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Lest We Forget Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Bomber pilot shares vivid memories of POW camp, raids over Japan By Dan Aznoff Richard Murphy is at a difficult age. At 90 years old, he can still remember the pain in his leg from the crash-landing on Sakhalin Island in December 1944. He still remembers his crew sitting down to dinner with their Russian captors while they were being held as prisoners of war. Murphy is also aware that the early stages of dementia have taken away his ability to remember what type of plane he flew, who operated the POW camp, his rank or how he
“I was patriotic enough to join when I was just a young man and I still feel the same way.” — Lou Ortiz, World War II veteran
“Any landing is not a crash if you can walk away.” — Richard Murphy World War II veteran
escaped. He becomes frustrated when he is unable to recall his wife’s name or how many children they had together. The former bomber pilot still wears his pilot hat when he comes down to dinner at the Spiritwood Retirement CommuSee PILOT, Page C6 By Christina Corrales-Toy
Lou Ortiz proudly displays the medals he earned in the U.S. Navy during World War II in his Klahanie home.
STILL PAYING TRIBUTE
World War II vet recalls the days he took to the air as an eager teen By Christina Corrales-Toy newcastle@isspress.com
B
By Greg Farrar
Richard Murphy (left), wearing his bomber jacket and Army Air Corps cap, and his son Kevin share one of their get-togethers with a visit at Spiritwood Retirement Community at Pine Lake.
efore Issaquah resident Lou Ortiz boarded the USS Lexington and conducted missions all around the Pacific, the World War II veteran had to fight a different battle — one with his mother. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the eager 16-yearold was determined to enlist in the U.S. Navy, despite the fact that he was underage. “I was so upset with it that I just kept saying to my mom, ‘Mom, I want to help. You’ve got to let me join,’” he said. Ortiz’s mother finally gave in to the unrelenting teen, reluctantly signing papers to allow the then 17-yearold to join the Navy. “I was patriotic enough to join when I was just a young man and I still feel the same way,” Ortiz said.
Sitting comfortably in his Klahanie home, Ortiz fondly reflected on his time as an aviation gunner and radioman with the U.S. Navy during World War II. Taking flight Once enlisted, Ortiz did not hesitate for a second when asked what role he wanted to assume. “I wanted to fly,” the now 88-year-old said in a recent interview as a grin stretched across his face and he pointed toward the sky. After spending a significant amount of time mastering naval communication processes, including Morse code, Ortiz was sent to Long Beach, Calif., where he was paired with a pilot. Ortiz’s pilot, Robert Smith, or Smitty as he was called, manned the plane’s flight, while Ortiz, as a gunner, controlled the aircraft’s weapons and communica-
Contributed
Issaquah resident Lou Ortiz served as an aviation radioman and gunner in the U.S. Navy during World War II. tions. In 1944, Ortiz and his bomber squadron were assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. See TRIBUTE, Page C6
Remembering the 19 who gave the ultimate sacrifice Freedom isn’t free. Since the birth of this country, men and women have been willing to fight and die for Americans to be free to live their lives as they choose. And the number of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice is staggering. More than 1.3 million men and women have died in wars fought by or on behalf of this country since 1775. Men and women have also been willing to sacrifice their personal time, by serving in times when war was not on or imminent. They have done all types of jobs that people in the civilian sector do, but instead did them in service to this country while they stood ready to defend our lives, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We at The Issaquah Press salute, honor and thank the men and women from our community who have paid all types of sacrifices to keep themselves, their families and everyone else free. We hope you will do the same.
Robert Arndt Corporal, U.S. Army, C Company, 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry,
Clifford Benson
James Patrick Brady
Paul Alfred Ambrose
Private, U.S. Army, 701 T.D. Battalion July 9, 1924 – May 31, 1944 Graduated from Issaquah High School in 1942. KIA in Anzio, Italy. Buried in Hillside Cemetery.
Corporal, U.S. Army, Scotch
9th Infantry Division Died at age 21. Born: May 6, 1946 Died: July 29, 1967 He was shot in early 1967, but recovered; was back in action only a few days when he was killed in Dinh Tuong Province, South Vietnam. Buried in Hillside Cemetery.
cise over Sweetwater, Texas, in May 1944. Buried in Lakeview Cemetery, Seattle. Because WASPs were considered civilians, she never received a military Elizabeth Erickson burial. She was recently awarded a Woman Airforce Congressional Service Pilots Gold Medal (WASPs) by President Died in a Obama. training exer-
Second lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Force, 737th Bomb Squadron, 454th Bomb Group Shot down in Croatia on April 21, 1944. Platoon, C Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division Born: March 7, 1949 Died: June 18, 1969 KIA in Tay Ninh, South Vietnam. Buried in Greenwood Memorial Park, Renton.
Information is incomplete and/or conflicting for the 19 local veterans killed while serving in wartime. Photos also could not be located for three of them. If you have information or photos, email editor@isspress.com or call 392-6434, ext. 227.
Peter Erickson Private, U.S. Army, 18th Engineer Regiment Died: Aug. 10, 1918 Buried in Suresnes American Cemetery, in Suresnes,
Robert Baskett
France. From the Sept. 27, 1918, Press: “A large congregation attended the memorial service Sunday afternoon at Issaquah in honor of Peter Erickson, the first of the boys from Issaquah to die in the service of his country. The oration delivered by the Rev. S. V. Warren touched a high note of patriotism. Sergeant, U.S. Army, 8th Infantry April 7, 1925 – July 15, 1944 Graduated from Issaquah High School in 1943. KIA in Normandy, France. Buried in Hillside Cemetery.
Robert Hoskins Lance corporal (mortarman), U.S. Marine Corps, H&S Company 5, Mar 1 Mar Div Born: Sept. 14, 1949 Died: Nov. 25, 1968 KIA in Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). Buried in Hillside Cemetery. (no photo available)
George C. Larsen Private first class, U.S. Army,
Laurence J. Lortie Second lieutenant
infantry, Born: Feb. 17, 1926 Died: June 14, 1945 184th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. KIA by a grenade attacking Hill 181 in Ryuku, Okinawa, Japan. Buried in Arlington National Cemetery. U.S. Army Air Force 45th Fighter Squadron, 15th Fighter Group MIA June 1, 1945, somewhere between Iwo Jima and Osaka, Japan; weather may have been the reason for the loss.
Emmett R. McDonald
Jack McQuade Private,
Louis Petersen Flight officer, U.S. Army Air Force, 422nd Bomb
Harold Gleason Private first class, U.S. Army, 301st Infantry Regiment, 94th Division Born: Feb. 6, 1916 Killed March 2, 1945, while serving as a medic near Serrig, Germany. Buried in Hillside Cemetery. (no photo available)
Robert Philp
Captain, U.S. Air Force Born: July 27, 1939, MIA May 31, 1966, Declared dead: Feb. 11, 1975 Missing in air loss/crash in North Vietnam. (Remains never recovered.) U.S. Army Air Force, 481st Service Squadron, 46th Air Service Group Born: Nov. 28, 1920 Killed April 18, 1945, in accidental bomb explosion. Buried in Hillside Cemetery. Squadron, 305th Bomb Group Killed Aug. 6, 1944, when the B-17 he was co-piloting was hit by flak and crashed near Vollradisroda, Germany. Interred in Germany; later brought home to Greenwood Memorial Park, Renton. Air Force, 589th Bomb Squadron, 387th Bomb Group Shot down near Mayan, Germany, where his crew was attacking a railroad viaduct, on Dec. 23, 1944.
Staff sergeant, U.S. Army
Flintoft’s Funeral Home and Crematory is proud to honor our community’s veterans.
John Raymond Smart Second lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Force, 443rd Bomb Squadron, 320th Bomb
Joseph Albert Tondreau
Robert Watson Staff sergeant, U.S. Army Air Force, 375th Bomber
Group MIA Oct. 23, 1943, over the Tyrrhenian Sea near Giannuitri Island. The crew of the downed B-26 was seen in life rafts but Air-Sea Rescue boats could not locate them, and no one from the crew was ever seen again. Tablets of the missing are at Florence American Cemetery in Florence, Italy.
Fireman first class, U.S. Navy/Naval Reserve MIA or buried at sea Dec. 18, 1944. Tablets of the missing are at Manila American Cemetery in Manila, Philippines. Squadron, 308th Bomber Group, Heavy; reported MIA between January and April 1944; crew of plane was never found. Tablets of the missing are at Manila American Cemetery, Manila, Philippines.
Carl Albert Larson Corporal, U.S. Army 361st Infantry Regiment, 91st Division Died Oct. 9, 1918 Buried in Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, in Romagne, France. (no photo available)