Remembering World War II 75 years later by The Bakersfield Californian Specialty Publications

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

The Bakersfield Californian

WORLD WAR II

REMEMBERING

WORLD WAR II 75 YEARS LATER THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN LOOKS BACK ON ITS HOMETOWN HEROES

U.S. NAVY VIA AP, FILE

In this Dec. 7, 1941, file photo, part of the hull of the capsized USS Oklahoma is seen at right as the battleship USS West Virginia, center, begins to sink after suffering heavy damage, while the USS Maryland, left, is still afloat in Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii. THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN

Many historians date the start of World War II as Sept. 1, 1939, when Hitler invaded Poland. If correct, that would make the United States about two years and three months late for the monumental effort to wage all-out war against Nazi Germany, militarist Japan and fascist Italy, the central Axis powers. It wasn’t until Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, that the so-called “sleeping giant” was awakened. There’s no doubt it was a turn-

ing point in the war. By the time World War II officially ended with the signing of Japan’s unconditional surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, some 400,000 Americans, and as many as 50 million others around the world had lost their lives. The most destructive war in human history was history. In the intervening years, The Californian has published countless stories commemorating and remembering the war, often counting on the personal experiences and mem-

AP PHOTO / FILE

In this Jan. 19, 1945, file photo, black smoke rises from burning targets at the Kawasaki aircraft plant in Kawasaki, near Tokyo, as U.S. planes bomb the factory facilities.

ories of the men and women who lived through that time to tell their stories, and through them, help us understand the war better. But finding those who were participants in the war is no longer a given. This 75th anniversary of the war’s end may be the last major anniversary that we can expect to benefit directly from those who were there. “The war will pass from living memory into history,” Rob Citino, senior historian at the National World War II Museum,

told The Advocate newspaper earlier this year. It’s a sobering thought. Although we know of the industrialized murder of 6 million Jews in Nazi death camps, we will no longer be able to speak with those who survived, and those American solderers who liberated the camps and were forever changed by the experience. We will no longer be able to plumb the memories of veterans like the late-John Soria, an Army medic from Bakersfield who remembered during the

Battle of the Bulge running from one wounded comrade to another, helping those he could, providing comfort for those he couldn’t, not realizing he had been hit by a burst of artillery fire. From living memory into history. Our perception of World War II will change as the voices of living veterans fade with age and ultimately surrender to the inexorable passage of time. But forgetting is not an option. They wouldn’t want us to. — Steven Mayer

The Bakersfield Californian

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Motor City Salutes our Nation and our Military Branches That Serve It.

3101 Pacheco Road Bakersfield CA 93313

75th Anniversary of the End of World War II. We will continue to strive to meet your expectations.

Photo credit: Mark Duffel

Photo credit: WSJ/Getty Images USS Missouri, Tokyo Bay Sept 1945

Photo credit: picture-alliance/AP Photos/J.Carroll Allied troops liberate Paris, 1945

Kern County Devil Pups, 661-332-8394, devilpupsbakersfield@hotmail.com. Devil Pups is a 10-day camp for boys and girls 14-17 designed to have a positive impact on their quality of life by training them in citizenship, moral and ethical responsibilities as they grow into adulthood. Paid for in full by Patriots of Kern, a 501C3 Non-Profit Corporation

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

The Bakersfield Californian

WORLD WAR II

Seventy-five years later, why should we remember? BY STEVEN MAYER smayer@bakersfield.com

Today, Sept. 2, marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, a colossal global conflict that cost more lives by far than any other war in human history. Those who lived through it were witness to the rise of a murderous and grotesque form of fascism and a record of Japanese military expansionism that, when joined together, seemed unstoppable. But Nazi Germany, Japan and the other Axis powers were ultimately defeated. Following the war, they became democratic states, and by most accounts, responsible members of the global community. Three-quarters of a century later, most of the millions of individuals who fought or served in the war have passed. And like our memories of World War I, the Spanish-American War, and the War of 1812, our collective memory of these conflicts appears to be fading. So we posed this question to readers on Facebook: Is Sept. 2 worth remembering? Is it still important all these years later to commemorate this historic milestone? The respondents to our questions were virtually unanimous in their belief that our national memory must be refreshed and nurtured by our continued commemoration of the war and the people who fought and died. But remembering doesn’t mean we stop asking difficult questions about the roots of the conflict and America’s responses to it. One respondent, Bakersfield resident Jay Smith, quoted poet-novelist George Santayana, who famously wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” ••• My dad was in the Army Air Corps enlisting the day after Pearl Harbor. My mother dropped out of college to work in a defense industry. YES, it is important to remember the 30 million people that lost their lives in less than 10 years. I was so dumb. When I was a young teacher at East and North (high schools)...I didn’t realize all my co-workers were combat veterans. — Mike McCoy Absolutely yes. The population of the USA became aware of an entire world of languages and cultures few had even read about. We were yanked out of protectionist nationalism into a new role on the world stage. These changes were not without

horrific losses around the world, genocide, and the birth of the Atomic Age...All forms and manner of perspective and communication in the world changed due to WW2. Yes. We need to keep teaching and studying and commemorating it. — Katrina Barnum Huckins My father-in-law, Norman Bussell Sr., came home from a Japanese POW camp only after the Japanese surrendered. His younger brother Al Bussell was a POW in Germany during World War II. They have all passed now but The Californian did a series of stories about the Bussell boys some years ago. — Elaine McNearney My great uncle Gilbert Smith joined the Army two days after Pearl Harbor was attacked. He served as a medic with the 27th Infantry Division. He landed on the beaches of Makin Atoll, Eniwetok, Saipan ... He returned to the states in February 1945 after being overseas almost three years. He served at the Army hospital at Fort Benning, Ga. until he was discharged on Sept. 2, 1945. That will always be an important date! God bless our greatest generation! — Arnold S. Martinez We all owe those of the greatest generation a thanks for our freedom. They fought a formidable enemy who sought the takeover of the world. Had these men and women not fought so courageously, there may not be a United States of America today... As a Marine, I humbly salute those who are the original superheroes, for without them we wouldn’t enjoy the freedom we have today. — John Anthony Guy Because we are a nation that memorializes our fallen and heroes, it is worthy of our collective attention even after 75 years. My father served along with countless of his friends and now many of my newfound friends volunteering for Honor Flight and coordinating the Pearl Harbor Day ceremony. I feel it is our duty to remember and honor. Why? Because of their heroic and selfless sacrifices not only abroad but also at home. Millions of women took over the roles of many men transforming auto factories into war producing plants... Our nation was so unified and patriotic that no one could defeat our resolve... Many of us living today knew or had a relative serving or working for a common goal. I’ve cried a thousand tears seeing, traveling to and hearing first-hand what it took to defeat tyranny through the

world. I am forever grateful to the men and women of that generation. — Marc Sandall Of course. Why wouldn’t we? — Robert Fairman America is the only country to use nuclear weapons on people ... Not once, but twice — to let the world know they are now dealing with psychopaths who have no qualms or restraint about killing unarmed populations, or anyone else in the way of the pursuit of global dominance. YES this needs to be remembered, if people are to LEARN from this horrible time in history. Peace is the answer. You may say I’m a dreamer... — Benny Dean Jones Duffel The impressionable youth, including those who are purposefully ignorant to our history, are essentially bound to misunderstand and not fully comprehend the magnitude of the atrocities that occurred. And without the strength and courage of those who gave up everything, even their own lives, many more would have suffered and died needlessly. History is often rewritten from the perspective of the historian and so it is incredibly important to learn both from books as well as personal experiences from those who were directly involved so as to prevent it from reoccurring. — Steven Chandler It should always be remembered and every veteran honored for their service and sacrifice! — Randy Dodson It is undeniably worth remembering. Many of us who are alive today and are in our 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s had parents or relatives who served in World War II. We had direct communication from those parents and family members who served in the military, regarding their experiences, memories and emotions during their service. It is a cliche, but we owe a debt of gratitude to those who served and that includes those killed in action, those wounded (both physical and emotional wounds), and those still living. Remembering doesn’t mean we gloat over our victory, but rather we acknowledge our ancestors who sacrificed dearly to help in the war effort. I think what America did to rebuild itself, Japan and Germany after the war was a most honorable effort. Some historians are quick to lay blame on America for the use of atomic weapons to end the war in the Pacific.

COURTESY OF ARNOLD S. MARTINEZ

Arnold S. Martinez’s great uncle Gilbert Smith joined the U.S. Army two days after Pearl Harbor. He served as a medic with the 27th Infantry Division, and landed on the beaches of Makin Atoll, Eniwetok and Saipan. According to his great-nephew, Smith returned to the United States in February 1945 after being overseas for nearly three years.

Yet, they often won’t acknowledge the horrible things our enemies did to Americans and Japan’s neighbors. Our goal was to put an immediate stop to those cruel acts. There was such a national togetherness and spirit of comradery that swelled in America to get in there and get it done, win the war, get on with their lives, and to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity. That in itself is worth celebrating. — Dick Taylor

Steven Mayer can be reached at 661395-7353. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter: @semayerTBC.

Bakersfield veteran was in Japan when WWII officially ended 75 years ago today BY STEVEN MAYER smayer@bakersfield.com

He grew up on a ranch, joined the U.S. Army at 17, served in the Pacific during World War II and landed in Japan with the Allied occupation forces on Sept. 2, 1945. Exactly 75 years ago. Now nearing his 94th birthday, Bakersfield resident William Stephens knows he was witnessing history. Even as he and other members of the 1st Cavalry Division were landing in Yokohama, members of a Japanese delegation were offshore aboard the USS Missouri signing Japan’s unconditional surrender to the Allied forces. Still just 18 at the time, Stephens may not have fully comprehended the gravity of that day — that even as his American boots were landing on Japanese soil, the deadliest war in human history was coming to an end. “We were on our landing barges while they were (aboard ship) signing the peace,” he remembered. “The Cavalry Division was the first to go into Tokyo,” he said of his beloved 1st Cav, a unit that had trained him for combat on horseback, a possibility that never materialized on Pacific beachheads and battlefields. “They called it boots and britches,” he said of the baggy jodhpur-style riding breeches and boots he wore in training. “We gave ‘em up when we went overseas,” he said. One duty his unit shouldered during the early months of occupation was to collect all weapons that might still be in the hands of the local population. “The Japanese were supposed to turn in weapons, and most of them did,” he recalled. “We’d go from town to town, making sure the weapons were turned in.” Huge sections of the cities had been reduced to rubble after months of conventional bombing and unconventional firebombing by American and British air forces. As his stories and memories bubbled up almost at random, Stephens apologized, noting that his memory is not as sharp as it once was. But these memories go back more than three-quarters of a century, making them considerably older than most people. Stephens believes that commemorating major milestones of the Second World War is not only worthwhile, but should continue to be taught in high school history classes. In fact, the skilled horseman has been invited to local high schools, along with other veterans, to share his experiences with high school students.

ALEX HORVATH / THE CALIFORNIAN

World War II U.S. Army veteran William Stephens wears the “boots and britches” of the 1st Cavalry Division when some members of the division still trained on horseback. Stephens was just 17 when he enlisted. But by the time he was deployed overseas, the division’s mounted units were being retired and converted to modern mechanized infantry formations.

Betty Stephens, William’s wife of more than 45 years, agrees with her husband. “I think it’s very important,” she said of continuing such educational efforts. Younger generations have little understanding of the sacrifices made during World War I and World War II, Betty Stephens said. She’s seen evidence of it in some responses to the coronavirus, noting that too many are more concerned about losing their “rights” than working together as Americans to combat the spread of the virus. Another Bakersfield resident, Charlie Wilson, may have crossed paths in the Philippines with William Stephens during that long-ago war. But the two didn’t meet officially until some years ago when they found themselves seated at the same table at an Honor Flight Kern County breakfast in downtown Bakersfield. Wilson was an Army Air Force crew radio operator on military cargo planes during the latter part of the war. He helped deliver everything from food stuffs to medicine to thousands serving the war effort. “I think I delivered more damn toilet paper to the guys out there than anything else,” he said, laughing. Then the New Jersey native got serious. “I consider Bill a very good friend,” he said of Stephens. “We keep in touch

ALEX HORVATH / THE CALIFORNIAN

Stephens brought back Japanese currency after serving with occupation forces following the surrender.

as much as we can. We used to meet for breakfast, but now with COVID, we can’t even do that.” After the war Stephens would come back to Bakersfield and work for the Kern County Probation Department, where he served 40 years. A short stint as an MP, or military police officer, may have helped set him on that path. On the wall of his office at home in northeast Bakersfield, a shadow box hangs on the wall, displaying his dog tags, military insignia and medals, including those honoring his service in the South Pacific and the Philippine victory medal, given to him and many others out of gratitude for their unselfish service. Asked to explain the significance of the items, Stephens cracked a smile.

ALEX HORVATH / THE CALIFORNIAN

U.S. Army veteran William Stephens, who turns 94 in late September, shows a photograph of himself from 1945.

“We’ll start with the most important one,” he said. “The Good Conduct Medal.” After the laughter died down, and there was time to reflect, the words didn’t seem far-fetched at all. A life well-lived. A duty well-executed. “Good conduct” may be an understatement. Steven Mayer can be reached at 661395-7353. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter: @semayerTBC.

The Bakersfield Californian

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

WORLD WAR II

Kern County heroes: World War II

PHOTO COURTESY OF ORDIZ-MELBY ARCHITECTS

More than 1,000 names of Kern County residents killed in our nation’s wars are etched on the Wall of Valor at the Kern Veterans Memorial on Truxtun Avenue. THE BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIAN

The following is a list of Kern County residents killed, captured or missing in action in World War II. Some died of wounds after the war ended. This list may not be complete as the information is not kept with a single agency or group. The branch of service or hometown were also unavailable for some. ■■ Robert R. Abel, Army, Taft ■■ James D. Abercrombie, Army, Shafter ■■ Aubrey Warren Ackley, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ Thomas A. Adcock, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Loyd Agee, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Wayne W. Agee, Army, Taft ■■ Primo Agostinelli, Army, Delano ■■ Horace Albright, Army, Delano ■■ Jerry Alderson, Navy, Mojave ■■ George B. Alderson, Navy, Randsburg ■■ Calvin O. Allen, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Carl H. Allen, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Horace L. Allen, Marine Corps, Rosamond ■■ Fred Anaya, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Leon Anaya, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Raymond Anderson, branch unknown, Selma, Calif. ■■ Robert B. Anderson, Army, Shafter ■■ Harold Andes, Army, Wasco ■■ Dan Andreotti, Army, Buttonwillow ■■ Nicholas T. Angeles, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Gerald Angelich, Army, Taft ■■ Ralph Apalatea, Army, Mojave ■■ Leroy C. Appling Jr., Marine Corps, Taft ■■ Cecilio Aragon, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Alfredo B. Arias, Army, Tendeparacua, Michoacan, Mexico ■■ Edward Armstrong, branch unknown, Mojave ■■ Herman J. Arnett, Army, Lamont ■■ Walter R. Austin II, Army, Taft ■■ Henry R. Avara, Army, Wasco ■■ Roy E. Avery, Navy, Mountain View (POW) ■■ George Joaquin Avila, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ Eddie Baggett, Army, Buttonwillow ■■ Clarence Bailey, Navy, Delano ■■ Lester Bailey, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Earl E. Baker, Army, Bakersfield ■■ William O. Baker, Marine Corps, hometown unknown ■■ Lloyd C. Ballard, Army, Fellows ■■ Edward R. Banda, Army, Wheeler Ridge ■■ Lawrence Barber, Merchant Marines, Wasco ■■ Albert Barela, Army, Lamont ■■ Roy L. Barker, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Carl Ellis Barnes, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ Fred A. Barnes, Army, Delano ■■ Howard L. Barnett, Army, Coal Hill, Ark. ■■ Robert Leon Barr, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ Lewis M. Batson, Army, Bakersfield (POW) ■■ Herbert L. Bayless, Army, Bakersfield ■■ John W. Beauchamp Army, Bakersfield ■■ Marion L. Becking Jr., Army, Bakersfield ■■ Gordon B. Beecroft, Army, Bakersfield ■■ William M. Behrent, Marine Corps, Bakersfield ■■ Sydney W. Bennett, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Charley L. Bennight, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Robert Bentley, Army, Mojave ■■ Adolph Bernacchi, Army, Bakersfield ■■ John J. Besone, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Halbert E. Bishop, Army, Tehachapi ■■ L.B. Bishop, Army, Clayton, Okla. ■■ William Udell Bishop, Navy, Bakersfield (MIA) ■■ Jaril G. Black, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Vernon Blue, Army, Taft ■■ Glen L. Bonebrake, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ Lester V. Bonkosky, Army, Delano ■■ Charles Borjon, Army, Wasco ■■ Henry A. Bosh, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Welch Bowen, Navy, McFarland ■■ Charles S. Bowman, Marine Corps, Bakersfield ■■ John L. R. Bozeman, Army, Bakersfield ■■ J.T. Brackeen, Marine Corps, Bakersfield ■■

Raymond R. Bradshaw, Army, Bakersfield

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Arthur F. Brand, Army, Oildale Francis W. Braniger, Navy, McFarland Bill C. Brannum, Navy, Delano W. Rex Brashear, Army, Bakersfield Arnold T. Bratcher, Army, San Fernando, Calif. Wilson T. Bristol, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Eugene E. Brock, Army, Shafter Earl E. Brockman, Navy, Delano James D. Broussard, Army, Taft Eugene Brown, Army, McFarland Donald M. Brown, Army, Bakersfield Ronald M. Brown, Army, Taft Wilbern G. Brown, Marine Corps, Buttonwillow Loyd L. Bryan, Army, Shafter Syndey L. Buaas, Army, Oildale Walter C. Buaas, Army, Bakersfield Rollin A. Buffington, Army, Bakersfield George Edward Burleson, Navy, Buttonwillow Joe W. Burleson, Army, Lamont Enoch P. Burley, Army, Bakersfield Dale C. Burroughs, Navy, Taft Marvin Busby, Army, Tulare Alfred Bushell, Navy, Bakersfield Manuel N. Cabrera, Army, Bakersfield Claro L. Cadena, Army, Buttonwillow Leroy E. Cagle, Army, Taft James D. Callahan, Army, Mojave Louis R. Candelaria, Army, Bakersfield George E. Cabfield, Army, Bakersfield Esteban L. Carrillo, Army, Shafter Richard T. Carrington, Army, Bakersfield Harold D. Carter, Army, Shafter Joseph W. Carter, Army, Shafter Earl K. Castner, Army, Fresno Joe Mary T. Castro, Army, Bakersfield Bob Catch, Army, Mojave Chester M. Cauvel, Army, Bakersfield (POW) Jerry Cebe, Army, Taft Ross Chapell, Marine Corps, Isabella Conyard C. Chapman, Army, Bakersfield Rudolfo Chavez, Marine Corps, Mojave Gayle Taylor Cheney, Navy, Mojave Bruce Chipman, Army, Mojave Jesse B. Choat, Army, Bakersfield Donald C. Chong, Army, Bakersfield Ralph W. Chorn, Army, Bakersfield Francis Christensen, Army, Tupman Ray A. Cierley, Navy, Bakersfield Dennis Cimental, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Hervie W. Clammer, Army, Fellows William C. Clausen, Navy, Oildale George W. Cobbs, Navy, Delano Lorne R. Cole, Army, Wasco Walter E. Collins, Army, Bakersfield Eligardo Collaso, Army, Bakersfield Albert Combs, Army, McFarland Lewis F. Combs, Navy, Muroc Gerald Elvin Cone, Navy, Taft Kelly Conlin, Army, hometown unknown Kenneth W. Connelly, Navy, Delano Roy E. Cook, Army, Bakersfield, Dowal Copeland, Army, Bakersfield Everett M. Coram, Army, Shafter John Lawson Corbell, Navy, Bakersfield Leonard R. Corbin, Marine Corps, Merced Frankie U. Cordero, Army, Bakersfield Lorenzo Cotinola Jr., Army, Bakersfield Harold E. Cox, Army, Bakersfield Charles Crandall, Army, Bakersfield Charles W. Crockett, Army, Bakersfield Carl T. Cross, Army, Oildale Benjamin Crossland, Army, Bakersfield Wilford J. Cullen, Navy, Taft Henry L. Culver, Army, Wasco Carl L. Curtis, Army, Roswell, N.M. Walter Adolf Dahlen, Navy, Bakersfield Francisco P. Daniels, Army, Calexico, Calif. Charles W. Davis, Marine Corps, Bakersfield, (MIA) Joseph E. Davis, Marine Corps, Greenacres Philip H. Davis, Navy, Bakersfield Forest Marvin De Lano, Navy, Arvin Paul J. Delfino, Army, Bakersfield

Ralph De Luna, Army, Delano Lawrence E. Dennison, Army, Bakersfield James A. Densmore, Army, Bakersfield Jimmie B. Deskin, Army, Bakersfield Dolphus A. Des Rosiers, Army, Lockport, N.H. Rueben D. Dixon, Navy, Wasco Kenneth L. Dodenhoff, Army, Bakersfield Fred Doninger, Army, Shafter John C. Donowho, Marine Corps, Taft Leroy Doshier, Army, Arvin John Dotl, Army, Mojave Richard Dotson, Army, Oildale Robert F. Doty, Army, Delano Daryl E. Drummond, Army, Oildale Harding D. Duke, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Gene Duncan, Army, Bakersfield Robert A. Dunlap, Army, Bakersfield John E. Dunn, Army, Weedpatch Murrel R. Dunn, Army, Taft William D. Durgy, Army, Bakersfield Chester M. Durham, Army, hometown unknown A.R. Dyke, Navy, Mojave Walter H. Eastberg, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Earl C. Edgar, Army, Oildale Alonzo John Elledge, Navy, Bakersfield Elmore Jean Elliott, Navy, Bakersfield Daniel Benjamin Erico, Navy, Bakersfield Frank J. Espitallier, Army, Bakersfield Mike J. Etchart, Army, Bakersfield Herbert S. Evans, Army, Taft (MIA) Harvey Randell Ewing, Navy, Wasco Emile A. Eynaud, Army, Lost Hills Edward L. Falvey, Army, Bakersfield Renato J. Fanucchi, Army, Buttonwillow Ezra F. Farmer, Army, Bakersfield Arthur H. Fast, Army, Shafter (POW) Richard William Ferdinand, Navy, Oildale Joseph G. Ferrel, Army, Bakersfield Tevis Ferguson, Army, Grass Valley, Calif. Bobby E. Fields, Marine Corps, Arvin Owen H. Filkel, Army, Bakersfield Walter C. Fillmore Jr., Army, Oildale Donald F. Fitzgerald, Navy, Needles, Calif. David Joseph Fitzpatrick, Marine Corps, Mojave Jack R. Flinn, Army, Bakersfield Haldeman J. Flud, Army, Bakersfield Robert S. Flynn Army, Delano R.B. Ford, Marine Corps, Arvin Clarence A. Fore, Army, Bakersfield William T. Fote, Army, Bakersfield Simon A. Francis, Army, Bakersfield Francis L. Franey, Army, Bakersfield Samuel Waldo Frantz, Navy, Wasco Robert M. Frazier, Army, Shafter Wibur Frazier, Army, Taft Jack M. Freeman, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Herbert H. Fritzie, Marine Corps, Taft Lloyd Frost, Army, Mojave Robert S. Fulton, Army, Taft John Frederick Gafner, Navy, Wasco Lupe M. Gallegos, Marine Corps, Delano Opie Gamble, Army, Arvin Alfonzo Garcia, Army, Bakersfield Jesus M. Garcia, Army, Delano Johnnie B. Garland, Army, Dallas, Texas Donald A. Garrard, Army, Bakersfield (MIA) James Benjamin Garretson, Marine Corps, Taft Lester Gattis, Army, Oakland Bobby George, Army, McFarland Clyde B. Gentry, Army, Oildale Forrest C. Gess, Army, Bakersfield Robert James Gilbert, Navy, Delano Roy D. Gilbert, Navy, Albuquerque, N.M. (POW) Wallace J. Giles, Army, Bakersfield Earl Gill, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Rayburn N. Gillespie, Army, McFarland Dorrel E. Gilmore, Army, Bakersfield George D. Gingras Jr., Army, Bakersfield Blaine R. Girod, Army, Butler, Kansas Carl Smith Gobble Jr., Navy, Bakersfield

Charles A. Goforth, Marine Corps, Bakersfield David Gordon, branch/ hometown unknown Grady Gosnell, Army, Bakersfield (POW) Vaud L. Gott, Army, Shafter Jesse L. Graham, Army, Bakersfield H.Z. Graham, Army, Bakersfield William E. Graham, Army, Los Angeles Doyle E. Gray, Army, Taft William M. Gray, Army, Bakersfield Floyd Green, Army, Bakersfield Donald E. Griffin, Marine Corps, Tehachapi Grant W. Griffin, Army, Bakersfield Byron Dean Griffith, Navy, Bakersfield Leland G. Griffith, Army, Bakersfield Earl Griggs, Army, Bakersfield Theodore Griswold, Navy, Bakersfield John R. Grubb, Navy, Arvin Guy L. Hail, Navy, Bakersfield Paul Hail, Army, Lamont Theodore E. Hainline, Army, Tehachapi Max R. Hall, Army, Long Beach Melvin Hall, Army, Bakersfield William J. Hall, Army, Bakersfield William O. Hall, Army, Taft David Hampton, Navy, Wasco Daniel H. Handy, Army, Bakersfield Louis Hankins, Army, Boron, Calif. Rollin F. Harlow, Army, Bakersfield Oliver W. Harmon Army, Oildale William Harmon, Navy, Bakersfield George W. Harper, Army, Bakersfield Oliver W. Harrington, Army, Kernville Frank A. Harris, Army, Sacramento John B. Harris, Army, Buttonwillow Harvard H. Hart, Army, Bakersfield Donald T. Hasper, Army, Oildale Edward Ursa Haubrich, Navy, Tehachapi Harvey Linfille Havins, Navy, Shafter Edgar N. Hays, Army, Bakersfield John B. Haywood, Army, Westley, Calif. Harty P. Headrick, Army, Bakersfield Delmar E. Hearn, Army, Shafter Frank R. Hedeen, Army, Wasco (POW) Marion H. Henning, Army, Buttonwillow Rolf Herland, Royal Air Force, Norway Robert G. Hess, Army, Taft Randy C. Hicks Jr., Navy, Bakersfield R.C. Hicks, Army, Bakersfield Richard L. Higley, Army, Bakersfield Jack R. Hillary, Army, Taft Theodore Thorton Hinkle, Navy, Delano Lee Henry Hobbs, Navy, Bakersfield William D. Hobbs, Army, Shafter Ross A. Hodges, Army, McFarland William H. Hoffman, Army, Bakersfield Earnest J. Howard, Army, Wasco Wayne Howard, Army, Bakersfield James L. Hughes, Army, Edison Raymond Lloyd Hughes, Navy, Bakersfield William T. Hukill, Marine Corps, Shafter Charles W. Hummer, Army, Taft Charles Hunnicutt, Army, Bakersfield John F. Hurley, Army, Taft Angelo A. Iafrati, Navy, Delano Joel I. Ingraham, Army, Shafter John S. Ireland, Navy, Bakersfield Ernest Alameda Isaia, Navy, Bakersfield Elmer R. Jackson, Army, Bakersfield James N. Jackson, Marine Corps, Oildale Nolan E. Jackson, branch/ hometown unknown Otto Kenneth Jackson, Navy, Taft Ray L. Jackson, Army, Bakersfield John B. Jameson, Navy, Bakersfield Richard Jameson, branch/ hometown unknown Mo S. Jee, Army, Delano John Jeffers, Army, Delano Benjamin Jenkins, Marine Corps, Delano James B. Jenkins, Marine Corps, Delano Ralph W. Jennings, Army, Oildale Henry Jensen, Army, McFarland

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

The Bakersfield Californian

X XOXRXL XD X W W XX AR II Wilburn S. Snider, Army, Bakersfield Oliver W. Snook, Army, Taft Max J. Snyder, Army, Bakersfield Charles D. Sooy, Navy, hometown unknown ■■ Alfonso Soto, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Ardith H. Souders, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Everett Southard, Army, Wasco ■■ Donald C. Spalinger, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Norval E. Sparks, Army, Fellows (POW) ■■ Duane Stafford Spicer, Navy, Delano ■■ Eldon Wesley Sponaugle, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ Clyde A. Spradley, Army, McFarland ■■ David E. Staats, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ Willie J. Stafford, Army, Taft ■■ Oran H. Stalcup, Army, Taft ■■ Robert Owen Stankey, Navy, Wasco ■■ Hobart N. Starbuck, Army, Taft ■■ Neil Starbuck, Army, Taft ■■ Leon G. Stath, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Floyd W. Stevens, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Albert C. Stewart, Army, Arvin ■■ John William Stimbert, Navy, Delano ■■ Dorman Roy Stiner, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ Willard G. Strauch, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Charles M. Strong, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Samuel Strong, Army, Bakersfield ■■ H.C. Stroud, Marine Corps, Bakersfield ■■ Earl Sullivan, Army, Mojave ■■ Joseph A. Sullivan, Army, Bakersfield (POW) ■■ Jay W. Summers, Army, Bakersfield (MIA) ■■ Roy Earl Sumners, Navy, Tehachapi ■■ Jack R. Swimmey, Army, Delano ■■ Laurie D. Swoap, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Robert N. Sylvester, Army, Bakersfield ■■ William G. Sylvester, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Vanis Tanner, Army, Arvin ■■ Clark A. Tavener, Army, Bakersfield ■■ William H. Taves, Army, Inyokern ■■ Charlie Eugene Taylor, Marine Corps, Delano ■■ Lee Roy Teague, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ John P. Terro, Army, Delano ■■ Robert Terry, Army, Wasco ■■ Kenneth E. Thomas, Army, Arvin ■■ Don Thompson, Army, Taft ■■ Herbert E. Thompson, Navy, Taft ■■ Clinton W. Thomson, Navy, Buttonwillow ■■ James Henry Thornber, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ Charles B. Tibbetts, Army, Kernville ■■ Dee R. Tillman, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Winston L. Toews, Army, Shafter ■■ Donald R. Tolson, Marine Corps, Bakersfield ■■ Alonzo William Tripp, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ John R. Tungate, Army, Kernville ■■ Marvin C. Twiford, Marine Corps, Earlimart ■■ Max S. Upton Jr., Army, Bakersfield (POW) ■■ Kelvin E. Vaden, Army, Delano ■■ Albert C. Valdez, Army, Caliente ■■ Oliver Valente, Army, Delano ■■ Jules Vazquez, Army, Shafter ■■ Trinidad Vasquez, Army, Tejon Ranch ■■ Milton N. Vedder, Marine Corps, Bakersfield ■■ Edward S. Verdugo, Army, McFarland ■■ John J. Vlahakis, Army, Bakersfield ■■ George Andrew Wagner Jr., Navy, Bakersfield ■■ Neal M. Waite, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Floyd Walker, Navy, McFarland ■■ T.J. Walker, Army, Delano ■■ Walter J. Ward, Army, Delano ■■ John S. Waters, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Arthur H. Weddel, Army, Shafter ■■ David Welch, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Lester H. Welch, Navy, Kernville ■■ William Weldon, Merchant Marines, Mojave ■■ Harry G. Weisz, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Robert B. Wensel, Marine Corps, Delano ■■ Paul Adolphus Westerman, Navy, Oildale ■■ Billy J. White, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ Leo White, Marine Corps, Bakersfield (POW) ■■ Melvin F. White, Army, Crescent, Okla. ■■ Utah D. White, Army, McFarland ■■ Neil Howard Whitson, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ Jay N. Wiebe, Army, Bakersfield ■■ John E. Wildharber, Army, Taft (POW) ■■ Carroll Wilkinson, Army, Wasco ■■ Lee V. Willeford, Army, hometown unknown (POW) ■■ Clyde Willhide, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Elmer Williams Jr., Navy, Greenfield ■■ Vinton A. Williams, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Herbert A. Williamson, Army, Lost Hills ■■ Bill Willson, Navy, Bakersfield ■■ Robert W. Wilson, Army, hometown unknown ■■ Sam B. Wilson, Marine Corps, Bakersfield ■■ George E. Winslow, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Virgil W. Winter, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Marion L. Wood, Marine Corps, Buttonwillow ■■ Elmer R. Woods, Army, Bakersfield ■■ George H. Woolley, Marine Corps, Lost Hills ■■ Herbert L. Womack, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Wing D. Wong, Army, Bakersfield ■■ Lewis Yarbrough, Army, Taft (MIA) ■■ Antonio R. Yniguez, Army, Tulare (Added later to memorial) ■■ Floyd P. Hart, Army, Bakersfield ■■ John V. Phillips, Army, Wasco (POW/ MIA) ■■ Edward J. Morgan, Army, Coalinga (POW) Sources: World War II Memorial via the National Archives and Navy Department, U.S. Defense Department, plus Census records, find-a-grave websites, genealogy services, public libraries, and local residents. Most listed were killed in action, but may include those who died later from wounds or in non-battle situations. Students from Bakersfield High School’s senior archiving class and instructor-historian Ken Hooper were also invaluable. ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

CALIFORNIAN FILE PHOTO

U.S. Army Spc. Leonard L. Alvarado’s name is etched on a block of glass at the Kern County Veterans Memorial on Truxtun Avenue — along with close to 1,000 others. Alvarado, a U.S. Army soldier received the Medal of Honor 45 years after he was killed in Vietnam Aug. 12, 1969.

WORLD WAR II Visit Bakersfield.com to read more World War II stories

Gordon Ward Jewett, Navy, Bakersfield James E. Johnson, Army, McKittrick Lloyd K. Johnson, Army, San Bruno, Calif. Lloyd D. Johnston, Army, Taft Dale E. Jones, Navy, Bakersfield Boder D. Jordan, Army, Hermosa Beach Jake Kachadoorian, Army, Easton, Calif. Leland E. Karpe, Army, Bakersfield Reynaldo M. Kates, Army, Pond James E. Kaulfield, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Earl E. Keller, Army, Bakersfield Hugh W. Kellerman, Marine Corps, Tehachapi Floyd T. Kelley, Navy, Taft James Mathew Kelley, Navy, Bakersfield Thomas R. Kennedy, Army, Maricopa (POW) Fred Lee Kent, Navy, Ridgecrest Earl Kent, Navy, Kansas City, Mo. Helen Greene Kent, Army WAC, Taft John J.K.C. Kim, Army, Delano E.L. King, Army, Mojave Raymond A. King, Army, Bakersfield (POW) Harold W. Kinsey, Army, Bakersfield Harold R. Klassen, Army, Shafter Robert L. Kleinknight, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Harold L. Knigge, Army, Arvin Buck S. Knight, Army, Bakersfield Allen W. Knepper, Army, Lewiston, Idaho (MIA) William A. Kolb Jr, Army, Delano John E. Kraybill, Army, Delano L. B. Kriner, Army, Bakersfield Floyd J. Kruger, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Ward A. Kuentzel, Army, Delano Jule Kuentzel, Merchant Marines, McFarland Walter C. La Barthe, Navy, Fellows Philip E. Labio, Army, Delano Waldo S. Lacy, Army, Bakersfield William M. Lahey, Army, Onyx Hobart La Mar Jr., Army, Bakersfield Paul V. Lammers, Army, Bakersfield Alvis B. Land, Army, Delano Charley B. Langston, Army, Bakersfield Donald R. LaPell, Army, Bakersfield Robert S. Larson, Army, Taft Raymond Lauderdale, Army, Bakersfield Edward L. Lawson, Army, Shafter Joseph A. Leach, Army, Bakersfield Arthur Lebow, Army, Oildale Herman R. Ledbetter, Army, Bakersfield Doyle W. LeMay, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Paul Lepisto, Army, Greenfield James B. Lessley Jr., Army, McFarland Archie C. Lewis, Marine Corps, Wasco Joseph Coverdale Lindsay, Navy, Bakersfield Joseph E. Lindsey, Army, Taft Arthur M. Lingo, Army, Fellows Joseph R. Livermore, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Herbert Lockman, branch unknown, Taft Douglas Henry Norman Lockyer, Navy, Bakersfield Roy V. Long, Army, Taft Mike A. Lopeteguy, Army, Bakersfield Andre D. Lopez, Army, Greenfield Manuel T. Lopez, Army, Randsburg William Francis Lovitt, Navy, Taft Orville Dean Lowrimore, Navy, Delano Herbert Lowry, Army, Delano Arthuro Lucero, Army, Bakersfield Bill M. Lueder, Army, Bakersfield Melvin O.L. Luker, Marine Corps, Shafter Donald W. Lusk, Army, Silver City, N.M. David C. Lyttle, Army, DiGiorgio Deovelton R. Malloy, Army, Bakersfield Escolastico Manubag, Army, Delano Vernon Manzer, branch/ hometown unknown Manuel J. Markes Jr., Army, Bakersfield Phillip L. Marmolejo, Army, Arvin Thomas O. Marshall, Army, Bakersfield Lonnie E. Martin, Army, Wasco Benjamin Martinez Jr., Army, Tehachapi Paul O. Martinez, Army, Delano Charles F. Massa, Army, Chicago Lawrence E. Matheron, Army, Bakersfield John A. Matteson, Army, Pasadena

Robert L. Mathews, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Royce G. Matthews, Army, Grand Terrace, Calif. Jack R. Mathis, Marine Corps, Shafter Ralph Mathisen, Army, Tehachapi William E. May, Army, Bakersfield Bruce Maynard, Army, Taft Raymond McCarty, Army, Bakersfield (POW) Samuel H. McCawley, British Royal Air Force, Delano Robert McCurdy, Army, Taft John W. McClure, Army, Bakersfield Darvin Curtis McDaniel, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Bernard J. McDonald, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Robert J. McDonald, branch unknown, Bakersfield Donald D. McEachran, Army, Taft Carl L. McGuire, Navy, Bakersfield Ernest B. McMahan, Army, Bakersfield Jack McMann, Army, Delano Thomas W. McManus, Army, Bakersfield Lowell Dudley McNeely, Navy, Taft Roland C. McNaughton, Army, Lebec James R. McNeese, Navy, Taft Carl McPherson, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Bill Meadows, Army, Bakersfield Duane C. Meadows, Army, Lamont Dwayne E. Mears, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Johnny L. Melvin, Marine Corps, Shafter Harvey Mercer, Coast Guard, Taft Ernest Merkel, Navy, Shafter Edward J. Mesmer, Army, West End Lawrence W. Meyer, Army, Delano John R. Miller, Army, Bakersfield (MIA) Max J. Miller, Army, Bakersfield Jack K. Mitchell, Army, Bakersfield William E. Mock, Army, Bakersfield Joe R. Montes, Navy, Bakersfield Leonard S. Montezuma, Army, Bakersfield Elijah Winston Moore, Navy, Bakersfield Robert J. Moore, Army, Bakersfield Albert R. Morgan, Army, Taft Jay C. Morgan, Army, Taft Carroll Eugene Morris, Navy, Bakersfield Richard D. Mosey, Army, Mojave Wilbert C. Moss, Army, Bakersfield Peter T. Motta, Army, Bakersfield Robert Frederick Mulvana, Navy, Bakersfield Robert L. Murdock, Army, Glendale, Calif. Herbert A. Murfitt, Canadian Army, Vancouver, B.C. Lawrence M. Muro, Army, Bakersfield James M. Murray Jr., Army, hometown unknown Gerald G. Musick, Army, Sunset, Texas Lawrence W. Myer, Army, Delano Louis M. Najera, Army, Delano Anthony F. Nardi, Army, Delano Orlando J. Narducci, Army, Bakersfield William K. Neill, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Clarence G. Neumann, Army, Shafter Oran Newton Jr., Navy, hometown unknown James S. Nix, Army, Taft Edward W. Nolan, Army, Wasco Emmett F. Nolan, Army, Bakersfield Henry E. Nolatubby, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Howard R. Norlin, Army, Boron, Calif. Thurman W. Northington, Army, hometown unknown Walter R. Norwood, Army, Taft Glen E. Nottingham, Army, Rosedale Arthur M. Nutt, Army, Taft Beauran R. O’Kane, Navy, Bakersfield Michael Olivetti, Army, Bakersfield Eric Olleson, Army, Beltrami, Minn. Harry O’Neal, Army, Taft Joseph C. O’Neill, Navy, Bakersfield Alvino S. Orona, Army, Arvin Louis O. Ortega, Army, Bakersfield Charles D. Osborne, Army, Fellows Ivan M. Osborne, Army, Bakersfield Cleon G. Osburn, Navy, Pumpkin Center Patrick J. O’Sullivan, Army, Wasco Aaron E. Oswald, Army, Bakersfield Stewart Vincent Ours, Marine Corps, Taft Johnnie Samuel Owens, Navy, Taft Eugene L. Oxford, Army, Taft Benjamin G. Padilla, Army, Weedpatch Ray Packard, Army, Wasco Gus A. Pappas, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Mike R. Pappas, Army, Cantil Earl O. Parish, Army, Burns, Mich. Daniel R. Parker, Army, Taft Dale I. Parker, Army, Taft Francisco A. Parra, Army, Bakersfield

James Franklin Patterson, Navy, Maricopa Clarence W. Paulsen Jr., Marine Corps, Taft Dow K. Payton, Army, Taft Carl R. Peahl, Army, Taft Gail Reed Penney, Navy, Fellows Beryl Loyd Pennington, Navy, Bakersfield Raymond W. Permenter, Army, Bakersfield Owen L. Permenter, Navy, Santa Rosa Fred C. Peterson, Army, Lamont Everett Petterson, Army, Wichita, Texas Raymond Pfander, Army, Delano Delton M. Phillips, Army, Oildale Oather S. Phillips, Army, Ventura, Calif. Daniel D. Pinherio, Army, Bakersfield Richard Pitzer, Navy, Wasco George A. Pollard Jr., Army, Bakersfield Henry M. Porterfield, Navy, Arvin Thomas C. Posey, Navy, Delano John R. Powning, Navy, McKittrick Daniel S. Prendez, Army, Shafter James T. Price, Army, Taft Theron Price, Marine Corps, Bakersfield Seymour F. Primes, Army, Bakersfield Peter J. Pulos, Army, Mojave Alvin F. Pyeatt III, Army, Wheeler Ridge (POW) Jack Pyle, Army, Wasco Woodrow W. Pyle, Army, Wasco Arthur A. Raines Jr., Army, Wasco Kenneth D. Rannells, Army, Red Bluff, Calif. (MIA/POW) Gabino G. Rangel, Army, Arvin William J. Ravey, Army, St. Paul, Minn. John B. Ray Jr., Marine Corps, Delano James H. Reed, Army, Tupman Jerrold Winfred Reed Jr., Navy, Elk Hills Frank Reina Jr., Army, Rosedale John Rice, Army, Bakersfield Ivan M. Richardson, Army, Bakersfield John M. Richardson, Army, Maricopa (POW) William C. Richter, Army, Delano Leland R. Ricker, Marine Corps, Taft Steven Rigdon, Army, Bakersfield Howard L. Rishel, Army, Fresno Louie A. Rivas, Army, Bakersfield Harold Roach Jr., Marine Corps, Monolith, Calif. Charles Rogers, Marine Corps, Taft Harold L. Rose, Marine Corps, Lost Hills James D. Rowland, Army, Bakersfield Donald T. Rolley, Army, Bakersfield Charles J.E. Ruiz, Navy, Bakersfield Jack W. Rush, Army, Bakersfield Robert Ryan, Army, Taft Steven J. Sahargun, Army, Bakersfield Victor G. Samorron, Army, Bakersfield Odis V. Sanders, Army, Arvin Ray E. Sanders, Army, Mojave Henry Satterfield, Army, Wasco Harry N. Saylor, Army, Taft Thomas J. Scanlon, Marine Corps, Taft Lenuel Schaad, Army, Wasco Emilie H. Schimek, branch/ hometown unknown John Schmidt, Army, Bakersfield Walter R. Schmidt. Army, Taft Everett W. Schmitt, Army, Taft Erwin Edward Schmitt, Navy, Bakersfield Art Schwartzphieger, branch unknown, Mojave James W. Seale, Army, Taft (POW) James S. Segobia, Army, Arvin Theodore M. Sesmas, Army, Arvin Arria Shaw, Army, Bakersfield Jack Shea, Army, Ford City Oscar E. Shepherd, Army, Bakersfield Luther Sheppard, Army, Bakersfield Donald Arthur Shiffer, Navy, Bakersfield Harry P. Shultz, Army, Shafter Donald Shultz, Navy, Bakersfield Gabriel Sierra Jr., Army, Randsburg (POW) Nathan V. Shumaker, Marine Corps, Magunden William G. Simmons, Army, Bakersfield John D. Simos, Army, Bakersfield Jene C. Sims, Army, Maricopa Robert Sloper, Army, Delano Buford E. Smith, Army, hometown unknown Walter L. Smith, Army, Bakersfield Walter Raymond Smith Jr., Navy, Oildale William Monroe Smith, Marine Corps, Maricopa Vernon E. Smith Jr., Army, Bakersfield Charles B. Smoot, Army, Bakersfield Harvey F. Smotherman, Navy, Bakersfield Harold D. Smyth, Army, Bakersfield N.W. Snellgroves Sr., Navy, Buttonwillow Thomas M. Snider, Army, Arvin

The Bakersfield Californian

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

WORLD WAR II

Son remembers father who flew P-38s during World War II, and ‘adored Bakersfield’ BY STEVEN MAYER smayer@bakersfield.com

The three Malouf brothers hadn’t seen one another for close to four years. World War II had gotten in the way. According to a story in The Californian dated Aug. 22, 1945, Lt. Herbert C. Malouf, his twin brother, Pvt. Robert H. Malouf and their older brother, Sgt. Albert Malouf reunited 75 years ago at the home of their mother, LaBiba Littlefield, who lived at 2415 Niles St. in east Bakersfield. The war was ending, and it seemed the three brothers were finally coming home. Lt. Malouf had just returned from the Philippines after 25 months in the Pacific with the 13th Air Force. The P-38 fighter pilot had already been awarded the Air Medal and the Asiatic-Pacific Ribbon with seven battle stars. His wife, Eloise, met him upon his arrival home. Private Malouf had served 27 months overseas and during that time had encircled the globe, according to the 75-year-old news item. He was formerly with the Persian Gulf Command before being sent to Germany, and held the European Theater Ribbon with two battle stars and the Africa-Middle East Ribbon. Sgt. Malouf, whose duty had been with the coastal defense of the Fourth Air Warning Service was also home on furlough visiting his wife, the former Lenore Spalinger, and their two sons. William Malouf, who would be born 11 years later in 1956 to Herbert Malouf and his wife, Eloise, didn’t learn many of the details of his fighter pilot father’s military service until after Herbert’s death in 1988. “I found it folded up in my dad’s wallet,” he said of the sepia toned photograph showing the three Malouf brothers standing with their mother in Bakersfield. Herbert was the only officer of the three brothers, but apparently that wasn’t enough to earn him any special consideration on the home front. “His brothers told my mom, ‘We’re not going to salute that SOB,’” William Malouf remembered, laughing. The younger Malouf found more recently that his father had enlisted in 1940, a year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. “I always presumed that he, like most of his generation, had been compelled to fight after the attack,” Malouf said. Malouf holds the World War II gener-

COURTESY OF WILLIAM H. MALOUF

Bakersfield native William H. Malouf found this photo folded in his father’s wallet following the elder Malouf’s death in 1988. It shows, from left, his father, U.S. Army Air Force Lt. Herbert C. Malouf, his twin brother, Pvt. Robert H. Malouf, and their older brother, Sgt. Albert Malouf, gathered at the Niles Street home of their mother, LaBiba Littlefield, in August 1945. The brothers, serving during World War II, had not seen one other for close to four years.

ation in the highest regard. “We, the children of the Greatest Generation, understand that that term was well earned,” he said. “I’m not sure that many people in current society could even appreciate the quality of character of these men and women. To put the country first would be a very foreign concept. Bless them all.” Malouf learned from his father’s discharge papers that Lt. Malouf had flown 192 missions, had flown both the P-38 fighter and the C-47 transport aircraft, and had racked up 585 combat hours and approximately 1,240 military flying hours. Amazingly, his teenage experience as a mechanic in engine overhaul, welding ferrous and nonferrous metals, brazing, soldering, forging work and more must have given him an edge in inspecting the airplanes he piloted and understanding their mechanical workings. In civilian life, Malouf would go on to purchase and operate Edison Antiques and Chet’s Club, an eatery, tavern and card club on Edison Highway, back when Edison was the main eastwest artery into and out of Bakersfield.

Chet’s and the Lucky Spot next door were also known for their rough and rowdy customers. Up and coming country singer Merle Haggard would sometimes stop in for a bowl of Chet’s Club’s famous chili, especially when he was on break from a gig next door. “He caught malaria in the Philippines and it haunted him for the rest of his life,” William remembered of his father. But after flying nearly 200 combat missions when death was a daily possibility, the veteran pilot was tough. “On Edison Highway in the 1950s, my dad carried two loaded pistols, one in each pocket,” his son said. But he loved that stretch of road — and the town it penetrated. “He adored Bakersfield,” William Malouf recalled. “To his dying day, he would talk about the olive trees on Edison Highway.” He helped raise a family with his wife, Eloise. But he left too soon to suit those who loved him. Eloise turned 100 this year. Steven Mayer can be reached at 661395-7353. Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter: @semayerTBC.

COURTESY OF WILLIAM H. MALOUF

U.S. Army Air Force Lt. Herbert C. Malouf, a P-38 fighter pilot during World War II, flew more than 190 missions from bases in the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, the Philippines and elsewhere, racking up an astonishing 585 air combat hours. After the war, he would purchase and operate Chet’s Club and Edison Antiques. Both businesses were located on Edison Highway in east Bakersfield.

Back to the past

Day of Japan’s surrender remembered as day of euphoria BY STEVEN MAYER smayer@bakersfield,com

Editor’s note: This story originally published Sept. 2, 2005. He looked dashing in the cockpit of his P-51 Mustang, wearing his leather flight jacket, the bright glow of youth radiating from his face. But Bakersfield resident and World War II combat pilot Bernell Whitaker spent his 21st birthday on a forced march through war-ravaged Germany as soldiers of the Third Reich pushed Allied prisoners from one POW camp to another. They lived on meager potatoes stolen from nearby fields and any source of protein they could find. Any. Such was the dichotomy of the Second World War: There was a glamorous, romantic quality to the swing music, the crisp uniforms and the sense of CASEY CHRISTIE / CALIFORNIAN urgency that FILE caused couples Bernell Whitaker to fall in love holds his portrait before the next when he served in soldier shipped World War II. He out. was a pilot of a P51 But there Mustang, single-seat were also the fighter which had fierce battles, 6-50 caliber machine the dead and guns on it. the wounded, and the loved ones left crying at home. Today marks the 60th anniversary of the end of history’s most destructive and deadly war. On Sept. 2, 1945, leaders of the empire of Japan signed official surrender papers aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. It was the end of something that was both beautiful and terrible. And unlike wars that came later, World War II profoundly affected every American who lived through that unforgettable era. Bernell Whitaker, 81 Platteville, Wis., native Bernell Whitaker knew what it was like to soar above the fray in his P-51 fighter plane. But

the war took on a different hue after the Army Air Force 1st lieutenant was forced to bail out over Hungary in January 1945. But as prisoners, he and his comrades weren’t cut off completely from the rest of the world. “We had some real talented guys in the camps who built crystal radios,” Whitaker recalled of the months he spent as a prisoner of war. “We heard about President Roosevelt’s death.” And they heard the thunder of Allied artillery as American forces pushed ever farther across Germany. After Whitaker’s POW camp was liberated on April 29, 1945, the pilot was sent home to recuperate — so he might be available for further duty in the Pacific theater, the war against Japan. A few months later, the young flyer was having a beer in a tavern in his hometown when word of Japan’s surrender was announced over the radio. The crowd spilled out into the street. “Everyone was yelling and clapping,” he remembered. “Everyone was euphoric.” Alice Anaya, 71 “I’m from a Navy town, San Diego,” said Bakersfield resident Alice Anaya. “I remember the blackouts and the searchlights looking for enemy planes. We knew the sound of the blackout sirens. It meant no light. You don’t even light a cigarette.” Anaya was just 11 when the war ended, but she had grown up with the war. “As children, we all helped,” she remembered. “We’d take our wagon down the alleys, and anything made of iron, we’d turn it in for the war effort.” And she remembers when it all ended. “It was a day of STEVEN MAYER tears and laughter,” Alice Anaya, 71 Anaya said, her mind drifting back to long-held memories. “It was joyous and it was sad, because we lost a lot of good friends.” Alfonso Rodriguez, 82 Bakersfield native Alfonso Rodriguez was picking cotton up on Kern Lake when he made the move to the U.S. Ar-

my’s 16th Cavalry Division. England, France, Holland, Germany. The young soldier’s path matched that of the brave and bloody Allied advance toward the heart of the Third Reich. “There wasn’t no glory,” Rodriguez said. Instead, he remembered eating countless meals out of tin cans and smoking cigarettes provided by the Army. “The German soldier — I have nothing against him,” Rodriguez said. “He was doing what he was told like the rest of us.” The greatest memory for the former soldier was not the Japanese surrender. It was returning home to his wife and children after the end of the war in Europe. Two of Rodriguez’s sons went on to fight later — in Korea and Vietnam. “We’re a fighting family for our country,” said the old veteran. Jean Sharp, 77 “My husband served with the 913th Field Artillery, part of the 88th Infantry Division,” said Bakersfield resident Jean Sharp. “He pulled a big gun all the way across Italy, 355 days in the mud and the awfulness.” Meanwhile back home, families planted “victory gardens” and used rationing coupons to purchase everything from gasoline to shoes to tires. The war was the nation’s priority — and everyone knew it. “There was no butter,” Sharp recalled. “You bought this white margarine — it was more like lard — and you had to mix little tablets into it to make it turn yellow.” Sixty years ago, before she met her future husband, Sharp was on The Pike, an amusement park on the pier in Long Beach, when the news broke about the end of the war. It was joyous pandemonium. “There were sailors everywhere,” she remembered. “They were kissing every girl they met — including me!”

STEVEN MAYER

Jim Dunn, 79

Jim Dunn, 79 As a radioman on the USS Cowpens, a light aircraft carrier, Jim Dunn was aboard the first ship to sail into Tokyo Bay after the cessation of hostilities. “Our job was to occupy a Japanese naval air base and set up communications

for the purpose of ferrying our POWs out of Japan,” Dunn said. “Nobody was on that air base, except for one Japanese officer.” Dunn said he was too young at the time to fully appreciate the significance of that particular time and place in history. But hearing about the formal surrender was unforgettable. “It was euphoric,” he said. “Once you’d been through everything we’d been through, just knowing that it’s over ...” Jerry Appleton, 83 Drafted in 1942, Jerry Appleton went into what he calls the “infamous 42nd Rainbow Division.” He remained stateside throughout the war, but fully expected to be called up for the invasion of Japan — an invasion that never materialized. “Thank God for the atom bomb,” he said. “I didn’t have to go.” Appleton said Americans were united during World War II because the nation was in a fight to the death with a well-defined and obvious enemy. “We were fighting for a cause,” he said. “We’re not fighting for a cause now. We have no business being in Iraq.” The Bakersfield resident remembers being in Coalinga when the surrender came. “They had a massive parade up and down Fifth Street, the town’s main street,” Appleton recalled. “I didn’t get into the parade. I stood back and watched.” Raymond Williams, 80 Raymond Williams was in Tulsa, Okla., when the Japanese military bombed Pearl Harbor — and changed the world forever. He was drafted in 1943 and was sent to Italy. He came home safe in 1946, but remained in the Army for a total of 27 years. When word of Japan’s surrender reached the STEVEN MAYER troops, it was a Raymond Williams, scene of joyous abandon, Williams 80 recalled. “Everyone was so happy,” he said. “I was just jumping up and down. It was finally over. The war was over.”

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

The Bakersfield Californian

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On behalf of all of the Staff and Contractors at Bakersfield National Cemetery, we are honored to serve those veterans and their families who have sacrificed for this great nation. On this occasion of the 75th

Anniversary of the End of World War II, thank you for the honor you bring to our community and the honor you bring to our nation.

We will never forget.

Headstones and Bear Mountain, Josh Dhanens

A Place of Honor For Those Who Served With Honor", 23 ABC News

Memorial Day, Alex Horvath, The Bakersfield Californian

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The Bakersfield Californian

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Thank you

TO ALL OF OUR SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILIES, PAST AND PRESENT, FOR YOUR SACRIFICE!

May God bless you all. Trinity Safety Company is a Veteran owned company who pledges to continually strive to provide the highest quality standards, expertise, and customer service. We stand behind the promise to always help our customers protect life, property and the environment. There is no greater responsibility for a business than to get all employees safely home to their families each and every day. The Trinity Safety Company family sees your responsibility as ours and will work tirelessly to ensure we achieve this mutual goal together.

We are humbled to serve our Kern County Veterans, especially those who selflessly served our nation in the Second World War in both the European and Asiatic/Pacific Theaters of Operation. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Army Air Corps (Air Force), and Merchant Marines; as well as the Rosie the Riveters and Wendy the Welders who served on the home front. We will never forget the gift of freedom you provide every generation who followed you.

Photo credit: AP

Photo credit: Kern County Museum

Military color guard representing all branches who served in WWII; World War II Memorial, Washington, DC

Photo credit: Rosie the Riveter National Museum, Richmond, Calif.

1120 Golden State Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93301

661-868-7300. Paid for by Patriots of Kern, a 501C3 Non-Profit Corporation