1945 . . .
In Uniform
Sioux City Journal
29 May 1945
Ronald L. Butcher, seaman second class of the Seabees, left Monday for Camp Endicott, Providence, R. I. He has just completed 10-day leave with his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Archie Butcher, 3710 Orleans.
T. Sgt. Ira M. Linder arrived Monday morning from St. Louis to join his wife and daughter Lucy, 1507 Jackson street. T. Sgt. Linder, formerly stationed at the Sioux City air base, recently returned to the States after two years in north Africa and Italy.
Ensign John Rew, former Sioux Cityan, was commissioned last week at Northwestern university. His father, Col. Howard Rew, has been in Italy. Ensign Rew is spending his leave with his mother at New Orleans, La.
Air Cadet Bruce R, Lamport, stationed at Iowa City, is spending a 14-day furlough with his mother, Mrs. Agnes Lamport, 2610 Palmetto street.
Second Lt Everett L. Hooks, son of Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Hooks, 4321 Van Buren street, has been assigned to Gulfport army airfield, Miss., for combat crew duty aboard a B-29 Superfortress.
Carlton Bindner, technician fifth grade, son of Mr. and Mrs. B. J. Bindner, former residents of Sioux City, who now reside in Mankato, Minn., is a member of a headquarters and service company, of an amphibian tractor battalion at Okinawa.
S. Sgt. Emory S. Hostetler, 4301 Harrison street, is a squad leader with an infantry division fighting on Ryukyu island.
Pfc. Dennie C. Smith, whose wife resides in Sioux City, has received the good conduct medal. He is in the mess section of a fighter wing at an Eighth A. A. F. station in England.
Frances Josephine Stephens, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold F. Stephens, 2021 S. Royce street, was recently promoted to seaman first class. She is an inspector of aircraft equipment at the naval air station in Jacksonville, Fla
Martin Thomas, whose wife resides at 2601 Chicago avenue, was promoted recently to sergeant. With the United States forces in France, he operates a paper processing machine which develops the paper on which the V-mail letters have been photographed.
Devela Rich, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Glenn T. Rich, 1322 S. Cornelia street, has been promoted to sergeant. She is in a quartermaster unit in Manila.
Pfc. Darrell J. Mishler, whose wife lives at 321 W. Sixth street, has been awarded the silver star medal for gallantry in action on March 7. His citation said, "As Pfc. Mishler and a companion moved forward to establish a company command post, they were pinned down by machine gun fire emanating from a nearby barn. The men advanced to the barn and routed the well armed Germans occupying it. Later in the day, when two men were wounded by artillery in front of the command post, Pfc. Mishler and his comrade went into the street during continued shelling, administered first aid to one soldier who was still alive, and directed his evacuation. Mishler's courage, initiative and devotion to duty are in accord with military traditions." He entered service on January 27, 1943.
Robert J. Volin, son of Mrs. J. F. Volin, 2115 Grandview boulevard, and S. Sgt. Lloyd S. Hovland, son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hovland, 1225 Cornelia street, have been awarded air medals for participating in the "precedent- shattering" low altitude incendiary missions against the Japanese mainland. Both men are based on Tinian where Lt. Volin is a flight engineer and Sgt. Hovland is a precision instrument operator with the 11th bomber command.
T.-5 Glen M. Holt, whose wife lives at 4547 Garfield street is a member of an aviation ordnance company which has been awarded the meritorious service unit plaque for performance of exceptionally difficult tasks and superior performance of normal duties in England and the liberated countries of Europe. T.-5 Holt is a mechanic in an automotive repair section.
Sgt. Russell L. Basalyga, whose wife lives at 2801 Macomb avenue, is a crew chief at an air depot in England. Sgt. Basalyga entered the service in April, 1942, and served at Keesler field, Miss., Sioux City army air base and Tyndall field, Fla., before going overseas in December, 1943.
Ralph R. Crawford, 2614 Isabella street, has been promoted to gunner's mate second class. He has participated in 27 attacks against the Japanese and went through the typhoon which claimed three destroyers off the Philippines last December.
Myrle D. Wetzbarger, chief signalman, son of Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Wetzbarger, 512 Perry street, has been awarded the purple heart for burns suffered in the battle of Lingayen gulf when a bomb exploded on the deck of his ship. A veteran of seven years in the navy, Signalman Wetzbarger won his ninth Pacific battle star in that action. Joining the fleet in 1938, he served in both the Pacific and Atlantic. He saw action in the Aleutians during the reoccupation of Kiska and Attu, the Gilbert Islands, the Marshalls. the Marianas, the three Philippine campaigns, the initial Leyte landings and Mindanao.
T. Sgt. Robert B. Wray, son of Mr. and Mrs. O. L. Wray. 1624 Summit street, has been awarded the purple heart for wounds received on Okinawa. T. Sgt. Wray now in a fleet hospital somewhere in the south Pacific, has been a marine since October, 1942. He was stationed at El Centro, Cal., before going overseas. He was graduated from Central high school and formerly was employed in the mailing department of The Journal.
Bill G. Bennette, first class petty officer in the coast guard, recently spent a 10-day leave with his wife and daughter, Sherry Anne, who live at 210 S. Westcott street. He also visited relatives and friends at Battle Creek, la. Bennette, who has just returned from Greenland, has served in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Sgt. Vernon F. Longlee a former Sioux Cityan now of Tulare, Cal. participated in the invasion of Germany and the liberating of allied prisoners.
Pvt. George R. Betsworth, 3426 Davis avenue, is receiving basic training at Fort Lewis. Washington.
Oscar W. Sandbeck. 2323 S. Cleveland street, has entered the field artillery officer candidate school at Fort Sill, Okla. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar P Sandbeck of Correctionville, la.
Pfc. Fireman F. Petersen, son of Niels Petersen. 1412 Myrtle street has been awarded the good conduct medal. He is a member of the 81st infantry division which last fall wrested the Palau and other wester Caroline islands from the Japs.
In Uniform
Sioux City Journal
30 May 1945
C. N. Thompson, boatswain's mate second class, whose wife resides at 3410 Fifth avenue, is an ammunition passer aboard a ship in the Pacific. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Chelsea Thompson, 311 W. second street.
Donald B. Higgins, seaman second class, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Higgins, 2601 Jones street, is at the naval receiving station at Pearl harbor. He was formerly stationed aboard the U. S. S. Honolulu.
Ensign ' Harry H. Smith, whose wife resides at 1208 Summit street, is attached to a unit of the fleet assigned to keeping the sea lanes clear of enemy fleet units. His duty is communications in merchant shipping. He is the son of Mrs. Robert Smith, 2411 Jennings street.
Cpl. Edward H. Murphy of the marine corps, 808 W. Fourth street, recently fought the Japanese on Okinawa with a machine-gun bullet in his neck, His squad was the point of a patrol combing the mountains when they ran into a nest of Jap machineguns in hillside caves. When a machine- gun bullet pierced the side of Cpl. Murphy's neck, he rolled out of the line of fire but remained in action to regroup his squad. Then for nearly an hour he remained on the line, directing fire until medical corpsmen and stretcher bearers moved in to evacuate the wounded.
Robert Sumner, who is in the navy, has written his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Blackstone, 3729 Floyd avenue, that he hopes to reach Long Beach. Cal., soon and get a leave. He has been in the navy for three years and was with the task forces that invaded Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Cpl. Glenn E. Thompson, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. C. Thompson, 1910 Virginia street, is taking training in a quartermaster laundry detachment in Oahu, Hawaii. Cpl. Thompson recently was a member of a refrigeration company. He entered the army March 4, 1943. His wife and son reside at 1200 Court street.
Capt. Arthur E. Detrick, son of Joseph Detrick, 215 W. Third street, has been awarded a bronze star for meritorious service as commander of a quartermaster truck company from July, 1944, to January 31, 1945, in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. The citation accompanying the medal said he capably supervised his unit in traveling more than 500,000 road miles and hauling countless tons of supplies and thousands of troops.
Richard B. Engleman, jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Engleman, 2600 First street, recently was promoted to technical sergeant. He is in Germany. Sgt Engleman entered the army in February, 1943, and attended an engineering and operations clerical school at Greley, Colo. He was assigned to his present organization, the first air force organization to fly from German soil, in July, 1943, and went overseas in December of that year.
Sgt. Larry Curtis, who has completed 35 missions over Germany as a radar operator on a B-17, is home on furlough, visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Curtis, 119 Cecelia street.
