Honor And Valor

Honor and Valor A publication of the Olean Times Herald

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MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015

OLEAN TIMES HERALD

OLEAN TIMES HERALD

MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015

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Some of our veterans

Frankln Lewis Duke Center Staff sergeant U.S. Air Force

Robert Zelko West Clarksville Corporal U.S. Army

Anthony Ross Olean Captain U.S. Air Force

Charles Smith Olean Staff sergeant U.S. Air Corps

David Mowatt Olean Pvt. first class U.S. Army

Stephen Kratts Cuba Machinist first mate U.S. Navy

Doug Snyder Olean Sergeant U.S. Army

Jean Taylor Cuba U.S. Coast Guard

Tony Sanzo Olean Private U.S. Army

Donald Potter Great Valley Ammunition handler U.S. Army

Brett Sick Allegany Gunner’s mate second class U.S. Navy

James B. Rowe Portville Engineerman second class U.S. Navy

William Everitt Olean Sergeant U.S. Air Force

James Stark Allegany Equipment operator second class U.S. Navy

Francis E. Miller Olean Private first class U.S. Army

Ferman D. Sweetapple Bradford Warrant officer U.S. Army

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Kenneth D. Ewing Olean Sergeant U.S. Army

Gary R. Snyder Coudersport Specialist 5 U.S. Army

John Everitt Portville Sergeant U.S. Army

Andrew Pockalny Portville Machinist mate seond class U.S. Navy

Peter Pockalny Portville Private first class U.S. Army

Creighton Pockalny Portville E-5 petty officer second class U.S. Navy

Joseph Pockalny Portville Chief petty officer U.S. Navy

Stephen Pockalny Portville Corporal U.S. Army

Robert T. Wunsch Salamanca Staff sergeant U.S. Army

Joseph M. Kwiatkowski Olean Boiler technician U.S. Navy

James Parks Portville Sergeant U.S. Marines

Lawrence Kline Bradford Corporal U.S. Marines

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Stephan Gonska Olean Corporal U.S. Marines

Rickard E. Torrey Portville U.S. Navy

W. Michael Torrey Portville U.S. Army

Harold Clayton Allegany Lance corporal U.S. Marines

John Clayton Allegany Sergeant U.S. Army Airborne

James Clark Olean Master sergeant U.S. Army

Gene H. Thurston Olean Staff sergeant U.S. Army Air Force

Kevin Thurston Olean Maintenance chief U.S. Marines

E.C. “Bud” Fortner Olean Technician 4 U.S. Army

Gregg Eaton Olean Sergeant U.S. Army Infantry

Stanley J. Kush Weston’s Mills Lieutenant U.S. Navy

Casey Joseph “CJ” Ash Staff sergeant U.S. Air Force

Leonard C. Bixby Portville U.S. Navy

Robert C. Schwindler Sergeant U.S. Marines

Charles E. Strauss Third class petty officer U.S. Navy

Anthony Richetti Olean Corporal U.S. Army

Michael Holly Olean Sergeant U.S. Army

Gerald T. Mitchell Shinglehouse Sergeant first class U.S. Army

Milford E. Irons Port Allegany Corporal U.S. Marines

Arthur J. Higby Cuba Staff sergeant U.S. Army

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OLEAN TIMES HERALD

MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015

Ronald W. Miller Specialist 5 U.S. Army

Maynard W. Timme Olean U.S. Army

Carl M. Timme Olean Corporal U.S. Air Force

Willard St. Clair Olean Chief electrician mate U.S. Navy

Neil St. Clair Olean Chief warrant electrician U.S. Navy

John Godfrey Jr. Olean Lieutenant U.S. Army

Douglas J. Tuttle Fillmore Specialist 5 U.S. Army

George Lucyszyn Olean Sergeant U.S. Army

Stanley Lucyszyn Olean Staff sergeant U.S. Army

Stephen Lucyszyn Olean Corporal U.S. Army Air Force

Andrew Lucyszyn Olean Fireman first class U.S. Navy

Nicholas Lucyszyn Olean U.S. Navy

Wayne Marsh Little Valley U.S. Marines

Donald Mallery Sr. Olean Corporal U.S. Army

Floyd Rogers Jr. Olean Sergeant U.S. Army

William Zuckerman Olean Staff sergeant U.S. Army Air Force

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Pat Kayes Olean Corporal U.S. Marines

Edward Butinski Olean Platoon sergeant U.S. Marines

Maxon M. Frost Sergeant U.S. Army

Hollis L. Frost Master sergeant U.S. Air Force

Quinten Lee James Officer U.S. Navy

Donald G. Dickerson Millport Sergeant U.S. Army

John “Jack�

B. Donnelly Olean U.S. Navy

Thomas F. Donnelly Served during World War I

Stephen Balcerzak Olean Airman U.S. Navy

Phil Balcerzak Olean U.S. Army

Philip Balcerzak Olean Command master chief U.S. Navy

Richard Randall Portville Staff sergeant U.S. Army

Ronald E. Berg Allegany U.S. Army Airborne Div.

Russell Titus Carrollton Private first class U.S. Army

Thomas F. Michienzi Sr. Olean Technician 5 U.S. Army

Frank O. Williams Sr. Olean Machinist mate first class U.S. Navy

Robert Bell Hinsdale Sergeant U.S. Air Force

Robert Dunn First lieutenant fighter pilot U.S. Army Air Corps

Jeff Griswold Richburg Master sergeant U.S. Air Force

Carl F. Frenz Little Valley Staff sergeant U.S. Air Force

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Chester J. Swier Fighter pilot U.S. Army Air Corps

David J. Krahe Olean Sergeant U.S. Army

Kevin L. Batt Portville Infantry drill sergeant U.S. Army

Hugh Paul Allegany Sergeant E-5 U.S. Marines

Shown from left are Tom McKay, E-4, U.S. Air Force; Pete McKay, E-8, U.S. Air Force; Les McKay, E-3, U.S. Army; and Jerry McKay, E-5 , U.S. Navy. All are from Bolivar.

Randy J. Lincoln Angelica Specialist 4 U.S. Army

Thomas F. Donnelly II (left) and Joseph Kwiatkowski (right) were both in the U.S. Navy in World War II. With them is Betty Donnelly.

Charles Mette Olean Staff sergeant U.S. Air Force

Willard J. Hammond Weston’s Mills U.S. Air Force

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n TOP PHOTO ON COVER: Steve Appleby holds a gyroscope for a World War II submarine torpedo which was recently obtained by the Eldred World War II Museum.

A 1944 Willys Jeep is on loan to the Eldred World War II Museum. Steve Applyby, the museum’s executive director, said the museum continually gets donations and artifacts on loan.

Photos by George Nianiatus/Olean Times Herald

More artifacts keep rolling into War Museum

By GEORGE NIANIATUS Olean Times Herald

ELDRED, Pa. — Virtually each day a World War II artifact of personal or historic significance finds it way into the Eldred World War II Museum in Eldred.

The museum has 10 percent of its artifacts on display at any one time from an overall inventory of thousands of items ranging from weapons and personal items to uniforms and vehicles. In fact,

there’s even a submarine telescope display and a replica battlefield..

Called by many as “The Greatest Generation,” the men and women who joined the military in World War II and those who selflessly worked at war-related factories are the primary focus of this unique local museum.

The Eldred World War II Museum puts a beaming light on their historic accomplishments and ultimate sacrifices. The museum at 201 Main St., which opened in 1996 and has undergone

two sizeable expansions to accommodate an evergrowing list of donated artifacts, has experienced continued popularity over the years.

The museum’s displays include authentic World War II artifacts, automated three-dimensional scale models and award-winning videos.

The artifacts are meticulously cataloged and displayed for visitors of all ages.

Dedicated to preserving the history of World Please see Museum, page 10

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museum Continued from page 9

War II, the museum commemorates the contributions of Americans and its Allies during the struggles of defending freedom and democracy against the forces of aggression.

This museum looks to “remember a generation that fought for freedom — and won,” said museum director Steve Appleby.

Pointing to thousands of uniforms, weapons, posters, books and magazines, and World War II-related artifacts, Appleby noted, “Everything is donated.”

In fact, people from around the country — and the globe — continually send donations. This requires the museum to have some of its displays on a rotating basis so everything it has can be seen, Appleby said. “You never know what’s going to come in the mail” from artifact donors.

Of the war-related artifacts, “We probably have 10 percent on display at any one time,” he said.

Among the permanent displays are an array of military uniforms, helmets, rifles and machine guns, the Robert A. Anderson Library with 12,000 books and magazines, a command center with an original switchboard, a submarine periscope, a D-Day display, colorful battle maps and more.

The actual weaponry on display is not just from the U.S. military and its Allies. For example, the museum has a Sturmgewehr 44, which is a rifle developed in Nazi Germany during World War II that was the first of its kind and is considered by

many historians to be the earliest modern assault rifle, said Appleby.

Meanwhile, young museum visitors can play at Tank Mountain, a scale-model battlefield with remotecontrolled tanks, he noted.

Also on display at the museum is a unique photograph of the late Hildegard Strom of Duke Center, Pa., who as a young girl is shown in a picture with Nazi Germany dictator Adolph Hitler at his personal residence in Berchtesgaden, Austria.

A new addition to the museum is the Holocaust Room which is continually gathering more artifacts for display, Appleby said. “We need to show people what really happened there.”

Not long ago, the museum upgrades its submarine display which has a genuine periscope.

The museum was first a dream and then became a reality with help from Tim Roudebush, the museum’s initial board chairman. His father was instrumental in founding the National Munitions Co. in Eldred in 1941 which employed 1,500 workers.

A significant friend and artifact donor was the late U.S. Marine Col. (Ret.) Mitchell Paige, a World War II Medal of Honor recipient who has his medal on display as well as many of his Guadalcanal artifacts.

He earned the Medal of Honor, the highest military honor that can be awarded, for his actions at the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands on Oct. 6, 1942.

On that fateful day, after all of the other Marines in his platoon were killed or wounded, he operated four machine guns and single-handedly stopped an entire Japanese regi-

Women’s substantial contributions to the war effort is big reason why the museum was created. The site of the former National Munitions Co. in Eldred is a short distance away.

ment.

Col. Paige also was awarded the Purple Heart and the Presidential Unit Citation for his actions and

bravery.

“People just don’t know what these soldiers went through and what they endured,” Appleby said.

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