OLEAN TIMES HERALD
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
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2015 Veterans Day Edition
saluting our veterans Clinton James stands as testament to perseverance US Army sergeant went to college, picked up passion for running well into 50s By KELSEY BOUDIN Olean Times Herald
U
.S. Army Sgt. Clinton “Sid” James returned home to Scio from the European Theater of World War II and kept memories of the war to himself. “He just said the countries he was in, because most of the World War II veterans just did not talk about their experiences,” his widow, Dortha “Dot” James, 86, told the Times Herald recently. “I don’t know whether he was in the Battle of the Bulge or not.” Sid James did, however, prize a photo he snapped of movie star Walter Pidgeon, who traveled overseas to entertain the troops.
He saw action in France and Germany, Dot James said. The rest he took with him to the grave April 22, 2013, just over a month short of his 90th birthday. “He wanted to be 90 so badly,” she added. But the meaning behind his home, personal and professional life never was a secret, Dot James said. The ex-sergeant worked in the local oil fields for a time. He also loved being
home with his wife and four sons. So, naturally, he had no interest in uprooting his family when his job with Capital Plastics in Wellsville moved to Rochester. At 57, he went to college, receiving his associate degree in electronics from the Alfred State College campus in Wellsville two years later. Around the same time — in his mid-50s — Sid James picked up a passion for running. He didn’t hang
“He stood for God and country and for being head of the family. He was a good person, and he was very good to the kids.” — Dot James on her husband, Clinton “Sid” James
up his running shoes until well into his 80s. “He never gave up,” his wife said. “Being a veteran, he ran until he was 82 just to prove to other veterans that they could keep on going. Of course, he wasn’t hurt too badly in the war, either, and that makes a difference. He had a couple scars, but nothing real serious.” The couple’s youngest son, Martin, was an Alfred State track star, Dot James remembered. “Because of that, Sid started to run with Marty when he was about 55,” she said, noting Martin is now 55 himself and still lives about a mile from his mother in Scio. Please see James, page 2
Photo submitted
U.S. Army Sgt. Clinton “Sid” James is photographed during World War II. His widow, Dortha “Dot” James of Scio, says his pursuit of a college degree and amateur running career late in life were testaments to perseverance.
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OLEAN TIMES HERALD
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
Cattaraugus County
Veterans Service officer wants to prevent suicides By RICK MILLER
Olean Times Herald
OLEAN — Cattaraugus County Veterans Service Officer Steve McCord’s office has 7,439 active case files. In the last two years, he has had to close seven veterans’ files as suicides. Other suspicious veterans’ deaths not reported as suicides, and incidents of attempted suicide, are often not known, McCord said. “We are still seeing way too many veterans’ suicides,” McCord said. A member of the Suicide Prevention Coalition, McCord said he raises the issue whenever he speaks to a group. Recently, when he was speaking to a veteran on the telephone, McCord said, the man expressed a desire to take his life, but McCord was able to convince him to seek help. Family and friends are the eyes and ears for veterans and others who may become despondent and suicidal, McCord said. “If you suspect someone is thinking about suicide, call us anonymously,” he said. “I’ll reach out to the county Community Services or the Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline.” To reach the hotline, call (800) 273-8255 and push 1. The local Veterans Service Office telephone is 701-3297. WHENEVER McCORD speaks to a group, he distributes wristbands, dog tags and handkerchiefs with the hotline number. “Anything that gets that message and that number out to veterans and their families,” he said. “These suicides are something that is near and dear to my heart. One suicide is too many.” Of the seven reported veterans’ suicides in this county since January 2014, one was committed by a veteran from World War II, two from the Afghan-Iraq War, two from the Vietnam era and two who served in peacetime. There are only about 800 World War II veterans remaining in the county. “As our Middle East wars are drawing down, our World War II
vets are dying or moving south,” McCord said. The Veterans Service Office had 11,841 contacts in 2014 and has had 8,222 contacts this year through August, McCord said. The monetary total of veterans’ benefits is up from a year ago. It includes disability compensation, service connected pensions, GI Bill, vocational rehabilitation and medical care, adding up to an average of about $7,000 per veteran, McCord said. From July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015, the office submitted 995 claims, third-highest in the Buffalo region, McCord said. McCord encourages older veterans who have never had a benefits review, or who may have had a bad experience with the Veterans Administration in the 1970s or 1980s, to consider calling the Veterans Service Office “and let us work for them.” THERE IS GOOD NEWS for veterans making claims, McCord said. “The claims times are starting to turn around,” he said. “The VA says they are at 125 days with 98 percent accuracy. They are getting closer. The VA has a new system that is working pretty well.” McCord said that two years ago, it took an average of 337 days to get an answer on a claim to the VA. In addition, the Buffalo VA Hospital is seeing patients within 30 days 96 percent of the time, which is above the national average, McCord said. “It’s not 100 percent, but they are doing pretty well,” he added. The Cattaraugus-Allegany Joint Veterans Council operates a volunteer van to drive veterans to VA appointments in Buffalo and Bath. McCord urged veterans with any questions about benefits, whether they be disability-related, medical, educational or other issues, to contact his office at 701-3297. Many of the benefits and issues are also addressed on the Cattaraugus County website, www.cattco.org. Look for Veterans Service Office under the departments tab at the top of the page. (Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @RMillerOTH)
james
Kelsey Boudin/Olean Times Herald
Dortha “Dot” James of Scio displays pictures of her late husband, former U.S. Army Sgt. Clinton “Sid” James, as well as trophies he won during an amateur running career late in life. Continued from page 1
With Sid James’ professional future an uncertainty after Capital Plastics left, he and eldest son Terrence Barry discussed the viability of returning to school so late in life. “Terry suggested that because the plant had moved to Rochester, maybe he could go to college because he was very intelligent,” Dot James said. In August 1980, Barry, an alcohol and substance abuse counselor, was struck and killed by a car. Sid James quickly saw fit to seek that degree. “I know that some older people go there thinking they’re too old to go to college,” Dot James said, “and the guidance counselor will say, ‘No, you’re not. I know a man who was 57 and went to college.’” He did so without relying on the GI Bill to pay expenses, she added. His performance and experience eventually yielded an opportunity to teach at the technical school, the widow noted. “He had a chance to be a
professor, and he didn’t tell me. Another professor met me one day and he said, ‘Dot, did Sid ever tell you that we offered him to be a professor?’” Dot James said. “At that time, Sid said he didn’t know if he could handle the kids at his age. “They hired him to be the head of the stockroom, and he could teach when the professors were sick or on vacation. So he did teach some. He was a little bit leery at his age, and I don’t know why, because he was so smart.” ALL THE WHILE, James ran. His amateur running career yielded numerous local, state and national awards in his age group. Dot lovingly touted a pair of trophies — prized possessions chronicling her late husband’s perseverance. Sid James was active in the American Legion, serving as the commander for both the Scio post and for all of Allegany County. “Because of him, I could be in the American Legion Auxiliary, and we were both county
chairs,” Dot James said. “When I was county chairman, we were really trying to find out about the MIAs in Cambodia who were missing. We still don’t know.” He also was a member of the 40&8, an organization honoring veterans. Sid James served as assessor for the town of Scio and on the Allegany County Republican Committee for many years. He was a licensed amateur radio operator. He was a member of the Scio United Methodist Church and for many years attended the Wellsville First United Methodist Church. “He stood for God and country and for being head of the family,” Dot James said. “He was military-minded. He was a good person, and he was very good to the kids.” He is also survived by sons Patrick Barry of Hornell and Jeff James of Savona. (Contact reporter Kelsey Boudin at kboudin@oleantimesherald.com. Follow him on Twitter, @KelseyM Boudin)
OLEAN TIMES HERALD
From Allegany to the Argonne Fred H. Lemon, born Oct. 28, 1888, in Allegany, enlisted in the U.S. Army in Olean on Feb. 27, 1918, during World War I. After training, he was sent to Camp Upton on Long Island, where troops were staged before their units shipped out for France. He was a member of Battery F, 304th Field Artillery. Lemon, as a private first class, served in France from April 24, 1918, to April 29, 1919. He was in the Baccarat sector from July 12-Aug. 18 and the Oise-Aisne sector, where more than 6,000 U.S. soldiers were killed in fighting during the war, from Aug. 18-Sept. 14, 1918. He arrived in the Argonne on Sept. 24, two days before the final, massive Allied attack across the Western Front, called the MeuseArgonne Offensive. He served in the battle until Nov. 11, 1918 — Armistice Day. The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was the largest in U.S. military history, involving 1.2 million American soldiers, and was one of a series of Allied attacks that brought the war to an end.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
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Rushford couple met, married while serving in Germany Husband a decorated Vietnam vet; wife joined ‘on a dare’
This photo, provided by Helen Monroe of Allegany, shows her father, U.S. Army Pfc. Fred H. Lemon, in 1918.
The battle cost 26,277 American lives (with 95,786 wounded), making it the largest and bloodiest operation of the war for the American Expeditionary Force. Lemon, who received the Bronze Victory Button, was honorably discharged from the Army on May 10, 1919. Having been raised on a farm on the Five Mile Road, he worked his own farm on South Nine Mile Road. A charter member in 1924 of American Legion Post No. 892 in Allegany, he passed away in 1957.
Pfc. Mario Zakel
U.S. Army Pfc. Mario Zakel served from 1962-64. He was with a military police unit in Manheim, Germany. He emigrated to the United States with his family from Slovenia when he was a child. He bought a farm on Five Mile Road in Allegany, where he lives today.
Franklin and Karen Litchner Everett of Rushford were both serving in the U.S. Army — he was a decorated combat veteran of Vietnam, she had joined the Army “on a dare” — when they met in Germany. Here is the story that led them together. Franklin Everett grew up in Michigan, the youngest of 12 children. Two days after high school graduation in 1968, he was drafted — he arrived at Fort Knox, Ky., for basic training in July 1968. After graduating from Advanced Infantry School at Fort Polk, La., he went home on leave for month. When he returned, he had orders to ship out for Vietnam. Everett served in Vietnam from January 1969-January 1970 with Delta Co., 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. Promoted twice, he was wounded and received the Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Bronze Star and Air Medal. When he rotated out of Vietnam, he was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and then received his honorable discharge. But after 5½ months, he rejoined the Army. He was stationed on active duty at Fort Wainwright, Alaska; Fort Ord, Calif.; Korea; Hawaii; and Germany, where he met Specialist Karen Litchner. Litchner graduated from Rushford High School and joined the Army in 1981 “on a dare from my brother.” She did basic training at
Franklin Everett and Karen Litchner Everett were stationed in Germany when they met at the post church. They married and had three daughters, retiring from the service in 1989.
Fort Dix, N.J., and then was stationed at Fort Belvoir, Va., for heating, ventilation and air conditioning school. But the military closed the school, so she was assigned as a truck driver. After a short stint at Fort Knox, she was sent to Frankfurt, Germany, where she drove and fixed trucks for a Signal Corps unit — at times, she drove her company commander around. “I met my husband Frank at the post church, and we eventually got married,” she said. “Our first daughter, Vanessa, was born at the 97th General Hospital in Frankfurt. While I was pregnant with her, I was one of three secretaries to the commander.” NOW A MARRIED couple, the Everetts were stationed at Fort Ord, where two more daughters, Laura and Natalie, were born. Karen Everett retired as a Spec 4 from active duty in 1984, but served in the Reserves until 1989. That same year, Franklin Everett retired as a sergeant first class and the couple moved their family to Rushford.
“We like it here, it’s where I grew up,” Karen said. Karen had worked for a nursing home in Houghton but now works an odd job here and there. Franklin worked in construction and remodeling before working several roles at Houghton College. Now retired, he is an assistant chief with the Rushford Volunteer Fire Department. Meanwhile, some more awards earned by Franklin Everett: Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Combat Service Commemorative, Overseas Service Commemorative, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, U.S. Vietnam Service Medal, U.S. Army Commemorative, U.S. Army Campaign Medal w/60 Device, Vietnam Wound Medal, Sharpshooter Badge Rifle/Grenade; and several ribbons and citations. He graduated from the Army Jungle School, Amphibious Recon School, the Noncommissioned Officers Academy and the Advanced Noncommissioned Officers Education System.
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
OLEAN TIMES HERALD
Gene Thurston (left) served as a tailgunner in a B-24 during World War II; his son, Kevin Thurston, joined the Marines out of Olean High School in 1979 and served for 20 years.
Father and son served the nation
Staff Sgt. Gene Thurston flew 17 missions as a tailgunner in a B-24 Liberator bomber over Europe during World War II — he was one of five brothers to serve during the war, and Christopher Michel/Olean Times Herald all five came home safe. U.S. Army World War II veteran Ernest Weller received France’s Légion d’honneu — Legion of Honor — medal during a After the war was over, Thurston made his way to Olean, special ceremony in September at Olean’s War Veterans Park. The National Order of the Legion of Honor is the hightaking a job with Line Material on Dugan Road. He worked est decoration in France. Weller (second from left) was joined by Pascal Soares (remaining, from left), honorary French there for 38 years, according to his wife, Grace E. Thurston, consul who presented him with the award; State Sen. Catharine Young, who arranged the ceremony and presented him who now lives in Allegany. with a display of other military awards he received; and Tammy Krotz, his granddaughter and a U.S. Marines veteran. The two met and married after Gene Thurston, a native of Oneida, came to the area. Mrs. Thurston said her husband, who passed away Aug. 30, 2007, always considered himself fortunate to have flown so many bombing missions as the vulnerable tailgunner and yet never received a scratch. His captain, the pilot and skipper of the U.S. Army Air Forces B-24, made sure Thurston was given a extra flak jacket to put over his legs. “He was hit in the legs several times, but nothing ever got through” the flak protection, Mrs. Thurston said, adding that every member of the bomber crew made it home safely. Meanwhile, the Thurston’s son, Kevin, who bears a strikBy CHRISTOPHER MICHEL work as an auto mechanic at Olean Times Herald several local garages before ing resemblance to his father, joined the U.S. Marines immediately after graduating from Olean High School in 1979. finally retiring from John He went through basic training at Camp Lejeune in North LEAN — One of the Hardy Chevrolet. Carolina, and then was stationed at Camp Pendleton in area’s oldest survivHe married the forCalifornia. ing World War II mer Gloria Myrick of He served for 20 years in the Corps, with postings in veterans received special Franklinville, who died in Korea and the Philippines, as well as stateside, working as honors in September. 1989, and the couple had an expert mechanic on military vehicles and equipment. He In front of approxitwo children, William and retired as a gunnery sergeant in November 2006 and now mately 75 of his family Connie. Gloria died in drives 18-wheelers in California. members, friends and fel1989. The couple had six low patriots at the Veterans grandchildren and seven — Honorary French Consul Pascal Soares Memorial Wall at War great-grandchildren. Weller Veterans Park, Ernest Weller, later married the former 98, of Franklinville was Stella Moore. He has four was rendered useless. Still, and our neighbors across presented with France’s stepchildren and many steptheir mission was successthe world. They asked for Légion d'honneur — Legion grandchildren and stepful. nothing in return. They did of Honor — medal. The great-grandchildren. Weller was honorably it because it was the right National Order of the discharged from the servi thing to do. Legion of Honor is the high(Contact City Editor “Thank you, Ernie, for all ce at Fort Dix in July 1945. est decoration in France Christopher Michel at cmiFollowing his return to that you’ve done for us.” and is given for excellent chel@oleantimesherald.com. Franklinville, he resumed The patriot humbly civil or military conduct, Follow him on Twitter, @ work at the Ontario Knife offered thanks to the senaas confirmed after official OTHChris) Factory. He later went on to tor and those in attendance investigation by the French after Thursday’s ceremony. government. “This is a wonderful Weller was also given honor; I never expected it,” a special display box conWeller said. “Thank you.” taining all the medals he Weller served with earned for his service to the U.S. Army from May the country and defense of 1941 to July 1945 and was freedom abroad. The awards assigned to the 26th Signal included the New York Construction Battalion. He State Conspicuous Service earned the rank of techniCross; the U.S. Army’s cian 4th grade Good Conduct Medal; the During his time with the American Defense Service armed forces, Weller spent Medal; the American three years and 17 days in Campaign Medal; the the European Theater, where European-African-Middle he was tasked with erecting Eastern Campaign Medal the communication network with one Silver Service Star; for American military forces the World War II Victory staging for Operation Torch Medal and the Honorable in North Africa and preparService Lapel Button. ing for the eventual invaThe ceremony and presion of Europe. sentation of the Legion of Weller was one of 13,420 Honor medal was arranged U.S. Army signalmen in by State Sen. Catharine 33 independent or unitYoung, R-Olean. Members assigned organizations that of various veteran and vetwere part of this effort. eran-support organizations Eighteen of those all-volunat the edge of the audience teer signal units went ashore held American flags. at Normandy. Nearly 50 Honorary French Consul percent of those in the units Pascal Soares gave Weller became casualties, and 60 the Legion of Honor medal, percent of their equipment which he pinned on the veteran’s jacket. “He is an American hero who, more than 60 years ago, risked his life for the freedom of France and Europe,” Soares said. “We French will never forget what you did to restore our freedom. Today, you are my hero. Today, you are my liberator.” Like so many young American men and women who bravely took a stand against the Axis powers, Young said Weller stands among the best of his generation — often called “The Greatest Generation.” “Those brave Americans grew up during the Great Depression,” Young said. “They gave everything, and I mean everything, that they had — their youth, their money, their heart and their souls for their country
World War II veteran receives medal for French liberation
O
“He is an American hero who, more than 60 years ago, risked his life for the freedom of France and Europe. We French will never forget what you did to restore our freedom. Today, you are my hero. Today, you are my liberator.”
OLEAN TIMES HERALD
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
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Cattaraugus County Memorial and Historical Building Dedication Day This photo, submitted by John Scarano of Citizens Advocating Memorial Preservation (C.A.M.P.) was taken Sept. 7, 1914. The individuals lined up in front of the Memorial Building are more than 200 Civil War veterans, their families and other prominent Cattaraugus County citizens. The site may be the only building in the state of New York that is totally dedicated to Civil War veterans.
Neno Baceli of Salamanca served as a corporal in the U.S. Army and Reserves.
Civil War veteran This photo submitted by Cheri Mancuso of Conewango Valley shows her great-grandfather, Winfield Scott Kenyon, who was a Civil War veteran from Cattaraugus County. At age 21 he enlisted on July 26, 1862, at New Albion to serve three years. He mustered in as a corporal in Company H on Sept. 24, 1862. He was captured July 1, 1863, at Gettysburg, paroled and promoted to sergeant June 9, 1864. He mustered out with his company June 11, 1865, near Bladensburg, Md. Kenyon was present in the Dedication Day photo of the Cattaraugus County Memorial and Historical Building (see photo above).
Olean grad recalls his experience in US Navy I well remember graduation day 1950 at Olean High School. It was a pretty emotional event. The Korean War had just started and — after raising Cain at Cuba Lake — a lot of us grads were soon in uniform. I joined the Navy and spent four years as a “knob slob” radar operator in the backseat of Douglas Skyraiders. By the time I got to Korea the war was over. Instead, my ship, the USS Tarawa (CV-4 0) sailed around the world in 1953-54. A highlight of the cruise was sailing into Sydney, Australia, with famed World War II Adm. Bull Halsey aboard, to help the Aussies celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea. American sailors were very, very popular, and none of us will ever forget those few days in that great country. The Norton family is coming to Olean for a reunion next year. We’ll gather in the pavilion at War Veterans Park on Saturday afternoon June 25. Old friends (and new), please stop by for a hot dog, a drink and some gab about the days that were! Don Norton 21177 Bald Eagle Road Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971 nortye@yahoo.com
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Robert Schwindler served during the Vietnam War, from 1966-70, seeing combat. A retired auto mechanic, he lives in Olean.
Specialist 4 Rocco James Bacelli of the U.S. Army, from Salamanca.
Max Lester Neel of Salamanca served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force.
Mario Paul Gaetano of Franklinville, formerly of Olean, served his country as a member of the U.S. Navy from Feb. 6, 1948, to Jan. 5, 1957. He served on the USS Albany CA-123 and for a short time on the USS New Jersey BB-62 as a gunner’s mate, 2nd class, during the Korean War. He also was a gunner instructor at the Dam Neck Naval Base in Virginia. He died in October.
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OLEAN TIMES HERALD
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
Veterans Book Project opens at JCC in Olean By KATE DAY SAGER Olean Times Herald
Stories and images associated with war can be quietly and thoughtfully contemplated during the Veterans Book Project in the Center Gallery at Jamestown Community College (JCC) in Olean. The project, consisting of 50 books created by veterans, their families and victims of war, opened Monday in the gallery, located on the second floor of the College Center. A reception to introduce the project was to be be presented by Dr. Patricia Briggs from 1 to 2 p.m. today. The reception was to follow a veterans’ luncheon at noon in the Magnano Reception Room on campus. Briggs, director of Center Gallery as well as the Weeks Gallery at JCC’s Jamestown campus, said she has organized exhibitions of the
project at other regional locations. The venues have included JCC’s Jamestown location, Orange County Community College and Adirondack Community College. The project is an art collaboration by Monica Haller, a student of Briggs in Minneapolis during the early 2000s. “I’ve been part of her team of (editors) who have collaborated to make this project be what it is,” Briggs said. The project is described as artwork in the form of books written by people who have had firsthand experience of war or who have witnessed its atrocities. “These aren’t just journals or novels; they’re simply written books with lots of pictures,” Briggs said, noting the gallery is set up like a reading room. “So normally, if you came to the gallery and spent a half-hour or
hour, you could pick up 10 books and get some real stuff out of this.” Haller facilitated workshops from 2009 to 2013 around the country to collect the writings and personal photographs of war from veterans, Briggs said. She also gathered the material from family members of soldiers, as well as from Iraqi or Afghan civilian refugees. HALLER’S AIM in creating the project was to provide a framework for veterans and others to articulate their memories or experiences of war. Another goal of the project is to offer quiet spaces for contemplation and thoughtful discussion about war and its impact. Each book stands alone and was first disseminated by each author to his own community. Every book is also included in the larger Veterans Book Project library, which is designed for galleries. The project has been presented at larger venues, including FotoDok in
Photo submitted
Visitors and students look through books from the Veterans Book Project, previously displayed at Weeks Gallery at Jamestown Community College in Jamestown.
the Netherlands, NAMOS Foundation Gallery in Rome and the Milwaukee Art Museum. In addition, it has been featured in galleries at Carthage College, Antioch College, Colorado College, University of WisconsinParkside and other locations. Linda Mecca, an administrator at JCC in Olean, said the project is a “wonderful, national touring exhibit.” “It is a very moving exhibit of books that serve as ‘containers’ of all the
images, stories and memories of people affected by the current American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Mecca said. “It is the vision of artist Monica Haller and incorporates media for and by veterans and non-veterans alike.” THE COLLEGE is trying to connect with as many groups in the area as possible that may wish to view the project, Mecca said. Briggs is available to pro-
vide private readings, introductions or facilitated discussions for veterans, community organizations and school groups. To contact Briggs, email Patriciabriggs@ mail.sunyjcc.edu or call 3381301. Center Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. The exhibition will close Dec. 11. (Contact reporter Kate Day Sager at kates_th@yahoo.com)
The history of Veterans Day in our nation Elwood H. Taylor of Salamanca, served as a corporal in the U.S. Army Air Corps.
Lawrence G. Taylor of Salamanca, sergeant E-5 in the U.S. Army.
Adam G. Taylor of Salamanca, Specialist 4 in the U.S. Army, serving for five years.
Andrew L. Taylor of Salamanca, Specialist 4 in the U.S. Army Reserves, serving for eight years.
Dana A. Taylor of Salamanca, staff sergeant in the U.S. Army.
Douglas E. Taylor of Salamanca, sergeant E-5 in the U.S. Army.
World War I, known at the time as “The Great War,” officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles in France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11 a.m. Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926. An act approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday — a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the
greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the nation’s history, and after American forces had fought in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11 became a day to honor American veterans of all wars. Later that same year, on Oct. 8, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation,” which stated: “In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans’ organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in
every way possible.” The Uniform Holiday Bill was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to ensure three-day weekends for federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates. The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on Oct. 25, 1971. It was apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of citizens, and so on Sept. 20, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of Nov. 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans service organizations and the American people.
OLEAN TIMES HERALD
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
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The late William Bonhoff, a U.S. Army combat photographer in New Guinea and Luzon in the Philippines during World War II, worked as a photographer and printer for Clark Bros. (later Dresser-Clark) in Olean. Retired to Fort Myers, Fla., he wrote various personal recollections and stories related to his service. Presented here are some selections from his writings, submitted by his family.
Reaching out
A close encounter of a different kind W e were in a war zone. God knows where, ‘cause I sure didn’t. The fact is, I can’t recall how we got where we were. It was the spring of 1945. I remember walking down a recently bulldozed road somewhere in the back hills of Luzon, Philippine Islands, with the artist/cartoonist also working out of the Division Public Relations Office. We were there to take combat pictures of the action against the enemy and also get photos for the division and hometown newspapers. We were division photographer and cartoonist on assignment. We were not combat soldiers. It was getting very late in the afternoon just before sunset. It was time to find a secure place for the night. There were no Holiday Inns here. The troops we traveled with disappeared into the bush. We found a spot along the edge of the road that was bulldozed up to about 8 feet high with heavy brush and bamboo overhanging it. On the backside was a vertical drop that was supported by weeds, brush and trees. Under these conditions, being on the edge of enemy territory, we really didn’t expect to get much sleep. We laid there several hours under the overhang-
ing brush, as night fell, listening and watching as best we could in the moonless night. It’s amazing how quiet a war zone can be at night. There wasn’t any chit-chat between us. As we laid there in the still of the night it wasn’t very long before I heard whispering coming from over the bank of dirt where we were. My ears perked up as I strained to listen. It was a constant, very low babble but I could not determine if it was English or Japanese. Obviously, there was more than one person. I was close enough to reach out and touch whoever was there as they felt their way through the thicket. We were less than 3 feet away. I HAD to make a choice, drop a grenade, of which I had three hanging on my backpack; tell them to be quiet so we could sleep; shake hands and invite them to join us; or do nothing and remain quiet until they passed by. We chose the latter. To the best of my judgment, it was the enemy Japanese soldiers sneaking through the night. I’m sure they did not know that just 30 feet from where we were, two of their comrades lay dead, killed several days before. Was this the right deci-
William Bonhoff
sion under the circumstances? I will never know, but often wondered. What would you have done?
The little lady from Leyte
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he 38th Division had been on the island of Leyte, Philippine Islands, for about two weeks. Most of the headquarters company slept where they could … mostly in tents or other shelters they could improvise under the circumstances. Several of us from the Public Relations Office of the Division holed up in the village bank building. I claimed the bank vault as mine as it was poured concrete and looked like the safest place in case of an air raid. The door had been removed for some reason. The other troops were camped just outside the little village of Alang-Alang on the island. Just a month before, Gen. MacArthur had returned. It was noon and the Division Headquarters Company was lined up in the chow line. As I stood in
Group gives out Purple Heart parking signs PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — Army Reserve First Sgt. Scott Marasco served during the first Gulf War and, thank God, came home without a scratch. But he very much wants the world to appreciate the soldiers who did suffer wounds in combat. That’s why there are purple-edged signs that read “Reserved Combat Wounded” near the entrance to the Home Depot store that he manages in Papillion. Through his efforts, such signs are now at 107 Home Depots in seven Midwestern states. “This is like my project, my mission,” said 48-year-old Marasco. “I’d love to get them into every Home Depot in the country.” The idea for Purple Heart parking spaces — now at hundreds of business locations in 43 states — started in Omaha almost three years ago with retired Marine Reserve Col. John Folsom, who runs a veterans aid charity called Wounded Warriors Family Support. Since then, his organization has sent out nearly 2,500 of the signs for free to businesses that request them. Though Folsom has done no advertising, the pace of requests has picked up dramatically in recent months thanks to news stories and social media. “All of a sudden, it’s just gone nuts,” Folsom said. “This is true grass roots.” The Omaha World-Herald reports Folsom hatched the idea after seeing parking spaces at businesses set aside for expectant mothers and high-achieving workers next to federally mandated ones reserved for people with disabilities. He thought Purple Heart recipients deserved recognition, too. “If we’re honoring an employee of the quarter, why can’t we honor someone who was wounded (in combat)?” Folsom said. So his charity ordered 500 of the colorful, heavy-duty
signs emblazoned with the Purple Heart. After those were handed out, he ordered 1,000 more. Now, another batch of 1,000 is nearly gone. “We’re approaching the 2,500sign mark,” Folsom said. In addition to Home Depot, the Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain and Lowe’s home improvement stores have posted the signs at many of their locations. Wounded Warriors Family Support sent a batch to West Virginia. That leaves only seven states without any: Hawaii, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode
Island, Nevada, Utah and Mississippi. Folsom said his organization has made the signs one of its missions, along with providing vacations and respite care and purchasing cars for needy wounded veterans. The signs have cost $65,000 so far and are free to businesses who promise to use them — though he has asked companies ordering them in bulk to pay shipping costs. “I look at this thing as a way to heal,” Folsom said. “A young man with his legs blown off knows somebody cares about him.”
line, I noticed a small group of kids standing off to the side about 40 feet away. They were barefooted, like most Filipinos were in the backcountry, especially the kids. Their tattered clothes were stained and soiled. Sad and forlorn looking, they stood by with their gallon pails held by handmade wire handles. Without saying a word, it was obvious they were begging for food. One little girl caught my eye as I watched them. She was about 4 years old, straight black hair, round face to match her big, round, sad-looking, dark eyes. Her dress, like the others, had seen better days. There was something in her eyes that glued me to her. I sat down to eat my lunch and motioned to her to come over to me. With some hesitation, she shyly approached. As she sat down beside me a big smile came over her face. I shared my food from my mess kit with that hungry little girl that day. By the time my extra food got into her pail it was almost like stew, but when anyone is hungry, as these kids were, it really didn’t matter. When she had finished eating, she took me by the hand and led her back to her house. It was located a short distance behind the bank building. Her mother and little brother were waiting for her on the porch. The house was set up on stilts about 6 feet off the ground. It was constructed of bamboo poles for the entire framework and covered with woven palm leaves. The roof was heavily layered with overlapping woven palm leaves to make it waterproof in the heavy rains. During the rainy sea-
son the roads are knee-deep in soupy mud. During the dry season the space under the house is used for storage and workspace. Her mother told me stories of the hardship they endured when the Japanese occupied the island. Oh, yes, there were some coconuts, mangos, and papaya to eat but not much rice, which is one of their main foods. The U.S. troops helped out when they could by sharing their meals … nothing went to waste. These episodes repeated themselves many times as we moved from village to village on the island. The little girl nudged toward me now and wanted to sit on my lap as her mother continued talking. She lost her shyness now, and apparently wanted me to hold her. Even without saying a word, I could feel the love from this little girl who I had just met. I took some pictures and as I was leaving she gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek … such a sweet kid. Love, in any language, does not necessarily need words. I will never see this little girl again, but she is one I will never forget.
Those old combat boots hanging on my wall
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hose old combat boots hanging on my wall — if they could only talk! They would tell you stories of World War II, the war
that’s past some 70 years or so ago. Those old jungle combat boots that slogged through jungle training on Oahu, Hawaii, in streams and underbrush in the darkness of night. Stories of the S.S. Monterey as it ran aground near the New Hebrides Islands in the South Pacific. Or the time those boots waded ashore at Oro Bay, New Guinea after the rescue by a liberty ship. Oh, if they could only talk! Thank you, Lord, for watching over! And when they waded ashore on the island of Leyte in the Philippines a month after Gen. MacArthur returned to free the Philippines. Again when they hit the beach on Luzon to help free the Bataan Peninsula from the Japanese hold on the island. They plodded through bamboo forests, mountain terrain, crooked roads and open plains. Those boots are dry and somewhat stiffened now, but if they could only talk! Thank you, Lord, for watching over! They’d tell about Corregidor, Caballo Island and Fort Drum in the middle of Manila Bay. Oh yes, the soles were worn and tattered and were replaced several times as they tramped through those foreign lands. Oh, if those boots could only talk! Thank you, Lord, for watching over! Oh, what stories they could tell, but yet, if called to duty once again, they would serve their country well.
PAGE 8
OLEAN TIMES HERALD
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015
After vet felled by PTSD, service dog Honor aids family By ALLEN G. BREED AP National Writer
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LYDE, N.C. — Part of the Labrador retriever’s training was to sense when the demons of war had invaded Wade Baker’s dreams. “I woke up with Honor standing on my chest, licking my face,” the Gulf War veteran once told an interviewer. He tried to push his service dog away, but Honor persisted. “He was stopping the nightmare for me,” Baker said. And so, when he saw his master lying in the flag-draped casket, Honor pushed through the clutch of weeping family members, reared up and tried to climb in. Unable to comfort Baker, the lanky black dog curled up beneath the coffin. For Baker, the long nightmare was finally over. Yet Honor was still on duty. Baker’s quarter-century battle with post-traumatic stress disorder ended on Aug. 19, when officers responding to an alleged hostage situation at a little church in the western North Carolina mountains answered his gunfire with a hail of bullets. It was Baker who’d made the 911 call. As he told a friend, it was time for him to be “put down.” Plagued by memories and delusions, Baker never stopped looking for that “magic pill” that would cure him. For a while, he thought Honor was it. In the end, even this bundle of unconditional love wasn’t enough. Still, Honor was never just Wade Baker’s dog — and now there would be others in need of healing. THE STATE CENTER, Iowa, native enlisted in the Army at 18. He was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, with his new wife Diane before his unit deployed for Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait. A few days after his return, Diane called his sister, Laura Thomas. Baker was having nightmares about a dead man chasing
Associated Press
In this March 2012 photo provided by Paws & Effect, Wade Allen Baker sits with Honor at the end of the PTSD service dog’s placement with him and the workshop that all recipients go through at Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa. A year after graduation, Baker returned to the training camp to mentor the latest cadre of dog recipients.
him. Baker told his sister that he’d stumbled across an Iraqi soldier and shot him when he plunged his hand into his uniform. The man, he later realized, was reaching for photos of his children. Then there were the burial details. “The dogs would have dug them up overnight,” he told her, describing “fighting over an arm with a dog one time.” Thomas told her brother that he needed professional help. But Wade planned to make the Army a career, and feared they would “bounce me out ... for being a nut job.” Besides, suffering in silence was the “manly” thing to do. During the mid-1990s, Baker served back-toback tours in war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia. He began drinking and flouting authority. “The anger, the frustration,” he said. “I didn’t know how to control it.” In November 1998, he “managed to get out with an honorable discharge.” BACK IN IOWA, Baker got a job as a corrections officer. But he was becoming
more distant from Diane and their two girls. He fell in love with a jail co-worker, Michelle, who was also married and had two sons. They divorced their spouses and married, eventually having two sets of twins of their own. By 2006, Baker had lost his jail job. Then in October of that year, fire struck, forcing the family to flee into the night. “He went downhill really fast after that,” Michelle Baker said. Wade Baker was having false memories. He was convinced he’d killed their neighbor, until he saw him doing yard work. After a high-speed chase with police in 2007, Baker landed at a psychiatric unit. A doctor got him into the Iowa City Veterans Affairs hospital. “The Nightmares + Flashbacks are more severe in intensity + Frequency,” he wrote during that period. “I see more clearly and I understand what they want. They need me to kill myself to make it rite.” Baker was diagnosed with PTSD and declared 100 percent disabled. On Aug. 23, 2010, at a kennel in Indianola, Iowa, a chocolate Labrador retriever
named Bittersweet Formaro whelped a litter of six. Nicole Shumate took them all, plus one from another litter. As executive director of Paws & Effect, Shumate trains dogs for service with disabled children and combat veterans. She dubbed this group the “military litter” — Anthem, Hero, Justice, Liberty, Merit and Valor. And, of course, Honor. When Honor was about halfway through his training, Shumate came to the Bakers’ town to speak at a kennel club. Thomas convinced Wade and Michelle to go. In March 2012, Baker and other veterans reported for training outside Des Moines. When Baker became anxious during a mall outing, Honor climbed into his lap and let out a big yawn — a calming trick he’d learned. “And that’s when I realized: ‘Oh. You’re training ME,’” Baker said. Baker said he’d already slept more in those two weeks of training than he’d had in years. THE VA DOESN’T pay to provide service dogs for PTSD sufferers, saying
there’s no clinical proof they work. Michelle Baker didn’t need a study to know that Honor was a godsend. “It made him an active member in our family again,” she said. In a 2012 interview on Iowa Public Radio, Baker said Honor was pure love — unconditional and unquestioning. “He doesn’t care why I’m agitated,” he said. Yet even though Baker loved Honor, he couldn’t shake the conviction that his dependence was proof of his own weakness. “I’ve always been looking for that magic pill,” he confessed. “I want to wake up tomorrow and I want to be normal.” A year after graduation, Baker sat down with a videographer from Paws & Effect to talk about how Honor had changed his life. “It’s getting better,” he said. “And it’s not the meds. It’s not the therapy. It’s just everyday living, with him.” Not long afterward, however, things got bad again. In December 2013, Baker moved in with a battle buddy so he could get treatment at the VA hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. Michelle and the boys followed in May. Once again, Baker left the inpatient treatment. Continuing treatment in oneon-one sessions, he wrote in a “trauma statement” about his futile effort to save a comrade whose vehicle rolled over a mine. The process left Baker agitated and angry. Michelle became so concerned for her and the boys’ safety that they moved out this past July. She and the kids found a small house. Wade and Honor moved into a trailer nearby. AUGUST 19 was the boys’ first day of school. That afternoon, Michelle picked Jack and Kobi up and went to Wade’s to get some of their things. “It’s a bad day,” he told her, saying he hadn’t slept in days. He asked why they couldn’t all be together.
Later, as Michelle and the boys sat waiting for the older twins’ bus, Baker continued his argument by text. At 3 p.m., he sent a final note. “Tell the boys I am sorry and that I was weak,” he wrote. “I will always be watching them, every touchdown every test every night.” Michelle called the VA’s crisis hotline. At 3:08, Baker posted a note on his Facebook page. “Well I had a good run but it’s time,” he wrote. “I love you all.” Armed with a 20-gauge shotgun, he drove to a church and called 911, reporting a man with a gun and adding, “I think he’s shot four people already.” Danny Lynn Cagle, a friend, had spotted Baker’s Facebook post and immediately phoned. He told Baker his sons needed him; Baker said he was holding them back. “It’s time for me to be put down,” he said. “Tell the boys I love ‘em.” Then, shotgun raised, the veteran walked toward the officers. Police found Honor at Baker’s trailer — unharmed. Typically, if a recipient dies, the service animal is placed with another veteran or child. But Shumate couldn’t do that. “He’s the last connection that the boys have with their father,” she said. “Honor gave the boys their dad for more years,” Michelle Baker said, weeping. These days, Honor is more pet than service dog. But he still has special powers. If one of the boys becomes emotional, their mother said, Honor will rear up and gently press his front paws into his chest. “And they just melt and embrace him.” She kept some of her husband’s ashes, which he’d wanted scattered at favorite waterfalls and other spots they’d visited. When the boys are ready, she plans to take them to fulfill his wishes. And when they do, it will be with Honor.
Remains of NY Marine killed in ‘43 Pacific battle identified
ALBANY (AP) — in Bushnell. James Reilly’s Growing up in New York remains were among those City, twins Michael and of 36 American servicemen James Reilly did everything found earlier this year buried together. After the on the Pacific island U.S. entered World of Betio, part of the War II, they enlisted Tarawa atoll in the in the Marines on the Republic of Kiribati. same day. When the The 20-year-old leathernecks landed from Queens was at Tarawa, the brothamong the more than ers were in the same 500 Marines and sailassault wave. ors listed as missing AP Michael survived, in action after the Pfc. James but his brother was three-day battle that P. Reilly killed just feet away began Nov. 20, 1943. from his sibling. About 1,000 Marines Jimmy was buried nearby in were killed and more than a grave that was long over2,000 were wounded. looked. Now, more than 70 The Reilly brothers were years later, Jimmy will be serving in the 8th Regiment reburied near Michael in a of the 2nd Marine Division Florida veterans’ cemetery. when they landed on a strip The Pentagon announced of sand designated Red earlier this month that the Beach. According to accounts remains of Pfc. James P. Michael told older family Reilly had been identified members, Jimmy was strugand would be buried at gling to reach shore when Florida National Cemetery he was mortally wounded
by enemy fire. Michael, who had found cover along a pier with scores of other Marines, saw his brother get hit. After the island was captured, American casualties were buried in several battlefield cemeteries. When the U.S. military conducted recovery operations after the war, Reilly’s remains were among the scores that couldn’t be recovered. IN JUNE, the Floridabased nonprofit organization History Flight announced it had found the burial site of what were believed to be 36 Marines. The remains were turned over to the military for identification. In early September, the Pentagon notified Michael Reilly’s daughter, Maureen Reilly of New Hampton, New York, that her uncle’s remains had been identified. “The first thing that came
to my mind was, I wish my dad was alive to know he came home,” she told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The Pentagon said five of the 36 sets of remains returned from Tarawa this past summer have been identified, including those of Marine 1st Lt. Alexander “Sandy” Bonnyman, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1947. Maureen Riley and her stepsister, Mary Smith, said relatives would recall how the Reilly twins, the oldest of four brothers, were inseparable while growing up. They went through boot camp together at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina after enlisting in the Marine Corps on Nov. 23, 1942. Nearly a year to the day later, the Reilly brothers were wading ashore at Tarawa. According to his daughters, Michael later told relatives
he was within 10 feet of his brother when he died. Michael Reilly came home from the war and joined the New York Police Department, retiring as a detective. He moved to Florida, where he died in 2005. For his two biological children and two stepchildren, the war and Jimmy’s death were subjects never to be brought up around their father. “He buried it pretty deep.
I think it was his way of coping,” said Smith, of Ocala, Florida. On Monday, the twins’ birthday, Jimmy Reilly will be buried with full military honors not far from his brother’s grave. Jimmy’s return comes a decade too late for Michael, but Smith said her father will finally be reunited with his brother. “I know he’s looking down and he’s happy,” she said.