only humorous incidents in Leipzig. The days rolled on, the next one like the one before it for about six weeks. On the night of February 21st it was strangely quiet.
    There were no sirens and no bombs, just unusual quiet. So on February 22nd, we worked in the city on trolley tracks that needed repairs or replacement because there were no railroad repairs to be done.
    Air raid sirens were common in Leipzig. They blared almost every day and night as enemy planes came within the designated range, frequently on their way to and from Dresden. Many of the citizens had become blaśe and didn't pay much attention to them. Leipzig was an educational and cultural center and had been spared heavy bombing throughout the war so far.
    Shortly before noontime on February 22nd the sirens blared and they sounded louder and lasted longer than usual. And then it happened! U.S. planes appeared high in the sky, out of reach of the puffs of smoke from German anti-aircraft guns on the outskirts of the city. A mix of thousand pound block busters and incendiary bombs rained on the city for several hours. Wave after wave of B-17s passed over the

30

    city. We could see the bombs coming down, but they came at an angle so from the ground it was hard to tell where they would land. People ran from all directions to shelters, sometimes throwing themselves hysterically on top of one another just to get in. We were not allowed in the shelters being kept out by the guards and the frantic citizens.
    So we stood there and watched as the bombs exploded and fires started in every direction. Some bombs hit a couple of tall buildings up the street from us about half way up. The building toppled toward us and debris landed at our feet. The bombs were landing all around us. There was no place to go and nothing to do but to watch and to pray. Luckily we lost only six of our group.
    When the bombing ended we could see the devastation all around us. We helped to move debris from usable streets until dusk. As nightfall began to settle over the city there was a mix of desolate darkness and the glow of fires. A partial indication of the magnitude of the damage was the fact that it took weeks to extinguish all the fires. I never did hear the number of casualties, but it had to be in the thousands. Probably fifty thousand homes and businesses were demolished or damaged and without power and water for weeks, maybe longer in some areas. Many places of employment were lost completely. And we were without our trolley.
    That evening when we were assembled, we had to walk about twelve miles to get to our "home" which was not touched by the bombing. We walked past screaming and crying civilians who felt the devastation of war at home for the first time. Some had lost relatives, friends or neighbors in the war but this was total destruction of their homes and their belongings. They knew we were Americans and, although we had nothing to do with the bombing we were there in front of them. That night and every day afterwards as we walked to and from the railroad station we suffered the indignities of being cursed, being spat at, having things thrown at us and sometimes being injured. I understood their hurt and anger, but it didn't make it any easier to accept this treatment.
    With our very limited nutrition, the extra walking, the increased work load and the longer day took its toll. Many of us suffered variously from malnutrition, dysentery and other illnesses or injuries. I ended up in a British infirmary with dysentery and malnutrition and was cared for by British doctors and medics captured much earlier in the war. When reasonably recovered, after a couple of weeks, some of us were transferred to a farm where we joined almost a thousand other American prisoners of war.
    We slept with the animals, mostly sheep. Have you ever cuddled up with sheep? Despite an odor they give off a lot of heat and it was the only heat we had in the barn. A limited number of guards moved us every couple of days from farm to farm as water and food ran out. The guards were careful to keep us closer to the American front than to the Russian front. When the war was over, and they knew it wouldn't be too long, they wanted to be captured by the Americans, not the Russians.

continues on page 32

The Great ‘Escape' and Homeward Bound
    On April 22nd another soldier by the name of Art Jaynes and I were told to take a large milk can to the farm across the street for water. When we got to the pump at the rear of the farm house we took a drink of the cool, clear well water. Then we noticed that we were out of sight of the guards and made a quick decision. Let's go for it! So we left the can by the pump and headed out back across the farmland toward a clump of trees and in the direction of the American front. By the time a guard came to investigate why we hadn't returned with the water, we were nowhere in sight.
    After walking down a road for several hours we saw some dust up ahead. We decided to play it safe and hide well off the road. It certainly was a smart move because the dust was caused by a German halftrack with three S.S. troopers in it. Luckily they never saw us because we would not have lived through an encounter with them. When they were well out of sight, we resumed our walking toward the American lines. When darkness came we found an empty farm shed where we slept until sun up.
    The next morning we resumed our walking and after several hours we came to a fork in the road with a farm house in the middle. On the porch was a German soldier embracing a fraulein, completely unaware of our presence.
    We took a chance and called "which way to the Americans." Fortunately, he was more concerned with what he was doing than what we were doing and just pointed to the right fork.

    As the sun sank lower in the sky we saw dust up ahead again and decided we better hide off the road again. When the vehicle got close to us we could see that it was an American jeep with two soldiers in it. We stood up and yelled to them. The driver, a Sergeant, stopped the jeep. He and a Captain jumped out and ran to us and embraced us.
    We were very thirsty and they both had canteens of water. We both quenched our thirst. Then the Captain asked about other American prisoners as reconnaissance had lead them to believe there was a large group. We told them we had walked for a day and a half and that is how far back the large group was. We also told them there were about a thousand American prisoners in our group. Then the four of us climbed into the jeep and drove back to their outpost near Furth, a small town on a canal. The Captain said they would send a convoy for the other prisoners the next morning.
    It was just about sunset as the jeep rolled into the outpost. As the jeep came to a stop by the canal, the Captain and Sergeant quickly jumped out. They had two passengers that they picked up some ten miles to the East. They wore dirty ODs and they both had many days growth of beard, but they were definitely Americans. A crowd appeared around the jeep as the Captain helped us out. Questions were shouted from all directions: "Where'd you find them?" "Are there anymore?" "How'd you get there?" "What outfit are you from?"
    Art Jaynes, the first to alight, had dark hair, a ruddy complexion and a mature look beyond his 23 years. I was much lighter and looked much younger than my 21 years. Both of us were thin

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    and drawn and very tired. The air was tense with excitement as the two young soldiers sat down on the ground to rest.
    There was no permanent place to rest in the outpost, an area badly battered by the war. However, it was a university town before the war. For some reason Nurnburg was not as badly damaged and most of the buildings were still standing. The university facilities were used as headquarters and a field hospital.
    The Germans had destroyed the bridge over the canal as a defensive phase of their retreat. There were two ways to cross over the canal, by pontoon boat or by walking across a dam.
    While the two young American ex-prisoners of war rested, a good hearted Sergeant realized they needed a lift. He offered to share his last bottle of schnaps with them. Art was the first to lift the bottle and take a long swig. Then I followed suit. It felt good going down. It was smooth and it went down easily.
    Alcohol has a funny way of reacting sometimes, especially on an empty stomach. Art and I had not eaten anything for two days and not a lot for many days before that. Our heads spun like a top and everything looked bleary. The crowd that had gathered seemed to double in size and they were moving back and forth.
    The Captain interrupted the merriment and laughter with an order. "Get these two across the canal and to the hospital before it is completely dark. They don't look very steady Sergeant; you better have four of the men help them across the dam." With enthusiasm and zeal four volunteers stepped forward. Two put Art's arms around their necks and steadied him, while the other two did the same for me. Slowly they inched their way to the edge of the dam.
    The dam was made of concrete, sticking up about two feet above the water on the right side. On the left side it was about a twelve foot drop to the water below. The top of the dam was about four feet wide, and under normal circumstances not a difficult feat to walk across the canal. Guiding two weak and wobbly men across, however, could not be considered normal circumstances.
    The two soldiers supporting me eased their way onto the top of the dam. The impending darkness necessitated the use of flashlights, dimmed by blue cellophane, a wartime security measure. Slowly they inched their way across. In between occasional steps that I took, the two soldiers dragged me. The difference in the height to the water made it clear that if leaning was unavoidable, it must be to the right.
    The soldier on the right side slipped and went down to one knee and I leaned precariously over his shoulder. The soldier on the left side pulled as hard as he dared and slowly his partner regained his footing. They were only half way across and I seemed to get heavier by the minute. My occasional steps became less steady and more infrequent. This was a break, though, because the two soldiers were able to maintain their balance more easily when they were dragging me. A few more feet and they would have me off the dam and safely on dry land. Minutes later and in complete darkness the task was completed. Art and I were on our way in a jeep to the field hospital for a quick health check, food, a shower and some much needed sleep.

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    The next day a truck convoy went out and picked up the other prisoners. In a couple of days troop planes arrived to take our entire group to Camp Lucky Strike outside the French city of Le Havre. We were there for thirty days of rehabilitation before returning to the States. We had nothing to do there but eat, sleep and recreate. We had breakfast at 8:00 a.m., an eggnog at 10:00 a.m., lunch at noontime, and eggnog at 3:00 p.m., dinner at 6:00 p.m. and another eggnog at 9:00 p.m. with lights out at 11:00 p.m. In between we had exercises, played ball and in the evenings we had movies and a game room with a pool table and a table-tennis table.
    When I left to go overseas November 10, 1944 I weighed 175 pounds; when I got to the field hospital in Nurnburg April 24, 1945 I weighed 125 pounds. Due to that "diet" however, when I left Camp Lucky Strike to go home I weighed 153 pounds and I looked like I was six months pregnant. After four weeks plus of rehabilitation we sailed from Le Havre aboard a victory ship bound for New York City.

Notes
    My mother received a telegram from the War Department saying I was missing in action one week before the "big escape." She received a letter saying I was a prisoner of war in Stalag 4B in Germany after I arrived at Camp Lucky Strike and only a couple of days before my first letter to her arrived.
    Hitler's Germany ignored the Geneva Convention Treaty and made a mockery of most human dignities. One good example was making U.S. prisoners of war do civilian hard labor without decent food or human necessities, much less any compensation.



The Importance of a Mini Reunion
    Our veterans will always remember December 16, 1944, when they were thrust into the chaos of war. The years may have thinned the ranks, but those that remain still have the pride of knowing they played an instrumental part in slowing -- and ultimately defeating -- the German war machine.
As it becomes more difficult to travel, it is of critical importance that
    mini-reunions be held wherever our vets can join in. Any city, town -- or even in someone's home -- would be a fine place to gather to honor, cherish and remember all of our veterans. Plan one in your area today!

Contact Mini-Reunion Chair Wayne Dunn at host106th@106thInfDivAssn.org
and he can assist you with members in your area.

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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 inquiries 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 Baesman, 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 inquiries 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)

William O. Ressler
    My father passed away on December 7, 2016 at 91years of age. He enlisted in the Army days after his 18th birthday and was assigned to the 106th Infantry, 423rd. He was captured in the first days of the Battle of the Bulge and was sent to Stalag IV-B where he escaped months later. According to Military Records when he made it back to Allied Lines, he had frost bite in his feet, several knocked out teeth, dysentery and starvation disorders ... and later developed severe PTSD. When I, or anyone, would ask Dad about his service- related experiences, he would refuse to talk about them. Most of the information that I have is from his Military Records. I was told that the booklet, RAINWATER AND POTATO PEELINGS, would have a very similar accounting of his Battle of the Bulge and Prisoner-of-War experiences that Dad went through. I would very much like to have a copy of this booklet. And, to commemorate Dad's service and military hardships, I would also like to obtain a WWII issue Garand Rifle in good and as close to original condition, as possible.
    This was Dad's assigned rifle and with the booklet would help me relate to some of what Dad went through during his last days of the War. Thank you. Richard Ressler 3125 Windsor Dr. Landisville, PA 17538; email: rressler63@gmail.com; phone
(717) 898-6073
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George C. Starrett
    George C. Starrett was my first cousin. He was born in Richmond Hill and I believe he was drafted into the U.S. Army during 1944. He saw his first combat during the Battle of the Bulge, assigned to the 106th I.D. He was captured by the Germans and spent the remainder of the war in a prisoner of war camp. In 1947, he was killed in a commercial airline accident. I was very young when my cousin was killed and I'm hoping that someone who knew him during World War II would be willing to contact me with information regarding their memory and/or experiences with my cousin. I would be most appreciative if someone would be inclined to do that. Sincerely, Jim Starrett, 117 Brooks Ave., Venice, CA 90291 and jstar117@ca.rr.com

Frank I. Agule
    In researching his family's history, Rich Agule found a reference to his uncle Lt. Colonel Frank I. Agule on www.106thinfdivassn.org. In the reference Colonel Agule talks about receiving the initial copy of The CUB. Mr. Rich Agule would like to know if anyone has a copy of the original issue of The CUB that he could get a photocopy of or read online if someone has uploaded a scan of it. You can reach Rich Agule at 1659 Parkcrest Circle, #201, Reston,VA 20190 or by email at richagule@yahoo.com.



Hinder forward: The 168th Engineer
Combat Battalion in ZI and ETO
from May 1943 through November 1945
By Dean F. Jewett (168th Eng)

Note: the cover may not look like the pictured image.

    Dean F. Jewett has written a book about the 168th Engineer Combat Battalion, which was attached to the 106th Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge. The book is 456 pages and sells for $75, which includes postage, sales tax, etc.
New copies are only available through Mr. Jewett at P.O. Box 148, Saco, ME 04072 or by phone at 207-284-6778.
Used copies are available online through outfits, such as Amazon.com or Ebay.com.


Please Report All Changes of Address and Deaths to: Association Membership Chair:
Jacquelyn Coy
121 McGregor Ave., Mt. Arlington, NJ 07856 Phone: 973-663-2410
Email: membership@106thinfdivassn.org


BARSEMA, DONALD 81ST ENG
--Date of Death: October 12, 2016
Reported by his daughter, Sandra

CIMAGLIA, SAM
590/FA and 591/FA
--Date of Death: May 2015
Reported by his daughter, Diane Wood

de ST. AUBIN, ROBERT A. 422/B
--Date of Death: November 25, 2016
    Robert de St. Aubin, age 94, Berlin, passed on November 25, 2016, surrounded by his family. Bob was born in Chicago on June 23, 1922. He spent his early years in Oak Park, IL, and attended Oak Park River Forest High School. He served his country in the 106th Infantry participating in the Battle of the Bulge and receiving the Bronze star for his service. He married the "girl next door," La Vergne toe Laer in 1950. Bob worked for many years as a salesman for Sears Roebuck. Forty-six years ago, he moved his family to his beloved home on the Fox River and opened Bob's Hardware in Berlin. After he closed the hardware store, he worked as a janitor for St. Joseph's Church and School in Berlin. (Affectionately known as Mr. Bob). Bob ran the food pantry in Berlin for many years. He was an avid card player, dividing his days between the Berlin Senior Center and Pickett Senior Center. He did lots of volunteer work throughout the community, but his favorite volunteer job was at CHN, now Theda Care, where he worked for 10 years. He was also an active and faithful member of the Berlin VFW Wells Krause Post 2915 and All Saints Catholic Parish of Berlin. He is survived by his three children, nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, LaVergne, in 1990.
Reported by his daughter, Susan Semro

DIEHL, LLOYD 423/H
--Date of Death: August 6, 2016
    Lloyd Diehl, age 91, of Hurffville, NJ, passed away at home on August 6 surrounded by his family. Lloyd served in World War II with the U.S. Army 106th Infantry Division at the Battle of the Bulge, was taken prisoner Dec. 1944 and liberated April 1945. After the war, Lloyd became an electrical contractor establishing his own business in 1956. He was also an avid boater and fisherman. Predeceased by his wife, Lillian Diehl Corinne and daughter Diane DiFrancesco, he is survived by his wife Allie, two children as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Reported by his daughter, Carol



IANNUZZI, ALPHONSE "FUNZI", SR. 590/C
--Date of Death: November 19, 2016
    Alphonse, "Funzi", age 93, a lifelong resident of Carlstadt, NJ, passed away on November 19, 2016. He was the son of Italian immigrants, Frank and Elsie Iannuzzi . Alponse served in the U.S. Army during WWII in the 106th Infantry Division, Battery C, 590th Field Artillery Battalion. Mr. Iannuzzi fought in the Battle of the Bulge, was captured and a POW in Germany for five months. Funzi was an advocate for veterans and received numerous medals and recognition for service in WWII and being a POW. For 30 years, he was a service technician for PSE&G in Clifton and retired at the age of 55. He was a parishioner of St. Joseph's R.C. Church, a member of the Knights of Columbus, the VFW and American Legion, Quartermaster Townsman & Royal Brigade Drum Corp and served as a Councilman. He coached Little League for 53 years in Carlstadt and East Rutherford. Funzi was a lifelong fan of the NY Giants. He leaves behind his wife Ellie, whom he married in 1956, four children and four great-grandchildren.
Reported by his wife, Elvira

KERR, ALLEN W. 81ST ENG
--Date of Death: January 17, 2011
    Allen was born on December 26, 1921 and died on January 17, 2011 as a result of complications from a fall. He served with the U.S. Army in the European Theater, and thereafter had a longtime career with the Army Corps of Engineers. He was predeceased by his wife, Hope, and survived by two children, four grandchildren and his beloved Atlanta Braves and Auburn Tigers.
Reported by Jackie Coy

KRAFT de la SAULX, Knight CHRISTIAN
Widower of Madame Gabrielle de Borman
    --Date of Death: 16 March 2017 Civil Engineer University of Liège Captain-Commander of the Reserve Forces, Belgian Army Officer in the Order of the Crown Honorary Sub-Director of the Energy Department of CMI
Honorary President of CRIBA & C-47 Club Ardennes Salm River Chapter
    Born in Liège on 27 February 1930 and passed away at Banneux on 16 March 2017, comforted by the anointment of the sick. The religious service will take place at the Saint Jean-Baptiste church in Embourg on 22 March 2017 at 09.30 hours. The interment will take place at the family plot at the cemetery of Jemeppe-sur- Meuse. Visitations are at the funeral home Dethier, voie de l' Ardenne 177 at Embourg on Monday 20 March and Tuesday 21 March from 17.00 to 19.00 hours. Online condolences can be submitted at: www.dansnospensees.be
    He is survived by his four children and their spouses, 11 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, sisters, and many nephews and nieces.
Reported by Carl Wouters

MARONEY, NILES DEDRICK
423/L
--Date of Death: October 26, 2016
    Niles Dedrick Maroney, 93, passed away on October 26th, 2016 in Orlando, FL. Niles was born on February 16, 1923, in Poughkeepsie, NY. Niles, a WWII and Korean War veteran, and career U.S. Army NCO, is survived by his wife of 68 years, Louise Rosa (Weatherspoon) Maroney. Niles also leaves behind a sister, two sons, six grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Niles, a member of The Greatest Generation, fought with the 106th Infantry Division in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944 and survived four months of captivity as a Prisoner of War in Germany and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart as a result of that military action. He was an inspiration to all who knew him. His sons owe him a debt of gratitude for all he taught them about life. His wife will miss his quiet, loving presence in her life. Niles is now free of his pain and joins his parents and four brothers who preceded him in death.
Reported by John Schaffner

MAYBERRY, PAUL 422/F
--Date of Death: November 2015
Died at age 92.
Reported by his son-in-law, John W. McDermott

MELLINGER, DONALD
--Date of Death: March 1, 2017
    Donald E. Mellinger, 93, of Wernersville, PA, passed away in the Reading Hospital. Donald was predeceased by his wife, M. Joy (Cooper) Mellinger. He is survived by his son, Donald E. Mellinger Jr. and wife, Emy, his son, Scott C. Mellinger and wife, Bridget, and his daughter, Joan E. (Mellinger) Liever, and her husband, Michael. Other survivors include his sister, Mary Serfass and three grandchildren. He would be happy to know that his first great-grandchild will be arriving soon.
    Donald was born on September 13, 1923, in Spring Township. Before graduating from Shillington High School in 1941, he participated in varsity basketball, baseball and track.
    Additionally, he earned two gold medals and one silver medal in the District III pole vault event, and a fourth and fifth place in the state meets.
    Before entering the army on March 5, 1943, Donald worked at Willson Products and the Textile Machine Works. After starting with the 106th Infantry Division and ending with the 68th Signal Battalion and the 25th Infantry Division in the Luzon campaign in the Philippines, he served three years. While on occupation duty in Japan, he was the starting guard on the 25th Division basketball team and played in the Pacific Olympics in Tokyo. Being very proud of his military service, Don spoke often of his experiences as an American soldier.
Upon graduating from Kutztown State College with majors in math and history, he began his teaching career

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    at Birdsboro. After transferring to Governor Mifflin School District, he taught arithmetic, algebra, and plane geometry for 29 years. Serving 27 years as head of the math department, Don was truly a master teacher to all who knew him. He continued tutoring math students until the age of 86. In retirement Donald enjoyed golfing, bridge, swimming, reading, crossword puzzles, and travel.
    Don always said that family is what mattered most to him, and he cherished family occasions more as he became older. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. We will always remember his quick wit, intelligence, loyalty, and love of sports. Here's hoping your Phillies get back to the World Series soon. Funeral Services
    were held at Bean Funeral Home, 129 E. Lancaster Ave., Shillington, on Sunday, March 5, 2017. Online condolences may be made at beanfuneralhomes.com.
Reported by Jim West


MURPHY, DALE E. 423
--Date of Death: December 19, 2016
    Dale E. Murphy, a Life Member of the American Ex-Prisoners of War organization, died in his hometown of Springfield, Ohio. He was 96 years old. Dale was assigned to the 106th Infantry Division of the United States Army and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was captured by the German Army on December 19, 1944. He spent 175 days in captivity at Stalag 84, Muhlberg, Germany. Dale was liberated with the German Army surrender in May 1945, concluded his Army service, and returned to his hometown of Springfield in late 1945. He was a life-long American patriot, flying the American flag in his front lawn throughout his life, and never missing a Memorial Day parade. Perhaps fittingly in memory of his service, Dale breathed his last on December 19, 2016, the date of the 72nd anniversary of his German capture. His Funeral Service on December 22 included military honors.
Reported by his daughter-in-law, Kathy Murphy

O'NEILL, ROBERT MCLEOD
422/G
--Date of Death: October 24, 2016
    Robert McLeod O'Neill passed away at sunset on October 24, 2016 at the age of 93 with his daughter, Diane, holding his hand. Bob was born in Winnepeg, Canada, on July 6, 1923. He immigrated with his family to California when he was a boy and received his citizenship in the United States. Bob became a member of the U.S. Army while an undergraduate at UCLA and was captured by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. He escaped from the Germans in January 1945, while being held by them at OFLAG 64 in Poland. Bob attended reunions of the survivors of OFLAG 64 well into his eighties. Bob married the love of his life, Katheryne (O'Kane) O'Neill in 1948 and they adopted two children, Dennis and Diane. His distinguished career as a Manager/Commercial Banker with Santa Monica bank and an Executive with Wells Fargo Bank included a stint with Litton Industries as a business manager in the early 1960s

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    that involved the family residing in West Germany for three years. Bob made Prescott his home in 1990 and, with the exception of a few years living in California and then Scottsdale, resided there until death. He was preceded in death by his wife Katheryne and is survived by his two children and his daughter-in-law.
Reported by his children

PEARSON, WILLIAM THOMAS
Unit Not Identified
--Date of Death: March 3, 2017
    William T. Pearson, 90, of Portsmouth, VA, died peacefully at his home. He was preceded in death by his father and mother Nathaniel Valentine Pearson and Ethel Dozier Pearson. Bill was a World War II veteran having served in Germany in the 106th Infantry Division of the Third Army. Upon his return he started his own plumbing business, married Mary Hope and started a family.
    He is survived by his wife of 68 years Mary Hope Pearson and their three sons, Tommy (Terry), Lee (Lisa) and Larry (Kathy). Also surviving are eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. The family received friends at Foster Funeral Home on March 7. There was a graveside service at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery in Portsmouth Virginia at 11 a.m. on Wednesday March 8. In lieu of flowers the family request donations are made to Children's Hospital of The Kings Daughters.
Condolences may be registered at BWFosterFuneralHome.com.
Reported by Jim West

POWER, HAL 422/C
--Date of Death: February 20, 2017
    We are saddened to inform you of the recent passing of Harold Power, father of our member Elise Power. A memorial service was held on March 3 in Stern Chapel with a reception following in Linz Hall. Mr. Power will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA at a later date. We know that you join us in extending our heartfelt prayers and condolences to Elise and her family.
L'shalom, Rabbi David Stern
    Harold "Hal" Power, 92, of Plano, was born on April 9, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York, to the late Philip and Rose Power. Hal is a true American hero, who proudly served our country in the United States Army during World War II. Hal saved the lives of fellow American soldiers behind enemy lines during the Battle of the Bulge in the European Theater of War. He was a part of Company C/HQ, 422 Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division and earned: Combat Infantryman Badge, two Bronze Stars with "V" pin for valor, Good Conduct medal, four Purple Hearts, German-held Prisoner of War Medal with three battle stars and other awards.
    He is a 1943 graduate of The School of Modern Photography. He retired from Shell Oil after 36 years, where he served in many capacities, including supervising photographic activities to Vice President of Press Relations.
    In his early years, Hal enjoyed sailing and taking his family on Wind Jammer Cruises. Most recently, Hal was an active resident of The Legacy at Willow Bend Senior Community in Plano, whom he considered his extended

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    family. Hal got so much pleasure by being with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren; being involved in their activities -- football, soccer, hockey, dance, gymnastics and all family traditions, birthdays and Thanksgiving, brought him great joy.
    Hal was larger than life and truly enjoyed living. He was a charming man, who radiated charisma and a sense of gratitude in everything he did. Hal was a true mensch and a man of valor. His "I Did It My Way" mentality brought him great successes in his family, career, fullness and longevity of life into his final days. His zest for life and his love for others will be remembered for years to come. Hal will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.
In addition to his parents, Hal was preceded in death by his wife, Rita Power; and sister, Helen Kokofsky.
    He is survived by his daughter, Elise Power (David Becker) of Dallas; son, Jeffrey (Laura) Power of Houston; grandchildren, Penny (Matt) Otwell of Frisco, Lindy (Jarrett) Lowry of McKinney, Elizabeth Power of Houston; great-grandchildren, Josh, Jett, Ava, Max, Griffin, Sydney, Harper, and Aiden; niece, Sylvia (Larry) Sherman; and nephews, Larry (Nancy) Rubin and Ira Rubin.
    The family would like to thank both the loving devoted and caring staff and residents at The Legacy Willow Bend and VITAS Healthcare. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Temple Emanu-El, Legacy Senior Communities (6101 Ohio Dr. #100, Plano, TX 75024), Vitas Healthcare – Vitas Community Connection (8585 N. Stemmons Freeway, Suite 200-S, Dallas, TX 75247), Daughters of WWII (www. daughtersofww2.org, 5600 Lovers Lane, Suite 116, Dallas, TX 75209) or to the charity of your choice. Ted Dickey West Funeral Home, Dallas, has been entrusted with the arrangements. Those wishing to send their condolences or sign the online guestbook may visit www.teddickeywestfuneral.com.
Reported by his daughter Elise Power

RANKIN, DONALD W. 331/MEDIC
--Date of Death: November 2015
Reported by his daughter

SHERMAN, JACK D. 422/HQ
--Date of Death: January 10, 2017
    Rochester: January 10, 2017 at the age of 92. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Marcia Lou (Stone) Sherman; children, Jo Sherman (Mary Jane Varley), Amy Sherman and Skip (Laura Mills) Sherman; grandchildren, Drew and Brett Tschetter, Tyler and Brad and Leanne Sherman and Julia Lewis.
    Jack was a WWII Army veteran, a former POW captured in the Battle of the Bulge, and a Wharton Business School graduate. He was: owner of Sherman Battery & Auto Parts until 1997, when he retired. In retirement, he delivered "Meals on Wheels" and regularly volunteered at the Jewish Home. His 65-year marriage to "Lulu" was his proudest achievement. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, and enjoyed classical music and the Boston Red Sox. He was a long-standing member of Temple B'rith Kodesh, where he regularly attended services, sang in the choir, taught students about

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    Jewish traditions and was a member of the Saturday morning "back-benchers." He will be remembered for his quick wit, positive outlook and compassion. He was one-of-a-kind.
    Funeral services were on Sunday, January 15, 2017 at 1:30 p.m.at Temple B'rith Kodesh (2131 Elmwood Avenue); internment followed at Mount Hope Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hildebrandt Hospice Care Center, Valley Manor Library Fund or Temple B'rith Kodesh in Jack's memory. To leave a message of condolence, please visit: BrightonMemorialChapel.com
Reported by Jackie Coy

UNGERMAN, CLARENCE J.
589/FABN/HQ
--Date of Death: August 22, 2016
    Clarence J. Ungerman, of Ross Twp, formerly of the North Side, passed away on August 22, 2016. He was predeceased by his wife Rita. He leaves behind nine children, 21 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. He was a prisoner of war during World War II.
He was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.
Reported by Jackie Coy

RIKKEN, WILLY
Friend of the Division
--Date of Death: November 8, 2016
    Willy Rikken joined his dear wife Adda in death, having died in St. Vith. His service took place on November 17 in the church at Aldringen. He will be greatly missed.
Reported by Carl Wouters and John Schaffner

WITTENBERG, HENRY C. 590/C
--Date of Death: December 12, 2016
Reported by his son, James

WYSS, RALPH GOODWIN 424/L
--Date of Death: August 19, 2015
    Beloved husband, father and grandfather Ralph Goodwin Wyss, age 90, of Overland Park, Kansas was returned home to our Heavenly Father on August 19, 2015. Ralph was born in Kansas City, MO on January 4, 1915. Ralph was a graduate of Central Senior High School in Kansas City.
    His favorite subjects were mathematics and the sciences. Ralph was a veteran of WWII, a member of the famed "Golden Lions," the 106th Infantry Division who fought heroically in the Battle of the Bulge. Ralph was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge,

46

    Bronze star and European Theatre of Operations Campaign Medal (with four Battle Stars) along with other medals. After the war, Ralph attended the University of Kansas, receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Ralph led a career of public service, highlighted by his 31 years as Chief Engineer and Director of Operations with Water District number 1 of Johnson County Kansas. Ralph's life was blessed by two great ladies. He married Audrey Sales on July 18, 1943. She entered heaven in 1990. Ralph was married to Margie B. Noll on November 16, 1996. Ralph enjoyed his retired years. He and Margie logged over 100,000 miles of motor trips. Ralph was baptized at Linwood United Methodist Church in Overland Park for forty years. He was preceded in death by his wife Audrey, his parents and four siblings, and is survived by his wife, Margie, three children and two step-children, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Reported by his wife, Margie

ZARA. GEORGE D. 590/B
--Date of Death: February 11, 2013
    George D. Zara, age 91, passed away February 11, 2013 at the Hospice of Palm Beach. He was born in Riverton, Illinois. He was married to his wife Doris for 63 years. He served in the Army for two years. He was sent to Germany, was in the Battle of the Bulge, and was a prisoner for six months. He is survived by one sister and by a host of loving nieces and nephews.
Reported by Jackie Coy


To see a full-color version of this issue of The CUB, please visit our website at: www.106thInfDivAssn.org

Treasurer's and Membership Chair's Report . . .

A Very Important Message from the Treasurer and All Members of the Board
Please read and take action now, thank you.
    With each issue of The CUB magazine the incoming mail box swells with letters of appreciation from readers who express thanks and encouragement for us to "keep up the good work."

The Last Man Standing
    It is our wish to continue the Association at a minimum through "The Last Man Standing." Since eliminating annual dues several years ago the association has relied largely on reserve savings to continue The CUB and other services at its present level. Your support is necessary to complete the mission of honoring our veterans and continuing the legacy of the 106th through education, reunions and publication of The CUB.

Keep up the Good Work
    We need your help to meet basic financial needs of the Association. If we reach our annual goal of $20,000, we will be able to preserve our savings and keep up the "good work" for many years to come. Use the enclosed envelope to return your contribution marked "Sustentation Fund" in whatever amount possible. Any amount is appreciated, $10 – $1,000 or more.

    Also, please tells us how you wish to receive future issues of The CUB. Email to membership@106thinfdivassn.org and indicate a delivery preference; Mail (paper in black and white) or Email (PDF in color). Approximately 65 percent of Association expenses are directly related to printing and shipping The CUB each year. Your choice to receive The CUB by email will help defer expenses and enable us to continue to deliver The CUB until "The Last Man Standing."
Show support for our mission by giving generously. Your continued support is greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

    If you or someone you know would like to make an additional contribution, please mail a check made payable to 106th Infantry Division to:
106th Infantry Division, Life Plus Contribution PO Box 140535, Dallas TX 75214


The Date is set and the final arrangements are made!
Make plans now to join us for the 71st Annual Reunion of the 106th Infantry Division Association
to be held at the Park Inn Hotel, Orlando, FL
from September 13 to 17, 2017

For additional information about the reunion visit:
www.106thInfDivAssn.org

If you need additional information or more forms contact: Mike Sheaner, Treasurer at
sheaner1@airmail.net
or call Wayne Dunn at 410-409-1141

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: Mike Sheaner Treasurer, 106th Infantry Division PO Box 140535, Dallas TX 75214

---

Index for This Document

104th Div., 6
106th Div., 6, 14, 15
106th Inf. Div., 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, 17, 18, 19, 22, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 38
106th Infantry Division Association, 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 14, 15, 17, 38
106th Rcn. Trp., 20
168th Engr. Cbt. BN, 29
31st Div., 14
3rd Armd. Div., 20
3rd Army, 33
422nd Inf., 34
422nd Inf. Regt., 17, 34
423rd Inf., 18
423rd Inf. Regt., 18, 19
423rd Regt., 7
424/G, 10
424/L, 2, 18, 36
424th Inf. Regt., 22
424th Regt., 8
590th FA BN, 11, 30
Adsit, James P., 10
Agule, Frank I., 29
Agule, Lt. Col. Frank I., 29
Agule, Rich, 29
Aldringen, 35
AmVets Of Indiana, 14
Arbeitskommando Slaughterhouse Five, 6
Ardennes, 9, 31
Arlington National Cemetery, 34, 35
Armgard, Clifford D., 10
Auberge Du Carrefour, 17
Awalt, Louise, 10
Bad Liebenwerda, 21
Baesman, Connie Pratt, 28
Banneux, 31
Baraque De Fraiture, 17
Barrow, Rick, 12
Barsema, Donald, 29
Bartusek, Marc A., 10
Bartusek, Marcus, 18
Battle Of The Bulge, 6, 8, 11, 15, 19, 20, 22, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36
Becker, David, 34
Belgium, 1, 2, 9, 11, 17, 18
Bell, Albert (Al) B., 11
Bell, Harry H., Jr., 10
Bell, S/Sgt. Thomas B., 11
Benton, Isiah, 19
Berlin, 30
Berlin, Germany, 22
Berne, 20
Bonn, 20
Bouma, Willis, 10
Bowen, John, 14
Brandenburg, 21
Bryche, Xavier, 10
Camp Atterbury, 9, 14, 17, 18
Camp Atterbury, Indiana, 18, 19
Camp Lucky Strike, 18, 27
Charron, Pfc. Nelson, 5
Charron, Vincent, 5
Charron, Vincent J., 2
Chirumbole, Frank W., 10
Cimaglia, Sam, 29
Collins, Mike, 14
Cox, Phil, 18
Coy, Jackie, 31, 35, 36
Coy, Jacquelyn, 1, 2, 12, 29
Coy, Jacquelyn S., 9
CRIBA, 1, 31
D.,, 36
de Borman, Madame Gabrielle, 31
de St. Aubin, Robert, 30
Dekeyser, Mrs. Solange, 18
Diehl, Lillian, 30
Diehl, Lloyd, 30
Difrancesco, Diane, 30
Div. Memorial In St. Vith, 17
Dizikes, John, 15
Doxsee, Gifford, 6, 15
Dresden, 15, 24
Dresden, Germany, 6
Dunn, Wayne, 1, 2, 4, 13, 14, 27, 37
Dunn, Wayne G., 2
Eidelman, Herb, 12
Elbekies Gmbh, 21
Esmeralda, 17
Eupen, Belgium, 20
Falkner, Carol, 2
Faulkner, Carol J., 16
Fort Benjamin Harrison, 14
Fort Meade, MD, 19, 20
Frankfurt, 20
Furth, 25
Gardner, Joe, 2
Garlow, Maj. William, 18
Garrison, Beth, 2, 16
Gatens, John, 18
Geneva, 20
Geneva Convention, 27
Germany, 9, 17, 20, 27, 30, 31, 33, 36
Gilliland, John, 18
Glover, Sgt. Robert 'Bob', 16
Goldberg, Leon, 1, 2, 3
Grasberger, Frank J., 10
Hall, 1st Sgt. Luther B., 19
Heidelberg, 20
Helmich, Lester A., 11
Herndon, Donald F., 2
Hoff, Russ, 18
Hope, Bob, 23
Hope, Mary, 33
'How I Survived World War II', 22
Howard, Kathryn M., 11
Hubert, André, 18
Humphrey, Robert E., 13
Husk, Diane, 11
'I Was No Hero In The Battle Of The Bulge', 8
Iannuzzi, Alphonse 'Funzi', Sr., 30
Iannuzzi, Frank & Elsie, 30
Iannuzzi, Mr., 30
Iraq, 18
Italy, 19
Jaynes, Art, 25, 26
Jennings, Vance S., 11
Jewett, Dean F., 29
Jewett, Mr., 29
Johnson, Ken, 14
Jones, William T. 'Chub', 11
Keeber, Beatrice F., 11
Keeber, Beatrice Fulton, 22
Keeber, Pfc. Willard H., 22
Kerr, Allen W., 31
King, Martin, 14
Kline, John, 18
Kokofsky, Helen, 34
Korea, 3, 11, 14
Kurek, Stanley, 11
Laer, La Vergne Toe, 30
Lannuzzi, Elvira, 11
Le Havre, France, 19
LeClair, Henry, 2
Lehaire, Bernadette Lengler, 17
LeHarve, 27
Leipzig, 22, 24
Lengler, Bernadette, 17, 18
Lewis, Julia, 35
Lichtenfeld, Sy, 2
Liever, Joan E. (Mellinger), 32
Liskiewicz, Michael W., 11
Lockhart, Dick, 18
Lowry, Lindy (Jarrett), 34
Lucerne, 20
Luzon, 32
Maroney, Louise Rosa (Weatherspoon), 31
Maroney, Niles Dedrick, 11, 31
Martin, Harry F., 8
Martin, Harry F., Jr., 8
Mayberry, Paul, 31
Mayrsohn, Bernard, 2, 11
McDermott, John W., 31
McWhorter, William, 2, 13, 28
McWhorter, William A., 13
Mejia, Juan, 18
Mellinger, Donald, 31
Mellinger, Donald E., 32
Mellinger, Donald E., Jr., 32
Mellinger, M. Joy (Cooper), 32
Mellinger, Scott C., 32
Meyerode, Belgium, 16
Mikalauskis, Dolores, 11
Mikalauskis, M/Sgt. John, 11
Mitchell, Doug, 17, 18
Monfort, Raphaël, 1
Morse, John W., 19
Mossburg, 20
Mühlberg, 20, 21, 22
Muhlberg, Germany, 32
Murphy, Dale E., 32
'My War', 7
Nagle, Col. Fredrick, 18
Nelson, Dr. Ralph J., 11
Neuburxdorf,, 21
Noll, Margie B., 36
Normandy, 9, 19
O'Meara, John, 15
O'Meara, John P., 11
O'Neill, Katheryne (O'Kane), 33
O'Neill, Robert Mcleod, 33
O'Neill, Robert McLeod, 33
Oflag 64, 33
Order Of The Golden Lion, 1, 15, 16, 17, 18
Otwell, Penny (Matt), 34
Paris, 2
Parker's Crossroads, 17, 18
Pearson, Diane, 11
Pearson, Ethel Dozier, 33
Pearson, Nathaniel Valentine, 33
Pearson, William T., 33
Pearson, William Thomas, 33
Poland, 33
Pope, Robert, 22
Pope, Robert E., 11
Power, Elise, 33, 34
Power, Elizabeth, 34
Power, Hal, 33
Power, Harold, 33
Power, Jeffrey (Laura), 34
Power, Mr., 33
Power, Philip & Rose, 34
Power, Rita, 34
Pratt, Lt. Gerald, 28
Prell, Don, 12
Prisoner Of War, 14, 31, 34
Purple Heart, 31, 34
Raby, Glynn, 11
Rankin, Donald W., 34
Rencheux Bridge Memorial, 17
Rennes, 19
Ressler, Richard, 28
Ressler, William O., 28
Reunions, 2
Rhodes, Robert G., 11
Rice, Kris, 3
Rikken, Willy, 18, 35
Robb, Dr. John G., 1, 3
Roberts, Hugh, 16
Roberts, John M., 3
Roster, 14
Salm River, 31
Schaffner, John, 2, 3, 6, 11, 14, 16, 31, 35
Schaffner, John R., 8
Schaffner, Robert, 1, 3
Schnee-Eifel, 9
Sebastinelli, Fred A., 11
Serfass, Mary, 32
Sheaner, Herb, 17
Sheaner, Herbert 'Mike', 3
Sheaner, Mike, 1, 3, 4, 9, 10, 37, 38
Sherman, Amy, 35
Sherman, Jack D., 35
Sherman, Jo, 35
Sherman, Marcia Lou (Stone), 35
Sherman, Skip (Laura Mills), 35
Sherman, Tyler & Brad & Leanne, 35
Shifley, Calvin, 19
Shifley, Calvin W., 11
Shifley, Pvt. Calvin, 20
Siegfried Line, 9
Slaughterhouse Five, 5, 6
Smallwood, Fredrick, 7
Smoler, Frederic P., 12
Spangdahlem, Germany, 18
St. Vith, 1, 7, 35
St. Vith, Belgium, 22
Stalag 4-B, 27
Stalag IV-B, 15, 21, 28
Starmack, Carol, 11
Starrett, George C., 28, 29
Starrett, Jim, 29
Stein, Murray, 6, 11, 18
Steinhoff, Uwe, 21
Stuttgart, 20
Switzerland, 20
Szpek, Ervin, Jr., 6
Taatz, Matthias, 21
'The Battle For Snow Mountain', 15
Thiem, Hans-Georg, 21
Thomas, James B., 12
Tokyo, 32
Tschetter, Drew & Brett, 35
Ungerman, Clarence J., 35
Vallely, John, 11
Valley Forge Military Academy, 16, 17
Varley, Mary Jane, 35
Vielsalm, 17
Vogelsong, Donald L., 12
Wakeman Gen. Hosp., 14
Walker, Jeanne M., 3
'Warm Memories Of Cold Spring', 22
Wassgren, Betty L., 12
Weiss, Newton, 3
Weiss, Susan, 2, 13, 28
Welke, Brian, 1, 2, 3, 4
West Germany, 33
West, Jim, 2, 13, 14, 28, 32, 33
Wetzlar, 20
Wittenberg, Henry C., 35
Woidke, Dietmar, 21
Wood, Diane, 29
Wood, Janet, 3
Wood, Lt., 16
Wood, Lt. Eric. F., Jr., 16
Wood, Randall, 9
Wood, Randall M., 1, 3, 6
Wood, Randy, 2, 4
Wood, Wallace, 15
Wouters, Carl, 1, 2, 13, 17, 31, 35
Wouters, Carl & Sofie, 11
Wyss, Ralph Goodwin, 36
Young, Damon F., 18, 19
Young, Donald, 15
Zara, George D., 36