The Stories of our Veterans 2017

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We Salute our Veterans We honor the memory of those who lost their lives protecting our nation’s freedom, and we salute all those who have served in our military past and present. Their selfless dedication reminds us that freedom is not free, and we will never forget their courage and extraordinary contribution to our country.

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George Arnoto By TOM GIAMBRONI Staff Writer

LISBON —You would never know that George Arnoto flew over 50 missions during World War II as a gunner on a bomber. Arnoto only brought it up if someone else did, according to one of his friends, Joseph Csonka. “Typical of World War II vets ... Most of them don’t talk about it unless something triggered it,” he said. Arnoto owned the former Pine Tree Inn for years, and Csonka was having a beer there one day in the early 1970s when the subject came up and Csonka — a veteran himself — mentioned that his father and seven uncles served in World War II. “That’s when George told me he was a ball-turret gunner,” Csonka said. Arnoto, who died in 1978 at age 57, had just turned 21 when he entered the Army in 1942 and was later assigned to the Army Air Corps. In addition to being a gunner, he was also a trained radio operator and mechanic. Arriving in England in July 1944, Arnoto was assigned to the 386th Bomb Group and participated in numerous missions over France, Holland, Belgium and Germany until the end of the war. For his service, Arnoto received the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater ribbon with four bronze stars, an Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters, and an Asiatic-Pacific Theater ribbon with another bronze star. One of Arnoto’s life-long friends was Bill Frew, the former owner/publisher/editor of the Morning Journal. On the one-year anniversary of Arnoto’s death, Frew wrote a moving tribute to his friend in a newspaper column that touched on his war service. “A World War II veteran, who didn’t like the position of a belly-gunner with 50-some missions over Hitler’s piece of Europe any better than the next guy, we would guess that many of his closest friends weren’t aware of this fact,” Frew wrote of his friend. Arnoto stood only 5-foot, 5-inches tall, and Csonka said his size is one of reasons he was chosen to be a ball-turret gunner. “George wasn’t very big but you don’t judge a man by his stature but the size of his heart,” he said.

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Carl E. Will KATIE WHITE

for his survival throughout the war.

Staff Writer

On June 6, 1944, he was struck with flak while on a mission in Italy, for COLUMBIANA — It was 11 months after the which he later received the Purple Heart. attack on Pearl Harbor that Carl E. Will of Columbiana decided to join the Army. “I wasn’t hit that bad. Just a couple pieces of flak. They dug it out,” he recalled. “All of my buddies were getting drafted or volunteering so I just went along with the bunch,” His other awards and honors include the Distinguished Service Medal, Air he said. Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Medal, European-AfricanMiddle Eastern Campaign Medal, Word War II Victory Medal, Good Conduct He enlisted in the Air Force on Nov. 7, 1942 and Medal, and five bronze stars. during his three years in the service participated in 50 missions in Europe and amassed more than Will also spent five months in Asia, flying The Hump. nine awards or honors, including the Purple Heart. He was discharged from service on Aug. 7, 1945, just a week shy of the last combat. Will said he joined the military to serve as a ground crew mechanic since he didn’t want to be in combat but the military had other plans. “I was in India when this order came out,” he said, referring to troops being sent to Japan. He was sent immediately to radio school and later became a waist gunner on B-24 Liberators. “The new plane was coming out and they didn’t need as many gunners as they had,” he explained of his discharge from service. “It was a good plane but it wasn’t well known,” he said. The new plane was the B-29, which was used for the bombings in Japan. Until his first flight with the military, he had never been on an airplane and wasn’t even interested in flying. Eligibility for discharge was based on a point system, and at 105 points, Will was already 20 points over the required 85. At 93 years old now, Will still remembers what it was like to be at the ready behind the 50-caliber machine gun on the B-24s at 21,000 to 20,000 When he returned home he went back to work feet altitude and in 40-degrees below zero over the European skies. for the Erie railroad, which he had worked for before volunteering for service. He said the window of the plane had to be open to get the gun through, so he and the crew wore a heated fly suit that he described as heavy flanHe worked on the railroad for 39 years after renel with heated elements inside. turning from the military and retired in 1981. His first wife, Mildred, passed away in 1978. “We were all covered up,” he said, adding that even the boots were heated. He married his second wife Shirley in 1982 and she passed away in 2010. He said the B-24s were lesser known than other bomber planes, like theB17, but the B-24 was larger. If a B-24 went down over water, a crew only He and Mildred had five children, David Will, had 30 seconds to get out before it would sink, he added. Tom Will, Janet Baley, Pat Will and Linda Skillman. David Will served in Vietnam and passed away in 2012. The rest are still living. Luckily, he was never in a plane that went down. In fact, he credits luck

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The Mather and Woodman Families Bonnie Mather Woodman is proud to be veteran and beams when detailing her family tree of military service personnel. She should be proud because it reaches back into the Civil War. “We are proud to have this many veterans in our family,� said Bonnie who is a 1965 West Branch High School graduate. Bonnie’s brothers all served and are West Branch graduates. Their mom, Millie, turns 97 next month and still resides in the area. Bonnie and her late husband, John Woodman, met in the service. They were married only three weeks to the day of their first date. Their marriage lasted 51 years until his death in June. Bonnie Mather Woodman

Follow along the family’s timeline of service to our country. Civil War Andrew Nagle: Union Army - 15 Aug. 1862 to 13, July 1863 — Private —Co. D — 115th Ohio Infantry — died by accidental gunshots wounds incurred by fellow soldiers at Parkersburg, W.Va. He was Bonnie (Mather) Woodman’s three times greatgrandfather.

James T. Mather

World War I Floyd Woodman: U.S. Army - WWI - Pvt - Co “C� - Troop Transport Train #430 - Sept 20 1918 (in Battle Creek, MI) to 30 June 1919 - Honorable Discharge. He was Bonnie (Mather) Woodman’s late father-in-law. World War II Earl W. Mather: U.S. Army - WWII - Tech Sgt - 1256 Combat Engineers - 1941 1946 - Rebuilt bridges Floyd Woodman across the Rhine River in Europe - earned: Good Conduct Medal; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal w/ two bronze service stars; WWII Victory Medal; Honorable Service Lapel Button WWII; Marksman Badge w/ machine Gun Bar w/Rifle Bar. Was home builder in Columbiana and Mahoning counties. Served with Damascus Fire Dept. Earl Mather was Bonnie (Mather) Woodman’s dad.

Patsy F. Grandolfo: U.S. Army/Air Force - Waist Gunner on a B-24 MIA/KIA 20 January 1943 - years in service 1941-1943 - Patsy was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart. He was killed in action. Area residents should recognize the Grandolfo name. A popular area restaurant was operated by Grandolfos. He was Bonnie (Mather) Woodman’s brother Tom’s uncle.

James T. Mather: Union Army —11 August 1862 to 12 Jan. 1863 -Private 105th Co. H Ohio Infantry discharge at Gallatin, Tenn. - on surgeon’s Certificate of Disability due to injuries

during battle. Patsy F. Grandolfo

Joseph W. Mather: Union Army — 6 August 1862 to 17 June 1865 — Private — 104th Co. G Ohio Infantry — mustered out with regiment. James and Joseph are Bonnie (Mather) Woodman’s three times great-uncles.

Other Veterans Robert F. Mather: U.S.A.F. - 1962-1974. Bonnie (Mather) Woodman’s older

brother. Joseph W. Mather

Bonita M. “Bonnie� (Mather) Woodman: U.S. Air Force - A3rd c. - 1965-1967 - clerk typist in 608 OMS - N. Charleston AFB, SC. After service, moved to Michigan and worked as clerk at university library for 35 years.

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John R. Woodman: U.S. Air Force - A1st - 19631967 - Aircraft Mechanic on C-130s with the 608 OMS, N. Charleston AFB, SC. John was Bonnie’s husband who passed away this past June. Thomas J. Woodman: U.S. Army - 1966 - 1968 -Basic Training and AIT, Fort Knox, KY, Artille - Stationed: Auschaffenburg, Germany Discharged, SGT E-5, Ft. Dix, NJ. Served nearly 40 John R. Woodman years with Damascus Fire Dept. Bonnie (Mather) Woodman’s brother-in-law.

Jerry Sanor

Richard C. Mather: U.S. Thomas J. Woodman Army - 1976-1978 - Spec 5 4th Infantry Division - Adjutant General Corps, Fort Carson, CO.\Thomas E. Mather - U.S. Army - 19731976 - 325th Airborne Infantry, 82nd Airborne Div. Earning the Good Conduct, The Army Commendation Medal, and the Expert Infantry Badge, Fort Bragg, NC. Tom and Richard Mather are Bonnie (Mather) Woodman’s brothers. Richard C. Mather

Brenda L. Woodman - U.S. Air Force - 1985-1987 - Office/Admin. 9th Mission Support Group, Transportation Beale AFB, CA.R. Woodman, Jr - U.S. Navy - 1992-2009 - Chinese Linguistic, Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Honolulu, HI. Brenda and John are children of John and Bonnie (Mather) Woodman.

John R. Woodman Jr.

Brenda L. Woodman

Douglas Banfil - U.S. Marine Corp - 1982. Bonnie (Mather) Woodman’s nephew. Brandon Stinger - U.S. Army - 2005-2016 - 3-29 FA - Staff Sgt - Satellite Communications - Fort Carson, CO. Douglas Banfil

Jarrod Stinger - 13th B Artillery - U.S. Army - 20082017 - 13B Artillery, Fort Sill, OK. Brandon and Jarrod are children of Brenda Woodman and grandchildren of Bonnie (Mather) Woodman.

Brandon Stinger

Jerry Sanor - Ohio National Guard - 1-145 Armored Regiment in Stow, HHC. MOS is 13F. Army Achievement Medal - currently serving. is nephew of Tom Mather and a relation to the Grandolfos. Jarrod Stinger

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Bob C. Bulford

A Soldier’s Prayer

Former United States Air Force Senior Master Sergeant Ronald “Bob”C. Bulford served our country for four years. His active duty included service in England and North Africa as a bomb loader and engine mechanic on a C130. The 73-year-old Salem resident served in the USAF from 1962-66 and later in the USAF Reserve from 1978-2004. Bulford is a Vietnam era veteran. He was a jet aircraft mechanic. He went to school for five months, graduating with honors — in the top 5 percent of his class. He underwent training and schooling at Amarillo Air Force Base before being sent to Laughlin Air Force Base. While there he was sent to maintenance school, graduating with honors. He was eventually promoted to crew chief and was in charge of maintenance with a crew of his own. He earned a Good Conduct Medal, an sharpshooter Expert Ribbon, monies for T-38 Aircraft safety suggestions and a D.E.P. (Delayed Enlistment Program) ribbon.interests include Christian poetry and he wanted to share this poem.

Bill Sharp EAST LIVERPOOL – Bill Sharp, 68, Lisbon Street, achieved the rank of corporal in the U.S. Marines, serving six years in the military. His time included two tours in Vietnam, for which he received the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, Army Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with 3 Device, Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1 Device, Combat Action Medal and Good Conduct Medal.

As I step out on this foreign ground, there is no peace here to be found. There are bullets in the air, screams of pain and death are everywhere. As I carry my rifle into this land of death and pain, I think about the craziness of war, what’s there to be gained? I hear the screams from my only friend in this place, and see the look of death on his face. I feel like now I walk alone; sad, yet glad, that my friend has gone home. The pain of war is hell on earth, my mind races to a Baby and the peace of that birth. But because of Him, I’m not alone, so I can push forward, and pray a bullet doesn’t call me home. Night has fallen and the guns have gone silent; or this moment in time, God is my pilot. Now as I lie here, in this hole, I pray to God, Who keeps my soul. I think of my mother, as she’d sing me to sleep; she’d tell me of God and all the promises He keeps; how He is my shield against evil on this earth; how His death on the cross allows my rebirth. How very alone He had to be, as His blood spilled out at Calvary. I pray before I try to sleep, and thank Him for my soul that He keeps. I’m glad that He is always near, so I can face tomorrow without a fear. I pray He’ll keep me from death’s harm; but if not, in death there’s no alarm. If I don’t get back to my earthly home, I’ll go to be with Him and never be alone. ©Bob Charlton

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Samuel Coles Jr. WELLSVILLE — Wellsville resident and U.S. Army Air Corps member Samuel Coles Jr.’s service during World War II was significant, not

Don Booth

Coles served as a airplane armorer and gunner and was stationed at Lowry Field (later known as Lowry Air Force Base) in Colorado, while in active Army Reserve.

EAST LIVERPOOL – Don Booth, 85, Rigby Avenue, served in the U.S. Army from 1956 until the end of 1959, being discharged just before Christmas.

He had earned his wings throughout the majority of the war, and received four Silver Star medals following his three years of service.

He said he has two honorable discharges, having received one as an enlisted soldier and a second after leaving the Reserves in 1968 as a 1st Lieutenant during the Vietnam War.

A proud veteran, Coles said his time in the service has remained an important part of his life, to which he believes the military serves as a only for his service for America in good learning experience, and sees general, but also as a member of it as an honor to have served. one of the most important military groups in American history. Coles’ daughter, Felipe Lembo, expressed pride in her father, and comColes, 92, served three years dur- mented on his love of life and ing WWII as a member of the everyone he worked with along the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African- way. American military pilots who formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the “He loves people and he liked his 477th Bombardment Group of the job,� Lembo said. U.S. Army Air Forces.

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“The Army gave me an ultimatum. I had been a 1st Lieutenant and the only way to get a promotion to captain was to volunteer to go to Vietnam,� Booth said. With a wife, two kids, a home and a good job, Booth said, “I didn’t particularly want to go to Vietnam. I wasn’t against going.�

rally, I showed off the award and (officials) wanted the publicity and wanted my picture on a magazine cover.� Citing what he calls his “(darned) dementia,� Booth said he can no longer recall the name of the national magazine but believes it may have been Army Times. “Because I was in counter intelligence, they couldn’t take a picture of my face that might appear 20 years later in some sort of dossier, they said, so they finally sent a photographer over and a crew who took me in the gym and took a cover picture,� he recalled, saying the photo was taken from the vantage point of his heel, and upward, with him lifting weights overhead, without showing his face.

While enlisted, Booth served in U.S. Military Intelligence and was a “I got three copies: One for my counter intelligence agent and he mother, one for the detachment and also became involved in weight lift- one to keep. That was in 1957. It was ing. good for a kid in his teens or 20s,� Booth said. At one point, he won first place in the 165-pound class as well as the He taught school, became an inoutstanding lifter award and said, surance agent and owned Booth Tire “When I went back on base, natu- after leaving the military.

Doug Lammert EAST PALESTINE — Doug Lammert, of Rauch Road, East Palestine, served four years (1972-1976) in the US Army.

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Achieving the rank of Specialist 5, Lammert spent his service years in Udorn, Thailand, at the 7th Radio Research Field Station (RRFS) or Ramasun Station as well as in Augsburg, Helmstedt and West Berlin, Germany, and Okinawa, Japan.

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Dorman Stock

Frank Goetz

WELLSVILLE — Dorman F. Stock, served with the U.S. Army during World War II.

Area resident Francis R. “Frank” Goetz, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1958-67, had a distinct memory.

He achieved the rank of corporal and served with the 3195th Signal Service Co. as a high speed radio operator.

While stationed at Groton Naval Submarine Base in New London, Conn., he was chosen for his high tech welding skills to weld and repair John F. Kennedy’s yacht along with the new PT 109 (torpedo patrol) boat.

He served overseas in the RomeArno campaign, including the battle of Monte Cassino. He received the Good Conduct Medal, the American Campaign Medal, European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one Bronze Star, as well as a World War II Victory Medal.

He received a souvenir coffee cup adorned with JFK’s presidential seal. Sadly, someone stole it. Goetz is currently a V.A. hospital resident.

He returned home to Wellsville in 1946 and later married the former Verla M. Timmons, with whom he had four children. He worked at Homer Laughlin China Co. until his death in 1986 at the age of 66.

Dorman Stock (right) with his father Shirl Stock

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Gerald C. Goodballet CALCUTTA — Gerald C. Goodballet, 92, a resident of Calcutta Health Care, served 27 months during World War II in the US Army Air Corps, attaining the rank of Staff Sgt. He served during wartime in WWII both overseas and stateside and was involved in the CBI Theater. He was a nose gunner on a B-24 bomber — the targets being bridges and rail roads in and around the Yellow River area in China. Mr. Goodballet received a Presidential Unit Citation for his service.

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Thomas J. Powers NEWELL, W.Va. — Thomas J. Powers, 87, of Grant Street, Newell, served in the US Marine Corps from 1948-56, attaining the rank of corporal while a member of George Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division, 10th Corps. During his military time, including time spent overseas and stateside, Powers served during the Korean War, where he guarded President Harry Truman in Key West, Fla. Powers also served as a machine gunner in Korea, where he and his company saw action in places such as Telegraph Hill, East Hill, Koto-Ri, Seoul, Inchon, and the Chosin Reservoir, as well as military operations such as Operation Drysdale and Operations Killer and Ripper. Powers is a Purple Heart recipient. Only the dead and wounded ride. The rest walk out.

The experiences of Powers and his unit have been shared via both in print and television. Experiences were described in the book “Give Me Tomorrow: The Korean War’s Greatest Untold Story — The Epic Stand of the Marines of George Company,� written by Patrick K. O’Donnell and released in 2010.

Also shared were stories as part of the television miniseries “Against All Odds,� which aired in 2014, on the American Heroes Channel.

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Robert Howell Keith Leggett (right), Community Hospice volunteer and US Army Veteran, presented Robert Howell with an American flag pin, a letter of appreciation from Congressman Bill Johnson and a flag during Veteran Appreciation at Brookdale Assisted Living. Howell, US Army veteran, was stationed near the coast of Korea and served as part of the Military Police during the Korean Wear. Also shown with Legget and Howell are Christine Mancuso and Eileen Gagnon.

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Jerry Stovall EAST LIVERPOOL – One of the most bittersweet memories Jerry “Smoke” Stovall, Michigan Avenue, has of his service in the U.S. Army involves his encounter with a childhood friend who later became a POW. The 1966 East Liverpool High School graduate said, “I got drafted right out of high school. I was 19. I went to Fort Benning then to Fort Polk. I got to come home for two weeks then got shipped out and got to Vietnam Feb. 12, 1967.” He remembered flying from Pittsburgh to Oakland, where he noticed from the corner of his eye someone looking at him. “He came and asked, ‘Aren’t you Rich’s little brother?’ It was Dallas Pridemore; he was older and ran around with my older brother,” Stovall recalled. Pridemore was in charge of Stovall’s group and told him, “Stay with me,” so they were together three or four days before Stovall came home for his break. The two childhood friends again ended up meeting when he returned, and Stovall said before he left, he told Pridemore he would see him back in East Liverpool.

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“He said to me, ‘I don’t think you’ll see me again.’ I never saw him again,” Stovall said, saying Pridemore was taken as a prisoner of war on Sept. 8 and in 1977 declared legally dead. “It will be 50 years next September (that Pridemore was taken prisoner). His family lived eight or nine blocks from me,” he said. He pointed out that, in his graduating class, there were more than 400 students and 80 boys from the class served in the military, with two of those dying during the war. Stovall served a year in Vietnam doing helicopter maintenance and said he had 12 days left when the TET Offensive began. “They hit almost every helicopter on the flight line,” he recalled. “There was supposed to be a cease fire, but North Vietnam didn’t see it that way,” he said with an ironic chuckle. “It got bad. When I got out, I was glad to get out. It changes you.” After his military service, Stovall worked at Crucible Steel, in sales and at Hall China Company. MORNING JOURNAL • THE REVIEW • SALEM NEWS

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Malcom Lanham Sr. LaCROFT — Malcolm A. Lanham Sr. served 14 ships and 17 shore duty stations with the U.S. Navy (1965-84), including three tours of Vietnam, attaining the rank of Petty Officer first class.

Recognition included Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, Armed Forces Meritorious Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation, Civil Action Medal First Class Color with Palm, and Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon. Lanham also received the Vietnam Service Medal with 2 Stars, National Defense Service Medal (Vietnam), and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

He was a member of precommisHe received a Letter of Commendation and Recognition for preventing sioning, as well as a member of the landing craft from sinking and blocking waterway while at IUWG-2 and first crew — as plankowner — of the MU21, Little Creek, Va., in 1972. He USS Siapan LHA-2. received a Letter of Commendation for Battle “E” while at HC6 Norfolk Lanham, who passed away in 2014 Naval base in Virginia. at age 66, was appointed drug and alcohol counselor at two different duty Lanham received the Secretary of stations, and served as acting lieu- the Navy Letter of Commendation tenant when none were available for the station. while on board USS America CV-66; the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon He also served positions of shore patrol student and instructor at The (Indian Ocean); the Navy ExpediNaval Amphibious Base in Little Creek, Va. He was a student at the US Navy tionary Medal (Lebanon) aboard the Fleet Training Base in Norfolk, Va. USS America CV-66; Good Conduct medal with 3 Stars; awarded Gold Lanham served as government representative to the new ship LHA-2 dur- BMI Patch and 4 Hashmarks while on ing ship building in Pasgagola, Miss. He also served tours as a hometown board USS America CV-66; and the recruiter. Navy Achievement Medal and Ribbon.

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George Kozar By KEVIN HOWELL

Kozar also was named Soldier of the Month while a private in Austria, sitting down with a four-star general.

Staff Writer

SALEM – “I’m glad nothing bothers “I had a cup of coffee with the general and we talked about who I was, me. I was just doing my job.” where I came from,” he said, recalling the meeting even though he didn’t A Korean War Era veteran, George remember the general’s name. Kozar is 89 years old and lives with his cat, Kelly, on Hearthside Drive. He doesn’t pretend to be anything other In much the same nature he always carried, Kozar downplayed the honor, than himself — living life as it comes. saying he was named soldier of the month for the way he dressed, shined his shoes, shaved his face. A lifelong resident of Salem, growing up on South Lundy Avenue, he “They just came up to me and says you’re soldier of the month,” he said. had the largest Salem News paper “I didn’t even know what it was, but went along with it.” route as a kid. He graduated from Salem High School in 1947 and began After his discharge, Kozar returned home. He went back to work at Demworking at Demings. ings before serving 20 years as a barber in Salem and then retiring after 20 years as head custodian at Salem’s Buckeye Elementary School. He married Then he was drafted into the Army. the late Gladys (Carrano) Kozar and had one son, John. “It didn’t bother me, getting drafted. It wasn’t scary,” he said. From 1950 to 1952, Kozar stepped away from his life in Salem, completing basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri before serving in the European Theatre during the Cold War. He served in Austria, Germany, France and Italy, notably on the front lines of East Germany.

But he retained the skills and habits he learned in the Army, drawing on them to this day.

“The Army taught me everything I know,” he said. “Don’t be afraid of nobody. And never miss a day of Despite not being in battle, Kozar was posted on the border of Austria work, always be on time.” and East Germany. Kozar still works out at the Salem “I was in a tank looking down on an East German tank looking up at Community Center everyday, earning me,” he said. “There were no shots fired, but when that tank moved, I the SilverSneakers Most Valuable Parmoved.” ticipant this year. He stays busy all the time, he said, playing music, singing, Again, the tension of being stationed on the front lines of the Cold War reading newspapers, watching televihad little effect on him. sion news – keeping his mind sharp, avoiding Alzheimer’s Disease. “Didn’t bother me a bit,” he said. And his time in the Army will forDuring his time in service, Kozar attained the rank of sergeant and was a ever stand out, with the effects seen squad leader. throughout his long life. He knew he had to become a sergeant after his mother bragged to him about a neighbor boy who had become a corporal.

“I’m glad to have been able to serve, able to lead the men,” he said.

“I had to beat him out,” he said. But his appointment as sergeant was more warranted than Kozar attributed credit. He earned three sharpshooter medals in pistol, carbine and M1 rifle despite never having fired a gun before entering the Army. He also shot machine guns and 60 millimeter mortars. “I learned it all in the Army, how to shoot, how to clean (the guns),” he said. “They always said ‘aim at the head and hit the heart.’”

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Francis Schlueter Salem resident Francis Joseph Schlueter, 81, served two years in the U.S. Army. Serving stateside, he attained ranks of SP4 E-4 and earned a good conduct medal. “I was stationed at Fort Myer in Arlington, Va.,” he recalled. “Dwight D. Eisenhower was president when I arrived at headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battle Group, 3rd Infantry known as the ‘Old Guard.’

“I marched in several parades including the inauguration for President Kennedy and rolling out the red carpet when President de Gaulle from France visited Washington, DC. Honor Guard from our battle group guarded the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. “I am most proud of being able to march in the parade honoring the Gold Star Mothers. Those are the mothers of soldiers who will killed in action.”

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Kenneth Roberts By TOM GIAMBRONI Staff Writer

LISBON — Kenneth W. Roberts had just graduated from Lisbon’s David Anderson High School in 1965 when he decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy. The Vietnam War was beginning to heat up, and after being trained as a diesel mechanic, Roberts found himself assigned to the USS Garrett County, a World War II-era LST transport ship brought back into service to ferry special forces, helicopters and patrol boats up and down the rivers of the Mekong Delta. “They were still using them,” the now 70-year-old Roberts said of the LST, which was first used in the South Pacific during the assault on Iwo Jima in 1945. Although his job was to keep the engines running, Roberts said the crew would sometimes let him drive. “I didn’t do bad,” he recalled. Roberts spent a year assigned to the USS Garrett County, and although they were frequently in danger, he never really feared for his life. He recalled one time there were reports of a Viet Cong sniper on one of the rivers, and he said the engine crew’s first instinct was to run out on deck with their camera to grab a photo, but they were stopped. “I was 18. When you’re 18 you’re not going to get hurt,” Roberts said. The USS Garrett County received eight battle stars and two Navy Unit Commendations for the Vietnam War. After a year assigned aboard the LST, Roberts was transferred to the USS San Pablo, a World War II-era sea plane tender that was being used as a hyrographic survey ship. He remembers everything was very secretive and they were told not to ask questions. “We weren’t allowed to talk to them,” Roberts said of the surveyors. “We were told to just run the ship.” His final two years were on an oiler ship that supplied oil and fuel to ships cruising the Mediterranean. “It was a like a gas station on water. It was as big as an aircraft carrier,” Roberts recalled After being discharged in 1970 at the equivalent rank of sergeant, Roberts returned to Lisbon and worked at two steel mills in Youngstown that later closed and former Vicker Valve in Salem. “I never got to retire from anywhere I worked,” he laughed. Roberts lives on West Spruce Street with his wife, Sue. They have two sons — Scott Roberts and Wade Cosgray — and six grandchildren. Roberts enjoyed his time in the Navy. “I got to see a lot of the world,” he said. More than that, it made him even more proud to be American. “It made you a better person,” he said of his service. “If you think it’s so bad over here, go over there and you’ll be more appreciative of America.” MORNING JOURNAL • THE REVIEW • SALEM NEWS

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Hobert Yeager By KATIE WHITE Staff Writer

LISBON — It was a steel canteen on his left hip that saved Hobert Yeager from getting shot in the kidney by enemy fire during World War II on Leyte Island. He was struck in a few other places on his body by shrapnel during the onslaught and was quickly taken to the 36th Evacuation hospital for treatment. The transport to the hospital was timely, since it was discovered that he had also contracted malaria. Yeager said he doesn’t even remember being thrust into a bathtub full of ice to push down his fever. By that time he had already lost consciousness. “That’s part of life when you’re over there. You don’t know what is going on,” he said. He remained at the hospital for more than two weeks before returning to battle in Leyte. Originally from West Virginia, Yeager was just 18 when he was drafted in 1943. He remembers riding to Huntington, W.Va., in his father’s Model A Ford to get a train from Fort Knox, Ky. to Camp Fannin, Texas for his basic training. He then spent three months in training at Fort Ord in California before he and his unit were sent to the Philippines. Yeager was a light infantry and mortar gunner assigned to the 21st Infantry Regiment, under the 24th Infantry Division. On the island of Leyte the group camped at the bottom of a hill that was within eyesight of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters. Yeager said the unit spent several days in battle at Leyte. It was during a planted a friendly kiss on Yeager’s cheek as a show of gratitude for his servbattle that he was diving for a fox hole when he was struck by enemy fire, ice. but his wounds weren’t as serious as some of the others in the unit. Yeager is the recipient of two Purple Heart medals, a Bronze Star, an Army Good Conduct medal, Victory medal, Occupation medal and an Asiatic-PaUnfortunately, he witnessed the death of one of his friends who had been cific Campaign medal. He and his unit also received a commendation from right next to him during an attack at Pinamopoan Ridge. the 21st Infantry Headquarters in June of 1945 from Col. W.J. Verdeck. “Everyone was shooting ... machine guns were popping. My squad was “Fighting in terrain which favored the enemy in defense and in hemp and shooting mortar rounds,” he recalled. cogan grass where the heat of the day was radiated to an unbearable degree, you never once failed to take an assigned objective,” Verdeck wrote. After Leyte, the unit was sent to occupied Japan for 31 days in late 1945, “It is difficult for me to find words to express to you the admiration and reand could see the ravages of Hiroshima after it had been bombed. spect in which I hold you. You and your dead comrades, and those of you He remembers coming home from Japan on board a ship that passed be- who were wounded in action, have kindled in me an intense pride in comneath the Golden Gate Bridge before reaching its final destination back at manding such an organization.” Ford Ord, Calif. He was honorably discharged for his service in 1946, although he remained on call for six months. Yeager turned 93 years old in September. He and his late wife, Roxie Stowers Yeager, have five children, Dallas Yeager, Wanda Densmore, Delores DalHe returned home to West Virginia where he went back to work with his rymple, Karen Smith, and Anna Dailey. father in the gas fields. An adopted son, Dennis, passed away several years ago. “After I came back my dad and I bought machines to pull pipes out of the wells that were dead in West Virginia,” he said. Yeager is currently married to Loretta Yeager, and was recently visited by Dailey’s daughter, Kelly Goonen, who is currently a technical sergeant with In 2012, Yeager was on the Honor Flight to visit Washington, D.C. for the the Marines. first time and got to meet Senator Bob Dole and his wife, Elizabeth, who 20

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Ken Schneidmiller CALCUTTA — Ken Schneidmiller served 1950-52 in the US Army, attaining the rank of corporal, his primarily duties as a tank mechanic. Now 89 and living along Eagle Drive, Schneidmiller spent time both overseas, in Germany, and stateside, while in uniform. He received a Commendation Medal and Service Medal for extinguishing a tank fire that occurred on the base he was stationed to in 1952.

Schneidmiller said while on pass, in Europe, he visited Paris, France, and Switzerland, and also went skiing in the Alps in Garmisch, Germany. Retired from Quaker State Corp. in Congo, W.Va., Schneidmiller enjoys playing golf.

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G. Donald Stapleton “Battle of the Punchbowl” and “Heartbreak Ridge” are terms from the Korean War well known by military historians and those fought in those battles including G. Donald Stapleton.

‘We saved South Korea from communism and fought for people we didn’t even know,” Stapleton recalled. “The first military action of the war lasted three years and claimed the lives of five million soldiers and civilians.” The specific American military loss was steep: 36,574 killed, 103,284 wounded and 2,830 missing in action.

The longtime Salem resident, now 87, was an outpost observer on the main line resistance (MLR), calling in support during some brutal fighting against the North Koreans and Chinese.

“Basically the war has never ended,” Stapleton said. “Two years ago, I went to Seoul — funded in part by the South Korean government — and taken by bus to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) and saw the North Korean guards at their posts. “I’m grateful for my service over there. The only thing I came home with was malaria.”

He spend Thanksgiving and Christmas on the front lines.

He is a life member of the Korean War Veterans Association and Chapter He served in the Korean War from 137 of Youngstown and the Salem AMVETS Post 45. 1950-53. Historians know too that it A photo of Sgt. FC Donald Stawas also known as a “Police Action,” “Korean Conflict,” and “The Forgot- pleton during his service in the Korean War. ten War.” Stapleton earned a Combat Infantryman Badge. Post-war he received a Commendation Ribbon for Meritorious Service. Nearly 60 years after leaving Korea he returned to that country as an “Ambassador of Peace” — a designation accorded by a grateful South Korean government.

Don Stapleton proudly displays in his home this laminated map of Korea that was published in Stars and Stripes — the American military newspaper focusing on members of the United States Armed Forces.

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We thank you for the time you sacrificed in the service.

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Winston Larry Myers EAST LIVERPOOL – For Winston Larry Myers, 75, McKinnon Avenue, serving two years in Vietnam with the U.S. Army was “nothing praise-worthy,” he said.

Myers’ radio section was composed of two, fiveman teams that alternated forward assignments to Following eight weeks of basic temporary landing training at Fort Knox, Kentucky in strips in close supMarch 1964, Myers completed seven port of engageweeks of radio school, learning Morse ments involving code, followed by 11 weeks training the 227th, he said. in advanced radio teletype at Fort Gordon, Georgia. The landing zones were mostly “Because of my father’s WWII experience in Northern France and the Ar- between Pleiku dennes, I seized this unexpected opportunity as a means of improving my and Plei Me before military status,” he said. the Ia Dang Valley and Cambodian After graduation, Fort Knox became SP4 Myers’ permanent duty station, border. but with eight months remaining to his enlistment, he was ordered to Fort Benning, Ga. With Headquarters Company of the 227th Assault Helicopter “I became Battalion. closely attached and dependent upon my fellow soldiers during those six months in Vietnam, so there were strong feelings of abandonment when I “I had become part of the U.S. troop build-up and a rotation system when left them behind for a return home without physical injury,” he related. the 1st Cavalry Division began deploying equipment and personnel to South “There was nothVietnam in August and September of 1965,” Myers recalled. ing praise-worthy about my time After a month’s preparation, his contingent left the Port of Charleston, over seas. S.C., and after 28 days at sea, the USS Alexander Patch dropped anchor in Qui Nhon Bay the morning of Sept. 16, 1965. I was just a common soldier, “At daylight, landing craft began transporting troops ashore, but I was grateful and gifted among the last to leave at noon of the 17th, having provided ship to shore to have accomcommunications until most everyone else had departed,” Myers related. plished everything expected of me, “I did not welcome the prospects of separation at this point in time, so it and I remain in adbecame an eerie and foreboding feeling of expectation when daylight vanmiration of all our ished aboard a ghost ship once crowded elbow to elbow with U.S. troops veterans, past, and familiar faces,” he recalled. present and future.” “I remained at Qui Nhon without shelter from the elements until the 21st in a truck convoy of supplies to the division’s new base of operations at Camp Radcliff near the village of An Khe in the central highlands.”

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Chuck Timmons (left) of East Liverpool, and his brother, Bill Timmons, formerly of East Liverpool, both veterans of the Vietnam War, visited the Moving Wall, a replica of the Vietnam memorial in Washington, D.C. Chuck is shown pointing at the name of Richard Roach inscribed on the Wall. Roach, also of East Liverpool, was their cousin who lost his life in Vietnam.

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Dr. Michael J. Traina, 81, served in the U.S. Army from 1958-1964., attaining the rank of Corporal E-4. He later served in the Reserves from 1972-74.was a combat medic,” he said. “What I experienced changed my life. Enabled me to attain success in my life.” Traina has been a public speaker for many years at various locations on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. COLUMBIANA – In May of 1959 Paul W. Denny of Columbiana joined the Army and later that year was stationed in Germany with the 40th Artillery Group. The 40th was the Army’s first operational heavy ballistic missile unit and responsible for the Redstone Missile. Denny remained in Germany until 1963, at which point he returned to the United States for a year and served as a wheel and track mechanic at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. In 1965 he was sent to serve in Vietnam with the 630th Ordnance Company. He remained in Vietnam until 1966. He earned a bronze star and two overseas bars for his time in Vietnam. Each bar is given for those who spent at least six months in active combat. He was also awarded two Good Conduct Medals and one expert rifle badge. Denny remained in the Army until his discharge in April of 1968. During his nine years in the service he attained the ranks of private, private first class, specialist 4 and 5, and staff sergeant E-6. Now 76 years old, Denny and his wife of 50 years, Barbara (Hays) Denny, have two daughters, Paula and Pamela, and two sons, Michael and Daniel.

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Dick Paulini By LARRY SHIELDS

“That was the only ship I was on, from October 1959 until April of 1963,” Paulini said, explaining the ship was an auxiliary oiler with 220 shipmates.

Dick Paulini has served as AMVETS Post 45 commander for four years and as a trustee for five years since joining in 2005.

“It was a water tanker in World War II,” he recalled. “But we carried fuel for jets and JP-5 for helicopters and black oil for the ships to steam on.”USS Severn was 585 feet long and when fully loaded it had a 34-foot draft — the distance between the surface of the water and the lowest point of the vessel. So the bottom of the ship was about three-and-a-half stories under water.

Staff Writer

The 1959 Salem High School graduate joined the U.S. Navy “When I was in the quartermaster I was on the bridge, but my first year at 17, a month after graduat- I was on the fueling rigs,” he said. “When refueling at sea the quartermasing. ter had to steer the ship and during all special details.”

“I enlisted at the post ofHe remembered pulling alongside of an aircraft carrier that towered over fice,” he said recalling the the USS Severn and how tough is was to keep the ship just yards apart but beautiful old building that also aligned during refueling.recalled looking up from under the shadow of stood on the northwest corner the carrier’s massive superstructure. of East State Street and North Lincoln Avenue. “When we refueled we were 25 feet apart cruising along. Someone on the wing of the bridge kept a close watch,” Paulini said, noting they refueled in He needed his widowed 5- to 6-foot seas. mother’s approval and recalled Chief Pease recruited him. “One time in the Mediterranean we refueled 52 straight hours.” home port was Newport, RI. “There’s no naval base there anymore,” he said. “He took us to the federal The USS Severn was assigned to two Mediterranean Sea cruises and two building in Cleveland,” Paulini North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) cruises. said. “I wasn’t a good student. I liked to screw around and five The Med cruises were seven months, the NATOs were three weeks each of us joined on the buddy plan and they refueled Canadian ships with their liberty port being Hamburg, and they told us we’d be to- Germany on the Elbe River and another in port in Scotland,” Paulini said. gether the whole enlistment.” “During the Med cruise we were everywhere — Greece, Istanbul, Turkey. It’s the furthest I’ve ever been away from home. Including the islands, I was in Of course they weren’t and everyone scattered in different directions 21 different countries. after boot camp at the Great Lakes training center. “We probably made four trips to Cuba before the missile crisis ... we were “Never saw them again,” Paulini said. set for liberty in Beirut, Lebanon. We were on our way there. “Because I was 17 I was on the ‘kiddie cruise’ which meant you get out of the service the day before you turn 21,” he explained. He was assigned to the USS Severn (AO-61) as a deckhand his first year before being sent to navigation radar school.

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Then they had our ship following Russian ships with missiles coming out of the Black Sea near Turkey. We were following them to the Rock of Gibraltar. We knew they had missiles.” Paulini said they didn’t get too close.

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USS Severn (AO-61) was a Cimarron-class fleet oiler that U.S. Navy veteran Dick Paulini of Salem served on in the early 1960s. It was the only ship he was on during his enlistment which included shadowing Russian ships carrying nuclear missiles across the Mediterranean Sea during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The ship was constructed during World War II and assigned to provide liquids, such as fuel or water, to ships in the forward battle areas. It was the fourth Navy ship to be named Severn. (Contributed photo)

“Probably four times back and forth tracking the Russian ships. The only Paulini’s enlistment ended just as the Vietnam War was heating up and he land we saw was the Rock of Gibraltar,” he said. “They just let us know we mustered out. were following Russian ships headed for Cuba. That was 55 years ago. During our fourth trip across the Med we were told we could go to a liberty “If I had it do again ... I should have done it ... I’d do it in a heartbeat and port.” I’d join the Navy,” he said. Paulini along with his crew had become eyewitnesses to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

His stepfather, Steve Fronius, was a World War II veteran, and his family has continued its tradition of serving in the armed forces.

But while history unfolded before then, the USS Sevran sailors saw it from a different point of view.

Paulini’s oldest son, Marty, a 1982 Salem High School graduate, served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1982 to 1986 with six months in South Korea. He is an assistant superintendent of a golf club in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

“We got tired of seeing water, I know that,” he said, explaining the crew was on what was called water hours. Ships made their own potable water.

Another son, Matt, graduated from SHS in 1988 and served with the 1st Cavalry in Desert Storm. He was in the middle of the Iraqi oil fires.

“They’d turn the fresh water on for 10 minutes every hour and the lines at the fountains were ridiculous,” Paulini remembered, so they were happy Another son, Mike, a 1990 SHS graduate, was a member of the 101st Airwhen the crisis ended for personal reasons too. borne in Desert Storm and transferred to 82nd Airborne. He saw a year of service in South Korea and served in Colombia, South America.

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Russell McCloud ALEXIS RUFENER

“I was a missile launching system technician so I had “We were duped” to go through security in the morning Russell W. McCloud served in the US Navy aboard the USS Chicago as a to get into the misE-4 3rd class Petty sile house and just officer during the basically maintain Vietnam War. the equipment that watches the misses, He enlisted in the loads them and summer after grad- launches them,” he uating from East explained. Liverpool High School. With his faWhen he wasn’t ther being a Navy aboard the ship, he veteran during used his time on WWII, and the land to exercise chance of a decent with his comrades, education thanks to enjoy yoga and perthe GI Bill, McCloud form martial arts. began the prepara- During the evening, tions to join the mil- he said they would itary of his own accord. Staff Writer

find time to reminisce about family and get together over a card game with hamburgers as snacks. With his job, McCloud was able to escape the heat of a Vietnam summer in air conditioned facilities.

“I had plans to join the Navy since I was 15 or 16 years old, kind of a patriotic duty I feel,” McCloud said as he thought back to why he selected the Navy.

In the second year of his enlistment, McCloud was on board the ship unloading supplies when he had an accident.

For the first year of his service, he received special training in Great Lakes, Ill., at the Naval Station for his six-year enlistment. After McCloud completed his A class and C class classes, he became eligible for the E-4 class rank.

The support arms of the shipping crane broke loose and forcefully made contact with McCloud’s head, he explained. He suffered a traumatic brain injury. On Veterans Day, we’d like to share our admiration and appreciation for the brave men and women in uniform whose service and sacrifice have protected our freedom and our way of life through the generations. To all of our dedicated soldiers both past and present, our deepest gratitude and best wishes remain with you and your families on Veterans Day and always!

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The injury brought about symptoms of mobility problems, anxiety, made having relationships difficult, and blurry vision. After the accident, McCloud wasn’t immediately aware his time in the Navy would be cut short.

The Flower of the Dragon located in Cotati, Calif., during his 35 years of residence. “It gave me insight into their emotional and psychological struggles. I felt an obligation to, you know, serve the veterans that were suffering from their experiences in Vietnam,” McCloud said. Looking back on the war, McCloud mentioned how many gave their lives for what seemed like a war that didn’t need to be fought, but resulted in so many casualties.

With his six-year enlistment being cut to two years and two months, McCloud was given honorable discharge in 1969. During his time of recovery, he knew he would have to seek employment. To him, going to college seemed to be his only option as the steel and pottery industries were in his words “ going down the tubes.”

“We were duped into supporting what I would consider illegal war to people and killed over two million of them and it caused the death of, at least, 50,000 Americans,” he said. “And a lot of the veterans, who served, died later from PTSD or committed suicide, and suffered tremendously, and were estranged from their families, and had tremendous difficulty with drug and alcohol abuse.” With the cost of living rising in California, McCloud wanted to return home to East Liverpool to be closer with his family. He now resides in Glenmoor, and can be seen sporting “Potter blue” on Friday nights as he cheers on his great nephew and his home team.

McCloud recalled the promise he made to his mother, who knew he was capable of getting an education. With support from the GI Bill, he attended the Western School of Health and Business, where he attained his AA in business. He continued his education and attained a bachelor’s degree in world history, along with a master’s in counWhen he’s not at seling education. Patterson Field, McCloud said he finds “I saw a lot of the damage that time to golf, garden, was done to the men who were in- attend local car jured when I was in the hospital,” shows or brush up he said. “I was in spinal cord and on history books. brain injury wards, and it led to me to want to be a counselor.” “I’ve always been loyal to my roots, people are friendly and they respect veterans,” he said of the East Liverpool area. “I think we’ve gone through McCloud gave back to his com- hard times, so the people here can be a little bit cynical, but underneath munity by counseling veterans and their families through various organi- they’re very caring and I think that’s probably the strength in the fabric zations. With his experience in Vietnam, he was able to establish rapport that’s woven into our psyche, supporting each other and being cooperawith other veterans to help them through their new lifestyles. He even vol- tive.” unteered his counseling services through nonprofit organizations such as

November 11

Bob Milby VFW Post #6450 Chester, WV Downtown East Liverpool

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Gayle Paxson By MARY ANN GREIER

When the war began, he was home and he remembered listening to FDR declaring war on Japan and Germany. He also remembered being on a double date, trying to get music on the radio on Dec. 7, 1941, and wondering When Gayle Paxson and his brother Robert left for the service at the same “where is Pearl Harbor?” He was working at Hunt Valve at the time as a matime, their mother stood crying at their home on Pershing Street. chinist apprentice and two years later was on his way to Great Lakes for basic, then Norfolk where he boarded the USS New York which at the time That was April 1943 —World War II raged on two fronts — and many a was a training ship. mother said a teary-eyed goodbye. Paxson, just two years after graduating with the Salem High School Class of 1941, decided to enlist before his draft From June to August 1944, the ship traveled back and forth from Annumber came up. He in- napolis to Trinidad at the northern tip of South America three times loaded tended to sign up with the with midshipmen in training. U.S. Army, which is what his brother did. Instead he That was the only time he got “oozy” — when the ship ran into a hurriended up in a room full of cane. Navy guys. In the fall of 1944, they set sail for the Pacific Theatre, coming out of the Fast forward to 1946 — Navy yard after an overhaul. But both engines conked out while traveling traveling from a battle- up the coast of Mexico. scarred battleship, to a train, to a bus — Paxson They ended up at Long Beach, Calif. after getting an engine going and recalled knocking on the completing refresher training, then left in January 1945 for Pearl Harbor door at Pershing Street. and headed towards Iwo Jima, losing a blade along the way and getting Here come his mother, temporary repairs before rejoining the battle group. crying again. “At Iwo Jima, we fired over 1,000 shells, 14-inch shells,” he said, recallThe Courtyard at Lexing- ing how the ship’s gunners blew up a big ammunition dump.heading to Okton resident, now 93, soon inawa, the ship received permanent repairs on the propellers, then the battle to be 94 this December, re- began in March 1945. cently shared some wartime memories from his A newspaper article in the Salem News recounted the event: “Gayle K. service in the U.S. Navy. Paxson, 21, watertender, third class, whose parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Paxson live at 370 W. Pershing St., had a grandstand seat from which to view “The greatest feeling in my life was when I was coming home for good the invasion of Okinawa. after three years,” Paxson said. His battleship, while under threat of air attack, moved up within 3,000 Most of his time was spent below deck in the fire room, keeping the USS yards of the shore, cruising slowly back and forth and pulverizing the beach New York chugging across the Pacific, constantly moving during the inva- targets at point-blank range. The crew could clearly see the explosions from sion of Iwo Jima and the invasion of Okinawa, then returning home for a the ship’s shells as her guns smashed pillboxes, gun emplacements, wareheroes welcome on the Hudson River. houses and trench fortifications. The ship’s anti-aircraft gunners fought off deadly air assaults during the bombardment period, and on one occasion Home was never far from his mind, though. He said many times he would only skillfully maneuvering of the vessel by her commanding officer saved go top side and look across the water thinking about home. her from a torpedo which had been dropped.” Staff Writer

The willingness of America’s Veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude. -Jeff Miller

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Paxson said they remained at Okinawa for 79 days — a record at the front for a battleship — expending more than 4,000 rounds of 14-inch shells. A Japanese suicide plane at one point crashed, taking out two of the ship’s spotter planes and injuring a handful of men. For two solid weeks, they battled night and day, getting very little sleep, then they got word that 300 Japanese planes were headed their way. Only 50 managed to get through. Then they heard that just off the shore, Japanese soldiers were trying to come out and around the American line. He said the ship’s gunners caught them in the water. “The gun was condemned. It fired so much it couldn’t fire anymore,” he said. After the battle the USS New York left for Pearl Harbor to get new guns for the invasion of Japan. The installation began and then all at once, they stopped, and put the old guns back in place. THE STORIES OF OUR VETERANS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2017


Gayle Paxson, standing far left in the back row, wears a grass skirt and a Hawaiian lei with some buddies during a stop at Pearl Harbor.

“That’s when the atom bomb was dropped on Japan. They knew it was Back to his comment about being a lucky one, Paxson said he just missed all over,” he said. being transferred to the USS Franklin air craft carrier when it was commissioned in January 1944. About 20 men from his division made the move. In The trip home could begin. President Truman met the fleet on the Hudson March 1945, the air craft carrier was nearly sunk by a Japanese plane and River in New York in November 1945 on what Paxson said was a really cold lost over 800 crew members in the attack. day, but they felt honored. I often “We felt kind of proud the president saluting us,” he said. wonder what beWhen asked if he ever felt scared, he said it’s kind of funny, but he didn’t came of worry too much about that. He had a job to do, to keep the ship going, and those (20) he did it. guys,” he said. “I was glad I was able to serve. I never had any bad feelings about it and let’s face it, I was a lucky one,” he said. Paxson returned to work at Hunt Valve and worked for some die shops, such as Snell Tool & Die and King Die, then he spent 32 years at Gottschall Tool & Die, becoming part owner. He married Adda Firestone on Oct. 22, 1949 and they had two daughters, Linda and Karen, three grandchildren and one great-grandson. He also developed a love of flying as a pilot and the two of them would fly up over Niagara Falls for fun. His flying then got closer to the ground with radio-controlled airplanes. He was an original member of the Centaur Club for radio-controlled airplane enthusiasts. Gayle Paxson, 93, of Salem, displays a book about the USS New York,

He lost his wife in 2013. His brother, Robert, also passed away after liv- the battleship where he served in the fire room during World War II and ing a life long after surviving World War II. As for the USS New York, the the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. His room at Courtyard at Lexbattleship became part of the Operation Crossroads nuclear weapon tests, ington includes many memories from his time in the U.S. Navy, along with married life and his remote-controlled airplane hobby. surviving the explosions and then intentionally sunk as a target in 1948. MORNING JOURNAL • THE REVIEW • SALEM NEWS THE STORIES OF OUR VETERANS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2017 35


We Salute Our Veterans United We Stand James Conn 4/19/46-6/5/10 U.S. Air Force 1966-1970

Ralph E. Burton, Sr. 1/13/37 - 3/8/14 1955-1959 U.S. Navy

Charles A. Pike U.S. Army - Gen. Patton 4 years service Infantry Capt. Silver & Bronze Stars Wounded Battle of Bulge

United We Stand Sergeant William Dallas Cole II US Army 2001-2010 “Anything can happen child, anything can be.”

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To all of our veterans and active-duty military, we thank you for your service. United We Stand Albert L. Haverty 1963 to 1967 U.S. Marine Corp. One of My Best Friends and Co-Workers. Thank You

United We Stand

United We Stand

Carmen, Joe & Nick Ieropoli

S/S GT Donald E. Leonard US Army - Ft. Irwin, Calif. Korean War 1953 - 1954

WWII U.S. Army

One of Five Leonard Brothers Serving Our Country God Bless America

United We Stand Todd Vadino U.S. Navy 1991 to 1995 Sadly Missed by Family and Friends

United We Stand Frank Guy Army - Air Force 1943 - 1946 We will always be so proud of you. Love: Your Family

United We Stand Nicky Ieropoli U.S. Marine Corps 1973 - 1976

United We Stand SSGT Harvey Galbreath, Jr. U.S. Marines 1985 - 2009 We are so proud. God Bless You. Your Loving Family MORNING JOURNAL • THE REVIEW • SALEM NEWS

JOHN BORZA 1st SGT U.S. Army 1942-1945 THE STORIES OF OUR VETERANS

Donald Miller 11/26/32 - 5/27/99 1955-1956 U.S. Army SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2017

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I’m Your American Flag by James F. Burns I’ve been to the moon. I’ve been burned. But more oen I’m honored. I’m your American flag. With thirteen stars for colonies clamoring for freedom, I was first flown at Fort Stanwix in New York in 1777—and then carried into battle for the first time at Brandywine in Pennsylvania. By war’s end, I was saluted as the emblem of a sovereign nation, new and free. I’m your American flag. But challenges lay ahead. With fieen stars and fieen stripes, I survived shock and shell at Fort McHenry in Baltimore in 1814. With the aid of rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air, I was spied from afar at dawn’s early light by a patriot poet. I was then celebrated in sight and song by a fledgling nation. I’m your American flag. A half century later and with thirty-three stars and thirteen stripes, I was saddened to see our nation divided. Our brothers’ blood was spilled in battle north and south. But by war’s end, Lincoln’s iconic words at Gettysburg prevailed—a unique nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. But that pledge was yet to be fully fulfilled. I survived mustard gas and ghastly death in European trenches in WW I and, forty-eight stars strong, was hoisted by six soldiers on Mount Suribachi at Iwo Jima in WW II. I’m proud to be your American flag. I was carried into battle over frozen turf in Korea, waved more proudly on flagpoles here at home with civil rights and women’s rights rising, and was saluted by a little boy as the horse-drawn caisson with his father’s casket passed by on the streets of our nation’s capital. It was the best of times and the worst of times, but through it all, I was your American flag.

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I lost sons and daughters in the rice paddies and hellish jungles of Viet Nam, saw some succumb to Agent Orange, and witnessed renewed conflict about taking me, your American flag, to faraway lands like Iraq and Afghanistan. When and where warfare should be waged is an issue still troubling us today. When our nation celebrated its bicentennial birthday in 1976—two hundred years aer declaring our independence—I was there. When people parade on the Fourth of July and other occasions, I generally lead the parade. As I pass by, children along the parade route oen stand at attention and proudly salute me while their parents or a grandmother behind them might have a tear rolling down their cheek in memory of a loved one who served in uniform and didn’t make it back home. Oen I’m inconspicuous, standing silently in the corner of a meeting hall or classroom—though far fewer of them nowadays. Indeed, I’ve fallen from favor for some incensed by actions our government takes. But I suffer in silence when abused or defiled for I represent all of our rights, including protesting and speaking our minds. ough I spend most of my time here at home, I represent us around the globe at various foreign outposts, including military bases, embassies, and consulates. And those row upon row of white crosses above the cliffs of Normandy and elsewhere where we le our honored dead are oen decorated with my colors of red, white, and blue. I’m your American flag. But most of all I represent the American spirit, the indomitable demand and yearning for freedom, excellence, and opportunity. I am not the flag of a ruling regime or royal family. I am the American flag, representing rights emanating from a higher and transcendent authority honored on our coinage. Look up to me as you salute or stand at attention. Pledge yourself to fulfill loy goals symbolized by my heavenly sky-blue field for fiy stars. With red for valor and zeal and white for hope and purity, look up and salute with pride what the patriot poet hailed as a worthy star-spangled banner. May it forever wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave.

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10 career tips for veterans 1) Prepare: You should be thinking about transitioning out well before you actually do. Think in terms of months or years, not weeks. Job searching is difficult and often takes a long time, and it's even harder if your chosen career requires post-secondary education that you don't yet possess. The key is to form at least a basic plan while understanding that it's okay to re-strategize at any point. Preparation helps you get moving – stagnation is the only surefire path to trouble. 2) Equip: Every branch of the military provides programs and workshops to help servicemembers transition into the civilian workforce. It's tempting to kick up your boots, but the final few months of your service are some of the most critical to post-military success. The programs you'll be exposed to are valuable opportunities to kick your plans into gear and ensure that you face the civilian job market with a good cache of search tools. 3) Define: One of the biggest problems veterans face is translating military jargon to corporate-speak. While the content of what you're saying is important, you need to be able to use terminology and phrases that civilian employers will understand. If you're a little lost on which civilian jobs dovetail with your former MOS, check out Military.com's own military skills translator. 4) Utilize: Aside from workshops and expert advice, there are many financial benefits that the military offers. A recent analysis by Omaha.com showed that “only 36% of American Veterans use the GI Bill's educational benefits.” College degrees aren't a guarantee that you'll land a career right out the door, but they do help a lot in your search and usually lead to higher paychecks.

8) Mobilize: The military provides another huge advantage for veteran job seekers: help with relocation. Often, employers will disfavor candidates because they live too far away – it might not be worth assisting with your relocation fees if you're coming in from halfway across the country.

If you haven't moved yet, keep this information in mind when being in5) Network: Many servicemembers experience camaraderie in the military to a degree terviewed, it may be a useful bargaining chip. not often seen in the civilian world. Your transition is the perfect time to reach into the military network and start making connections with others. 9) Select: If you've planned appropriately and aren't in financial trouble, be selecThere are numerous groups and organizations that bring veterans totive about your job options. gether to help each other find jobs and stabilize life as a civilian. 6) Contact: It's important to spread your options wide when it comes to searching for jobs. Contacting staffing agencies and other veteran-specific job search programs will give you access to professionals who know how the system works and most likely understand where you're coming from. 7) Examine: In the world of social media, an unprofessional online presence can seriously curtail your job options. Whether it's maintaining a modest profile and lowering public access or simply scrubbing your accounts of compromising behavior, make sure that when employers search for you on the internet, they'll find a potential employee, not a loose cannon. 40

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It might be unnerving to turn something down, but it's important to your well-being that you choose a job that pays what you need and doesn't make you completely miserable. 10) Strategize: The entire process of searching for a civilian job can be overwhelming, but if you treat it like another mission, you'll be fine. Determine your objective, break down the process into multiple steps, and execute the plan. If you're still drawing blanks and are absolutely confounded, consult job-hunting experts for assistance. For more information, visit www.military.com

THE STORIES OF OUR VETERANS

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Honoring Our Brave Veterans With Our Up Most Gratitude Thank You For Your Service From All Of Us At East Liverpool Location 619 Bradshaw Ave East Liverpool, OH 330-385-5313 MORNING JOURNAL • THE REVIEW • SALEM NEWS

Calcutta Location 15937 State Route 170 East Liverpool, OH 330-385-5220 THE STORIES OF OUR VETERANS

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How to help veterans in need Millions of men and women serve in the military and make the sacrifices that such service requires. Risking their lives to serve their countries, veterans sometimes endure mental and physical trauma, returning home to face uphill battles as they deal with their injuries.

Disabled veterans may be unable to do their own grocery shopping or maintain their homes. If a neighbor or nearby veteran is facing such hurdles, offer to do his or her shopping or mow his or her lawn. Such tasks won’t take much time but can make a world of difference to veterans.

Many veterans in need are not just in need of medical attention. Learn• Offer professional services free of charge. ing that their efforts and sacrifices are recognized and appreciated by the Professionals who want to help veterans can offer their services free of ordinary citizens they protect can make a world of difference to veterans as charge. they recover from their injuries. Accountants can offer to prepare veterans’ tax returns for free, while atMen, women and children who want to help veterans in need can do so torneys can provide legal advice to veterans who need it. Contractors can in various ways. help disabled veterans by offering to make alterations to their homes for free or at cost. • Visit a veterans hospital. Contact a local veterans’ hospital to inquire about their volunteer pro• Employ social media to help local veterans. grams. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs notes that each year more Many people who want to help local veterans might not be able to do so than 75,000 volunteers spend more than 11 million hours in service to more than one day per week. But some veterans may require daily assisAmerica’s veterans. Visiting veterans at the hospital to hear their stories can tance. lift their spirits and aid in their recoveries. In addition, veterans’ hospitals may have volunteer opportunities that make it easier for hospitals to operMen and women can start a locally-based Facebook group for fellow ate at optimal capacity. members of their community who want to pitch in to help local veterans. Such a group can make it easier to share information and arrange help for • Help a neighbor. veterans in need. Unfortunately, many veterans return home with injuries that affect their ability to make it through a typical day without assistance.

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Because you served, now you can save.

Elder Ag & Turf Equipment Co. 49290 State Route 14 East Palestine, OH 330-426-2166 • 1-800-471-3373

In honor of the men and women who served or are currently serving in the United States military, John Deere introduces its Military Discounts Program. Through our popular GreenFleet™ Loyalty Rewards Program, we are offering current and former service members a free two-year Platinum membership. GreenFleet Loyalty Rewards Platinum members receive equipment discounts, special financing options, workshops products discounts, and other exclusive members - only benefits. Eligible men and women can sign up for the program by visiting the GreenFleet Loyalty Rewards Military Discount website.

To find out more about GreenFleet Loyalty Rewards. visit us in person or go to www.JohnDeere.com/GreenFleet THE STORIES OF OUR VETERANS

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Thank a Veteran today The celebration of Veterans Day, which we mark today, began on Nov. 11, 1918 on what was originally known as Armistice Day. It was the celebration of the end of World War I — “the war to end all wars.” Since “the war to end all wars,” however, Americans have been involved in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and other conflicts in the Mideast. Armistice Day officially became a holiday in the United States in 1926, and a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans. Unlike Memorial Day which started as a day designated to remember men and women who had died while serving, Veterans Day was established to honor everyone who served in the military, both in peacetime and in war. A number of organizations and schools throughout Columbiana County hold events each year to honor veterans and recognize their unselfish service to our country. Today, as we honor those who fought to ensure the freedoms we Americans hold so dear, let us also pay tribute to those who continue to endanger their lives in other areas of the world.

Dr. George S. Wilson D.O.

And, please pause for a moment of silence at 11:11 a.m., the exact time of the signing of the armistice on Nov. 11, 1918. Take time today to thank each veteran you know personally for fighting to preserve our way of life in this great country.

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Local effort part of national initiative By STEVE RAPPACH Staff Writer

CHESTER — This Veterans Day, downtown Chester will be lit in green as it honors those who have served and fought for this country. Starting last weekend, the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 121 began honoring our country’s veterans through a new community service project to the area — “Greenlight A Vet.” The event runs through Nov. 12. In this program, residents and business owners along Carolina Avenue — from First to Ninth streets — were asked to replace one light in their home or porch with a greencolored light through the course of the nine-day remembrance.

WE HONOR OUR VETERANS

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According to auxiliary member Holly Adams, the program serves as another way to show support and appreciation to the veterans, while fellow member Kathie Kourpas commented on the so-far positive response to the program. “We left a flier and bulb with all businesses and private homes and asked them to support the veterans (from Nov. 4-12),” Adams said. “We didn’t get any American Legion Auxiliary Unit 121 members Kathie Kourpas (left) and negative on it,” Kourpas Holly Adams display green light bulbs to be lit during the “Greenlight A added. “They were very Vet” program, which runs Nov. 4-12 to honor veterans who have served receptive.” in this country. (Photo by Steve Rappach) “Greenlight A Vet” is part of a nationwide initiative, started by WalWhile “Greenlight A Vet” is in its third year, this will be the first time the mart as part of the Chester Auxiliary is participating. store’s actions to bring a larger awareness to Kourpas said if all goes well, the program could become an annual event veterans. alongside the longstanding annual Poppy Drive held in May, done as a dedThere have been 9.3 million participants since it was launched in 2015. ication to veterans. “We hope that if this goes over well that next year we can expand it,” According to the initiative’s website (greenlightavet.com), the color green Kourpas said. “It would be awesome if we could get the whole city of stands for hope, renewal and well-being, while the term “greenlight” refers Chester to light green. We’re going to try this and see how it goes.” to activating forward movement. It states that the change to a green-colored light “creates a beacon of support and appreciation, and a visible symbol of our commitment to ‘greenlight’ veterans forward as valued members So far, 97 green lights have been distributed to businesses and homeof our communities.” owners along Carolina Avenue, with an additional 50 ordered for American “Greenlight A Vet” also is part of Walmart’s Veterans Welcome Home Legion members, who would be interested in participating. Commitment initiative, launched in 2013 and guarantees veterans who were honorably discharged after Memorial Day 2013 positions at its stores.

Those who would like more information on the program may contact Adams at 304-670-4105 or Kourpas at 304-670-7606.

Through that initiative, more than 180,000 veterans have been hired — 24,000 of whom have received promotions — with the goal being the hiring 250,000 veterans by 2020.

Home of the Free Because of the Brave. Thank you for your Service!

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10 tips for veterans at college 1. Start by applying. Whether you are a reservist, in the National Guard, or on active duty, you Whether you are a first time college student or a transfer student, you should check the VA website or discuss your benefits with the school's Vetmust fill out an application. Go to the school's website to find the require- eran's Administrator. You can find a wealth of information -- as well as the ments and deadlines. Provide transcripts and test scores as needed and your application for benefits -- at the GI Bill website. DD-214 for credits you might have earned while in the service. Take a tour of the campus—either on the web or in person. 4. Apply for financial aid. All students can apply for financial aid by filling out the Free Application If you don't know where you want to go, one of the places to help you de- for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by going to www.fafsa.gov. This aid can be cide what college or university best suits your needs is www.military.com. for grants, loans and/or work-study. While you are eligible for GI Benefits, some colleges and universities look to have bills "resolved" or "covered" 2. Meet the Veterans Administrator. while waiting for the VA to send the school the tuition and fees if you are You are entitled to GI Bill Education Benefits. You want to use them … eligible for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. now what? Find the Veterans Office on campus and introduce yourself. Staff at this office will explain and guide you through the give-and-take process 5. Apply for scholarships. to receive your benefits. There are many types of scholarships available, including based on merit, academics, athletic, private, and general by area of interest. Some schools You will be asked to provide various documents and complete different offer scholarships specifically for veterans. You have to look. Check the forms so your enrollment can be certified to the VA. school's website and always remember: Do not pay for any scholarship application. 3. Get your GI benefits. There is a wide a variety of education benefits offered by the Veterans 6. Find a place to live. Administration, including the new Post 9/11 GI Bill, the Montgomery GI Bill, The key to being placed in housing is making sure you indicate you are a the Yellow Ribbon Program, Transfer of Benefits, and Veterans Vocational veteran on all forms. By doing so you may be able to select a roommate Rehab, to name a few. from the onset. Otherwise you might be assigned to a room with traditional students (just out of high school), which could be awkward with your recent Additionally, individual states offer varying opportunities to National military experience. Many colleges have housing set aside for veterans; Guardsmen (some of the benefits come with different levels of eligibility). make use of it.

A SALUTE TO OUR HEROES: OUR VETERANS

On Veterans Day, we pause to reflect on the courage, dedication and loyalty of our nation’s military veterans. Throughout history, their hard work and sacrifice have kept us safe and protected our freedom. We owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid, and we salute them for their service. To all of the brave men and women who have sacrificed to put their country first, we thank you.

7. Get an adviser. Every student is assigned to an adviser. Some schools have advisers specifically for veterans; smaller schools may not, but curriculum is standard for majors at each school. Interaction with the adviser will assist you to develop a suitable educational plan, make your course selections, and determine your major. This person will get to know you and empower you in decision-making skills in education, career, and life choices. 8. Take the CLEP. The College Level Examination Program is a series of exams you can take to test your college-level knowledge on what you have learned through onthe-job training, professional development, etc. There are a wide range of exams both general and subjective, worth up to six credits. The cost of a CLEP exam is fractional compared to the cost of tuition and fees. It could assist in skipping general introductory courses, general education classes or could even demonstrate your ability in a foreign language. 9. Connect with other veterans on campus. Veterans Centers are popping up on many campuses. They are the place to meet other veterans, to do peer-to-peer networking, to connect student veterans with resources, and to help you to get involved—or simply hang out. If there is no center on campus, start one. Student Veterans of America can assist you in forming a chapter at your school.

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MORNING JOURNAL • THE REVIEW • SALEM NEWS

10. Get career training and develop skills. Career services and job placement are available for you while getting your education. Résumé writing and mock interviews are offered. You can be placed in an internship or co-op related to your career goal and earn college credits as well as a stipend or small paycheck. THE STORIES OF OUR VETERANS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2017


MORNING JOURNAL • THE REVIEW • SALEM NEWS

THE STORIES OF OUR VETERANS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2017

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MORNING JOURNAL • THE REVIEW • SALEM NEWS

THE STORIES OF OUR VETERANS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2017


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