Fall, 1993

Respect, a and we had quite a few casualties. Capt. Schmied was taken to a German hospital after we had to surrender. We had negoti­ated with a German captain by sending the prisoners down to talk to him and make arrangements.

It is a cliche that enlisted men hated their officers. Indeed, in Viet Nam there were countless instances where men "fragged" their officers, often fatally. But that wasn't necessarily true in the 70th. Just the con­trary, many men genuinely respected their commanders and have continued great af­fection for them.

* Was it something in the food of Com-pany G, 276th?

2

We ran a story about one of its members,

The Trailblazer

is published four times a year by the 70th Infantry Division Association and friends. Subscription: $12 annually.

Editor Edmund C. Arnold 3208 Hawthorne Ave. Richmond, VA 23222 (804) 329-5295

* Associate Editor Chester F. Garstki 2946 N. Harding Ave. Chicago, IL 60618 (312) 725-3948

* Staff Artist Peter Bennett 3031 Sir Phillips Dr. San Antonio, TX 78209

Volume 51 Number 4 FalL 1993

'Blazer leaders earned them -some with no bars on collar

William Owen, who at the age of 66 has a son, Jackie, whoisjust 10. Whereupon Bill Greenwalt, who lives down in Argentina, reported that he has a son of but nine years.

Says Brother Owens: "Capt. Greenwalt was my C.O. from '44 at Fort Leonard Wood through combat in Europe. At a Retreat formation at Wood, the captain told the company that we were on alert to ship out. He didn't say where. If there were any married men who wanted to go home and see their wives within a 300-mile radius, come to the orderly room. Any questions?

"I raised my hand. 'Can I get a pass to go home and see my mother?' Yes, was the answer. I hitch-hiked all the way to Colum­bus, Ohio and back and I liked that.

"In France, on the way to the front, we stayed overnight in an old building. During the night I had to relieve myself. So I went out to the straddle trench and straddled it. A minute later another soldier squatted down about five feet from me. 'Are you getting your mail pretty regularly?' he asked. It was the captain, as always, concerned about his men's welfare.

"Capt. Billy, it is OK that you beat me for the youngest son, you deserve anything you got! If my son Jackie ever has to go to war, I hope he gets a C.O. just one-third as good as you! You were a West Point grad and you showed those qualities we associate with the Academy."

* "Capt. William Schmied was our com­pany commander in B/275," says Chris DiLine. "He was a very brave man and we saved his life after he was badly wounded.

"We had a couple of German prisoners and a dead Medic with us when we were surrounded and cut off by the German 6th Division. The captain was badly wounded

"The enemy officer told us they could have sent a few mortar rounds at us and killed us all but they preferred to wait us out.

"I later found that our captain was well taken care of and survived. In my travels as a POW I was in Niederbronn and Philipps bourg and then Saarbrucken, all on foot from Jan. 8 until the end of the month when we wound up at Stalag IV-B in Muhlberg, Germany. It was a long march!"

* Leaders without rank also earn admira-tion.

John Adams, F/274, a new member, wrote to Lou Hoger: "Thanks for sending me some back issues of the 'Trailblazer,' especially the Summer, 1989 copy. There I saw that Raymond Adams, no relation, had finally received his Distinguished Ser­vice Cross. He was one of the best platoon leaders we had and for a month he had only the one stripe of a Pfc.

"It is surprising how many privates took charge when the officer and non-coms be­came casualties."

THE COVER . . .. A typical platoon in training falls out in a company area at Camp Adair. This was in August, 1943, in the first stages of basic training. Note that many of the men had not yet been issued M-1 rifles. The new soldiers are wearing shoes and leggings and the third from the left in the front row still has blue denim pants. The com­pany is not identified. Do you see yourself in this photo by Chester Garstki?

70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER

PASS IN REVIEW ... For original Trailblazers it was an enjoyable change of pace. Today, in Michigan, they were in the review­ing stand. Fifty years ago, in Oregon, they were the men who did the marching.

Retired Gen. George Blanchard, C/274, in civilian dress, and Gen. James Pocock, CO of the 70th today, inspect the troops at the parade that mar ked the 50th anniversary of the Division's activation.

Old and new Trailblazers mark golden anniversary

They stood at attention as the flag went by. Perhaps not quite as erect as they had stood 50 years earlier, but just as proudly. They were the men who had worn the axehead shoulder patch during the bloodiest of battles in the bloodiest of wars, The Big War.

They stood at attention as the flag went by. They were young and lean and proud. Their uniforms were different from those of 1943; their weapons were strange to older eyes; their titles were unfamiliar. Butthey wore the same red, white and green insignium and they answered to the name of "Trailblazers."

Two generations marked the 50th anniversary of the 70th Division in colorful, moving and joyous observances at Livonia, Michigan on July 17. A hundred "old" 'Blazers had come from several states; the full ranks of "new" 'Blazers were men-and women!-from Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.

* The original 70th was a triangular Infantry division, organ-

ized, and trained at Camp Adair, Oregon in a pivotal year of the great conflict called World War II. The Division today bears the title, "Training" and is made up of four brigades.

Only a relative handful of men were with the original Trail­blazers for its whole life. For most of the men who came home as the 70th in the Fall of 1945 had fought with the famed 3rd Rock of the Marne Division. These high-pointers, eligible for immediate discharge, had swapped places with

Fall, 1993

the relatively newcomer Trailblazers for the voyage home on the majestic Queen Elizabeth.

The 70th was formally inactivated Oct. 11, 1945, at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. It was from there that Headquarters of Task Force Herren had departed the previous year.

The 70th Infantry Division was reactivated March 1, 1952 at Fort Wayne in Detroit, Michigan and replaced the Reserve 21st Armored Division. Seven years later the Trailblazers were redesignated as the 70th Division (Training) and its command post shifted to the Gen. George Custer United States Army Reserve Center in Livonia in '66.

More than 1,500 Trailblazers were mobilized in support of Operation Desert Shield and the Gulf War. Twenty-two of those soldiers were deployed to the desert battle theater while other elements of the Division went to Fort Benning, Georgia to train any new units that military conditions might demand.

Division commander James Pocock was recently promoted to Major General after a distinguished career in the ETO, in Viet Nam and at various domestic military posts.

* The celebration began with a social on Friday evening. The next day featured the traditional parade just like the one that had been staged in an Oregon valley half a century earlier. But now the graybeards- were guests of honor as the new Trailblazers passed in review.

3

Gen. Pocock spoke for the new generation; Gen. George Blanchard-who began his career as a 274th platoon leader in WW2 and retired as commander-in-chief of U.S. Army Forces in Europe-spoke for the forebears. Division Chaplain Don Docken gave the memorial tribute. As always, the plaintive notes of Taps misted eyes and a 21-gun salute proclaimed the pride of those who have served their country in time of war.

Alex Johnson, president of the 70th Association, was the

In the dark of a tense night the mind plays weird tricks By JOHN STANTON G/276

I was in a two-man foxhole, on watch as my buddy was sleeping. We couldn't fire our rifles for fear of giving away our posi­tion. As I leaned over the edge of the hole. I spotted a German soldier crawling right toward us. I tried to waken my buddy by kicking his leg but he was deep in sleep.

I had my bayonet on my rifle. (I had always liked bayonet practice while train­ing in the States!) I wanted my buddy awake; I preferred the odds of two to one rather than just me against the German. By now I could see the swastika on his helmet. It was time to give him the bayonet!

Then-I heard a sniffing. My enemy was an old hound dog, going around and enjoy­ing the leftovers of C-rations around the foxholes. I learned a valuable lesson: my mind could put a helmet on a dog and make him into a German soldier! Ah, the tricks the mind can play!

* John had as short a "basic training" as you could imagine. Inducted in August, 1944, he had two months at Fort Blanding, Florida , a day at Fort Meade , Maryland, two days at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and then overseas. He joined the 'Blazers at Oetingen.

He has been-and still is-a pastor for 24 years. With his wife Peggy, he has two sons and three daughters and 16 grand­children. He lives in Tampa , Florida.

* 4

ORGANIZATION DAY

guest speaker at a gala dinner dance that evening that attracted 900 people. A twice-decorated leader of a heavy machine gun section of H/274, he spoke simply and eloquently.

"Two things impressed me especially," said Johnson later. "There were several Trailblazers on hand who were not members of the Association and Secretary Lou Hoger was kept busy giving out membership information. Most of these men hadn't known about our existence.

"The other was that so many members of the current 70th expressed great interest in becoming Associate Members of the Association." An interesting part of the program was the Polish Singers Alliance made up of Polish WW2 veterans. The Division Band was active throughout the many events.

The anniversary ended with a Sunday breakfast. The Division published a handsome souvenir booklet that told the history of the Division with excerpts from "The Trailblazers" book. Jack Apostol, F/274, a restaurateur in the Detroit area, was a member of the planning committee.

The consensus of the old Trailblazers was: "The country is well defended by these young soldiers. And so is the memory of the 70th."

***

AS WE WERE SAYING ... Fifty years separate these programs. But each records the same event, organization of the 70th Division. The one at the left was printed in the three colors of the Division patch in Oregon in 1943. The other, in black-and-white, was produced in Michigan this summer.

70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER

Fort Leonard Wood Plaque is dedicated

Buildings and soldiers still stand proud

The plaque-along with one at Camp Adair, Oregon-was authorized by the members at the Louisville Reunion. Bob Soden, M/275, made all arrangements for the Association. On the committee he headed were Eugene Burtner, L/276; Fred Cassidy, G/274; Byron McNeely, 1/274 and Louis Hoger, G/ 275.

They were built to last 10 years. They still stand, a bit weatherbeaten but proud, a half century later. They are a dozen "temporary" Army buildings of the thousands that were erected between 1940 and 1942.

Also weathered a bit but still proud were the "temporary" soldiers of World War II who had trained on these grounds when they and the buildings were new. They were the hundred-plus veterans of the 70th Division who had gathered at Fort Leonard Wood to dedicate a plaque to their old outfit on the Wall of Honor on June 17.

The Engineers were excellent hosts. The 'Blazers boarded buses at their nearby hotel and were taken to the Post auditorium where the military band made hearts beat a little faster. The bronze plaque was dedicated by Association President Alex Johnson, Gen. James Pocock, CO of the 70th today, and Gen. John Christman, Fort commander.

The visiting veterans were then taken on a tour of the mam­moth post, winding up at the Wall of Honor where the plaque had already been affixed. There are displayed memorials to all the units who trained there in the 40s.

The U.S. Army Engineers are erecting a museum complex that comprises more than a dozen 1940s buildings-barracks, order! y and supply rooms and historic displays.

Luncheon was considerably more elegant than those remem­bered from the blistering summer of ' 44 when the 70th trained at Wood en route to the ETO.

*

Now the "targets" shot back at him

The Purple Heart plus a cluster for the second wound, belongs to Robert Cole, Weapons Platoon , B/274. He recalls Phillipsbourg as the place where his regi­ment first locked horns with the German offensive of Nordwind. "There I discov­ered that the enemy targets I'd shot at, at Adair and Wood now shot back! I saw the first dead German and the first dead Ameri­can up close and realized that this game of war was for keeps.

"And here, on a wooded ridge, I felt the first bite and sting of a Kraut mortar burst

Fall, 1993

overhead and qualified for my first Purple Heart."

Bob was inducted at Fort Thomas, Ken­tucky, in March, '44, and discharged at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, in May, '46. Af­ter-combat service he was a railway mail clerk, then a mechanic for mail processing equipment. He is a certified flight instruc­tor and ground instructor.

HemarriedGiadysHillin '51 and they 've produced a son, a daughter and four grand­children. He is a member of a great number of civic and military organizations.

* The Boy Scouts, in 1965, gave the Silver Beaver A ward-their highest honor-to James Lyles, I/275, for his service to that organization. He has also been active in the

Episcopal Church and the Chamber of Com­merce in Winnsboro, South Carolina.

A pre-Pearl Harbor man, he entered ser­vice in September, '41 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and was commissioned in the ROTC at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. He served in Puerto Rico and several Stateside posts with the anti­aircraft artillery before re-tradition in the Infantry at Fort Benning, Georgia. He joined the Trailblazers at Forbach. After combat he went to the 3rd Division and was sta­tioned at Nurtingen, Germany.

He was self-employed in the building material and ready-mixed concrete indus­tries. His wife is Sally and they have three children and 10 grandchildren.

* 5

Plaque dedication at site of Division's first home

Deadlines for this issue of "The Trailblazer" conflict directly with ceremonies dedicating the 70th Division plaque at Camp Adair, Oregon. At the time of this writing, this is the way the program shapes up-with changes still possible:

The concrete work was to be completed the week of August 16 and the bronze plaque installed soon after.

tee. The Rev. John McGugin was to bestow the benedic­tion.

At 5 p.m. there was to be a no-host social hour at the park followed by a catered dinner. Some 75 reserva­tions were in hand for that event. It would be devoted to reminiscences of the 70th Division's stay there in 1943 and '44.

The staff of the E. E. Wilson Wildlife Area and the Albany Men's Garden Club were doing landscaping in the surroundings.

The celebration was to begin at 9 a.m. Friday, August 27 in the lobby of the Shamico Inn at Corvallis.

The mayor of Corvallis and Benton County officials have been invited. The Corvallis Convention/Visitors Bureau, which has been working closely with Associa­tion members, has assembled a display about the encampment.

Camp Adair Park, in Adair Village, was to be open to returning Trailblazers at 1 p.m. for visiting and relaxation.

President-elect Dale Bowlin headed the committee which consisted of Calvin Jones, Sv/883; George Marshall, 1/275; Tom Witty, HQ, 725 FA; Charles Kelly, HQ/70; Con Cremer; Don Lindgren, L/27 4; J. A. Ethridge and Jackson Ross. A member of this committee and an earlier one that had done preliminary siting is Paul Thirion, L/27 4. He was recovering from a bout of infection and couldn't attend the ceremonies.

The dedication was scheduled for 3 p.m. In the 30-minute ceremony, led by J. A. Ethridge, D/276, the Wildlife Department of Oregon and the Garden Club would be recognized. The plaque would be unveiled by Con Cremer, F/275, a member of the 'Blazer commit-

*

Veterans groups back monument At the annual meeting of the Army

Divisions Association, the 70th was repre­sented by Edmund Arnold, "Trailblazer'' editor and member of the board. H e re­ports that the group expressed great interest in a monument to the victors ofW orld War II. The prevailing sentiment is well re­corded in the following editorial from the "Toledo (Ohio) Blade."

Roger Durbin is a member of the lOth Armored Division, a member of ADA.

* Washington, D.C. is a city full of memorials. yet even though the lwo Jima Memorial pays tribute to the marines in the Pacific, there is no memorial honoring all of the 16 million Americans who served their country in the armed forces between 1941 and 1945.

And that' s where Roger Durbin of Berkey, Oh io, has made a major contribution on behalf of those military veterans who are still alive but whose number, through the erosion of time, are steadily diminishing.

Mr. Durbin was in Washington

6

recently to help President Clinton mark the unveiling of coins commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Sale of coins will help provide funds for a memorial.

With construction of the new much­acclaimed Vietnam War Memorial, World War II veterans deserve a similar honor: Something to remind them, their families, and friends of the terrible and costly struggle that this nation endured in the 1940s to defeat Nazi Germany and Japan and pre­serve democracy.

Mr. Durbin, who fought with the 1Oth Armored Division in Europe, and other veterans have pressed hard for a memorial, especially with the 50th anni:'ersary of the end of the war commg up so soon .

Two years hence would be an especially fitting moment for at least the beginning of construction of a memorial to mark their service. Indeed, the path for this legislation has already been tortuous, although it has enjoyed strong support from Ohio Sen. John Glenn

and Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur. Mr. Durbin points out that it took

three years, eight months, and 26 days to win World War II , so it ought not to be impossible to meet a September, 1995, deadline for initial construction on a memorial.

Considering the sacrifices that millions of Americans made almost five decades ago, it's time to formally pay tribute to all of those Americans-dead and alive-whose World War II service made them genuine heroes.

Who dat?! When you send in any written in­

formation or photographs, be sure your name, address and date are clearly written on them. There is a quantity of unidentified material, or that with illegible handwriting, on the editor 's desk that just can' t be used--or returned to the sender. Be especially sure that your own name is written clearly. We all tend to scrawl when it comes to autographs.

70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER

'Blazer Proposes Memorial Statue by Rene Blatte

morale booster.'' As the 70th Division celebrates its 50th anniversary, the 70th Association looks to leave a symbol of sacrifice the early Trailblazers made.

Last year, during 70th association's annual meeting, Peter "Tex" Bennet, a Trailblazer who fought in Eastern France with the Z76th infantry during the war, came up with a small sketch of what a World War II Trailblazer momument should like. Tex approached other association members about the idea and they liked it. Now, it appears the association is in the processes of bringing this memorial statue to fruition. 'This statute will tell people who we were and what we did,' said Bennet. ''This will be a lot better than having a plaque stuck on a wall somewhere, where people really don't get an opportunity to read and appreciate what we did.''

Bennet says the memorial statue should be a life­size bronze figure of a 70th Division soldier, defiant, bayonet at the ready, standing on a bronze map of the battle sectors, with names of the principal battles engraved. The vertical battle axe bears the name of the division, battles and all organizations.

The proposed location for the statue is at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where many of the Trailblazers trained before being shipped overseas to do battle. Association members like the location because it would be centrally located in the United States. ''This is important because it would be a remembrance or a legacy left for the new Trailblazers who come along or any body interested in World War II history,'' said Bennet. ''It is a great "lex" Bennet conce tual sketch

ANOTHER MONUMENT PROPOSAL ... This clipping is from "the other Trailblazer," the tabloid newspaper published in Michigan by the 70th Division (Training). It tells of an idea cherished by Peter (Tex) Bennet staff artist of "the old Trail­blazer."

While no cost estimates are available for a monu­ment of this size, the number $70,000 has been suggested. Members are urged to comment on this subject to any Association officer (page 23) or to the editor or Bennet whose addresses are on page 2. The treasurer's report is on page 22.

Click, click, click! Third round found target

"I thought I was dead and had been buried," recalls William Lysak, G/274. We were advancing across an open field in a heavy fog. As it lifted we came under heavy mortar fire. I dropped to the ground and saw a burst right in front of me. Two seconds later another burst, this time about halfway between me and the first one. In my mind's eye I could see the German mortar man systematically adjusting the tube by clicks. One more click and he 'd be

Fall, 1993

right on me. "Before I could move, the round landed

right beside me. The concussion blew me around onto my back and I was covered with dirt. I thought I was dead. But gradu­ally I became aware that I could move my arms and legs and soon found that miracu­lously I was unhurt. I got up and resumed the advance."

Bill started-in '44, and ended, in '46-­his military career at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He joined the 70th at Wood and after com­bat was with Military Government in Salzburg, Germany. Eventually rising to Lieutenant Colonel , he was a clinical psy­chologist for the State ofWashington for20

years. He 's partially retired now in Olym­pia, Washington. With his wife JoAnn he has three sons and one grandchild.

* All the way with the 70th, is the motto of William Daws, C/370 Medics. He joined the Trailblazers at Camp Adair and went all through the ETO campaigns. After the Di­vision went home, he was with the 5th Army Headquarters until February, '46.

In civilian life, he worked in the oil fields until becoming a teacher and then an el­ementary principal. He and his wife Betty have a son, a daughter and four grandchil­dren.

* 7

This is a chapter excerpted from "Com­pany A, 276thlnfantry, in World War II, " a 200-page book by Frank Lowry, who as a staff sergeant was a platoon leader. The attractive book is well illustrated with pho­tographs and maps.lt is copyrighted by the author and printed here with his permis­sion.

*

The liberation ofForbach, March 5, 1945, by the 276th Infantry did nothing to slow the attack that had gained momentum that morning. In fact, the men did not stop at the edge of town, but continued to pursue the enemy into the Forbach Forest north of the city. The enemy resistance was mainly a series of delaying actions in which he took

8

Foray in the forest On through Forbach, the 276th pursues the enemy

~R

full advantage of the definite terrain fea­tures which were in his favor. The dense woods and high ground made it possible for him to maneuver about and set up defensive positions and ambushes.

Rain continued to fall throughout the day, and the road conditions were slippery, muddy, and heavily mined. Eighty-eights frequently burst in the trees over the heads of the advancing Gls, bringing down the usual splinters and broken branches with the shrapnel. In addition to land mines and anti-personnel mines, the Germans left in their wake many ingenious booby-traps. Heavy piano wire was stretched between trees across the roadways. The wires, which were about four or five feet above the ground, were intended to decapitate the drivers and passengers riding in jeeps or other open vehicles. To protect the riders of

those vehicles, each jeep was equipped with a vertical five foot length of three inch angle iron well braced and welded to the front of the frame. The angle iron was intended to snap the wire before GI heads were lost. Abandoned vehicles were booby­trapped so that explosive charges would detonate on the mere opening of a door. Dynamite charges were placed at the base of trees in such a way that when detonated, the trees would fall across the roads delay­ing the advance of any vehicles.

Early in the afternoon the 3rd Platoon came upon a prison compound that had been used to confine slave laborers who were made to work in a nearby coal mine. The concentration camp had been evacu­ated; however, in their hasty departure, the Nazis left a single prisoner in one of the many filthy bunks. The man was so emaci-

70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER

ated and starved that he was unable to move or speak and was very near death. The barracks were filthy and the stench so nau­seating, that the Gis could hardly bear to enter the buildings. T/Sgt. Jury discovered some large vats of thin green soup that were still warm. It was the ftrst time for the men of Company A to witness the deplorable way the Nazis could treat their fellow hu­man beings. Sgts. Steiner and Lowry wanted to burn the place but time wouldn't permit. They had to get on with pursuing the enemy, but the men could not get the haunting filthy place out of their minds. The Germans made no attempt to defend or hold the concentration camp, but left the camp without putting up a fight and contin­ued their resistance in the Forbach Forest. The Gis were unable to discover how the Germans had moved their prisoners or where they had taken them.

Late that afternoon as it was starting to get dark, under a drizzling cold rain and sporadic artillery fire, the 3rd Platoon's forward scouts ran into a machine gun position directly to their front. While Pfc Carlos Leja kept a sharp lookout on the Heinie gun, Lt. Brewer deployed the pla­toon and alerted the squad leaders to be prepared to attack. T/Sgt. Armstrong de­ployed the 1st Platoon to the right of the 3rd Platoon. The 2nd Platoon was farther to the right of the 1st Platoon, but contact between the two platoons was lost and there was a sizeable gap between them. Lt. Brewer decided that the best thing to do was dig-in pending further orders, locate the 2nd Pla­toon and "knock out that goddam Heinie machine gun." The ground was rocky and muddy, but for a change the men did not have to dig through frozen ground.

Meanwhile after leaving the area of the concentration camp, Jury advanced his 2nd Platoon in the direction of the attack, while maintaining contact with Company C on his right. Sometime during the afternoon the gap developed between the lst and 2nd Platoons. Jury attempted to get Capt. Matthews on his walkie-talkie but with no success. Capt. Greenwalt, the CO of Com­pany C, sent word to Jury that he would get hold of Matthews and give him the platoon's location. A half hour later Matthews rode up in John Welte's jeep, madder than a hornet and wanted to know why Jury hadn't kept contact with the platoon on his left. Jury told him that his orders were to keep in contact with Company C, and he did what he was ordered to do. The friction between the two men almost came to the breaking point when the captain asked Jury where the 1st Platoon was and Jury replied, "You're the company commander, that's your job to know where your goddam platoons are." The captain threatened to bust Jury and rei ieve him of his platoon, but nothing ever came of it. He returned to the forward CP, got hold of Lt. Doenges, and ordered him to get the gap closed.

There was very little rest for the men of Company A that night, because many of them were engaged in active and aggres­sive patrolling. Patrols were sent out to locate the enemy strong points and defen­sive positions. As usual the enemy was difficult to locate in the dark overcast night. A 3rd Platoon squad took out the machine gun that the scouts spotted earlier. By crawl­ing up to the enemy position without being detected, Pfc Carlos Leja threw a hand grenade directly into the position. The rest of Lowry's squad opened fire and there was nothing left of the menacing machine gun

position but three very dead Germans. Operations for the morning of March 6,

called for the Regiment to continue the attack, but at 0520 hours the Germans launched a counterattack against the 2nd Battalion which was dug-in to the right of the I st Battalion. With the assistance of the 1st Battalion's Company B, the enemy at­tack was finally repelled and seven hours later the lines were again straightened out.

At 1300 hours, Companies A and C launched an attack to the northwest toward Petite Rosselle, and met the same kind of delaying action and resistance as they met the day before. In the meantime, the 2nd Battalion on the right flank of Companies A and C, encountered formidable obstacles in the form of a 20-foot railroad embankment, an anti-personnel ditch, a tank trap, bunkers, and the heavily defended Simon Mine. The 2nd Battalion was forced to withdraw 400 yards WHERE IT DUG IN FOR THE NIGHT. That left A and C Companies isolated far in advance of the rest of the regiment. So they were ordered to pull back to their previous positions and set up defenses for the night. The men hated to give up the ground they had just won. But they remembered well the days that they were in a similar hazardous position on Hill403 in the Vosges Mountains.

The following day, March 7, orders came from Regiment postponing all attack plans because the right flank of the 276th was exposed by a large gap between it and the 274th. Company A continued to probe for weak spots and improve its positions over­looking Petite Rosselle. Patrol activities continued all during the night. Enemy ac­tivity of March 8 was confined to artillery and mortar fire. The lines remained fairly

• • • and everywhere the enemy lurks Fall. 1993 9

static to March 13, while the units to the right of the 276th closed gaps in the lines. The German lines were probed day and night by patrol activities in attempts to determine their numerical strength, where their strong points were located, and to determine whether or not they were pre par­ing to counterattack. Enemy artillery and mortar shells continued to fall in the com­pany area sporadically day and night which encouraged the men to continue to improve the positions from mere foxholes to elabo­rate dugouts. Enemy patrols which attempted to infiltrate the American lines were a nightly occurrence.

The nights were particularly unnerving. Active enemy patrolling made it essential that the men remained awake and alert. Two or three men were positioned in each dugout and at least one had to be awake at all times. Squad leaders got very little sleep because they were continuously making the rounds to their positions. The life of every man in the Company depended on the alertness of the sentries. The cold wet weather continued until March 12, when it began to clear and the sun actual! y came out for a time. Soon overcoats were discarded and gave way to field jackets over wool knit sweaters. Some of the men started

wearing their combat boots and did away with the shoe pacs. The combat boots were worthless in wet weather as the exposed unfinished leather absorbed the moisture rather than repelled it. The regulation Ar­my shoe and canvas leggings would have served the men much better than the com­bat boot. Those that switched from shoe pacs to combat boots were gambling on dry weather in the days to come. As bad as the shoe pacs were, they were at least water­proof.

During the night of March 12, all pla­toons of Company A patrolled extensively, with orders to keep contact with the enemy and attempt to determine his movements. Some anti-aircraft battalions moved in south of Forbach and set up their many search­lights on high ground and pointed them in the direction of the enemy. That innovation called "artificial moonlight" made it pos­sible for the men to better spot enemy movement and at the same time made it virtually impossible for the enemy to see anything when looking into the bright lights. That night the enemy shelling and mortar fire was far more intense than it had been for several days, which led the men to believe that something was up, like perhaps a surprise attack. Reconnaissance oatrols

confurned that the enemy positions were still fully manned, but there was no indica­tion of either a counterattack or a withdrawal. At night the suspense of not knowing what the enemy was going to do next, when everyone knew that he was up to something, sent chills up and down the men's spines.

At 1130 hours, March 13, a 1st Battalion observer reported that enemy soldiers in full field equipment were seen leaving Pe­tite Rosselle. Company A was ordered to send a daylight patrol into Petite Rosselle to determine the strength of enemy troops occupying the town and find out what they were up to. Capt. Matthews appointed Brewer to lead the patrol, and as usual the officer or NCO leading the patrol picked his own "volunteers." He selected Sgts. Steiner, Mussier and Finney, and Mario Sabracco, all 3rd Platoon NCOs. He leftS/ Sgt. Lowry in charge of the platoon, with only one other veteran NCO, S/Sgt. Oliver Davis.

The patrol took off at 1200 hours and was out all afternoon. Shortly before dusk, Matthews became very uneasy when Brewer did not return and he discovered that one of his platoons had no officer and only two NCOs. He became downright upset when he unexpectedly got word that the com­pany, along with the rest of the battalion, was going into a night attack at 1900 hours. He became damned mad when the patrol returned shortly before H-Hour, more than slightly under the influence of a few too many belts of schnapps. Brewer's only report was, "There are no Krauts in Petite Rosselle." The captain, a teetotaler, threat­ened to have the lot of them court martialed, but realizing he could never get along with­out them, he never brought the subject up again.

jeep beheadings, slave-labor hell,

command friction -all part of the saga

70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER

50th anniversary is a major milestone in human life. And certainly the 50th anniversary of the 70th Division is proving to be that. We have had three major observances and many other activities to mark an event that, I'm sure, changed the lives of every man who wore the axehead shoulder patch. (And, no doubt, of their wives as well.)

yet but the Cardinals' ball park is an easy walk from our hotel. There will be side trips offered and announced in upcoming issues.

We haven't heard from any of our members who live in the areas stricken by the Great Floods of '93. We hope that they and

As articles on other pages report, we Th p • d ' helped our Trailblazer successors for- e res1 en t S malty mark the Division's 50th birthday in Michigan. And we erected the bronze plaque at the Wall of Honor at Fort Leonard Wood. I know I am not the only one of the hundred old Trailblazers there who was touched by emotion as the 70th flag and the Stars and Stripes passed in review. It was a thrill to be a spectator, rather than a marcher, in a grand review!

As I write this, a similar plaque was to be dedicated on the site of the now departed Camp Adair near Corvallis, Oregon.

Although the membership voted at the Louisville Reunion to erect a division monument at Leonard Wood, there have been expressed second thoughts that the plaque would be adequate there. Some members would still like a memorial on Spicheren Heights. That's the one battle where all of us fought as a single unit, the 70th Division. Your comments will be welcomed by Association officers whose addresses are at the back of this magazine.

There have been many mini-reunions of various groups and various sizes. The most successful Western States Reunion was the largest; but even the very smallest has occasioned the fellow­ship that has welded Trailblazers together for half a century.

The dates are set for our 1994 Reunion in St. Louis:

Wednesday, Sept. 28 through Sunday, Oct. 2

We' ll be at the spanking-new Clarion Hotel. You may have seen it on your TV reports of the horrible flood; it's right down by the famous Arch. We will be offered special hotel rates not only for the days of the Reunion but for the three days immediate! y before. Our members have been gathering earlier and earlier and have been enjoying the program-less visiting with old buddies as well as sight-seeing. St. Louis is a historic and picturesque river town that you will enjoy as tourists. We haven ' t the baseball schedule

Report Alex J ohnson

their possessions have escaped unscathed. The entertainment committee of Les Edwards, chairman,

Bob Boden and Ed Kruse have already met with me. There has been talk about changing the format of our Reunion to make sure that we have events of interest for every member and spouse. If you have any ideas, please contact me or other officers. The Reunion is a highlight in the lives of many of our members and we want to keep it a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable occasion.

There will be a proposal to expand to four regional vice­presidents who would be active in recruiting new members. It is interesting--even amazing-to note that although the inevitable is listing more names in the Taps column, we are gaining even more in the New Members column. We really are doing a favor to old friends when we hunt them up and tell them about the Association. Most are happy as can be to learn that the Associa­tion exists. Wouldn ' t it be wonderful if each one of us could expand our fellowship by bringing in one new member?

Unfortunately I haven ' t heard anything of my petition to name I-70 in Missouri the Trailblazer Highway. I suppose our politi­cians have been too busy passing the budget and wrestling with health care.

This is truly a Golden Year and I hope you are enjoying every day of it. Sincerely,

44-year search ends happily

Fort Lewis, Washington with the 70th ETS Battalion. I was discharged there in August, 1946.

down to the docks and give the 275th guys a lift back to CP-2.

"I was about 25 yards away when the captain jumped. I heard his leg break; it sounded like someone broke a big piece of wood. An old doctor-he must have been at least 40 years old-gave him a shot of morphine. I grabbed the captain's carbine and we used it as a splint. I wonder if anyone remembers this?"

By FRANK SCANDLIN A/270 Engineers

I looked for 44 years for some news about a 70th Division Association. I finally found a notice of the Las Vegas Reunion in the American Legion magazine and joined immediately.

I was inducted at Fort Snell, Minnesota in July, '43 and went on to Leonard Wood. There I was training for a First Sergeant's job but was picked to go to Engineers School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Upon graduation in February, 1945, I was sent to

Fall, 1993

I was advertising manager for Coca­Cola in Duluth, Minnesota, was in sales for Hills Brothers coffee, and worked for SCL Data Services. I'm still working. My wife Marlene and I have twin sons, a daughter and seven grandchildren.

* "I often wonder what happened to that captain who broke his leg when he jumped off a landing barge at Marseilles," muses John Curran, HQ 1st Bn/274. "He was with the 275th, as I recall.

"We were already at CP-2 when my platoon leader picked some 'volunteers '­you, you and you!-to drive some vehicles

John is a pre-Pearl Harborer, going in January, 1941. He served with several units in the San Francisco area before joining the Trailblazers at Leonard Wood in July, '44. He was a Federal meat inspector until his retirement in Austin, Minnesota.

* 11

The Editor's Barracks Bag

Dr. Joseph Clifford, Medics, 2nd Bn/ 274, is alive and well! Glory be!

His death was erroneously reported in the last "Trailblazer" and I am deeply re­gretful. I know the unnecessary pain it caused to many of his old buddies.

Even as I was writing this, the mailman brought a note from Chaplain Don Docken who says that "Earl Hargrave, C/274, of Mesquite, Texas was listed in error in 'Taps.'" Next day I get a Jetter from Earl himself. He says that reports of his death "are greatly exaggerated." For which I am grateful. Gratitude also goes to his forgive­ness of my error.

But, honest, this information was sent to me by someone; I didn't dream it up.

I was quite disturbed by one resulting letter. The writer suggested that the people responsible for reporting Trailblazer deaths "should be more careful." Lordy! I just don't know what to do. People send in death notices, sometimes as long as a de­cade ago. The Postal Service returns this magazine with "Deceased" stamped all over it. What are we supposed to do? Phone every person on the "Taps" list and check the authenticity?

My wife maintains the magazine mailing list and the "Taps" list. She devotes literally hundreds of hours annually to this tedious, painstaking and thankless job. I sure couldn't ask her to "be more careful." And I must say that occasionally I get rubbed the wrong way when someone bawls me out as if I were a hired hand. I ain't.

* And here is another apology. It was my error that Sherm Dionne was identified as an officer of Rotary International. Actu­ally, he was president of the Moscow, Idaho Rotary and then was a charter founder and president of that club in Hayden Lake, Idaho.

He tells us that his son has just taken an English teaching job in Bluefield, West Virginia. If there are any Trailblazers in the area, Sherm asks them to drop in and wel­come a Western boy to the East. And he wonders if anyone knows what happened to Capt. Bernard Funk his old CO and Capt. Skaggs of AT/276. Write Sherm atE. 1647 Miles Ave., Hayden Lake, Idaho 83835.

* Bob Hemphill, L/275, is looking for a

12

snapshot. Do you have it? Bob was on guard duty at Regimental

Headquarters when they became proud owners of their own tank (Spring, '93 "Trail­blazer"). He took a picture of the vehicle and had the negative ready to take to the camera shop. Another GI, name unknown, volunteered to take it for him. A few days later Bob found out that the guy had trans­ferred out-with the negative? Bob remembers when C/275, first went into combat it got lost. He was on a patrol sent to find them. We found some of them dead, frozen in the snow but I never found out what happened to the rest of the company. He'd be happy to hear from you if you have any information. He's at 2779 Hillcrest, N.E., Orangeburg, South Carolina 29115.

* The 276th has been a bit shortchanged in Trailblazer history. Bob Cheves wrote "Snow Ridges and Pill Boxes" and the accounts of Wingen-sur-Moder to give the 274th "a body of literature." Don Pence and Gene Petersen did the same for the 275th with "Ordeal in the Vosges." Butthe 276th had no spokesman. Even the regi­mental narrative reports were fragmentary and colorless.

But now that's changing. There are a couple excellent stories in this issue and I look forward to many more in the future.

* Early alert!

Well, well in advance comes word a bout the 1 99 4 Western States Mini-Reunion.

Con Cremer, F/275, chairman of the host committee, tells us that the clan will gather in Corvallis, Oregon, Apri 121-24. The Ramada Inn will be HQ.

Robert Mingle, E/27 4, and Calvin Jones, Sv/883, are on the commit­tee. More details will be coming in plenty of time for you to plan your vacation around this event. De­signed primarily for men living west of the Mississippi, the Mini wel­comes 'Blazers from everywhere.

Edmund C. Arnold

I had the pleasure and the honor of repre­senting the 70th at the SaltLakeCity meeting of the Army Division Association in June. Some 22 divisions were represented in­cluding such historic outfits as The Big Red One, the 3rd to which so many 'Blazers were transferred after combat, the 82nd Airborne and the American Division of Pacific fame.

The tourist bureau of the city treated us royally (a word used advisedly) and I can recommend the town to anyone planning a convention or reunion. Facilities are su­perb.

* There I learned that it is legally required that an association like ours have some provisions for its dissolution. I hope the legal beagles of the 70th will have a definite plan for us to consider next year at St. Louis.

* I know that the ribbons for a computer printer are priced exorbitantly. But please look at your output before you send it off to me. I just had to wastebasket a letter that was so faint I just couldn't read it.

* Arguments abound in this magazine: Was

it a tank or an armored car? Who was first into Germany? Where does the thumb go on an M -1? What kind of airplanes did the Division have?

And as long as the arguments stay civil, they'll be aired on these pages. But I think that Alfred Smith, G/276, has a point we should all remember. "It's amazing how, with the passage of time, our memories don't always agree." And when they don't, chances are that we are wrong as often as the other guy is.

* The memorial plaque that will be in­stalled and dedicated next year at Philippsbourg, will honor not only the 275th Regiment but also the 1st Battalion of the 274th. Previous reports had sug­gested that it would be a 275 project.

* I admire every person who served this

country in time of war. I have high admira­tion for the nurses and WACs of our war and for all women in our more recent con­flicts. But I must say I have mixed emotions about the monument that will be erected to the women who served in VietNam. I am not putting them down at all; but it seems ironic that we should memorialize a few

70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER

thousand service people in a comparatively small war while we completely ignore the millions who won World War II.

* Have you seen the handsome commemo-rative coins that the U.S. Mint has issued for the 50th anniversary of The Big War? Gorgeous! There's a five-dollar gold piece, a silver dollar and a "clad" half dollar. They

come separately or in sets, as proofs or uncirculated coins. For information call toll-free 1-800-345-1944.

* Ordinarily I would not say that Past Presi-dent Orville Ellis is a man of few words. But he sure made a brief report: to wit: Company C/246 Reunion is now history. Twenty-nine members and 18 wives at­tended. Bill Greenwalt came from faraway Argentina to Kansas City."

* I need a postcard from 25 of you guys. It is to initiate a vote-by-mail on a proposal to have four regional vice-presidents instead ofthe two we have now. This will enable us to make more contacts and let our "lost" buddies know of the existence of the Asso­ciation. Just send me your card saying "OK on four vice-presidents" to 3208 Hawthorne Ave., Richmond, VA 23222. That will start the wheels rolling.

* A sad note comes from William Stewart, l/275. He writes: "My wife Maudie died March 5, 1993, at our home after a long illness. She was as much a member of the 70th Association as I am after 39 years of marriage. She last attended a Reunion in Portland and the mini-reunion in Vancouver before her health failed." She leaves Bill, their son, Lt. Jim Stewart of the Seattle police department, his wife and their two college-age daughters.

FalL 1993

'Old man', 33, led platoon hardest hit

By DANIEL JURY A/276

I am sitting and reading about the young­est man in the 70th. I was the oldest man in A/276 at 33 and was in charge of the 3rd Platoon in the move to Fort Leonard Wood. There we filled our platoons to regular strength. One of the recruits was a young man, K. C. Smith, from the mountains of Kentucky who had just turned 17. When we shipped out for Europe, I told him he did not have to go along. He replied "These are my buddies; I said I want to go."

The 1st Bn/276 arrived at Wingen on Jan. 3 and Co. A dug in that night. The 17-year-old was at my right as a BAR-man. He shot more men than any two other soldiers. He was always at my side.

The battle at Wingen lasted till 1 a.m., Jan. 5, when the remaining Germans snuck out. Six men were dead in the 3rd Platoon and six men in the 2nd Platoon. Now as a tech sergeant I was platoon leader. The company commander had retreated, leav­ing me and some of my men cut off in the mountains. I and three other men were wounded; young Smith was the only one not hit.

After we came off the mountains I re­joined A/276 and took over the 2nd Platoon, my original outfit. And K. C. was still with me.

My 2nd Platoon stormed into Forbach at 6 p.m. on March 4. We fought all night around a hospital. The next morning the rest of the 1st Platoon came in. The 2nd Platoon lost four men dead and 18 wounded; only 11 men were left. K. C. Smith was still beside me, unhit. Talk about a lucky sol­dier! He was one of the best soldiers barring none in the U.S. Army. I wrote him up for all his efforts but the CO did not sign the recommendation.

During our 89 days of combat, the 2nd Platoon had 17 men killed and 45 wounded. I believe that must be on record in the 70th Division.

My birthday is on January 14, 1910. That makes me 83 years. I was one of the first recruits at Adair. I went all the way. Though I was hit in the leg, I was able to stay with my men. I was their leader, (chaplain-cap-

tain) and quite often, shoulder to cry on. I turned down a battlefield commission sev­eral times. You had more respect as a tech sergeant.

*

Remember how the doggies envied the sailors? "They always have a dry bed and warm chow!"

So Leo Seroka, G/274, decided to check it out.

He had joined the Army nine months before Pearl Harbor and took basic at Fort Riley, Kansas. He served as an MP and a rifleman at several encampments before coming to the 70th at Adair. After combat he was with the 3rd Division in Germany. He came home and was discharged Dec. 6, 1945. Exactly two months later he joined the Navy and found a home there for 14 years on nine different ships and stations as an aviation ordnance man. Now, he says, "I'm still moving around." He lives in Decker, Michigan, where his old company commander, Casey Cassidy recently tracked him down and signed him on the dotted Association line.

* Retired from service with the U.S. De-

partment of Labor as a contract specialist and manpower development director, Albert Garcia, Cannon/276, looks back on 20 years in uniform in two wars. He went in a year before Pearl Harbor, and came to the 70th cadre at Adair. After ETO combat he was with the 3rd Division, then did two years in Korea witha461stTransportGroup.

He lives in Maryville, California with his wife, the former Irene Karlak. They have three daughters and five grandkids. He's active in the Moose.

13

Medic! Medic!

Heroes without guns back the attack on Kerbach

By RAY WATERHOUSE Medics, 2nd Bn/274

On the afternoon of February 16, 1945, our convoy was again rolling down the war-torn roads of France, arriving in the town ofBushbach in the late afternoon. The night was spent in an old schoolhouse and the usual precautions were taken in black­ing out the windows in case of enemy aircraft or enemy activity in any respect. Throughout the night we were often awak­ened by the snarl of a burp gun, probably some patrol probing our lines, or the occa­sional burst of an artillery or mortar shell nearby.

Preparation had been made for our attack on the town ofKerbach, and the high ground in the immediate vicinity. We were to fol­low the attacking party as it moved up and set up forward aid stations as close as pos­sible to the front lines.

In the early hours of the morning of the 17th we moved from the school to another site, once a civilian residence. The building was very dirty and proved to be very inef­ficient for medical care. Our stay in one place during an attack was limited, so our first duty was to make the aid station avail­able for any emergency. We cleaned it up, set up the aid chest, and found that the only available litter entrance was through the window, which proved practical for it opened onto the street, slightly above the ground level.

We spent the remaining early hours of the morning waiting for the artillery bar­rage that was to soften up the enemy in preparation for our attacking force.

It had been learned from non-official sources that German Tiger tanks were be-

14

ing harbored at Etzlingen, a town a few miles beyond Kerbach. It was feared that if the enemy tanks were successful at making a breakthrough they could inflict severe casualties before they could be checked by our own tanks. With this information, ex­tensive aid station preparation was made as usual.

At 0630 the opening artillery barrage on Kerbach was on. There was dead silence in the aid station as the first round of artillery went whining overhead to some vital spot in the German lines. No one spoke. We were all deep in thought on the outcome of this fight, for another small village in Alsace.

Shortly after the opening barrage, our 274th troops began their attack on the town.

Patiently we waited for the day light hours and then waited again for the first casual­ties. By previous experience we had devised a plan whereby we could determine the position of a casualty by telephone commu­nication and thus speed up the evacuation of the casualty from the field to the aid station. We found it impossible to follow troops under automatic weapons and artil­lery fire without losing the advantage that speedy evacuation might give, due to the danger of having the entire aid station and its personnel a complete battle loss. This was experienced at Wingen when we lost many of our litter bearers in an effort to speedily evacuate casualties that were not too seriously wounded.

As the first litter squads were prepared to leave, a call came in for the first casualty. They were going to set up a forward collect­ing point and were informed of the location of this casualty.

Not more than 30 minutes later tanks

passed the aid station on the way to clear the town. The Medics had been informed that the road between Bushbach and Kerbach had been cleared of enemy troops. We at the aid station waited for the litter squads re­turn. Soon we received a steady flow of calls for litter squads. We were hopeful that the first litter squads would soon return. Yes, they did return alright. We observed them coming down the road from the front.

We were surprised to learn however that this squad had met enemy automatic-weap­ons fire and their only alternative was to seek cover in a creek. They were covered with mud and soaking wet, for they had to remain there for some time. When they arrived at the aid station they were shiver­ing with cold. The group included Pfc. Geo r ge Brush , Pfc. G la dany, Pfc. Stallsmith and Pfc. McBride. All had been pinned down by this machine gun sniper located on a hillside nearby. The route had supposedly been cleared of snipers, for infantry riding tanks had just passed a short time before.

We were still sweating out the return of the first two litter squads that had left early that morning. The second group had changed into dry clothing, and were out again to evacuate casualties, but the first squad had not yet returned. They, too, had been pinned down by snipers in this sector while at­tempting to go forward. They were forced to seek cover in an old culvert near the roadbed, which was partially filled with water from the heavy rains a few days before. Capt. Clifford, Lt. Beard, Sgt. Spence, Cpl. Brezacek, T/5 F reeman, Pfc. Rybarczyk, Pfc. Branscum, Pvt. Hoover , Pvt. Pochepka and Pvt. Hilton, all were

70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER

Medics treated friend and foe in the midst of the battle

fortunate to find cover. Several attempts were made to proceed

up the road but each time they were greeted with a burst of machine gun bullets from the adjacent hill. They were finally successful in making a dash for the jeep, which had been left behind when they were first at­tacked. They reached the jeep without any serious mishap. T/5 Freeman remained be­hind with two infantrymen who had been pinned down with the same group.

A force was soon sent out to eliminate the snipers position and thus secure the road for much needed supplies and to evacu­ate the wounded. The evacuation was soon accomplished and the casualties began to flood the aid station.

After two days of battle, on February 19, we moved our aid station onto Kerbach, a short distance behind the swiftly moving front line troops.

It was this town that our artillery barrage of the 17th was focused and after exploring the rubble and ruin of this village, we lo­cated an aid station site in an old parish hall. Even the church across the street had re­ceived some direct hits, that sheared off much of the huge building. The roof was completely destroyed. Our equipment and supplies were hurriedly set up, and our new aid station was in order.

From the second and third floors of this building we could witness the battle taking place on the hill in the distance. We could see our troops, the thundering explosion of artillery and mortar as it landed on the hillside leaving a puff of white smoke like phosphorous, and a deep shell hole in its wake.

In the rear, a short distance from our aid station, could be seen the steady stream of German prisoners filing down the hillside to road below. Many were seriously wounded; we treated them in the station before evacuating them to prisoner-of-war hospitals. One of such cases was an old­looking individual, wounded in the leg, who was especially emphatic about the much-heard statement from every Nazi that, "Allies kaput, nix benzine, nix ammunition and nix food." But overhead could be heard the continued pounding of a German 88 that landed quite near our station.

While we were operating from this sta­tionS gt. Myron Meehan, aid man attached

Fall, 1993

THEY'RE TRAILBLAZERS ALRIGHT ... Four guys and six axe-head insignia leave no doubt that these are 70th Division men. They had gathered for the smallest mini-reunion of 1993 on the patio of Peter (Tex) Bennet's San Antonio home. From the left are Grover Perkins, HQ/883 FA; Keith Morrill, D/274; Brancio Juarez, U274, and Bennet. HQ 2nd Bn/276. The men all live in that same scenic Texas city.

to the 1st Battalion was brought into our aid station on a litter. He had been shot through the right shoulder by a German sniper. His company, Medics lst Bn, was attached to our battalion in support of this drive. He was rendering aid to a wounded doughboy and saw the German sniper but did not seek cover for his own protection. He continued to render first aid even though wounded and assisted in the evacuation of the casu­alty.

During this attack litter bearers and aid men were struggling under the precarious circumstances of the open terrain and be­cause of a sudden burst of enemy machine gun and mortar fire. Lt. Forrest J. Beard observing their plight, together with the assistance of Sgt. Richard Strassburger and Cpl. Brezacek, quickly left their cover position, located a suitable approach along the inclining plane for contacting the wounded, and assisted the aid men and litter bearers in rendering emergency medi­cal attention and evacuating them to the rear.

Ourforces were moving along quite rap­idly, and soon the town ofEtzlingen, France was captured by our troops. This was the time to pack up the medical supplies and equipment, and takeoff to a town nearer the front. On February 21 we left Kerbach and arrived in Etzlingen at 3 o'clock, in the afternoon.

This is an excerpt of a book that Ray Waterhouse has issued. It was written dur-

ing the period of Dec. 10, 1944 through March 10, 1945. He brought the manu­script to the Nashville Reunion and had the facts checked by his buddies there. Vern Staley then duplicated the copy and gave each man his own booklet.

Murphy was a grunt!

From Charlie Pence, B/275, comes gems of truth that originated in "Assembly", the bi-monthly magazine of the West Point Military Academy alumni.

MURPHY'S lAWS OF COMBAT 1. If you're short of anything, you're in

combat. 2. Anything you do can get you shot,

including doing nothing. 3. Incoming fire has the right-of-way. 4. If the attack is going really well, it's

an ambush. 5. If the enemy's in range, so are you. 6. Neverforgetthatyourweapons were

made by the lowest bidder. 7. Friendly fire isn't. 8. Tracers work both ways. 9. If you take more than your fair share

ot objectives, you will have more than your fair share of objectives to take.

10. Murphy was a grunt.

15

Axe-head Archives

One of the 70th's original cadre is Elbert (Big Luke) Williams, A/276. He made it a military career. Enlisting in May, 1934, he was discharged in 1962, 28 years under his belt. He served pre-war in Texas then went to the 9lst Division at Fort Camp White, Oregon. He came to Adair to help the Trailblazers form up.

He was a first sergeant with the 2nd Infantry Division and put in seven years in Civil Service at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. He is very active in the Masons and civic organizations in San Antonio, Texas. He lives there with his wife Mattie Cleo whom he married 57 years ago.

* There's a lot of geography in the job

HEAD, SHOULDERS AND HELMET . ..

resume of Wallace Wright, HQ 2nd Bn/ 275. He worked in Johnstown and Philadel­phia, Pennsylvania; Grand Rapids , Michigan, St. Louis, Missouri and several sites in Chicago. He was with the Pennsyl­vania Railroad in various capacities including station manager in Chi and man­ager of trailer services in Philly. He and his wife Nora, live in Oil City, Pennsylvania.

He became a 'Blazer in July, '44 at Leonard Wood, after earlier service at Fort Meade, Maryland. After combat he went to the 3rd Division.

* R. Alex Waldrop, HQ 2nd Bn/276, is

among the many, many Gis who are glad the atom bomb was dropped on Japan. "I figure I was twice spared the horrors of taking part in an invasion of the Japanese homeland," he says.

"I was with the 97th Infantry Division before joining the 70th. That division was taken out of the ETO as soon as possible after V -E Day and was earmarked for inva­sion duty. Some of my friends were either already sent out or were on the shipping list when the Bomb changed plans.

"That bomb also washed out the need for the Trailblazers to take part in later action."

Alex lives in Mechanicsburg, Pennsyl-vania.

* "My father gave me a cow when I was 16. He kept her and her offspring for me while I was in the service," recalls Ray Shirrell, C/276. "I have been in the cattle business ever since." Ray went to a one­room school in the Great Depression days and wonders if any other 'Blazers share that experience.

After induction at Camp Robinson, Ar­kansas, he was sent to Leonard Wood and the 70th Division. He stayed with us till his transfer to the 29th Infantry. That was one of the units guarding Gen. Eisenhower at his Frankfurt-am-Main headquarters and

so he wore the flaming-sword patch of SHAEF. He did a short-t 1/2-year enlist­ment in the Regular Army. With a 90-day furlough, he came back to the states, spend­ing Christmas, 1945, on the ocean. He served at Camp Pickett, Virginia and Fort Lewis, Washington with the 2nd Division in its Medical Detachment.

* William Cross, Sv/274, was a cadre-man from the 91st Division. So he automatically becomes a Founding Father of the 70th. He came to Adair in 1943 and stayed with the Trailblazers all through the ETO. He even put in a couple of months with the 3547 Ordnance in Marseilles after the Division came home.

He put his Army skills to good use as a civilian auto mechanic and then as a farmer. With his wife Lois, he has built a sturdy family tree of five sons, 11 grandchildren and four great -grandkids. He lives in Charles City, Iowa.

The long and the short of K/274 pose in front of their Camp Adair barracks in' 43. S/Sgt Bill Coleman, with his helmet weighed 164 pounds. Without his helmet he stood 5 feet 10. He was 23. At the age of 19 and still growing, Pvt Tom Wewer scaled in at 7 feet l. When you're as tall as that it doesn't matter what you weigh.

E IS FOR EXCELLENT ... say these gallant doggies of E/274. They were photo­graphed in an unknown German village shortly after combat in' 45. In the back row are, from left: Jack Showed, Ed Schimmel and John Stilinovich. In the front are AI Youkers, Donald Nicholson and Dwight (Bud) Denno.

16 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER

He was a foot soldier, was Norman Fellman, B/27 5, so it was logical that he be a foot civilian. So he was in the men ' s footwear business-retail and wholesale­until his retirement.

He took his basic at Camp Grant, Illinois, and joined the 70th in '44 at Adair. He had a variety of military duties. He was an Air Force cadet, and served with the Counter Intelligence Detachment.

In January, '45, he was captured by the Germans and was a medical patient in a Stalag hospital when liberated three months later. He was still a patient at McGuire General Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, when he was discharged in September, 1945.

He has been in the Auxiliary Police of Bedminster, New Jersey, and active in Masonic circles. His wife is the former Ruth Faust.

* It's unusual that a husband and wife both be life members of the DA V. But Dorothy and Alfred Smith, G/27 6, hold that distinc­tion. Dorothy found an item in the DA V magazine about the 70th Association and here he is , a new member!

He says that he has known Noah Kennedy, E/276, when he was on the highest court in Texas and AI was a civilian worker with military units in Corpus Christi, Texas. "But I never knew he was a Trailblazer!" he says.

AI joined the 'Blazers at Leonard Wood shortly before the Division moved out for the ETO. As a ci vii ian he was a salesman in the oil-field supply industry and then went into Federal Civil Service. Kids: 4; grandkids: 5; great-grandkids: "working on it."

* William Clark, C/276, joined the 70th at Forbach on March 1, 1945. March 3 was D-Day for the Trailblazers ' attack on Forbach; so Bill didn't have to wait long for his baptism of fire . He took his basic at Camp Blanding, Florida, and after combat served with the 4th Division as regimental clerk. As a civilian he was an accountant.

* A great leader of men, especially in the Battle ofWingen, Fred Cassidy, G/274, is also a swell leader of boys. He has Coach­of-the-Year awards in two sports, baseball and basketball and in six different years. That was at Rockville, Maryland, Boys League and Little League.

Casey was inducted in February, 1942,

Fall, 1993

in his native Lincoln, Nebraska. He was in the ASTP, then went to OCS and was commissioned at Fort Benning, Georgia, two years later. He joined the 70th at Camp Adair three days before the Division pulled out for Missouri.

He was an outstanding company com­mander and won the Silver Star and three Bronze Stars with the V for valor. After combat he was company commander with the 78th Division at Bremerhaven, Ger­many.

He took his law degree at Creighton University when he came home and for 27 years was a special agent for the FBI until his retirement in 1977. He has been a pow­erhouse in the 70th Association, served as vice-president/East and has been active in many organizations: Amvets, VFW, Elks, Knights of Columbus, Delta Upsilon fra­ternity and many more. With his wife Audrey, he has four sons and six grandchil­dren. They live in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

*

Preach Horton finally seeks his Purple Heart

"After all these years," wrote Alonzo (Preach) Horton, C/274, to his old com­pany buddies, "I have decided to try and get my Purple Heart that I refused while I was in a hospital in England." He needs some witnesses to the occurrence that entitles him to the decoration.

It was at Habsterdick, a small village between Stiring Wendel and Saarbrucken, in March, 1945. Preach, a staff sergeant, was in charge of a machine gun section which was set up in a cemetery on a high hill. Across the valley in which the village lay, about a half mile as the crow flies, the company command post was set up in a cave on a facing hill. Because they had no radio contact with the CP, Preach was com­muting by bicycle between the two points.

Coming back from the CP, he was de-

scending on a long hill which offered no cover at all. The Germans spotted him and let loose an 88. Their third shell hit right behind the bike, slammed the sergeant into a stone wall and busted him up generally. That ended his combat career as the war was over by the time he was discharged and rejoined the company in Wiesbaden.

If you know anything about this episode, please drop Preach a line at 205 Sunset Drive, Comanche, Texas 76442 or phone him at (915) 356-3663.

War is hell -but also vice versa By JAMES QUINLAN L/276

I had run down a cellar stairs with a rifleman from my squad and kicked open the door down there. I expected to find German soldiers. Instead, we burst in on a French family eating pancakes. They didn't have anything to put on them so we gave them packets of sugar from our K rations. So they invited us to join them.

Soon we heard the tramp of boots com­ing down the stairs. The door slammed open; there were two of my squad members who had feared we'd been trapped down there. So while the fighting raged in the streets above, we sat and took a break and had a nice, calm meal.

This may not sound like much but to me it was one of the few pleasant moments in that bitter fighting to liberate Forbach.

Another pleasant memory of that battle was when an old French grandfather gave me a large French flag that he had hidden for four years from the Germans. I still cherish that flag, especially because it has signatures of all the L/276 fellows, includ­ing many who didn ' t survive the war.

We Americans left so many fine young men (including my only brother, Lt. John Quinlan) dead on the battle fields of Eu­rope. I hope our French allies will never forget the American sacrifices that freed them from German tyranny.

* James enlisted in the reserves in 1942 , went into the Army Air Corps in '44 and joined the 70th that year at Camp Adair. He served as a squad leader in combat and came home with the Division in October, 1945.

17

/

Confusion­facts-

A clouded report on Trailblazer

POWs By IRWIN CONE C/275 (Written in June, 1945)

We were prisoners of war! About 8 o'clock in the January morning,

a foot of snow lay on the ground. It was very cold, the water in our canteens had been frozen solid for weeks. When we were thirsty, a handful of snow was the only answer. It was not yet daylight and we were still stunned by the rapidity with which the nightmare of battle had brought the world crashing down upon our tired heads. As if in a daze, the six of us plodded painfully over the frozen hills. Here were Klip (Edward J. Klipple), Em (Emerson G. Goss), Capt. Ross R. Millheiser (my company com­mander), Murray (a cook until yesterday when heavy losses called him into the battle line), myself, and the captain's runner. Oth­ers: Rudy Garcia, EmestJ. Buhler, and Sgt. Bruno Kendziera had been more seriously wounded and the captors had carried them off many hours earlier. ... Very few motor vehicles were to be seen; in their stead was a profusion of horse-drawn wagons. The roads were frozen into mazes of deep ruts and along their sides were strewn the bodies of long-dead and frozen German soldiers and bloated horses, mute evidence of the effectiveness of strafing American airplanes. Russian forced-labor gangs were digging trenches into the hills, and German artillery men were busy plac­ing their big guns. German infantrymen clad in white snow uniforms headed for the lines and SS troupers in their black two­seater motorcycles all forecast the increasing intensity of the battle we were leav­ing ....

About noon we arrived at the German divisional headquarters. It might have been a woodland resort in peace time; about a dozen picturesque buildings arranged among the trees on the hillside. We were halted in front of a small building, and,

18

"History is only a confused heap offacts." Lord Chesterfield, 1750

History, as many a Trailblazer can testify, is also a confused heap of inaccu­racies. According to a most official history, the 70th Division had only 21 men who were taken prisoner by Ger­man forces. So says "The Final Report of Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths in World War II," prepared by the Adjutant General 's Office.

beginning with the captain, were led one by one into the interrogator. When I was led into a small room, there were two men at desks. In perfect English one told me to empty my pockets. He handed me a piece of paper upon which had been penciled my divisional insignia (this patch had not been displayed since we had left the States.) He described my regiment, division, were we had embarked for overseas shipment, where we had landed, when, how long we had stayed in Marseilles, and where we had first seen action. "So you see," he said, "There is really nothing I need to kno.w about you." He handed me a piece of pink paper to fill out so "they would have the proper infor­mation to broadcast by radio to the Americans that we were prisoners and alive." Having been previously warned of this ruse, I refused.

The next morning we had our first taste of German food, the first in three days. A can of ersatz coffee, part of a loaf of black bread and a six-inch piece of white sausage. The bread was sour and soggy; the sausage gagged us; the coffee tasted like furniture polish, but it was good and hot and we were terribly cold.

Later in the morning we were placed on an ancient truck with two armed guards. At the top of every hill the truck had to stop and rest while the driver fumed over the reluc­tant engine. After riding about 10 miles and walking 15, we came to a small stockade, around one small four-room building. De­spite the 12-foot wall of six-ply barbed wire, the place was almost pretty. The bare logs were stained brown and the roof was neatly shingled; all the windows were well shuttered with glass in all of them. In the room where we were to stay was one very small wood stove, about two feet high and a foot in diameter. There were straw-filled ticks on the floor. There was a large table and about three stools. Now new guards again searched us and each search meant something else confiscated. Now I retained

But in one action alone, in the Battle of Phillipsbourg, one company alone, N 275, lost at least that many.

There were other actions in which groups of 'Blazers were captured but there is no known single record of 70th POWs. Some captured Gls were res­cued within hours, some spent anguished weeks in German Stalags.

Any Trailblazer who can give accu­rate numbers of prisoners-of-war from his own knowledge, is urged to send that information to the editor.

my watch, fountain pen, billfold, Bible, a book of prayers and poetry, and my ruined glasses.

Klip had been wounded in the lip and during the first night it began to bleed and would not be stopped. The Germans took him, they said, to a hospital the next morn­ing.

The food at this place was fairly gener­ous, for 24 hours: three loaves of black bread, two bricks of synthetic honey, and a pot of "apsen." At one time we had an allotment of some sort of meat. It looked like hamburger but was probably horse, dog or some such thing.

During the day we had work details: we carried fire wood, sawed, dug bomb shel­ters steadily and heavily from 8 in the morning until 6 in the evening. So we usually were pretty tired by the time we hit the hay.

One day we marched on a route which led right through some of the cleverest fortifications of the Siegfried Line. The hills were steep and the roads rough. At nightfall we came into Pirmasens and led into the damp and dark basement of a former factory. During these two weeks here, I read more of my Bible than I ever had before. One day a group of nearly 50 new men arrived, and great was the day! For there was Klip. His lip was nearly healed, but he was terribly thin and pale. After two weeks of such short rations, poor air, and light we were pretty weak. We lay upon our bunks rather than use the unnecessary en­ergy required to walk about. Nevertheless we were lined up outside one day and walked 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) in less than l 0 hours. The roads were icy and walking difficult. We were on our way to a German Stalag.

~Stalag XI·»~ 70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER

'

Away we go!

20

JUST FOR THE L OF IT ... See that "Hersey bar" on the sleeve of the man at the right of the back row? It designates a six-month overseas combat hitch. Few Trailblazers wore that at Camp Adair in '44. Sgt. Arlo Wood had earned his with service at the Battle of Guadalcanal. From the Pacific he was assigned to Co. L, 276.

With him are his company buddies (in the back row. left) Sgt. Ed Weems and Phillip Smith and in front, (left) Mickey Roberts and John DeLuccia.

What the L?

50 YEARS LATER. . . . Taos Canyon, New Mexico was the site of a senti­mental ceremony for these men of L/276. Gathered in a mini-reunion, they hosted a National Guard color guard that lowered an old flag and raised a fresh. new one.

In the back row, from the left, are Phillip Smith, Arvid Lapi, Gene Anderson, and Al Bickstead.

In the front row are Gene Burtner, John Born, Joe Dutra and Big Phil Roth.

Lifers Roster hits 640!

When the category of Life Mem­bers was instituted in 1983, it was hoped that as many as 50 men would sign up. On the lOth anniversary of such memberships, the number has grown to 640!

Fourteen of the new Lifers are In­fantrymen and two are Artillerymen. The 276th led the list with eight re­cruits. The newest Lifers are:

BROCKMAN. Chester, I/276 CARROLL, Don E .. A/276 CHRISTENSEN. Clement C .. C/883 FA ELFSTEN, Donald E., C/275 FRICOVSKY, George J .. I/276 GIER. Harry C., K/275 HALL, Marvin 0 .. HQ/884 FA HOLDER. Gerald E., A/274 KIRK. Robert N., G/274 PRESLEY, John W., I/274 SCHRAM. Robert F., C/276 TER LOUW. Marion, E/276 THORN, William W., C/276 TVETER. Jacob 0., G/275 WILSON, Donald B., I/276 ZANOLLI, Stelvio W., D/276

Patriarchs of the Platoons

1903 (?) Frank Arnbrecht, HQ/883

1906 (?) Arthur Chappue,

Svc/883

1907 Jan. 6 F. Berne LaBar, Sv/276

1909 Feb. l2Karl Landstrom,

HQ 3rd Bn/274

1910 Jan. 14 David Jury, A/276 Mar. 24 Walter Albright, G/ 274 (?) Alvin Boelter,

Medic C/274

You are invited to join the Patri­archs, the elder statesmen of the 70th Division. You are eligible if you reach the age of 83 or older this year. Please note your birth date when you report to the editor.

70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER

Mess kit Seen or heard it drew fire (and made mess)

By PETER BENNET HQ 2nd Bn/276

-;- -,._,~- -

D6N..,... E~ '/t1UtZ. ~~s;t::rr diJ'f'stl>f!. y~LJi;: ~~.:

(I ONLY I>ib l'T' 01\lce,., ~)

Virgil Rauch and I had been up at the observation post of the 2nd Battalion/276 all night with a beauti­ful view of the scenic Saar River and the Siegfried Line. Added was a German 88 that fired at every­thing that moved and as we learned shortly, mortar crews that could hone in on a pickle barrel at 200 yards.

admonished us to carry shiny mess kits under our jackets lest their bright reflection alert enemy eyes. We forgot.

When a round-probably of an 88-landed in a garden terrace next to us and the shrapnel pruned the trees above our heads, I went headfirst into a slit trench that God had put there for me. And I thanked Him out loud for it. I was shaking so bad my mess kit rattled. The Germans heard it and thought they had zeroed in on a mess line, always a target of choice for them. So they let loose with three more rounds. Virg was knocked flat by the second round but we were both unhurt. We made it back "home"-without breakfast.

We heard rumors that there was hot chow back at Battalion HQ. Being hungrier than troops ought to be, we grabbed mess kits and trotted out the back cellar door of our OP. Surely all good soldiers re­member the warning of our cadre NCOs who

The shoe was on the other foot By BILL COLEMAN K/274

Ernest Oppenheimer was a well-edu­cated young German Jewish fellow who had escaped Nazi Germany and into the U.S.A. where he joined the Army to fight the Germans. He spoke English very well but with an unquestionable German accent. Much to his dislike we kept him in the kitchen as a cook for it would have been instant execution for him if he was cap­tured.

After the Germans surrender I drew the detail to accompany Ernie on a trip to his home town in Germany. A sergeant, the jeep driver, Ernie and I arrived at Ernie's home to find a German living in it who was manager of the factory that Emies Dad owned before the Nazi takeover of Jewish property. Ernie was a big surprise to the man and Ernie knew him to be a loyal Nazi.

The man acted and talked like he owned the factory and wouldn't give us any infor-

Fall, 1993

mation as to Ernie's Mom and Dad. We took him out to a small woods on the edge of town where we gave him the shovel from the jeep and told him to start digging his grave. This brought his memory back. Ernie's Mom and Dad had been taken to a concentration camp and were dead. Ernie continued to question him as we made him keep digging. After getting as much infor­mation as he had we told him to stop digging. He had dug a right nice size grave.

We told him we would not kill him right then but he was not to fill up the hole. He was to continue to take care of the factory and house until Ernie took over but if every­thing wasn't in good shape then we would bury him. We then went to the town Mayor and told him that if so much as a light bulb was missing from the house or factory on Ernie's return we would level the town.

The factory had been producing small­arms shells. Originally it was a pen and pencil factory. Ernie showed us a new pen his Dad had been working on. I believe it was called a ball-point.

The last I know of Ernie he was wanting to be discharged in Germany.

Sure the Infantry walks ... but this was ridiculous!

A 20-mile hike is not the relaxation a GI would voluntarily seek after walking a pa­trol in hostile territory. That's why Maurice McKinney, L/274, remembers that snowy day in '45 in the Alsatian hills.

His company was atop a snowy moun­tain when they went out on patrol. It was hard going, heavy snow, dense woods and steep slopes. After completing the assign­ment, they returned to find everyone packed up. The order had come to retreat.

"We went back about 20 miles that night. I was one of on] y two or three who made the whole hike. All the rest fell out, looking for shelter in barns or other places.

"My feet were sore the next day." Now that's putting it mildly, isn't it?

*

21

New Members

NEW MEMBERS

BOYLES, Will iam 234 Eagle Rd. Naples, Fl 33961 1/275- Marion

BROWN, Joseph H. PO Box 363, 1160 River St. Dakota, MN 55925 1/27 4 -Mary Ann

CORLEY, Tom E. 519 Heard Ave. Auburn, Al 36830 883 FA- Mary

DANIEL H "Jack" 18 Mitchell Circle Rome, GA 30161 HQ/ 276-

DARSEY, Frank E. 981 0 W . Homewood Shreveport, LA 71108 A/ 276 - Bobbie

DICKENSON, Harry M. P.O. Box 547032 Orlando, Fl 32854 1/275- Frances

GEER, Robert B. 29257 Los Cielos Rd . Sun City, CA 92586 C/275-

HAILEY, William C. 11 03 Commonwealth Ave. Newton City, MA 02159 D/27 4 - Renate

HAYCOCK, Dick J. 4509 Morpheus Lane Sacramento, CA 95864 HQ/3 Bn/27 4-

HAYDEN, Alan 37 Bond St. Passaic, NJ 07055 C/ 275-

HOLLAND, Will iam J. 21 Fig Ct. E. Homosassa, Fl34446 C/275 -Joan

KALNASY, Andrew P.O. Box 347301 Parma, OH 44134 C/ 275- W ilma

KLEIN, Edward H. 500 E. 77th St. New York, NY 10162 1/275- Judy

LEHRER, Alfred 214 Huntley Rd. Woodmere, NY 11598 G/275- Vette

MARTENS, James C. 14517 Waxahachie Houston, TX 77015 Medic/2 Bn/27 4-

MAY, Edwin C. 1209 Hull Valley Dr. Waynesville, MO 65583 HQ/Divarty -

The Treasurer's Report

Fiscal Year- 1992-93 (Cents Omitted)

BALANCE 6/30/92: Mission Bank, Mission, KS - Checking . $ 864 Mission Bank - Mone y Market Acct. . . . . 24,599 Mission Bank - Certs. of De posit . . . . . . . 44,965 Citize ns S. & L., Eureka , IL - C/D ....... 10,152 Capital Fed . Sav., Mission, KS - C/Ds . . 28,000

Total Beginning Balance ...................... $108,580

RECEIPTS:

22

Regular Dues ................. $12,691 Life Memberships . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,082 Associate Me mbe r Dues ....... 623 ... 17,396 Interest on Deposits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,515 History Book Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,102 Other Book & Souvenir Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,893 Reunion Registrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71,172 Othe r Income (Re union Auction & Sales) . 10,908 Video Tape Commissions................ 150

Total Receipts ......... . . .. .. . .. . ....... . .. .. . $108,136

McCONNELL, Harold H. 32 W . Walnut St. Mt. Vernon, IN 47265 Medic/274-

MILLETIE, Armand H. 85 Boutelle St. leominster, MA 01453 B/275- Anna

MOORE, Robert l. Rt. 3, Box 659 Winnfield, LA 71483 G/275- Martha

MORRISON, Max F. 825 Greenfield Rd. Mansfield, OH 44904 C/275 -Mary

QUINN, Robert M., Sr. 220 Ramsey ln. Ballwin, MO 63021 L/27 4 - Marcella

RENAUT, Myrl 3436 RD #3 Spring Grove, PA 17362 l/274 -Irma

SCHNEIDER, Emil Rt. 1, Box 73 New leipzig, ND 58562 B/275-

SCHRAM, Robert F. 6849 Mosselle Ave. Chicago, ll 60646 C/276- Jessamine

SHEELEY, George H. 50 1 N. Jefferson Raymore, MO 64083 A/276- Dorothy

SIMON, W ill iam E. 16865 Perry ln. #3 Avon, MN 56310 D/275- Beverly

SPILLANE, John A Rt. 1 , Box 370 Jackson, GA 30233 C/276 - Al ice

STEELE, Ralph 9310 W . Mountain View Cir. Orem, UT 84057 AT/274- Anna May

NEW ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

David A Cathey 602 S. Couch Ft. Scott, KS 66701

son of John Cathey (L/27 4)

John W . Cathey, Jr. 652 W . Berkeley Ct. Ontario, CA 91765

son of John Cathey (L/27 4)

William J. Cathey 2225 W . Broadway, E 309 Anaheim, CA 92804

son of John Cathey (L/27 4)

Calvin Jones

Assistant Secretary Treasurer DISBURSEMENTS:

Postage, Shipping & Mailing Permits .... $ 2,791 Office Supplies & Telephone ............. 474 Trailblazer Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,896 Souvenir Purchases (for re-sale) . . . . . . . . . . 5,580 Annual Gratuity - Secretary-Treasurer . . 600 Annual Gratuity - Trailblazer Editor . . . . 600 Treasurer Fidelity Bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Reunion Expense (Louisville) . . ......... . . 110,945 Registration Refunds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,738 Flowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Memorial Plaque Expense (Ft. L.Wood) . . . 1,329

Total Disbursements ... .. ..... . .. .. ..... . .. . .. $135.169

ENDING BALANCE: Mission Bank - Checking Account .. . .. $ 282 Mission Bank - Money Market Acct. . . . . . 23,391 Mission Bank - Certificates of Deposit .. 47,722 Citizens Sav. & Loan - Cert. of Dep...... 10,152

Total Ending Balance ........................ $ 81,547*

• This represents an increase over the past two years of $14,773.

70th Division Assn. TRAILBLAZER

and Changes for the Roster

CHANGES OF ADDRESS GEHRKE, Richard MILLER, Robert 241 Knapp Rd. 30141 Antelope Rd . #D414

ATKINSON, Ralph Three Lakes, WI 54562 Menifee, CA 92884 597 A Waverly Way

GRAVETIE, William 70th Infantry Division Jamesburg, NJ 08831 MORTON, Kencil 3940 County Rd. 1223 Rt. 2 , Box 65F Association BERTCH, Frank Vinemont, AL 35179 Fayetteville, WV 25840

P.O . Box 111 President Sublimity, OR 97385 GROFFIE, Edward RIDGWAY, King Alex C. Johnson

1 02 North Ave. 1912 Eastlake Blvd. #306 833 N. Carlyle Lane BIRNIE, William Seaside Park, NJ 08752 Colorado Springs, CO 80910 Arlington Hts., IL 60024 10441 Julius Ave. (708) 506-9884 Downey, CA 90241 KNOX, Elwood ROGERS, Harold L. * 1360 Kaylock St. 816 LaBrook Ct. #A-ll Immediate BONSALL, Frank Stephenville, TX 76401 Ft. Lawton Beach, FL 32547 Past-President Rt. 2, Box 270 Neal C . Gibbs Delmar, DE 19940 LANDSTROM, Karl SHIRRELL, Roy 11910 Moonlight Rd.

51 0 No. Edison HC02, Box 61 0 Olathe, KS 66061 BROWN, Joseph H. Arlington, VA 22203 Zalma, MO 63787 (913) 764-0388 Box 363 * Dakota, MN 55925 LONGWORTH, Glendon VERBURG, William Past President

P.O . Box 380 2680 Penny Lane Norman J. Johnson DUNTON, Elmore (Lee) Halsey, OR 97348 Stuart, FL 34994 3344 Bryant Ave. 1401 W . Ellendale Ave. #5 Anoka, MN 55303 Dallas, OR 97338-1 263 McCOY, Paul WEIKUM, Carl (612) 421-7265

'/o The Cascades 8965 Coos Bay Wagon Rd. * FULLER, Don E. 201 N. Jessica Ave. #308 Roseburg, OR 97 470 Vice-President/West 1225 N. Granada Ave. #39 Tucson, AZ 85710 Paul E. Thirion Alhambra, CA 91801 WITIE, Raymond 6669 Nicolett

McGUIRE, Alvin Rt. 4, Box 309B Riverside, CA 92504 4323 Elmtree Rd. Tupelo, MS 38801 (714) 682-2963 Holcomb, NY 14469 * Vice-President/East

Wm. R. Kiefriter 50 W oodhill Dr.

Willow Grove, PA 19090

BEAUCHAMP, Harry E. KACHURSKY, Edward O'BRIEN, John W. (215) 657-0212

1609 Tartan Way Rt. 1 , Box 526 3434 Bunker Hill Dr. SW * Louisville, KY 40205 Belle Vernon, PA 15012 Roanoke, VA 24018 Sec.-Trees.

B/274 B/274 F/274 Louis Hoger

Died April13, 1991 Died December 7 , 1992 . 5825 Horton Mission, KS 66202

BORAN, Jon K.

* SATIERLEE, J. H. (H) 913-722-2024

5401 S. 46th St. 101 S. Pine St. Box 12 (0) 816-931-4333

Phoenix, AZ 85040 St. Elmo, IL 62458 * . Medic/3 Bn/276 Asst. Sec.-Trees.

Died July 21 , 1993 Died May 1 2, 1993 Calvin L. Jones

TAPS 227 NE 105th Ave.

COSNER, Chester SPORE, Lyle R. Portland, OR 97220

3285 Martin Rd.

* 717 Hwy 99 N., Sp. 12 (503) 253-8575

Dublin, OH 43017 Eugene, OR 97 402 * B/274 AT/276 Chaplain . Died May 26, 1993 L. Donald Docken

170 N. Ruth St., #1005

DARE, Marvin E. MARTIN, Robert L. WAGNER, Joseph J. St. Paul. MN 55119

Rt. 9 , Box 393 1410 250th Pl. (612) 735-8325

Poplar Bluff, MO K/274 Ocean Park, WA 98640 * 63901 Died June 29, 1993 1/274 Asst. Chaplain

SV/275 Died July 21, 1993 Rev. Harry Durkee

Died July 3, 1993 NOLDER, Vach 7739 Via Napoli 1404 N. Juniper St. WILKIE, Aldon J. Burbank, CA 91504

ELSER, George C. Canby, OR 97013 15475 SW Alderbrook Crc. (818) 767-0794

33773 Noreen Lane M/275 TiJard, OR 97224 * Yucaipa, CA 92399 Died April 16, 1993 D 274 Historians

K/274 Died August 5, 1993 Donald C. Pence

Died July 3, 1993 Carolina Trace

•complete information not 285 Fairway Lane

ERIKSEN, Norman M. available Sanford, North Carolina 21730

RR#2, Box 80 (919) 499-5949

Dows, 10 50071 * C/275 Dr. Eugene Petersen

Died August 2 , 1993 1850 Randy St., San Leandro, California 94579

(415) 351-0861

Fall.l993 23

70th Division Assn. Edmund C. Arnold 3208 Hawthorne Ave. Richmond, Virginia 23222

24

...

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE THIRD CLASS

PERMIT- 1310 RICHMOND, VA.

Forwarding and Return Postage Guaranteed and Address Correction requested

STEPPING SMARTLY ... Although this was their first "public" parade, these Trailblazers did not look like raw rookies. They had trained only a few weeks at Camp Adair but they had learned their drills well. So here they are, march­ing proudly down the main street of Portland in support of a War Bond campaign.