Decatur Newsletter——for the boys in Military Service

News about you and your friends--about the Decatur Community High School and Decatur      County.            

December 10, 1942 Volume I, Issue 9                      Compiled and edited by Marian Cathcart Made possible by the courtesy of the Decatur Community High School

- -Oberlin, Kansas

“Of the thirty Decatur County young men who went to Leavenworth November 18, for their final physical examination, twenty will return there November 27, on the early morning bus for induction into military service. Seven failed to pass the physical examination and three have been transferred and will report from other points. Those going from here are: Oberlin—Glenn Wallace Bryan, Aldeverd Metca1f, Anthony Urban, John Lindquist, Forrest Gierhart, Raymond Wurm; Dresden--Lyndol Zimmerman, Albert Schroer, Virgil Walker; Clayton—Joseph Kinser;  Jennings--Leroy Randall, Jay Kump; Norcatur--Frank Brouhard, Deane Winchel; Traer——Cecil Meixner; Selden--Shirley Bell, Moritz Nauer, Howard Anderson, Donald Ashley;  Leoville-—Augustine Kaus. Emery Leitner of Traer will report from Council Grove and Floyd Magers, also from Traer will report from California. Beverly Ogle will go from Texas. Allen Richards, Ernest Ricketts, Frank Montgomery, Howard Brunk, Erwin Bader, Regis Bennett, and Walter Shaw failed to pass the physical examination last week.”--Oberlin Herald. Other en1istments, (some of which are not so recent) include:  Harold Area, Dale Claar, Rex Garver, Owen Payne, Bill Geisinger, and Henry Simpson of the navy, A/C Albert Buk; Donald Lemmon, selectee through McCook; Louis Wilhelm--army; Johnnie Richards of the army air corps—planning to join with Johnnie was Gerald Rezner; George Lauchbaugh, A P, Lake Farrigut, Idaho; Phyll Cramer and Laurel Hayward will soon complete their examinations for the naval air corps--a number of others had obtained their credentials for such enlistment but the order stopping enlistments will no doubt alter a number of plans. Those who reported for duty recently in Rawlins County included: Gordon Macfee, Kermit Greason, John Hayes, Joseph Andrews, Henry Hrnchir, Laurence Eacher, Wayne Gatlin, Louis Cahoj, and Alfred Pemberton. Albin Cahoj enlisted in November while the following transferred men also reported for active duty--James Main, Ernest Epps, and Lester Reilley....Just for the record it is an even half dozen now of the Cathcart nephews with one for the navy and one for the signal corps--and a couple of nephews-in-law for good measure....There are now four Ronke brothers in the service——Albert overseas, Frank at Camp Crowder, Gus at Salina, and John of the navy....Lt. Orval Harold gave a very interesting and instructive talk regarding his work to both the Rotary Club and the high school when home recently. Since that time he has been transferred to the Western Coast...A letter from Mrs. Florence Noland-Basye of Seattle expresses concern regarding her son, Byron Noland, from whom she has heard nothing since action in his probable corner of the world months ago. His branch is the navy, No further word has been received from Francis Noland since the “Missing in Action” of May 7…T/Sgt. Elwood Gilreath of Norcatur, but now in Northern Africa, has received both radio and newspaper publicity and credit when he, as pilot, was a part of the crew of “A single American medium tank that went on a rampage in the center of Oran for a half an hour Tuesday morning, rammed and destroyed three French 75 millimeter guns and 50 motor vehicles and emerged from the city with its armor plate pockmarked but with the French guns hanging from its front. The crew of the tank was exhausted when I talked with them four miles outside the city. Led by a sergeant, they had become separated from their unit and penetrated the city all alone, hours before other units entered.”-- Phil Ault of the UP.  Thanks go to Glenvyn Hayward of Buckley Field for a full clipping of the story....It is officers’ training for Jimmie Anderson at Camp Barkley and for Leo Bendon at Camp Crowder....Now it is Lt. Bill Huey, who took his training at Camp Crowder, but now at Ft. Monmouth….A colored soldier said he got in the guardhouse on account of his “furlong. I went too fur and stayed too long”, said he…Joe Metts, S 2/c, is in the District Finance office of the Coast Guard of Honolulu and lives at the Army and Navy YMCA there. He extends a cordial invitation to you to call....Doc Hague, TM 3/c, says he is a busy “as a one armed paper hanger at his new duties” on the eastern seaboard, which includes those of a master-at-arms…Cpl. Bob Hitchcock and wife live at La Jolla, Calif. while he is at Camp Callan, where he has been stationed since October 1941. Marion and Warren Johnston are near by in San Diego where they have employment in defense plants. Bill Geisinger was employed at the same plant but is now in the navy....Bob Brown is in the Station Hospital at Key Field, Mississippi. He says, “They are trying to make a nurse out of a farmer. If it were a civilian job, I would have been fired the first day but there is no danger of that here.”...Dale Wickham writes very interestingly of work in radio at Scott’s Field. His is the Zombi shift from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. I found his difficulty in recognizing an old buddy in a G.I. haircut and an army uniform comforting. It is exceedingly embarrassing upon my part to peer nearsightedly at someone in uniform only to discover it is either a complete stranger or someone whom I should have recognized instantly...I was sorry to have missed seeing Lt. and Mrs. Douglas Jorn recently. Doug was graduated October 28 from the Army Air Forces Candidate School at Miami Beach, and is now located at West Palm Beach....Copied—“The best news we could expect from Germany would be revolting.”...S/Sgt. Frank Meyers was among the first to land in Africa very early in the morning of November 8... “Safe arrival messages have been received from Lloyd Corcoran and James O’Toole--one sailed east and one sailed west,”…Edwin Hitchcock is making nice recovery from a serious appendicitis operation Nov. 28 in Salina. He is in charge of physical education in one

December 10, 1942, page 2            -

of the Junior High Schools there. Just address your message to “Hitch”--they know him there as we did here…Those home on furloughs or leave include: Pvt. Haddow Vernon, Camp Rucker; Sgt. Elmer Smith; T/Sgt. Leslie Carter, Lt. and Mrs. Orval Harold, all of Ft Leonard Wood; Pvt. Edwin May of San Antonio; Bernie Rubendall of Pismo Beach, Calif. visited his parents in Denver; Cadet Bil1Smick en route to Norman, Okla.; Cpl. Dale McConnell of Santa Ana, Calif.; Cpl. Elvin Meixner of Tampa, Florida; Pvt. Elvin Furlong, en route from Ft. Knox to Camp Polk, La.; Pvt. Carl Kleidosty, Leesville, La.; Pvt. Geo. Allacher of Ft. Bragg; Sgt Helmuth (Barney) Allacher en route from Ft Monmouth to San Francisco; Cpl and Mrs. Francis Brown of Lowry Field, Pfc. Maurice Foster; Francis Welter, A S; Sgt and Mrs. Virgil Davison, Camp Funston; Capt. and Mrs. Sam Francis and son, Harrison, of Ft Warren; Glenn Marcuson, A S. of Great Lakes, Pfc Lewis Tuxhorn, of Ft Knox; Sgt. Leo Rathbun and Cpl. Harry Unger Of Camp San Luis Obispo; Sgt. Lloyd Perrill, Camp Tyson, Tenn.;  Cpl. Daniel Hess, Ft. Bragg; Pvt. Tommie Townsend Camp Barkley; Pvt. Joe Zwickl,  Indianapolis; Marvin Leitner, Camp Selby; Pvt. Floyd Bryan, Rosecrans Field, St. Joseph; Dale Carlisle, S 2/c from Charlestown; Cpl. Lawrence Urban of Ft Knox…The Marines have landed in Goodland where basic flight training is taught…For your address book: Pvt. Royce Harold, Ft. Knox; Sgt. Elton Sebaugh--Los Angeles; Meredith Huff, OCS, Luke Field, Phoenix, Ariz.; Pvt. Dale Jordan is transferred to North Carolina.; John Reiple, cook, is “somewhere” in England;  Cpl. Vincent Welter, Ft. Lexington, Ky.; Francis Escher and Myron Fleckenstein of the Marine Corps are overseas in the Pacific area; Cpl. Dean (Brick) Miller, Portland Air Base;   San Francisco—Pvt. Raymond Adams, Melvin Bailey F 1/c, Dean Hinze AM 3/c, Rex Gill, S 2/c; Los Angeles, Pvt. Alford Banta; Niland, Pvt. Vergil McKinzie  (radio and commando training); Sacramento--Capt. Lloyd Miller; Pueblo, Colo.--Cpl. Carl Stephens; Camp Kit Carson——Tech. Merlyn Cochran;  Daytona Beach, Fla.--Pfc. Fred Williams; Savannah, Ga. Air Base—T/Sgt. Wilbur Barrett; Ft. Benning, Ga.—Pvt. Russell Jenkins; Great Lakes Tr. Station--Owen Payne, A S, Ft. Sheridan, Ill.... Pvt. Wilmer Anderson; Coffeeville, Kansas--Melvin Beneda of the Air Corps; Camp McCain, Miss.--Sgt. Maynard Wennihan;  Missouri--Camp Crowder--Pvt. Harold Paschke, Pvt. Harold Adams; Ft. Leonard Wood-—Pvt. Paul Simmons; St. Louis—Pvt. Vollie  Kathka; Kansas City--Pvt. Dallas Kolsky;  New Jersey--Ft. Monmouth--Lt. Wm. Huey.  New Guinea --Sgt. Kenneth Williams… Albuquerque, N. M.--A/C Mark Cleland; Maxton, N. C.-—Cpl. Harry Brown; Camp Butner—Pvt. Kenneth Vernon; Texas--Ft. Bliss-- Cpl. Carl Haresnape;  Camp Hulen--Pvt. Glenn Mott;  Camp Hood--Pfc. Guy Bryan, Pvt. Lowell Olson; Moore Field...A/C Marvin Barrett; Ft. Worth, Pvt. Howard Wright. Norfo1k, Va…Ensign Kenneth Norton, Cpl Blaine Hagadorn;  Fort Myer, Va.--Cpl. Ray Votapka....We are enclosing with this letter a list of those whom we have on our mai1ing list--or in some instances, hope to have. Won’t you help in keeping yours up-to-date?  The whole of the State of Kansas is to observe a practice blackout. on December 14…The second generation includes: A son born to Mr. and Mrs. Shirley Barrett of Calif., Charles Dennis, son of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Gilmartin (Marjorie Hitchcock) of Los Angeles; Rebecca Mae, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Gibson (Loraine Carper) of Santa Barbara; A daughter to Pvt. Lawrence and Mavis-Cody Urban; A daughter, Linda, to the late Marion Drescher, MM 1/c and Mrs. Drescher at Jamaica Plains, Mass. on November 17....Mrs. Marion Drescher received word from the Department of the Navy on Nov. 27 that Marion Drescher, MM 1/c was “Lost at Sea.” Marion, a D.C.HS. graduate with the class of ‘32, enlisted as a regular in 1936. After serving four years, most of the time on the U.S.S. Mississippi, he took Diesel engineering at New London, Conn. A letter from him last summer indicated extremely active duty for many months and a particularly keen insight into the privileges and responsibilities of an America both at war and at peace...The Lund Church recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary jubilee. They are building a new church on the site of the old, each of the members contributing their time to the building in regular rotation while the ladies furnish the dinners...The estimate on the state corn crop was that it was the best since 1915 with an average yield of 31 bu. An early frost cut the yield in Decatur County but it is still good....Gerald Weaver, band instructor has gone to Pratt, Kansas as band instructor there. It is hoped the lower altitude will benefit his small son’s health. The new instructor is Clayton Krehbiehl of Kansas University....On December 9, the members of the Farm Bureau and 4-H clubs will hold their annual dinner.... “We have heard a lot about the 1942 crop of rats but didn’t truely realize these rodents were so bad until we hear a woman from the farm say she was not putting the car in the garage, because the rats were so bad. She said they had eaten the radiator hose connections off the truck, and she wasn’t going to risk the rats making a meal on one of the car tires.”--Herald....Doreen Paddock has been absent from her work at the Farmers National Bank, suffering from the after affects of the flu… “One can get something of an idea on how the population is shifting around over the country from this--Last July there were 44 members of an organization of an auxiliary police signed up for work in McCook. In getting ready for the coming blackout test on the 14th, a check was made of these men and it was found that only 13 are now residents of the city. Some of those missing had gone into the armed forces while others had moved away to take jobs in defense work....Mary Lou Davis of Kansas Wesleyan and Carol Stevenson of K.U. were chosen among those to represent their schools in the Collegiate “ Who’s Who”....It is Manhattan Beach, Calif. for Julius Piller, well known band director...The new car licenses will be tiny plates with the date of “l943” to be attached to the old....Faye Walker has resigned her position as chief operator and cashier for the Telephone Co. The position will now be filled by Mrs. Howard Saum...Wallace Wolfe is the deputy County Attorney in the absence of Aldeverd Metcalf while on military duty...Well, gas rationing is in effect, The basic allowance at present is 4 gallons a week, with allowances made for country trucks and cars driving.

December 10--page 3.

It isn’t half bad...Mr. and Mrs. Paul Griffith (Florence Hudson) and daughters have moved  from Clay Center to Manhattan where he will hold the position as County Agent…Ike Kern, our present County Agent, has been hospitalized at Hays for several weeks following a major operation for the correction of a spinal injury suffered several years ago. He is coming along satisfactorily ....Again Decatur went over the top on the November bond quota…There is still considerable activity in the oil field--a derrick has been erected on the Hale farm west of Norcatur--a seismograph crew are located in Oberlin and have opened offices here——an oil test is being drilled in Thomas County....Among recent deaths are: Mrs. Bruce Moore, Mrs. Rebecca Birdsell, Jim McGee, J. A. Amlin, and Hjalmer Henningson…In the twenty-five year ago items it mentions that Gerald Benton and Raymond Wolfe, who had been attending training school a Ft. Sheridan, Ill, had received commissions as lieutenants...In the two final football games of the season, Oberlin lost to both McCook and to Norton, with the score of the latter game 25--0 in favor of the home team. Lt. John Wilcoxon achieved what, no doubt, has been a life long ambition-- life on a tropical isle even though but for a few days. The plane was forced down by engine trouble, so until repairs were made, they found the situation novel and enjoyable. It is now a “Safe Arrival” cable....While en route from Denver, Erwin and Pvt. Carol Hall and their father, Ed Hal1, escaped serious injury in the accident caused by their car skidding on ice...Mrs. Dorothy Counter-Bainter has joined Norman in Denver. Mrs. Merle Nelson visited Dennis at Scott Field, while Mrs. Guy Byran (Olivia Urban) has gone to Texas to be near her husband, Pfc. Guy Bryan at Camp Hood.  Mrs. Virginia Landau-Emerson spent Thanksgiving with Lloyd at Shepperd Field...The state wrestling tournament is scheduled for Salina…Eris Wenger has  returned from Los Angeles....Ernest Wi1son is pastor of the M.E. Church at Pittsburg, Calif.  He is also attending the Pacific School of Religion at Berkley, Calif. This is his first pastorate....Frank Beneda will soon return to Oberlin from McCook where he has been since the tornado last April. He is making a gradual but slow recovery. His parents have rebuilt their home and he will soon join them. Incidentally, I be- lieve that is the only place to be rebuilt after the disastrous storm. In most instances, where the storm spent its fury, a stranger refuses to believe a home and farmlot ever existed on the spot... Decatur County received a salvage pennant for excellence in the scrap drive.  Our average was 105 lbs. per capita....Vincent Landau is about again following injury in an auto accident.....Marriages: Lt. Wayne Steele and Ethlyn Bainter in Texas; Florence Mary Sanders and Edward Railsback in Buffalo, N. Y.   Mrs. Mable Johnston and Glenn Hanson in Goodland;  Bonnie Dodson and Duane Terrell of Alton, Kansas;  Mildred Jording and Ervin Kruse, C 3/c,at Reno, Nevada; Sgt. Lloyd Perril and Ivalee June Ford of Norton; Pauline Eiler, now teaching in Westmoreland, Ks., and l/Sgt. Vernon L. Loomis;  Geraldine Paddock and Lt. Edwin Robertson in Oberlin on Nov. 22--they will be located at Ft. Warren, where Edwin took his officer’s training; Agnes Schaefer and Shirley Bell; Lila Saywell of Sheffield, Ala. and Ted Garrett on Nov. 6--Ted works for the Tennessee Valley Authority ...In the fifty years ago item——Miss Cora D. Jackson and Joseph H. Young....Roy Thornburg has been called back to duty on the railroad so the fami1y, including Ethel who is here for the duration, have moved to McCook...Recent visitors were Ray and Beverly Barnes-Higley and children Earl and Dianne of Atwood…Others included: Duane and Vera Barrett-Vessey and Dorothy Hanson of Wichita; Mr. and Mrs. E. M. Brooks of Atchison--Max and wife are still at Bowling Green, Ky. where he is a federal bank examiner; Mr. and Mrs. S. O. Stowell of Lebanon, Ks;  Mr. and Mrs. Max Vernon of WallaWalla, Wash., Mr. and Mrs. Reynold Peterson of Marquette, Ks; Ethel VanGundy-Rebhan, husband and children of Calif. who are moving to Decatur Co.; Russell Sedustine of Oakland, Calif. Mrs. Grace Banta-Dodt of Kansas City; Mrs. John H. Nelson (Katherine Langmade) of Lawrence--she sang beautifully at the school assembly; from Denver--Helen Wickham, Mrs. Bertha Compton-Rea; Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Jordan; Helen Kiser, and Bernice Davison; Harlow and Evelyn Hendricks-Johnson en route from Long Beach to Oklahoma City, where Bill will be foreman of a branch defense plant; Duane Eller, en route from Pando, Colo. to Manhattan...Mrs. Flossie Shields-Sloan is working in the Farm Bureau office while Faye Koehler is in the Welfare office.  Mrs. Irel Barnes-Hayes is a nurse at the Oberlin Clinic, while her husband John Hayes is in the service....The wheat fields are in excellent condition and tucked away snug and warm for the winter.  Piles of corn adorn every farmyard and there is ample feed for livestock.  If someone would just slip me a quart of Prestone for my car all would be well....Cpl. Ray Votapka made the goal and is in the Army Music School at Ft. Myer training to become a band leader and a Warrant Officer....T/Sgt. Wilbur Barrett is now located at Savannah where he is in the Tow Target Sqd…S/Sgt. Ray D. Banzet is overseas with a Bombardment Squadron....Taking care of an army mule sounds like quite a prosaic job but from what I hear they sometimes get quite a kick out of it…It is Wichita, Kansas for Ambrose Hoffman....Ed Dissinger, physical education instructor, football and track coach, and assistant principal, reported December 8 at Scott Field where he will take training in radio instruction prior to his induction…New enlistees include: Caroll Johnson, Air Corps, Lubbock, Texas;  James Betts, Jr.--Navy Air Corps, awaiting call; Eugene Guinn, Navy; Daughn Avery, Lee Waldo, Jack O’Toole report to Omaha Dec. 11--Navy, I believe; Boyd Roberts of Des Moines reports on Naval Sea and Bee, Dec 13; while Paul Roberts reports for some sort of military duty from Albuquerque, N M. at nearly the same time. That will make four of the Roberts—Joe, Paul, Boyd and “Shorty”. Leo Bendon, Sr., veteran of World War I; in addition there are quite a number who had begun the preliminaries of enlistment prior to the order eliminating enlistments who as yet are uncertain of their status.

December 10, 1942--page 4

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Wednesday, October 20, 2004