2014
Army
Navy Marines
DAILY GLOBE
Coast Guard
Air Force
2 l FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014
W-M students keep nation’s service members in mind By RYAN JARVI
rjarvi@yourdailyglobe.com
WAKEFIELD — Before finishing up school for the summer, students in the WakefieldMarenisco School District wrote letters to veterans and service members, a project teachers say was beneficial to the nation’s heroes and their students. Two teachers, Amanda Lopac and Alex Mabie, decided to have their students write the letters to show their appreciation for what service members do, and have done, for their country. “I teach English so we decided to use that as the writing portion of our exam this spring,” Lopac said. “All of our English students, eighth through 11th grade, wrote a letter to a service member as part of their English exam this semester as a way to say thank you and show their appreciation, and also a way to open their eyes to what the service members and volunteers are doing for them. They have a lot to be grateful for so it was a way for them to reflect on that.” Mabie, who teaches computers and math classes, said she found a website online that offered a good guideline on how to structure the project. “We’re sending them through Operation Gratitude I found online where you can send it to them and they distribute them,” Mabie said. According to its website, Operation Gratitude annually sends more than 150,000 care packages, which are filled with snacks, entertainment, hygiene and hand-made items, as well as personal letters like the ones Wakefield-Marenisco students wrote. Care packages are sent to veterans, first responders, wounded warriors, caregivers and service members who are deployed overseas. The packages contain between $75 to $100 worth of donated goods. According to the website, more than 1.1 million packages have been shipped since the creation of Operation Gratitude in 2003. The two teachers’ personal connections to service members could have been a draw to their STUDENTS
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Ryan Jarvi/Daily Globe
WAKEFIELD-MARENISCO students wrote letters of appreciation addressed to U.S. service members and veterans before school let out in June. Participating in the project were 10th graders, clockwise from top left, Heather Hemming, Brianna Dalbec, Chelsea Allen and Tosha Hemming .
American Legion Post #5 Rick Minkin, Post Commander Mary Hampston, Auxiliary Pres.
IRONWOOD, MI
As Good As It Gets!
down towne!
Purveyor of Great Foods & Spirits
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Thank you to our Troops.
OUR LADY OF PEACE CATHOLIC CHURCH Saturday 4:00 p.m. Mass Sunday 8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Mass 108 S. Marquette St., Ironwood, MI 906-932-0174
We Support Our Troops A FULL SERVICE BANK
State Bank of Ewen
Celebrating 100 Years of Business
215 South Suffolk St., Downtown Ironwood www.tacconellis.com 906-932-2101
906-988-2821 Ewen, MI
OPERATION: FORGET NO SOLDIER 2014
SPREADING JOY
Vet strums guitar for smiles in Pennsylvania city WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) — He sits in his motorized wheelchair, strumming one of his 25 or so guitars and watches the world go by, hoping to put a smile on at least one person’s face. Greg Predmore, 48, a disabled veteran of Desert Storm, plays the blues, but never sings the blues. Despite having several reasons to be down on life, Predmore’s combative spirit gets him through each day in a style filled with optimism and good will. He has become a significant part of the fabric of downtown Wilkes-Barre, which is still struggling to return to its glory days. But Predmore tries to contribute to the downtown’s resurgence in a positive way that people have become accustomed to. “Life is a journey, not a guided tour,. Predmore said between riffs on “Amy,” one of his 25 guitars named after women he has known or dated. “My goal every day is to make somebody smile.” On this dreary Thursday, Predmore accomplished his goal many times over as downtown workers and visitors walked by, saying hello and smiling at downtown’s best known street musician. Predmore’s journey has taken a few turns — some he will talk about, others he just smiles and says, “Let’s let that pass.” Predmore was a gunnery sergeant in the U.S. Marines, and he was deployed during Desert Storm. But he won’t say exactly where what happened to him happened. All he would say was this: “The guy in front of me got blown up. What didn’t hit him or went through him, hit me. And here I am.” The other soldier died, and Predmore said he saw a lot of death during his time in the military. He carries those images with him every day as well. Shrapnel hit Predmore hard. He can’t walk and his arms show the deep scars of war. He says his right hand — the one he picks and strums with — is numb, but playing the guitar has given him back movement and dexterity. Sort of a self-taught musical therapy. So when he’s not at the local Veterans Affairs Medical Center getting treatment or fighting for it, Predmore doles out pieces of songs he can remember — he admits his memory is not what it used to be — to an appreciative pedestrian public that usually hears just a few bars of his rhythm and blues. “I wanted to stay in the Marines,” he said. “But they have this thing about Marines who can’t walk.” Humor from a soldier who manages to smile through the difficult parts of his life’s journey. He enlisted in the Marines at 17 on the day after his high school graduation. “I have no regrets,” he said. “Nobody forced me to sign the contract.” Predmore has never played in a band. The closest he has come to that has been when other local street players stop and jam with him. They sit and strum with him, making downtown music for hours at a time. “I just play whatever comes to mind at the time,” he said. “I can’t remember most of the songs I used to play.” Predmore has lived in Indiana and New Hampshire, but he really likes Wilkes-Barre. He calls it his home. GUITAR
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Proud to Support Our Country’s Soldiers!
Cloverland Motors
300 E. Cloverland Dr. (U.S. 2) Ironwood, MI 49938
1-800-932-1202 Phone: 906-932-1202 Fax: 906-932-3295
Lutey’s Flower Shop “Call us for the most beautiful flowers and complete service.”
We Support Family and Friends of Our Troops....
Lutey’s has provided 110 years of service to our Community” REALLY DELIVERS! • Fried Chicken • Pizza • BBQ Ribs • Salads • Sandwiches West U.S. 2 - Next to the Bessemer VFW
906-663-9900
906-575-1073 Bergland, MI
Community Owned and Operated Since 1914
Lutey’s Flower Shop 906-932-0410
Ironwood, Michigan
FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014
OPERATION: FORGET NO SOLDIER 2014
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JASON K. EILO
DAVID J. ERICKSON U.S. ARMY Sergeant Vilseck, Germany
David Erickson CMR 411 Box 2028 APO, AE 09112
U.S. AIR FORCE Staff Sergeant (E-6) Minot, North Dakota
Dave misses home, family and friends.
RUDY VERBOS U.S. ARMY Specialist
Ft. Stewart, GA
ARMY NATIONAL GUARD SSG Afghanistan
Also Stationed at New Mexico, Korea, Guam, Japan, Iraq
Donald R. Pelkowski III 877 EN BN 829 EN Co. APO, AE 09354
DAVID MULLARD
JOSHUA CUNICO
U.S. NAVY IT6 Japan (U.S.S. George Washington)
U.S. AIR FORCE Staff Sergeant Bagram, Afghanistan
Bessemer, MI John Ruditis, Cmdr.
www.aspirusgrandview.org
We honor and thank the men and women of the armed forces who serve to protect our freedom.
LISA BLEDSOE (Landree)
U.S. AIR FORCE Senior Master Sergeant Baltimore, Maryland Lisa Bledsoe 8205 W. Halton Court Severn, MD 21144
KAREE COCKING U.S. ARMY RESERVES Sergeant First Class Shindand, Herat, Afghanistan
U.S. ARMY INFANTRY Private 2nd Class Afghanistan Mitchell Weber TF Red Warrior 1 PLT/D CO 1-12 IN APO Armed Forces Europe, US 09355
VINCENT ZALESKI
U.S. AIR FORCE
Lieutenant Colonel England
JOHN DANIEL ROBB
U.S. NAVY (AIR) INSTRUCTOR Petty Officer 1st Class Just passed Chief exam and is LDO eligible. Pensacola Naval Base
John Daniel Robb 8100 W. Highway 98 Apt. 509 Pensacola, FLA 32506
MATTHEW S. SMART
U.S. NAVY Lieutenant Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, San Diego, California Fleet Weather Center San Diego, CA
Likes seasonings, Gatorade powder packets
GOGEBIC COUNTY COUNCIL OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )
MITCHELL WEBER
Likes Lemon Heads, pretzel sticks, candy bars
Joshua Cunico 2888 Fleming Ct. Davis-Monthan AFB 85708
David Mullard Box #56/CS3 USS George Washington CVN-73 FPO AP 96650-2801
COUNTY SEAT POST VFW #3673
905-932-2525
DONALD R. PELKOWSKI III
Thank You For Your Service!
Jack Lillar - Chairman
906-667-1110
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Ironwood Division 1235 Wall Street Ironwood, MI 49938 Tel 906.932.5025 Fax 906.932.4356 www.ironwood.com N
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We Support Our Troops
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4 l FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014
OPERATION: FORGET NO SOLDIER 2014
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NICHOLAS HELLEN
U.S. ARMY SSG - Drill Sergeant Fort Jackson, South Carolina
DAVID HAWLEY
STEVEN A. MAKI
U.S. ARMY PFC David Hawley P.O. Box 70745 Ft. Bragg, NC 28307
U.S. ARMY Sergeant Afghanistan (5th deployment)
JEREMY BLODGETT
U.S. NAVY Grand Forks, N. Dakota
DCo, 3-101 TF ATTACK, FOB FENTY APO AE 09310
JOSHUA BLODGETT
KATELYNN SKALNIK
U.S. MARINE CORPS L/CPL Cherry Point, North Carolina
U.S. NAVY Chief Everett, WA
Beef Jerky, peanuts, pasty, coffee (Dunkin’ Donuts)
DAVID and AMY SCHIMKE
SHAWN M. KLINGFORTH
U.S. AIR FORCE Both Captains
David is an engineer at Hanscom AFB near Boston. Amy is completing her cardiology training at Tufts Medical Center in Boston and is stationed at the Air Force Institute of Technology
U.S. MARINES K-9 Corporal Camp Leatherneck Kabul, Afghanistan
Would like snacks of any kind and Gatorade packets.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9084 & Auxiliary
JACOB PIKKA
U.S. ARMY PV1 Grafenwohr, Germany
PVT Pikka CMR415, Box 4778 APO AE 09114-0048 “Misses family, friends and home cooking.”
BRADY THOMPSON U.S. NAVY E-6
Naval Base Guam
We’re Proud To Support Our Country’s Soldiers Checking that passes every test.
Jack Lillar, Post Commander Carole Lillar, Aux. President
U.S. AIR FORCE
Major Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii
Hurley, Wisconsin
SETTLERS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION “Serving Our Members Since 1932”
Proudly Supporting Our Veterans Who Protect Our Freedoms BRANCH OFFICE Watersmeet 906-358-3066
P.I. PUB PRESQUE ISLE, WI
1-888-901-3911
See us for your parts/ accessories for mobile and manufactured homes.
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STOP IN AND SEE OUR CEDAR SIDED COTTAGE!
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Time to Replace Your Furnace?
U.S. ARMY RESERVE E5, Sergeant
MAIN OFFICE Bruce Crossing 906-827-3240
WAKEFIELD, MI
Central Air Conditioning
SHAWN SHIRKEY
MEATLOAF MONDAY “WING DINGS” TUESDAY WACKY WEDNESDAY - 1/2 PRICE PIZZA FISH/SMELT FRY FRIDAY A.U.C.E. BAR & KITCHEN 11:00 A.M. - CLOSE
11583 COUNTY HWY. B • 715-686-2522
Abelman Clothing & Footwear
McKevitt-Patrick Funeral Home, Inc.
WE SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!
Serving Gogebic & Iron County Families for 3 Generations
www.abelmanclothing.com
305 N Lowell Street, Ironwood, MI • 906-932-1141
Sophie St. • Bessemer (906) 663-4411
FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014 l
OPERATION: FORGET NO SOLDIER 2014
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Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund seeks photos for vets wall LUCA NOVASCONE
KERRI RUDE
U.S. AIR FORCE Senior Airman
U.S. AIR FORCE Staff Sergeant
The Michigan Press Association and the Wisconsin News Association have been working toward putting a face to the many names on the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, the nonprofit organization that established the wall of names, issued a news release a few months ago asking for help locating photos of all 58,286 soldiers listed on the wall. Since the WNA effort began in early April, about 75 photos of
veterans have been added with the help of community members. Numbers on how many photos of Michigan veterans provided thus far were not available. The VVMF is building a new education center near the existing memorial wall, with construction set to begin in 2016 and completed by 2019. The new center, which will also honor soldiers of the post 9/11 era, will include an electronic “Wall of Faces” to match the memorial wall. The search function on the VVMF’s website allows individu-
als to search for veterans by name, city, county and state, among other criteria. As of this week, there are still three veterans from Ontonagon County listed on the website who are missing photos: David E. Aili, of Ewen; Jerry A. Garrick, of Trout Creek; and Kenneth E. Somero, of Greenland. There are three from Gogebic County, as well, without photos: Carl I. Johnson, of Wakefield; and Regnold J. La Cost and John D. Shermos, both of Ironwood. A search for veterans from Iron County, Wis., turned up no
hits. Michigan community members are asked to send photos to Sean Wickham, MPA design and communications specialist, at sean@michiganpress.org. Wisconsin community members are asked to contact Mary Kate Elbow, communications assistant at WNA, by sending photos to MaryKate.Elbow@WNAnews.co m. For more information on the project and to search for veterans, visit vvmf.org/Wall-ofFaces/.
Home or Abroad – We Are Supporting our Troops
We salute the members of our armed forces who defend our freedom so bravely.
Their heroic actions and dedication to our country make us proud to be Americans. May they come home safe and soon.
John J. Oberto 221 Silver Street
Proudly They Serve . . .
Our Prayers Go Out To You!
There is no greater act of honor and courage than serving one’s country . . . . . . we proudly salute all the men and women of our Armed Forces who protect the freedom we hold so dear.
...all the brave men & women who served and those now serving in the Military.
THANK YOU FROM EVERYONE AT
––––––– (906) 932-2523 –––––––
GOGEBIC COUNTY TRANSIT GO BLUE TO SAVE GREEN
Home: 715-561-2215
235 E. McLeod Ave., Ironwood
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS
We Salute Our Soldiers • Greenhouse • Lumber
• Plumbing • Electrical Service Department Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. 8am-5pm; Tue. & Thur. 8-7 p.m.; Sat. 8am-2pm Sales Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8am-8pm; Sat. 8am-5pm
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RANGE BEVERAGE INC.
Full Service Distributor for Beverage and Bar Supplies Hurley, WI
715-561-5337
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We Salute...
Office: 715-561-4333
Hurley, WI 54534
DAILY GLOBE
• Lawn/Garden Shipping Outlet
“The Welding Experts” 1215 Wall Street, Ironwood Industrial Park
906-932-3773
God bless the troops, Say a prayer for them each day.
Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration 336 E. Aurora St., Ironwood, MI 49938 906-932-4395
Helpful advice to start and finish your project.
E US Hwy 2 - Bessemer, Mich.
Cramblit’s Welding/ Fine Art Metalwork, LLC
(906)667-0201
Open Mon.-Fri. 7:30-5; Sat. 7:30-3; Sun. Closed
God’s blessings to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guard men and women. Wesley United Methodist Church
MIKE’S
FAMILY RESTAURANT US 2 Ironwood, MI
906-932-0555
500 East McLeod Ave., Ironwood, MI 49938 – 906-932-3900
UÄxáá|Çzá àÉ ÉâÜ fxÜä|vx ÅxÇ tÇw ãÉÅxÇ jx ÑÜtç yÉÜ à{x|Ü átyx ÜxàâÜÇ Sharon Lutheran Church Sunday – 8:30am, Fellowship to follow 100 East Sellar Street, Bessemer 906-667-0891
Thank you for your Service & Dedication UP Power Marketing and White Pine Electric Power, LLC
PO Box 695, 29639 Willow Road White Pine, MI 49971 (906) 885-7100 • www.whitepineep.com/UPPM.html
HARDWARE STORES
GIOVANONI’S
THANK YOU TO OUR VETERANS AND SOLDIERS OPEN: 7 DAYS A WEEK 303 Silver Street • Hurley, WI 54534
(715) 561-4141
6 l FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014
OPERATION: FORGET NO SOLDIER 2014
Letters helped soldiers keep connected to home Civil war letters found in barn
By CORTNEY OFSTAD
cofstad@yourdailyglobe.com
With today’s technology, people are merely a mouse click or phone call away. Emails, video chats, Facebook, text messages and phone calls make it simpler to reconnect with friends and family when separated. However, rewind more than 70 years ago, and conversations were placed on paper and responses were not received until days or weeks later. That was the reality for soldiers during battles, whether overseas or on American soil. Letters were the only form of communication, and incredibly important during times of danger. For Ironwood resident Pam Davenport, letters from soldiers in her family are something she has found and received, kept and cherished for many years. Her father, Gordon J. Chaffee, of Oxford, Mass., was commissioned into the U.S. Navy in March 1942 and entered active service that July. He served for three years during World War II, visiting New York, Maine, Virginia, Morocco, Algeria, France, Italy and the South Pacific. During his time overseas, Chaffee was in his low 20s, and wrote letters to his parents back home in Massachusetts. It wasn’t until he was in his upper 80s that Davenport learned about her father’s military experience. “My father talked very little about the military,” Davenport said. “He was never one to talk about his military service. I learned more about his military service, from (his letters) and writing his biography. I wrote that during the last two years of his life. He passed away Jan.1, 2008.” Davenport and her sister found letters Chaffee had written to his father and stepmother during two battles in Italy in September 1943 and January 1944. The first letter found was written about the Battle of Salerno. Chaffee served as a minesweeper with the Navy against the Germans. “Flares began pouring out of the sky all around, and up came the tracer bullets and anti-aircraft on both sides,” Chaffee wrote. “If you think the fireworks you have seen back home were wonderful, you’ve never seen anything compared to a convoy fighting off an air attack at night. It is the most beautiful thing you ever saw.” Chaffee described “hundreds of ships and small boats” in the dark unloading men for the battle. They had to wait for the “zero hour,” something he didn’t enjoy. “Those two hours of waiting, and not knowing when the bombs and big shells might come screaming at us, seemed like years to me.” Once the battle started, Chaffee commented on mines and bombs exploding all around, calling it a “wonder and a miracle that we ever got through those fields as much as we did without getting ourselves blown to a million pieces.” Despite being in awe of the explosions and sheer power of the Allied Forces, Chaffee put everything into perspective at the end of his letter home. “I won’t say anything of our losses, but I saw ships blow up and sink in a few minutes. Others just blew up with not enough left to sink, and others just burned. I’ll let the Navy Department tell you of the losses until I get home, and then I’ll describe some things that will make your blood run cold and you’ll wonder as I do — ‘Is it all worth it.’ “I hope so, because I saw a lot of men die a horrible death because they believed it was. After seeing the way people have been living under Hitler’s new order, I do also, even if it means death. People at home don’t know how lucky they are. Extremely lucky.” LETTERS
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Submitted Photo
ROBERT DAVENPORT, of Ironwood, poses for a photo during his time serving overseas in the early 1970s in the Air Force.
Submitted Photo
TWO LETTERS, written by Robert Davenport of Ironwood, to his 3-year-old daughter, Rebekah, feature drawings of Rebekah’s tricycle and the family’s pet bird, Tweet Tweet. Davenport wrote the letter during his time overseas with the Air Force in the early 1970s.
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Christ Community Church of Seventh Day Adventists 509 Cinnabar St., Bessemer, Michigan
– Services on Saturday –
Sabbath School: 9:30 a.m.
Worship Service: 11 a.m.
Thank You For Your Service!
– Operates – BLUFFVIEW CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
www.badriver.com 26 Miles West of Ironwood on Hwy 2 715-682-7121
Grades K-8
Lodge information and reservations 715-682-6102 or 1-800-795-7121
Dr. C. Raymond Holmes, Senior Pastor Elder Gordon Frase, Co-Pastor
Like Bad River on
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220 E. McLeod Avenue, Ironwood, Michigan 49938
(906) 932-9080
AFTER HOURS & EMERGENCY ROAD SERVICE (906)364-2395 • (906)364-2435
CIVIL WAR
430 E. Cloverland Dr., Ironwood, MI 49938
(906) 932-1932
SETTLER’S CO-OP, INC. Bruce Crossing
Service Since 1917
We Offer A:
HOMEMADE SOUPS & PIES FAMOUS BREAKFAST SKILLETS & OMELETS FRIDAY FISH FRY’S
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6 a.m.-10 p.m. 7 days a week
(906) 827-3515
Corner of M45 & M28
Discover the Difference!
page 7
OUR COUNTRY’S SOLDIERS
“Serving The Area For 90 Plus Years!”
U.S. Highway 45 South - P.O. Box 258 Bruce Crossing, Michigan 49912
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NORB’S AUTO ELECTRIC
Owned and operated by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
(906) 827-3665
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. (AP) — Gerald Dougherty’s relative found the letters — dozens of them — in the upstairs of an old Ohio barn. They were yellowed with age and some showed signs of nibbling by pests, but overall, they were in pretty good shape. The letters, many written to Eve Ann (sometimes spelled Anne) Huffman, a 21-year-old woman from a small farming town in central Ohio, were from four young men — two of whom were her brothers — serving on the Union side during the Civil War. The correspondence, which Dougherty, a Sandy Springs resident, has turned into a book called “Ann’s Letters: A Newly Released Collection of Letters From the American Civil War Period,” offers a glimpse into life for foot soldiers during the War between the States, which divided families and a nation. Ann Huffman would later marry into the family, becoming Dougherty’s great-grandaunt. “She was a pack rat of letters,” said Dougherty, a 79-yearold retired chemical engineer. In one letter, Ann’s brother, John J., writes from Atlanta on Nov. 1, 1864, to inquire about her health and spirituality. “Do you feel that peace within, which none but the Christian can feel?” He also slips in news about the war. “There are no special movements going on here at present. There is but One Corps (the 20th) in Atlanta; the balance of the Army is back near the R.R. operating against Hood. It is believed that we (the 20th Corps) will leave here in a few days, and go on a raid; but this is vary (sic) uncertain. The report that Sherman’s army is in a critical situation, is untrue.” The book was published earlier this year, the same year as
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Creative Spirits 121 N. Lowell St., Ironwood, MI 49938 Across from the Depot
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LARGEST SELECTION OF RUBBER STAMPS/SCRAPBOOK SUPPLIES IN THE U.P.
we support the troops and their families
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906-932-8442
FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014
OPERATION: FORGET NO SOLDIER 2014
By RYAN JARVI
Ryan Jarvi/Daily Globe
It was February, and cold like winters usually are in northern Wisconsin. The year was 1961 after John F. Kennedy was sworn in as president, but years before the Beatles’ debut performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” It was the same day that a B47 Stratojet disappeared from radar, just south of Hurley. Jimmy Kaffine used to own a bar in Pence. But that day he wasn’t in the warm pub with caches of liquor and brew. He was out in the cold snow. “We all snowshoed in,” Kaffine said. “It was about 20 below. There were quite a few people hiking in.” For two miles the group trudged through the snow covered forest as the buzzing of National Guard helicopters came from overhead. “We were one of the first to go into the site when it went down,” Kaffine said. “A friend of mine was in the National Guard, he was at my bar. They called him up about the plane going down
and we kinda’ tagged along.” The Air Force’s 40th Bombardment Wing, out of Forbes Air Force Base in Topeka, Kan., was running training missions to the area because of its similarity to possible bombing sites in Europe during the Cold War. Kaffine said there was a “big smell of fuel oil” when they got near the site, which he called Smit’s Meadow. And then he saw complete devastation of the plane, its parts scattered in all directions. “It took a week or so till it was all cleaned up,” Kaffine said. Bob Mezzano was working in the Montreal mine at the time. “I was up in the crusher room, and you could see out,” he said. “Up in the landing, I saw this big flash in the sky and I knew it was a plane.” Mezzano said he went to the site of the first plane crash, of which there were no survivors. “Wasn’t much there but a hole in the ground,” he said. “You couldn’t find anything. But the second plane, that’s when I saw him laying in the woods with the broken leg.”
WAKEFIELD-MARENISCO eighth graders Jacob Suzik, left, and Chris Mahler hold letters of appreciation that were written during the school year by students and sent to U.S. service members and veterans.
From page 2 taking part in the operation. Mabie’s brother-in-law is stationed in Italy. Her husband did a tour in Iraq, and was later stationed in Germany. “My husband said he loved getting those kinds of things,” Mabie said of the care packages.
Civil war From page 6 the observance of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War’s Battle of Atlanta. Not all of the letters are included in the book. Dougherty decided to use 31 letters in the book, which covers the period from 1862 to 1865. Their soldier authors were members of the
Lopac’s cousin is a veteran who went to West Point and was stationed at Baghdad airport as a helicopter pilot. She said the care packages, with things like hygiene products and snacks, go beyond helping soldiers in a material way. “I think it makes a huge difference as far as morale,” Lopac said. “To know that they are actually being appreciated, and their work and sacrifices aren’t going unnoticed.”
But the letter assignment didn’t just help students show their appreciation. “A number of students have mentioned that this is a career path they’re looking into after high school,” Lopac said. “So it kind of was beneficial two-fold; they can show they’re appreciative, as well as kind of getting a glimpse into what their future may hold.” For more information, visit operationgratitude.com.
126th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the 51st Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry and the 85th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. The soldiers were her brothers, John J. and David L. Huffman, William Bowman and Joseph W. Kimmel. In another letter, dated September 1863, John J. writes to Ann during the Battle of Chickamauga: He says “one of the awfulest battles is being fought that ever was known in an open field fight. Unfortunately for us, (or
fortunately) we are in the corps, and do not have the honor of participating in the fight. Our boys are vary anxious to go forward.” “I’m not an historian,” said Dougherty, who has developed a renewed interest in Civil War history. “But I hope people can take away from these letters some knowledge of what people went through (during that period).” He said they show what “real” people went through during the war.
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Three months after the first plane went down, a second suffered the same fate about three miles from the first. Two of the crew on board survived the second crash. The game warden, at the time of the second incident was from Mercer, Mezzano said. “He told me, ‘Bob you take him across the river,’” Mezzano said. “I jumped in my jeep and took him over there, and we found a big canopy that was across the river. There was nothing burning, but parts were spread all over.” In total, six of the eight crew members from both planes died. Now, 53 years later, the B-47 Crash Site Preservation Committee has erected a memorial, in part, to honor those service members. “We kind of did it to recognize the Cold War vets,” said Curt Myers, a member of the committee. “It’s for everybody. It’s a combination of doing something for Hurley and for the family members. It’s amazing how many people don’t know about this. It’s just
THE JUMP-SEAT from the B-47 stratojet that went down in February 1961 was recovered from the wooded area and placed at the new memorial site. The memorial is also home to several plaques, flags and many other pieces found among the wreckage, including the cockpit’s canopy.
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Letters from uncle provided look into life in South Pacific By LARRY HOLCOMBE
ltholcombe@yourdailyglobe.com
IRONWOOD — Earl Hakari, 82, of Ironwood Township, always enjoyed getting mail as a kid. One the letters he saved came in 1945, from his uncle who was serving in the war in the South Pacific. Hakari was 13 at the time. He was born in Ironwood, but his family had moved to the Detroit area to “take jobs as part of the war effort.” After the war, his family moved back to the township and he graduated from Luther L. Wright High School in 1949. Uncle Walter Walo, married to Hakari’s aunt, was from Chicago. He and Hakari exchanged
“maybe a half dozen” letters during the war. “I wasn’t great at writing, but he appreciated the letters anyway,” Hakari said. “Any mail is appreciated when Earl you’re in the Hakari jungles of the South Pacific.” Walo reported about his life in the service and encouraged his young nephew. “I was doing well in the eighth grade and he was congratulating me, telling me to keep up the good work,” Hakari said. “He told
about how he recently had a promotion to master sergeant and why he was in the hospital.” Walo was suffering from an foot injury and complained about needed crutches. Hakari figured it took a month or more for the letters to arrive. “They were moving constantly from island to island. It had to catch up to them eventually.” Hakari is unsure what Walo did in the service, but Walo returned to his family’s construction business in Chicago after the war. “He had a very successful career building homes,” Hakari said. “I’m guessing he was in an engineering battalion.” The letter came as a small copy
of the original handwritten letter, marked “V Mail” along the bottom. It’s folded once to allow the handwritten address to show through the window on the small envelope postmarked March 7, 1945, although Walo dated the letter Feb. 12 inside. The return address reads: “War and Navy Departments, V-Mail Service, Official Business.” “The letters I wrote him arrived the same way,” Hakari said. Hakari figured the V in V Mail stands for “victory.” After the war, Walo came to visit Hakari and his family in Ironwood. “We had a lot of fun. He came up deer hunting.” Hakari later served four years in the U.S. Navy.
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Memorial From page 7 unreal.” The site where the second plane was downed, now has a wooden pergola, an 8-feet tall, 10by-10 feet structure that protects a model B-47 plane and the original jump seat of the plane from the first crash. On top of the structure is the canopy of the first plane. “Hopefully next year, or the year after we’re going to get a little shelter built out here and then an outhouse,” Myers said. The committee will have a celebration today at the American Legion Memorial Building in Hurley to formally dedicate the site. The event will begin at 4 p.m. with the opening of a cash bar. From 5 to 6 p.m., guest speakers will say a few words. Guest speakers are: Greg Landretti, member of the preservation committee; Col. Robert
Guitar From page 2 “It’s a nice city,” he said. “The people are friendly. Some offer to buy me a soda. There are a lot of good people here.” Except for the two women he saw fighting the other day. That scene was difficult for Predmore to witness. And there are others who have been less than kind, like the two college kids he said spit on him, or the homeless person who kicked his tip cup down the sidewalk.
Submitted photo
A LETTER from Master Sgt. Walter Walo serving in South Pacific during World War II to then 13-year-old Earl Hakari, his nephew, tells Hakari to “keep up the good work in school.” The envelope is dated March 7, 1945. Hakari then lived in the Detroit area, but now at 82, he lives in Ironwood Township.
Letters From page 6 Four months later, Chaffee found himself at the forefront of the Battle of Anzio in Italy. Before the battle Chaffee gathered together mine sweepers to use. In his letter, he describes his interaction with his commander about being asked to head the minesweepers in the next battle. “The commander didn’t want to order me, so he asked me to volunteer, which I more or less had to do for my own conscience sake,” Chaffee wrote. “In spite of what he told me to expect, which according to him didn’t leave me long to live, I would have never
been able to live with myself if I had said, ‘No.’ I think you, Dad, understand what I mean. In fact, I felt honored that he wanted me to do it above all the others who might have been asked. As you know now, it all turned out very well.” Once they arrived in Anzio, the sweepers set out after dark before the big ships and landing boats arrived. Chaffee said his outfit was to go ahead of the sweepers, and do its job and come back out. “Everyone’s nerves were about ready to crack as the shore loomed up bigger and bigger,” he wrote. “We all expected the next minute would bring a blinding flash, followed by a withering fire as the Germans opened up on us.” Chaffee said the men on the boats stood like “statues, not
speaking a word.” Once the sweeping was finished, without incident, the sweepers returned. “All was done in complete darkness and almost complete silence,” Chaffee said. “ ... All was quiet, in fact, mystifying as zero hour approached and no sign of activity from the beach. Finally, only a few minutes to zero hour, then the most ear-shattering thunderous roar you can imagine mixed with flashes of fire. Just something to welcome any Jerries (Germans) on the beach and to show them we mean business, also calculated to dampen their spirits if any were alive.” Chaffee was detached from duty in December 1945 and “came home for good,” in February 1946. For Davenport, her father’s letters show her something he expe-
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Kline, of the the U.S. Air Force; and Darrell Rasmussen, son of one of the pilots who perished in the crashes. Dale Rasmussen was aboard the second crash as a pilot grader, Myers said. “He was there to make sure they were doing their things right because this was like their qualification to be pilots,” Myers said. Twenty-eight members of the Rasmussen family will attend the event, along with five retired colonels who piloted or navigated the B-47s when they were in action. Following the guest speakers, Marty’s Goldenaires are set to perform at 6 p.m., and after that the event will open up for social time. Attendees are asked to dress business casual, and for a donation of $5 per person at the door, with proceeds going to construction of the B-47 memorial. On Saturday at 1 p.m. there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony for the memorial site on Trail 13 C south of Hurley.
“You’re going to have some downs with every up,” he said. Predmore said people notice his scars. They run the length of his arm. “When people ask to compare scars, I always win,” he said. Laura Adams has been Predmore’s girlfriend for two years. They share an apartment and they share their lives. Adams said Predmore is “a character,” but she said his guitar playing keeps him going. “He looks forward to the interaction with people,” she said. “It’s good for him physically, mentally and socially. It gets him out of the house and into the world.”
to receive. “I am laying here on my bed wishing you were here, or I was there. I decided to write,” Robert wrote in November 1971 while in Spain. Letters often allowed Pam to view her husband’s daily life overseas. “We are going to the beach tomorrow,” Robert wrote in February 1971 while in Thailand. “Will probably do a little swimming and boating. All the crab and lobster (fresh) you can eat for about a dollar. Poor for my diet, but good for my spirit.” In addition to writing letters to his wife, Robert also wrote letters to Rebekah, and Pam kept each one. “I couldn’t imagine throwing them away,” Pam said. “It would be like throwing away a person.” Submitted Photo Her plans with the letters are to hand them down to GORDON CHAFFEE, father of Ironwood the children and grandchil- resident Pam Davenport, poses for a photo before serving in the U.S. Navy dren. “I just found Rebekah’s during World War II. Davenport recently letters the other day, and found letters her father had wrote to his when I showed them to her, parents during his time overseas. she was glad to see them,” Pam said. “She had forgotten ories. “Skype, texting, they are more about them.” Robert would often draw small instant, but letters are something pictures in the letters, including you can save,” Pam said. “I’m not his daughter’s tricycle, her “green saying letters are better than house” and their bird, Tweet Skype because communication in any form is important. Tweet. “But, to me personally, a letter According to Pam, having technology isn’t always a great thing, says you spent time with me, and especially when it comes to mem- that is important, as well.”
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