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FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2, 2022
Looking by Back Ed Pany Weaversville to War, Part 5 of 5 In this concluding column, Larry Oberly and this writer are completing our interview with Mrs. Beatrice Christoff, whose father, Herbert Ruch, served with the U.S. Engineers in New Guinea and Manila. I hope we did not exhaust her with all of our questions. The war was over, but now the priority was to bring home the men and women who served in the armed services. Sgt. Ruch was stationed in Manila. He writes, “The best rumor is that we will be on our way home by Dec. 15, 1945. Eighteen ships are due in port. There are 4,000 men ahead of us. Many ships come in and leave with thousands. I hate to leave my best friend in the Army, Adam Barko. On Christmas Day, I found out I am leaving on the USS Admiral Sims. We left the docks 6:30 a.m. and never stopped. “We have 100 nurses on the ship. Tomorrow is new year for 4,000 of us. On Jan. 5, 1946, we were 2,000 miles from home. We had two Fridays due to crossing the international date line. We arrived in port at Los Angeles, Calif., 8 a.m. and were taken by bus to Camp Anza, Riverside, Calif. On Jan. 12, we were called out of bed 12:30 a.m. and boarded a train 1:30 a.m. We got a civilian Pullman car. We were going to Indiantown Gap. Some of the cars were going to a southern camp. “The train ride was long and could have been tragic. The train left California, stopped at Yuma, Ariz., and Carrizozo, N.M. The stop at El Paso, Texas, was far from normal. The train jumped the track, tearing up the rails. The detailing was a real mess. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. It was good we were not driving fast.”
Community honor roll. Photo courtesy of Beatrice Christoff. The men survived the war and then were fortunate to survive a wreck in Texas. “After a delay, we reached St. Louis, Mo.; Cleveland, Ohio; Rochester, N.Y.; and finally Indiantown Gap Jan. 19, 1946. It was 24 days since we boarded the USS Sims in Manila.” At Indiantown Gap, they were served a steak dinner. They got rid of their clothes and were given some lectures, a physical, their pay and new clothing. They went to chapel 2:30 p.m. There was so much to pray about. Sgt. Ruch and his comrades returned home safely, but many servicemen and women would never see home again. At 3 p.m., Jan. 19, 1946, he was discharged, a civilian again, and boarded a bus for Allentown. His parents were there to welcome their son. Soon, they were home. Sgt. Ruch’s tour of duty soon would be a memory. He hoped to get his old job back at Rehrig Electric Windings in Northampton, but the shop was closed. He would be hired by Reichard-Coulston in BethContinued on page 2
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Northampton Borough Pursues digital Transformation
Submitted by GOVPILOT A transition from paper to digital processes is underway in the Northampton Borough, where local officials have sought greater efficiency in municipal operations and constituent services. The borough recently partnered with GovPilot, a Hoboken, New Jersey based provider of cloudbased government management software. Officials from Northampton Borough will work with GovPilot to implement a number of digital capabilities and public facing forms that aim to make operations more efficient and services more convenient for constituents. Officials will initially utilize GovPilot for Building Permits, Electrical Permits, Plumbing and HVAC Permits, Landlord Registration, Rental Property Registration, Zoning Permits, and nonemergency citizen concerns. “The digital transformation of our operations and services is critical to the Northampton community given the efficiencies and convenience it provides both to our employees and to our residents,” said Northampton Code Enforcement Officer, Keith Knoblach. “GovPilot offers a solution
February Photo of the Month
“To me a beautiful rose always represents love. This is my mini splash rose I got from my fiancé for Valentine's Day.” -Photo by Sherriann Fox, Moore Township.
that will make our Borough more responsive to, and aligned with the needs of our constituents.” Northampton will also deploy GovPilot’s Report-a-Concern
feature which enables residents to report non-emergency concerns such as potholes or general code violations directly via a digContinued on page 7
CRPD officer Michael Kovach Honored for 25 years of service By HOME NEWS STAFF On Tuesday, February 8, the Hanover Township Board of Supervisors honored Michael Kovach, a Colonial Regional Police officer celebrating 25 years of service. The board announced they are designating the week of March 7 in Kovach’s honor. "Michael J. Kovach is applauded and recognized for his years of service as a police officer, and the board of supervisors expresses its gratitude and appreciation," said John Nagle, board Chairman, as he read from a proclamation. Kovach will retire from the Colonial Regional Police Depart-
ment on Thursday, March 3. Kovach has been with the Colonial Regional Police Department since 1997. Over the years he has been a bicycle officer, a member of the Northampton County Drug Task Force, and an officer to the community where he has been in charge of the neighborhood watch program. Kovach is a 1989 graduate of the Allentown Police Academy and started his career at Lehigh University as an officer, and later went on to Nazareth where he worked as a part-time officer before joining CRPD, said Chairman Nagle.
Other present supervisors Susan Lawless, John Diacogiannis and Jeffrey Warren echoed Nagle’s words thanking Kovach for his 25 years of dedicated service to the community. Michael J. Kovach Week will hereby be held in Hanover Township the week of March 7.
81st Year, Issue No. 8 www.homenewspa.com
PHOTO OF THE MONTH CONTEST
March theme: Farewell to Winter Deadline- March 28 • Winner featured in March 31 issue
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