54TH Troop
Carrier Wing
NEWSLETTER December,
2004 |
Reunion news from groups serving under the 54th Troop Carrier Wing:
2nd CCG, 6th CCS--Since, they hold
reunions every two years, they should be making their 2005 plans soon. Despite health problems since last fall, Tilson
& Dorothy King continue to do a great job with a Newsletter in which
they share news of their members. They
still hope to get back to their other love—playing golf. For the last 15 years they had helped organize
a “golf outing” to raise money for their alma mater, Manchester College, where
they met each other in the early 1940’s.
Through the years this affair has raised over a half million dollars for
the school’s Athletic Department.
2nd CCG, 7th CCS---The Hilton
Garden Inn in Oklahoma City, OK proved a fine place for a reunion. This was their 18th and well planned by Joan
King and daughter Jean-Marie Otto.
Another daughter, Clair, and the sons-in-law also
helped. Visits to the Cowboy and
Western Museum, and the Murrah Federal Building Bombing Memorial proved
interesting and very worthwhile. Of the 45 attendees, only 12 were
veterans. That led to discussion about
whether to keep going. They are now
polling all their members about another reunion. Since Bruce Sorum, son of Marvin and Ethel Sorum has
volunteered to host, let’s hope they
get enough “Yes” answers to have a 19th reunion.
.
The 2nd
CCG, 8th CCS—More than 50 people enjoyed the reunion at Phoenix, AZ, last
October. Some visited Grand Canyon
National Park before or after the reunion. Accommodations at the Embassy Suites Hotel were great. They
included a cooked-to- order breakfast each day. At their business meeting Earl Childs offered to host
their next reunion at Wichita, KS.
Since then he has reserved rooms at the Airport Hilton Hotel for October
7-9, 2005. For questions e-mail him at earlnsandra@aol.com
or phone 316/722-8591
The 317th TCG—A fabulous reunion
was held last September at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Milwaukee,
WI. Each person received a large photo
of paratroopers jumping from a C-47 plane and a 36” sign with color insignia of
the 317th’s four squadrons and HQ. At
the door of the hospitality room was a 5-foot cut-out of Bob Hope and Frances
Langford motion activated to sing “Thanks for the Memories” when anyone passed
by. Trips included Milwaukee City Tour, and Miller Brewing Co; and in Oshkosh,
the Experimental Aircraft Association Museum and Basler Turbo Conversions. At the latter, old planes are rebuilt and
the 1500 lb engines are replaced with 500 lb turbo props. The members learned that it costs $5-6
million to completely rebuild and refurbish an old C-47.
At the group’s Farewell
Dinner a message from the President Bush was read, and souvenirs and door
prizes were distributed. What a great
job Len and Fran Stoltz and their daughter Susie did! Next year, Vince & Celeste Krobath
will host the reunion in St. Louis, MO.
374th TCG, 33rd TCS---Tentative
plans are being made for an April reunion in the Dallas-Ft Worth area if enough
can come. Bob Monson reports that although they have invited members of
the other squadrons of the 374th, not many seem interested or
maybe just are not able to travel. If
you would like e to come to a reunion in April, contact Bob at bobnanmon@earthlink.net or 1310
Daveric Dr, Pasadena, CA 91107 or phone 626/351-9314
The 375th TCG, 55th TCS—Their 2004
reunion was held in September in Branson with thirty attending. They highly recommend the Grand Plaza
Hotel. Highlights included visits to
the Veteran’s Museum (“well-planned and worth a visit”), the Stone Hill Winery,
the Shoji Tachuchi Show (“one of the best”), and the Buck Trent breakfast
show. (Charles Lemon’s
quotes) The 55th’s members are now
being polled to determine interest in a 2005 reunion in Washington, DC. Good luck!
375th TCG, 58th TCS—No reunions,
but their scribe, Bill Woznek, keeps the members informed. In his last Newsletter he sent a copy of the
front page of the “Tokyo Trolley” dated 30 August 1945. The various flight crewmembers describe
their first sighting of Mt. Fujiyama, which made them realize that they were at
last reaching home stretch. The many
Japanese they saw were friendly and curious.
One asked what “Tokyo Trolley” meant on the planes. Capt. Ringo answered, “It means that we’ve
been on the way up here and this is the end of the line.”
The 433rd TCG---A great reunion was held in Washington,
DC, a place with so much to see! And
they did a good job seeing it—The White House, the new WWII Memorial,
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, National Cathedral, Korean War Memorial,
Vietnam Wall, Lincoln Memorial, Dulles Museum with the Enola Gay, Mount Vernon,
and Arlington National Cemetery with the Changing of the Guard, which brought
tears to some eyes. They certainly are
lucky to have Carmen Kight for their planner. She is now making plans for next year in Tampa. She also asked me to remind all the members
to get their pictures and stories to her now for the book she wants to
publish very soon. She wants stories
from your memories, and “as you were” pictures of you, your sweethearts and/or
wives who waited for you so many long months.
820th MAES—They held their reunion
at San Diego, CA in Oct 2003, with only three vets and their families
attending. Not to be discouraged, they
decided to try again in Oct. 2004.
However, they got only one additional member to reply favorably, (and lost
one of the other three by death) so finally decided to cancel. Seventeen on their list responded, but due
to health difficulties (call that mostly just too many years of living) many
cannot travel. Sal Mistretta is
their scribe. He hopes to keep their Newsletter “The Flying Duck”
going. The P.S. on his last note
advised, “Don’t get old.”
***********
Everything is Wonderful
My face in the mirror
Isn’t wrinkled or
drawn.
My house isn’t dirty,
The cobwebs are gone.
My garden looks lovely
And so does my lawn.
I think I might never
Put my glasses back on!
***********
---E-mail brings
interesting notes---
Peter Dunn of Australia had a
great web site about Australia at War found at http://www.ozatwar.com. Move down until you see the 5th Air force
insignia and you will find your group and/or squadron listed under “Transport
Groups”. He earlier asked for
corrections and I gave him some. Please
check to see if any of you have corrections or additions. If so, please e-mail him at pdunn@st.net.au and also please let me
know mcmurrys@bigfoot.com
A man from North Carolina wrote that he had “picked
up” an old photo album that had been owned by M. Stosic. He had found Glenn’s
autobiography at www.gregssandbox.com/mcmurry and noted that Mike Stosic
was barber for those in Glenn’s group. (Mike, what do you know about this?)
Joe Eken, 374th TCG, 21st TCS,
sent a note of appreciation for the Newsletter. He noted that he keeps his 5th Air Force patch in a wine bottle
over his bar where he sees it every day.
Unfortunately, after back problems and two operations, he feels his
reunion days are over.
Charles Channell, son of Lynn Channell, 21st ASG,
noted that he has seen copies of
“Moresby to Manila” for sale on the Internet on Ebay and at ABE (http://www.abebooks.com) priced from $50 to
$196. So you see what a valuable book
you have if you are lucky enough to have your own copy, even if it isn’t in
such good shape after all these years.
Seems as if taking it to a printer and getting a number of copies made
works. Some time ago Jack Harrier
made copies for the 333rd Signal and recently
Vince Krobath reported that the 317th TCG had 90 copies made.
Charles Channell also said he and his brothers were
taking their father to visit the WWII Memorial in DC. Hopefully, many of you will get to see it.
(Note: Other web sites to look for old books are: http://www.alibris.com, http://www.addall.com
and http://www.bookfinder.com I tried these and got much the same
results.)
Another member of the 21st Air Service Group has
been found. Jay Biddle called and then
e-mailed information about his father, Walter R Sharp. E-mail Jay Biddle at Jbiddle@ococean.com or contact his
grandfather, Walter R Sharp, 103
Robinhood Trl, Berlin, MD 21811. Telephone 410/641-8468
Bob Wikso, research librarian at
the Air Mobility command Museum, an official field museum at Dover AFB,
Delaware, wrote that they are gathering info for a future exhibit on Troop
Carrier Groups, and, of course, Squadrons. They want yearbooks, histories, photos, missions info, and artifacts. Contact them before sending artifacts. The
address is Air Mobility Museum, 1301 Heritage Rd, Dover AFB, DE 19902. E-mail www.amcmuseum.org Telephone-1-302/677-5938
Some have already sent
materials to Dover.
John Rains found our
website and put us in contact with his friend who he knew had been in the
375th. The friend, Russell J. Holmes,
wrote that he was a pilot of C-46 aircraft in the 375th TCG, 56th TCS in the
Philippines, Okinawa and Japan. He would like to hear from others in his
squadron. His addresses are rusholmes@paonline.com and by slow
mail, Box 95, Seven Valleys, PA 17360-0095.
Frank Hathaway, 374th TCG, 6th TCG reported that he and Blaine
Loudin attended a reunion of “Pilot Classes of 1944”. He explained that anyone who got his pilot
wings from any Army Flight Advanced school that year is eligible to join the
organization. He expects the 2005
reunion to be in Las Vegas. For more
information write to Stan Yost, Pilot Classes of 1944, 13671 Ovenbird Dr, Fort
Myers, FL 33908. Phone 239/466-1473
After reading about General
Prentiss in Glenn’s story at http://www.gregssandbox.com/mcmurry,
two of the general’s grandchildren wrote they would love to hear from anyone
who knew him. Both were born after his
death July, 1953. One sent a newspaper clipping titled “Electric Shock Kills General” explaining that he was
killed when he came into contact with a 220-volt wire while using his circular
saw. If you have stories to share, write o Patricia Martin. FordA2@aol.com and/or Drew Blaha, Drew.Blaha@gilbarco.com
Dick Loach, 54th TCW, HQ, wrote
from “Sunny Florida” that he and his wife had finally recovered from surgeries
and long hospital stays and they had also survived Hurricane Charley. Wondering how the rest of you were
affected by all those hurricanes. Hope
all are OK by now.
Michael Dec wrote that his dad, Walter F Dec,
was in a bomber group and then in Sept ’45 was assigned to the 375th TCG,
58th TCS. He has pictures of C-46’s
numbered X185 and X192. He would like
to know what the “X” means and what the unit did after the war. Can any of you help him? His address is 67 Elkview Dr, Forest City,
PA 18421 -- e-mail is Michael.j.dec@baesystems,com and phone 570/785-5318 (If you know, please tell me also so I can
share with others)
Mary Brennan, granddaughter of Daniel Brennan,
54th TCW, HQ, found our web site. She
said she grew up hearing stories about her grandpa and those with whom he
served in the South Pacific. She
believes these stories influenced her to major in history. She’s now a
sophomore in college and wants to compile stories about him and “boys of the
54th” (her quote). Since she’s hunting
for an e-mail group who might share stories with her, I told her I’d put her request in the Newsletter. Her e-mail address is mcbrenna@uiuc.edu. I warned her that too many who served with
her grandfather, like him, have also died.
Nevertheless, I’m sure some of you remember him and the Irish jokes he
furnished for quite a few issues of the Newsletter.
Harold Schultz, 374th TCG, 22nd
TCS, sent a “Happy Days are Here Again” e-mail on his 84th birthday, September
4th. Five years ago his doctor informed
him he had cancer. Now five years
later, he has told him he no longer has cancer! In addition, his wife’s health is much improved. I really welcome
such messages and thought his friends would also like to hear his good
news.
---My mailbox brings
interesting news---
Congressman David Dreier of San Gabriel Valley
interviewed about 100 vets for the Library of Congress’s oral history
project. Bob Monson, 374th TCG,
33rd TCS participated and reports that it was an interesting experience. He
even got his picture in the local paper.
If you want to be included, contact your congressman.
Congratulations are due to James Frew, 374th
TCG, 6th TCS. He has written another book, “Volcano Santorini”. Here are quotes from a
newspaper article: “James Frew is a writer, architect and former aviator, who
has lived in the Bahamas for more than 40 years.” His book is a “White-knuckle thriller that educates and
entertains.” He has written other
books, among them, the “Bahamas Passage”.
His newest book is on sale in bookstores and at Amazon and Barnes &
Noble on the Internet. In his note he
added a note of appreciation for the 54th Newsletter. His US address is PO Box 21743, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33335-01743
Mel Clack, 374 TCG, 22nd TCS, sent
a video tape about Fred Hargescheimer, who was shot down over New Guinea while
on a photo reconnaissance mission in July, 1943. After living for a month off the land, he came upon a native
village. He hesitated to approach until he heard the singing of a familiar
tune, “Onward, Christian Soldiers”. The villagers, who has been visited by
missionaries many years before, welcomed him and kept him hidden from the
Japanese for seven months until a sub
came by and took him back to Australia.
He learned that the natives had saved others and 17 years later some
went back to the area and established a school. Later, in cooperation with others who had been rescued, both in
the South Pacific and Europe,
organizations were formed and the men continued to give aid to those who saved
them. In New Guinea in addition to the
school, they also established a clinic and helped build a church. Fred and his wife even lived with the
natives for some time. Mel Clack wanted
me to share this story as an example of how one person can make a difference
in the world.
Veronica Mato, widow of Frank Mato, 54th TCW, HQ, is also a
veteran. She was in the Marines and is
active in her local American Legion Post, serving as adjutant to the commander
this year for her third term. She was
honored this year as the Legionnaire of the Year. She sent clippings about the U.S. Air Force Memorial
being built on the Navy Annex grounds in Arlington. Groundbreaking was on September 15th with a projected completion date of September, 2006. It is to honor the present Air Force as well
as the pre-1947 US Army Air Corps. So
it is for all you members of the 54th Troop Carrier Wing.
In Bill Woznek’s
58th Newsletter he enclosed a page, dated
Sept, 1959, about the “Caterpillar Club”. Anyone who was forced
to parachute from his disabled plane to save his life is eligible to join the
club. It started in the early 1920’s
and was named by Milton St. Clair of McCook Field. He got the idea for the name from a Caterpillar Tractor ad. He thought of the connection of caterpillars
(silk worms) with the silk from which his parachute was made. The club has grown from five in 1922, to
nearly 50,000 around the world since WWII.
To apply one must write to the manufacturer of your parachute giving all
the details of your jump. You should
then receive a Membership Card, and in the case of the Irvin Airchute Company,
a gold caterpillar-shaped pin with small ruby stones for eyes. According to this 1959 article, Leslie Irvin
was the founder of the world’s largest parachute manufacturing plant. (I wonder
when nylon began to be used for parachutes.
Glenn sent one to me and his aunt made my wedding dress from it so it
was ready when he got home in July, 1945.)
A big “Thank You” to the all of you who called,
wrote, e-mailed, and/or sent mailing expense money. I’m running out of space in this Newsletter and am afraid if I
tried to list all of you, I’d leave out someone. However, please know I truly did appreciate hearing from each
one of you.
Maxine Mead, widow of Charles
mead, 374th TCG, 33rd TCS – 7/27/04 – Bob Monson attributes her with keeping
the squadron together beginning in the 1960’s and through the 1990’s before he
took over the Newsletter.
Allan Glover, 374th TCG, 22nd
TCS. His wife wrote after she received
the June Newsletter. (no date)
Raymond Epling, 374th TCG, 6th
TCS. His wife called to say he died May
21, 2004 of cardiac arrest.
James C Anderson, Jr, 415th Signal
Co – 12/26/03 –age 89. His daughter wrote about his death and asked that she
might remain on our mailing list.
Ralph Collett, 820th MAES. Sal Mistretta wrote that Ralph died
suddenly, not long after attending their Oct 2003 reunion in San Diego.
Note:
I know that in each of your groups you have received the sad word about
the deaths of others on your mailing lists.
I only include here those who had been kept on the 54th TCW mailing list
because of having shown an interest in it.
*************
I don’t remember
getting old—but, then, I just don’t remember lots of things! However, here’s a good thing to remember
for the New Year, 2005---Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, but only saps
today of its strength.
Happy Holidays and may
2005 hold much happiness for you and your loved ones!
Darlene McMurry
8944 Krueger St
Culver City, CA
90232-2437
Phone-310/559-8331
mcmurrys@bigfoot.com