THE4'12 Gregory Ave. Weehawken, N. J. 07087

Volume XXXVI Number 3

THE NINTH INFANTRY DIVISION ASSOCIATION ___......... ,." hw ...Oc:IaIoiI

May-June-July 1986

42nd Memorial Massand Service

ATTENTION LADIES'AUXILIARY

MEMBERS ANDNON-MEMBERS

Our Ladies' AuxiliaryMeeting will be heIr! on Friday,July 24, 1987 at 10:00 A.M. Themeeting, which promises to bean interesting and pleasurableone, will be followed by a lun­cheon.

To insure your place, we areasking anyone who is interestedin the luncheon to send a $5.00deposit to the chairperson. Cutoff date for the deposit will beJuly 13, 1987.

Mrs. Phyllis Perna2642 South Juniper Street

Philadephia, Pa. 19148The Ladies Auxiliary's

members were kept husy at thereunion and as they hold elec­tion of officers every other yeartheir time was spend with othermatters. They raise their ownfunds each year by holding araffle and this year HenriettaLynch won the afghan blanketdonated by Lyl Gonzel andPhyliss Perna won the drawingby Mary Maness. They weretwo happy women.

The Phillv-Delaware ValleyChapter m~mbers have bee'ntoiling away for this past yearmaking plans for the 1987reunion that they will host atCamp Hill, Pennsylvania.

Camp Hill is a resort area inthe hills of Pennsylvania andlike the reunion held in LakePlacid a few years ago food andlodging will be provided for thetroops. The package includesthree (3) nights lodging, 3 fullbreakfasts, 2 full dinners, 1prime rib banquet, 2 beer par­ties and all tax and gratuity ona per person basis. Applicationsc an be found in another sectionof the Octofoil.

ReservationsAll·reservations are a must,

the earlier the better and theforms are to be mailed to thePenn Harris Inn and Conven­tion Center, PO Box 2653, Har­risburg, Pa. 17105. They mustalso be accompanied by a checkin the amount of $50.00 perroom reserved.

tion bombing opened a gap forthe armor to stream through.Many a friend died in that epicassault. Among the casualtieswas Captain \V.H. BarnwelLthe ghost of Contrasto.

AAA-OOne name stands out - ColonelPaddy Flint who was killed by asniper as he led the FightingFalcons of Anything, Any­where, Anytime - BarNothing.

Then carne the dash acrossFrance and Belgium into thedragons teeth of the SiegfriedLine and the hell of the Huert­gen Forest. Bill Heinz in theSa turday Evening Post olDecember 12, 1964, wrote "TheHuertgen Forest was the wors tof it all. The fir trees were 60feet tall and planted 10 feeta part in absolutely straightrows, and there were 200 squaremiles of it. We had to getthrough the Huertgen to get tothe two big dams that controll­ed the level of the Roer River.The 9th Division made 3,000yards here and lost 4,500 killed,wounded and missing, and oneregiment lost 2,600 out of 3,200men, inclUding, within 36 hours,four battalion commanders."

All of us who were there canremember how replacementswould be trucked in at night andhundreds of frozen bodieswould be trucked out eachmorning.

Ernest Hemingway sug­gested that it would saveeverybody a lot of trouble ifthey just shot them as soon asthey got out of the trucks.

RHINE CROSSINGFinally we found a bridge

across the Rhine fromRemagen to Erpel and theNinth under General LouisCraig was a major element insustaining the hotly contestedbridgehead.

Then came the push towardBerlin, with a pocket of SStroops in the Harz mountainsproducing a temporary halt.

.......:....:;.:.>;~JN~This will be the Command Post for the I!}X7 Reunion in ('amp Hill, Pennsylvania. Don't let thename fool vou, this site is far from a ('amp as it nestles in the hills of Pennsylvania. Not far' fromLancaster 'and the Amish ('ounh·.' it will offer the members a real relaxing vacation away fmmthe hum of dty life.

continued page 3

has reserved room in theSheraton-Lincoln Motor Innand at nearby Motels.

Fr"an lives at 14 DavenportStreet, Worcester, Mass.01610-Tel (617) 756 1803. Againwe remind you make your roomreservations as soon as possi­ble.

Following the Mass and Ser­vices at the Monument thetroops will head for theShera ton-Lincoln Inn forbrunch as in yesteryears. Withthe exception of Saturday night,which for the last few years abuffet style supper had beenserved, the weekend will be thesame except on Saturday nighta reception will take place atthe Sheraton. How can we say"will be the same" when"himself" will be missing ­Father Connors. But knowingFather we know he would wantit this way.

Pay Special Tributescattered around the 60 mmmortar which they had been fir­ing. Machine gun fire had ter­minated their attempt to dropanother round into the tube.

As I remember, the FrenchForeign Legion and theirBerber troops, the Goums, lostabout 600 dead in that en­counter and we buried over 200.

We then trooped out of Mor­rocco into Algeria through theTaza Pass toward Tunisia andthe tropical plains and djebelsaround Station de Sened andGafsa. It was there that KarlWarner, whom we calledMolotov met his fate. That wellpublicized one-man army waskilled in the Sedjenane Valley.

All of you have similar memories and a reunion such as thissharpens them and takes usback through the years.

NEXT OBJECTIVEThe mountains of Sicily were

our next objective and thenames Troina and Randazzoevoke thoughts of dear friendswho lost their lives. Palermoand Capizzi were focal pointsfor the 60th, as we eventuallyconverged on the straits ofMessina and chased theWehrmacht onto the mainlandof Italy.

Then we became the phantomarmy of General George Pattonand our experts at misinforma­tion conjectured aloud and inprint where the Ninth Divisionwould next strike.

It took a while before welearned about our next objec­tive, but soon we were in Nor­mandy on Utah beach finding inthe ditches and trees the bodiesof those airborne men who hadpaved the way for our entrance.

The way was bloody and dif­ficult as we stormed Cherbourgand the Beaumont Haguepeninsula, then turned back tobreak the German defensesalong the Saint Lo - Perier roadand with the help of a satura-

WorcesterForty-two years ago Father

Connors began what has beencalled "the annual Pilgrimage"to Worcester for the annualMass for the 4581 men of theNinth who gave their lives dur­ing World War 2.

With the demise of FatherConnors this past January wethought the Pilgrimage wouldend but the members of theNew England Chapter pickedup the Colors and will go forthand continue the Annual Massthat will be dedicated to the lov­ing memory of their Chapter'sNumber 1 member, Father Ed­ward T, Connors.

It will be held on Sunday,November 9, 1986, at the Im­maculate Conception Church,Worcester, Massachusetts, at10:00 A.M.

Once again Fran Maher hasvolunteered to arrange forbillets for the troops and Fran...............

NINTH INFANTRY DIVISIONASSOCIATION WWII MEMOR­IAL ADDRESS by Norbert J.Hennen, 60th Infantry Regi­ment Nashville, Tennessee 27June 1986

This is the day we honor allthose who have given their livesin the Nation's defense, and wepay special tribute to thosemembers of the Ninth InfantryDivision who made the sur­preme sacrifice in the cause ofWorld War II.

Let us pause to reflect ontheir courage and to considertheir challenge to us, the living.

A memorial is by definitionquite personal. No other personcan share our memories, exact­ly, and as I recall those daysfrom 1942 to 1945, which we allshared, I ask your indUlgencefor my personal reactions tothose memories which are stilletched in high relief.

Our landings on the coast ofAfrica were certainly dramaticand for most of us it was a firsttaste of combat. I went in withthe 2nd Battalion of the 60th In­fantry Combat Team at themouth of the Oued Sebou to cap­ture the airport at PortLyautey. Company E., whichhas been my command forabout two years, was no longermine but still very much in myheart. I recall that Company Elost 5 of its 6 officers in that firstassault. 'Wicker's body, shat­tered by artillery, lay on thebeach. Dushane's lay just in­side the lighthouse, and anotherLieutenant whose wedding wehad attended just a few weeksbefore at Fort Bragg, lay atop aconcrete reservoir, his righthand outstretched, killed in theact of throwing a hand grenade.

Corporal Jerde, and thebodies of most of his squad,were lying in a shallow trench,

TNIOCTO.OIL

publication No. 402820

meals for $53.00 per day perroom (two people).

PLAN I

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PLAN II

I WILL REQUIRE THE FOLLOWING ACCOMMODA'i"'IONS:____ Room(s) Single Occupancy $ Enclosed____ Room (s) Double Occupancy $ Enclosed____ Room(s) Triple Occupancy $ Enclosed____ Room(s) Quad. Occupancy $ Enclosed

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PLEASE LIST BELOW THE NAMES OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO WILL OCCUpyTHE ABOVE ROOMS:

Members can arrive beforeThursday and stay _without

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NINTH INFANTRY DIVISION ASSOCIATION 1987 REUNIONCAMP HILL, PENNSYLVANIA

JULY 23-28, 1987 .All Reservations must be made on this form and mailed to the Penn Harris Inn and

Convention Center, P.O. Box 2653, Harrisburg, PA 17105, and must be accompanied by acheck in The amount of $50 per room reserved.

The above-mentioned check must be made payable to the Penn Harris Inn and Con­vention Center.

All reservations must be received prior to June 29, 1987. Those reservations receivedafter June 29, 1987, are subject to availability.

All changes must be made in writing, when practical and must be received by thePenn Harris Inn and Convention Center no later than July 10, 1987.

Refunds will be given only to those cancellations received in writing prior to 5 p.m. onJuly 10, 1987.

You will receive confirmation of your reservation from the Penn Harris Inn and Con-vention Center.

Check in time is 3 p.m. Check out time is 1 p.m.All final payments must be either in cash or major credit card.*Payment in full is required at check in (all major credit cards accepted).*Special full American prices are available for early arrivals and late stayers.

PLAN I (July 23-26) PLAN II (July 24-26)Single Occupancy: $275 per person Single Occupancy: $202 per personDouble Occupancy: $200 per person Double Occupancy: $149 per personTriple Occupancy: $170 per person Triple Occupancy: $129 per personQuad. Occupancy: $165 per person Quad. Occupancy: $118 per personPackage includes three (3) nights lodg- Package includes two (2) nights lodg-ing, 3 full breakfasts, 2 full dinners, 1 ing, 2 full breakfasts, 1 full dinner,prime rib banquet, 2 beer parties and all 1 prime rib banquet, 1 beer party andtax and gratuity on a per person basis. all tax and gratuity on a per person

basis.

May-June-July 1986Volume XXXVI Number 3

Daniel Quinn, Secretary412 Gregory AvenueWeehawken, N.J. 01087

Thomas Boyle, Treasurer39 Hall AvenueSommerville, l'$ss 02144

THE OCTOFOILForm 2579 should be sent to

412 Gregory Avenue, Weehawken, N.J. 07087Octofoil Associated Editors

Walter O'Keeffe and Daniel QuinnNational Officers Board of GovernorsPresident 1987Carlos Esteva Norman CaswellPO Box 968 Brooklyn, N.Y.Arecibo, PR 00612 Gil Pernokas

Woburn,MaRichard Starr

Philadelphia, PaRobert DeSandy

S1. Clair Shores, MiLouis ConnorsChurchton, Md

1988Fran Maher

Worcester, MaPat DeColli

Philadelphia, PaCarlos EstevaArecibo, P.R.

Lewis GrayFontana, Wisc.

1989James Bruner

Flint, MiOliver Carter

Forestville, MdDave Heller

Highland Park, nEmil Langer

Morris Plains, NJLewis Maness

Cocoa,FIThe official publication of the Ninth Infantry Division Associa­

tion. Single copy price is 25 cents per issue or by mail $1.50 peryear payable in advance when dues are paid. Dues are $5.00 peryear with $1.50 of the $5.00 earmarked for the issues of The Oc­tofoil. Members should.notify the National Secretary, DanielQuinn, 412 Gregory Ave. Weehawken, N.J. of any change in ad­dress.

Published five times yearly, May- June-July, ­Aug.-Sept.-Qc1. - Nov.-Dec., Jan.-Feb.. , Mar.-April by and forthe members of the Ninth Infantry Division Association. Newsitems, feature stories. photographs and art material frommembers will be appreciated. Every effort will be made toreturn photographs and art work in good condition.

An extract from the certificate of incorporation of the 9th In­fantry Division Association reads: "This Association is formedby the officers and men of the 9th Infantry Division in order toperpetuate the memory of our fallen comrades, to preserve theespirit de corps of the division. to assist in promoting aneverlasting world peace exclusively of means of educational ac­tivities and to serve as an information bureau to formermembers of the 9th Infantry Division."

Copy must be received on or before the 15th of each month toguarantee publication on the 20th.

Second-Class Postage paid at Union City. N.J. Authorized asof October I, 1967.

Harrison DayshJudge Advocate4303 Carriage CourtKinsington, Md 20795

William Bongiorno, 3rd VP2018 E. Prairie CircleDeltona, FI32725

Vincent Guglielmino, 1st V.P.114 Charles Street .Floral Park. N.Y. 110m

Ronald Murphy, 2nd V.P.44 Strawberry LaneScituate, Ma 02066

THE MEMORIAL FUND OFTHE 9TH INFANTRY DlVl"'ON ASSOCIATION

Scholarship Information

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING RESERVATIONS,. PLEASE CALL:717-763-7117

INSIDE PENN: 1-800-772-PENN and OUTSIDE PENN: 1-800-345 PENN

60th IDf D CoJ WILLIAM ENGLE400 Hill AveReading, Pa 19606

The writer had a longdistance telephone call fromMrs. Wallace Burr, Glovers­ville, New York 12078. Her hus­band Wally Burr of E Com­pany, 60th Infantry, took a walkin their garden and passedaway at the age of 58.

She stated that they had theirbags all packed ready to leavefor our reunion in Nashville,Tenn. June 25, 26, 2:l and 28.

The writer extended his sym­pathy and condolence to thefamily.

The Memorial Fund of the Ninth Infantry Division Associationwas established by the members of the association to com­memorate the memory of their comrades who paid the supremesacrifice in battle. As a part of this fund the associationestablished a scholarship program. Scholarships are awardedeach year to descendants of men who served in The Ninth Infan­try Division. Each scholarship is for one year.

ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOLARSIIIP APPLICATIONA person who wishes to apply for a scholarship must be

descended from a man who served with The Ninth Infantry Divi­sion. Children of former members of the division will be givenfirst consideration. but children of men killed in combat givenfirst preference.

APPLICATION PROCEDUREThe following procedures must be followed by those wishing to

apply for the scholarships:1. Send a letter of application, written in expository form. to

the chairman of the scholarship committee stating the follow­ing: name, address, age, and sex of the applicant; name, ad­dress, and occupation of the aplicant's parents or guardians; thename and address of the secondary school the applicant isattending or has attended and graduated; the name and addressof the college the applicant expects to attend; the vocationalgoal of the applicant; and the name of and degree of relationshipto a former member of the division. The unit and dates of ser­vice in the division of the former member must be included.

High School Students:2. A transcript of the applicant's high school record must be

included with the letter of application. The transcript must in­clude at least the first seven semesters of the applicant's record.

3. The applicant must have a counselor or principal of the highschool, he or she is attending write a letter of recommendationto the chairman of the scholarship committee.

4. The applicant must submit the scores of the SAT of theCEEB. The scores may be included on the high school transcriptor sent to the Scholarship Chairman from the College EntranceExamination Board. Scores of the ACT may be submitted in lieuof the SAT.

College Students:5. College students must send a copy of their college record

transcript. The record must include the grad~ of the firstsemester of the current school year if the student is currentlyenrolled in college.

6. THE APPLICATION MUST BE SENT TO THE CHAIR­MAN OF THE SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE BY MARCH 15.Applications received after March 15 will not be considered.

7. All applicants must accept the decision of the ScholarshipCommittee as final.

8. Information to determine financial need will be requestedby the Scholarship Committee. after the applications have beenconsidered.

9. Recipients of the scholarships may apply for renewal of thescholarship each year. A copy of the student's college grades,and a letter requesting renewal of the scholarship should be sentto the chairman by March 15.

10. All applications must be sent to: John J. Clouser. Scholar­ship Chairman, Ninth Infantry Division Association, 1088 NorthCircle Drive, Crystal River, FL. 32629.

MEMORIAL FUNDThe Memorial Fund was

enriched by the generosity ofthose attending the reunion andthe following members andfriends who remembered thisfund and their departed lovedones. We salute you.Ralph Palermo (in memory ofFr. Connors)Roger Gartland (in memory ofFr. Connors)Bill Zweil (in memory of wife,Betty)Vernon Bell (in memory of Fr.Connors)George Dugan (in memory ofFr. Connors, and 15th engrs. CoA)Lucien Lucas (in memory ofFr. Connors)Zane Grey (in memory of Sgt.Kenny Franzen Co. E 60th Inf.and Ken Finch A Co. 60th Inf.)John CaugheyJack Collier (in memory of'Frank Chatto)Dario GagliassoGeorge HulkaPaul ReelRaymond PequePreston StillingErnest Hackenbrock (inmemory of Fr. Connors)Al ShiresAaron Lubin (in memory ofwife of Ed Winsch, C Btry. 84thFA)Mr. and Mrs. Harry Van Arn­am (in memory of WallaceBurr)Anthony Carmeci (in memoryof wife, Rose)Robert Henderson (in memoryof Tom Orband and other 39thInf. Can. Co.)Mr. and Mrs. Earl Folmsbee(in memory of Wallace Burr)Mrs. Josephine Hornback (inmemorv of Wallace Burr)

Mr. and Mrs. Ed Zilka (inmemory of Wallace Burr)Leona Kuray (in memory ofWallace Burr)Mrs. Ruth Hazzard (in memoryof Wallace Burr) ' ..Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Kenyon(in memory of Wallace Burr)Northville Teachers Assn. (inmemory of Wallace Burr)Leonard and Barbara Roginski(in memory of Wallace Burr)Mrs. Erwin (Helen) Etzler (inmemory of Wallace Burr)William HoranRobert HurstPhillip EmmonsF.M. SmithTrevor JonesGerald Teachout (in memory ofFlake Ford)Robert L. MathisJ. Edel Clark (in memory ofDan Adams)N. Curtis Hoffler

NINTH INFANTRY DIVISION ASSOCIATIONMEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Dan QuinlJ, Notional Secretory, 9th Infantry DivisiOil Assn.4i2 Gregory Ave., Weehawken, New Jersey (1lO!Ifl

Enclosed pie.. fiJld dues for:

Name Serial No. . .

Street Address .

City Zone State .

I was a member of:

Battery ; Company , Regiment ; 9th Div

I wish to sign up for the followinl:Regular Member. per year $5.00 0Donation Memorial Scholarship Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 0THREE-YEAR MEMBER $13.00 0Life Membership $50.00 0

.bJidies' Auxiliary. Member $ 2.00 0Please credit the followinl chapter:Pbilly-l)eJawareVa1Iey 0 Greater~ York 0Illinois 0 W~D.C. 0NewE~ 0 MicbipD 0Obio 0 Fayettevm.Florida 0 Fmt Bna. N.C. Ll

(Photo b~' W. Victor)

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Carlos B. EstevaBox 968

Arecibo, PR 00613

Members of the Association and theil' fa milies are shown as thgathered for a most impressive Memorial Service for t~:departed men of the Ninth.

Mr. Master of Ceremonies, men of the Ninth Infantry DivsionAssociation, lovely ladies, friends of the Ninth, distinguishedguests.

I have been honored many times by beng chosen or elected topreside many civic and business organizations such as DistrictGovernor of Lions International District 51-A, Chairman Boardof Governors Lions International Multiple District 51, NationalDirector of the Navy League of the United States, National Chiefof Staff Military Order of the Purple Heart (P.R.) and the Chair­manship of the many fund raising organizations... But trulybelieve me the honor bestowed on me yesterday electing mePresident of our Association is the topping on"the cake, I amgrateful and honored and I will do my best to continue in the footsteps of our Past Presidents.

America is priviledge to spend her blood and her might for theprinciples that gave her birth and happiness and peace whichshe has treasured.

The Ninth Division has played an important role in preservingthese principles, 4581 of our comrades made the supremesacrifice and this must not be forgotten by no one ... thereforeit is the duty of all of us to keep the name of our Association inthe public eye, this we must do by giving our group the neededpublicity thru the different medias. such as newspapers, radio,television, etc., we must participate in civic activities and alsoin the activities sponsored by the community in which we live,always wearing our division insignia on our lapel or shirt ..

Our organization must grow, out there are many ex­comrades, ex-Ninth men who served with us in World War II ...Tonight I challenge each and everyone of you to go out this yearand sign up at least one new member. The more you sign up thebetter for our Association as it will maintain itself strong andself supporting.

Once more many thanks for having me as your President, Iwill not let you down... Muchas Gracias, Buenas Noches YHasta La Vista.

47th Inf C CoPAUL REEL2701 N. Lamer StBurbank, Ca. 91504

Recently joined the associa­tion and would like to hear fromanyone in the 47th C Co 4th pla­toon. Would like to especiallyhear from Mess Sgt of C Co.Last saw him in Paris aboutFeb 1945.

6i'

A prayer in memory of the 4581 men left behind and to those whohave since joined their ranks is off('n'd at the Memorial Ser­vices.

The Color Guard carrying the Flags for' the Memorial Serviceheld on Saturday morning. Left to right: Max Umansky, FrankMachek, Oliver Carter, and Lou Connor.

47th Inf K CoHELEN (LAGATTUTA)HOLMES352 "C" Hackensack St.Wood Ridge, N.J. 07075

We (AI and I) enjoyed thereunion and it was good to seeJoe's old friends from K Co. Wealso enjoyed Lindsey Nelson'sspeech and the banquet wasalso very good. We enjoyedDan's talk at the banquet also.

The 101st Airborne Army Band that provided music at theMemorial Services in Nashville.

PAY SPECIAL TRIBUTE

84th FAOTTO GANSCA412 Meek StSharon, Pa. 16146

Been a while since I droppedyou a line. Am sad about thepassing of Fr. Connors andshocked about the passing ofTony Chaconas. My God restboth of their souls. Enjoy theOctofoil and read every letter.Been feeling fairly well. Keepbusy repairing around thehouse and a bit of gardening.Keep up the good work. Best toall.39th InfANTHONY CARMECIStar Rt 87Barryville, N.Y. 12719

Just a note to inform you tha tmy wife, Rose, passed awayJune 18, 1986. She enjoyed somuch attending our reunionsbut now for 2 years dea th hasprevented us. We were married44 years with 4 children. Shewas buried June 21, 1986 at St.Anthony's Montoza Cemeteryat Eldred, NY. Mayall be wellwith you and yours. Enclosedfind donation to Memorial Fundin her name.

*********

TIME TO REMEMBERMany, many more of our

friends have died since those4,581 were killed in combat dur­ing WWII.

I am sure that not a day goesby when one of our membershipdoes not answer the call ofTaps.

For instance in 1974 MajorGeneral John G. Van Houten,erstwhile commander of the60th Regiment, and my mentor.died of a heart attack in Brazil.All of you can add other names.In each publication ournewspaper, The Octofoil, printsdozens of names in the "Taps"column and the list growslonger with each passing week.

One of the latest was ourbeloved chaplain, Father Ed­ward Connors, who presided atmany a memorial ceremonysuch as this, particularly at theImmacula te ConceptionChurch in Worcester, Massa­chusetts. He epitomizes thebest in all our departedbrethren.

Henry Ward Beecher said itwell: "When the sun goes belowthe horizon it is not set; theheavens glow for a full hourafter its departure. And when agreat and good man passes, thesky of the this world is luminouslong after he is out of sight.Such a good man cannot die outof this world. When he goes heleaves behind much ofhimself."

Each of us, here, cherishesthe memory of departed com­rades.

Keeping that memory greenis the finest memorial of all.

As we sat in Bitterfeld on theoutskirts of Magdeburgawaiting VE day we learned ofthe death of President FranklinD. Roosevelt. I recall that wordof his death created not much ofa stir. We were innured to deathby then.

As you all know the Frenchcall an organization such asour's a tontine, in other words alast man's club. The first ton­tine was started in 1653 by aNeopolitan, Lorenzo Tonti. It asa scheme in which subscribersto a common fund share an an­nuity with the benefit of sur­vivorship, the shars of the sur­vivors being increased as thesubscriber die, until the wholegoes to the last survivor. Weare the subscribers whosememories increase as the yearsfade awav.

Til. OCTO.OIL_"-' .,-""~J------------------------- _

When was the last time you wrote a letter to our Mail CallColumn? Just a postal card would denote your interest and letsome buddy know where you are. You like to read wh.at othermembers send in ... why not do your own part, and WrIte a fewlines now and then for their enjoyment.

Tops Sounded

No man is an island, entire ofitself: every man is a piece ofthe continent, a part of themain: if a clod be washed awayby the sea, Europe is the less,as well as if a promontory were,as well as if a manor of thyfriends or of thine own were:any man's death diminishesme, because I am involved inmankind; and therefore neversend to know for whom the belltolls; it tolls for thee.

by John DonneErnest Nissen

Serv Co. 60th Inf·Bill Zweil

Cannon Co. 47th Inf.Robert Nedwell

K Co. 47th Inf.Reginald Riley

A Co. & C Co. 47th Inf.Noel Cascio

B Co. 39th Inf.Wallace Burr

E Co. 60th Inf·Robert TrauschkeRobert Litton

B Co, 9th Med. BnFrank Wade

39th Inf.Mario "Jack" Di Santo

B Co. 47th Inf.Flake Ford

F Co. 60th Inf.Paul Drummond

60th Inf.Dan Adams

AT 47th Inf.John J. Sammon

60th Inf.May they rest in peace. To theirloved ones we extend our heart­felt sympathy.

*********

The members were deeplysaddened and shocked to learnof the death of Frank Wadewhile they were at the reunionin Nashville. Frank had been illfor some time but never let it beknown to his friends of theNinth.

He was one of the backbonesof the Association since its for­mation back in 1945. Havingserved as President andmember of the Board of Gover­nors for a number of yearsFrank was there when neededand his advice was more thanwelcomed. He had a deep lovefor the Ninth and although in­volved with many business ven­tures and fraternal organiza­tions he found time to attend thereunions throughout the years.To his wife Libby and childrenwe extend our heartfelt sym­pathy and we are proud to say"he was a friend andcomrade".

When we met him inWorcester last November, atFather Connors Memorial Ser­vice and Mass, he never men­tioned that he was not feelingup to par but seemed happy andpleased that he was at FatherConnors "last hurrah" for. weall knew that we were sayinggoodby to Father Connors.

Dear members of the 9th Inf.Div.

It is with sadness that I in­form you of the death of myfather. Frank B. Wade, Sr. onJune 1'9,1986. He died of cancer.The pride he felt and therespect he had for his fellowcomrades was evidenced by hismany years of service to theAssociation. I have such fondmemories of the 9th Divisionreunions we attended and thefamilies we came to know. I amso glad my Dad could be inWorcester in November 1985.God bless each of you.

Elizabeth Wade Liamberger4878 Candlewood Lane

Stone Mountain, Ga.30088

39th Inf B CoMRS. DOROTHY CASCIO2738 A Sherbrooke LnPalm Harbor, Fl. 33563

This letter is to inform you ofthe death of my husband, NoelJ. Cascio on June 6, 1986. Hewill ill with lung cancer for 3months. We attended many re­unions with all his buddies fromB Co and he always looked for­ward to seeing the boys hespent so many years wit~ dur­ing the war. The last reUnIon weattended was in Orlando and wehad a wonderful time. I wouldlike to take this opportunity tothank all our friends from the39th who sent cards and offeredprayers during my recent ill­ness and then my husbands ill­ness. Also a heartfelt thank youfor their many cards and ex­pressions of sympathy duringmy bereavement. A sincerethank you to Bob Pappas andhis lovely wife who attended theservices for my husband.

60th InfMRS. ERWIN (Helen EtzlerRt 2 Box 249Convoy, Ohio 45832

I was saddened to learn of thedeath of our dear friend,Wallace Burr. I know he andErwin are having a big reunionin their heavenly home. Enclos­ed is a donation to the MemorialFund in the memory of Wally.

47th Inf K CoGEORGE NICKLIN6 Butler PlaceGarden City, NY 11530-4603

I called Kathleen Nedwell,wife of Robert Nedwell who wascompany cJerk of K Company47th Infantry and who wentfrom Ft. Bragg to Germany un­til the end of the war. She tellsme that Robert Nedwell died ofcancer at the end of March 1986.

47th Inf C CoHoward BrooksPO Box 141S. Harpswell, Me. 04079

Some sad nf>WS to report. Arecent note from Julie Riley, onMay 21, told me her father,Reginald L. Riley, formerly ofCo. "A", and later during theNorth African Campaign, for atime, Company Commander ofCo. "c" 47th Infantry, died onMay 16th. Reg and I had cor­responded for sometime, and Iknew that last year he had hada stroke that left him aphasic,and from which he never fullyrecovered.

I thought those members ofthe 9th Division, especially inthe 1st Battalion of the 47th in­fantry, would like to know ofReg's passing, and might nototherwise know.

47th Inf Med's 1st BnCB BAKER2001 Oakland AveJohnson City, Tn. 37ff}1

Just received a bote thatErnest "Pee Weei' Linton B Co.,9th Medics died a few:days ago(in June). His wife mctv be con­tacted at the following ~ddress:

Mrs. R.E. Litton. Box 246,Jonesville, Va. 24263.

60th Inf A CoROBERT PAPPAS738C 518, Box 175New Port Richey, Fl. 33552

On June 9th my wife, Beryland I attended memorial serv­ices for one of our 9th divisionmember in Palm Harbor, Fl.,Noel Cascio of B Co 39th. Manyof Joe's friends and relativespaid their respects to him andhis family. Besides his wife,Dorothy, Joe leaves a son and adaughter. We enjoyed meetingthem. Joe was a faithfulmember of the division

60th InfJ. GRAFF BOMBERGER37 Spanish Villa DrJeannette, Pa. 15644

It is with extreme sorrow thatwe report to the membershipthe sudden passing, on Monday,July 21, 1986, of one of ourfellow/associates, Paul Drum­.mond, assistant leader of the60th Infantry Personnel Sec­tion. His widow, Louise, re­quested that we pass along thiss ad news to his friends andassociates.

Living in Naples, Florida, ofrecent years, Paul and Louisea ttended numerous 9th InfantryDivision Association reunionsin years past, often combiningsuch attendances with annualsojourns north to visit theirchildren and grandchildrenduring the summer months.And were it not for Paul'sdeteriorating health they wouldhave been at the Nashville get­together with the several of therest of us 60th Infantry Person­nel Section and other "guys"and our wives there.

They did nevertheless decideto come north, as my wife, Pat­ty, and I learned via a letterawaiting us upon our .returnfrom Nashville a couple weeksago, suggesting therein that wemight want to meet them be­tween planes a t the nearbyPittsburgh International Air­port, enroute to theirdaughter's home at East Islipin Long Island. And that we did,just two weeks to the day beforehis death, so fortunately as itturned out, to be able to spendabout a half hour betweenplanes, reviewing Nashvillehappenings and otherwise.Paul was in excellent spirits, asalways he seemed, in spite ofhis troubled health.

Paul in May had again over­come another rather seriousheart trouble combined with hisemphysema of several yearsstanding, but was looking for­ward to visiting their childrenand grandchildren at East Islipand later in Connecticut wherehe passed away at their son'shome.

Louise writes, "Paul wasable to go fishing with Mitch,Dale and I ....caught a lot offluke and was delighted but ex­hausted! He did drive the tripup to Ct., also exhausted, but hewanted to."

While the Drummonds'Florida address is 122 Pier D,2801 Palm Street, Naples,Florida, 33962, we imagineLouise may remain North attheir daughter's for the re­mainder of the summer, Mrs.Dale Blasberg, 44 Dixie Lane,West Islip, L.I., New York,11730, Telephone 516-277-4084.for those who wish to be intouch.

SICK CALLI have just received a note

from Mrs. Dorothy Fry, 231Mary Street, Munhall, Penn.,15120, informing me that herhusband HARRY is at St.Margaret Hospital, Aspinwall,Penn.

Harry was a member of Serv­ice Battery 26FA Bn. from Ft.Bragg until the end.

A stroke sent Harry to thehospital. He is paralyzed on hisright side. He tries to talk butcan't. Therapy which hereceives every day is too taxingfor him in his present condition.

Dorothy also writes "Pleasepray for him as he is in God'shands".

26th FAJOSEPH McKENZIE95 Washington Ave.Waltham, Ma. 02154

47th Inf AT CoJ. EDEL CLARKPO Box 146~amden, SC 29020

Carolene and I enjoyed thereunion. It was well plannedand executed. We "do nothing"members sincerely appreciatethe hard work done by you,Marie and the many others wh?contributed so much time andeffort to this gala affair. Lind­sey Nelson, as expected, was anexcellent choice as banquetspeaker. We were SecondLieutenants together and hetook the time to reminisce withme some of our experiences,which in retrospect werehilarious.

Now the sad news: On July6th Dan Adams died. His wife,Alice, called me and asked tha tI be one of the pallbearers.Even though I was ill with a ter­rible summer cold, I acceptedthis honor without hesitation aswe were close friends throughsome very tough times. He wasmy company commander atFort Bragg and until he wasseriously wounded andevacuated during the Tunisiancampaign. Dan was an Officerand a Gentleman, not only bya ct of congress. He was a superfellow in every respect. Manyof the unit called his widow ex­pressing their condolences andregretting that they wereunable to attend his funeral.One couple came. fromMaryland to pay their l~st

respects. Unit members WIthwhom I talked by telephonepoured out heartfelt c?mm~ntsregarding his moral Inte~nty,

his sense of fairness and hIS ge­nuine concern for his men'swelfare. One described him asa "gentle man much respectedby everyone who had served inhis command" .

His funeral service was con­ducted in Southern Pines. N.C.by his Priest, who gave theeulogy, which included many ofhis contributions to theSouthern Pines community andto his church. We shall missDan - his smile and his cordialhandshake.

For those who care to send anote to Dan's widow, Alice, theaddress is:

Mrs. Daniel B. Adams2060 Midland Road

Southern Pines, N.C. 28387Telephone: 919-692-24~1

I am enclosing a donatIOn toour 9th Division scholarshipfund in memory of Dan.

60th In£.MARVIN TREAKLERR 1 Box 93Clinton, la. 52732

Another of our comrades haspassed away, Ernest Nissan,Servo Co. 60th Inf. from Ft.Bragg to Remagen Bridge,where he was wounded. He hadattended serveral of our re­unions. To my knowledge hewas the only member of the 9thWW 2 veteran around here be­sides my brother Orie. I am notable to work having had 2severe heart attacks since Feb.However, I feel stronger andhave hopes of getting around.Brother Orie has been in poorhealth the past 2 years and pret­ty well confined to home andhospitals. Many of the oldreliables have similar prob­lems. We aren't getting anyyounger. Hopefully there willbe many around for a lot ofyears. I would like to be one.Many times talking to youngpeople, I am surprised at ho:vlittle they know of WW 2, Ifanything. Evidently it isn'ttaught in school as pa~t ofhistory. We anticipate havmg anew address before anotherwinter, but not out of Clinton.Can't take care of the acreageright now.

Mini ReunionCompany M 60th In£.

60th In£. Co. MROBERT BOVANIZER, SECT.14 Sabre ParkNiagara Falls, NY 14304

We had a tremendous 4thMini Reunion in the MuscleShoals area of Alabama, June23, 24, and 25. The committee(Curtis and Carolyn Buchanan,W C and Nell Hornady and H Fand Lila Stansell) did an out­standing job. The Holiday Innin Sheffield did everything theycould, including a comfortablehospitality room, which t?ecommittee kept stocked WIthgoodies, to make us comfo~t­

able. They set up a speCIalbreakfast buffet at a specialprice. Included us in th~ir twofor one special buffet In theHotel dining room and served aspectacular dinner our last eve­ning which was MC'D by RoySmith followed by music anddancing and of course our everpopular gift exchange. Our sta~included a: tour of the TVA pro]­ject by bus. But the really grea tevent of this reunion was thefact we had 36 Co. men and 26 oftheir ladies. We were joined onWednesday by the twinbrothers of W E Baker from ourCompany who was killed at St.Lo July 13, 1944. Merrill Bakernow lives in Laurel, Miss andMason Baker lives in Oxford,Miss. Some of the men wereable to answer questions abouttheir brother. They requestedthat we include W E Baker onour Golden Roster. We hadseveral new men attend thisyear. George and LorraineGilmore from California, Bertand Mae Osterhout from Il­linois, Earnest and AliceChandler from Illinois, A JMoore from Tenn., Dewitt andBradys Munn from Mississippi,Floyd and Melba Hutchersonfrom Tenn. and Walter andEloise McElduff from Alabamaand Carleton and Helen Chew.We were sorry to hear of somany of our members who areon sick call. The membershipdecided on Mobile, Ala. for thesite of our 5th Mini Reunion.The committee for that reunionwill be Carl and DorotheaBrady, Roy and Karen Smithand Cole and Eileen Gronseth.Dates will be announced later.

39th In£. B Co. Mini ReunionJOSEPH GRAVINO10 Center St.Macedon, NY 14502

On June 12,13,14. the men ofCo. B. 39th Inf. held their MiniReunion at the Sheraton Hotelin Newark, N.Y. A great timewas had by all who attended.

At that time, EmmettAustenand Austin Fritsch paid me$5.00 each to enroll them in theAssociation. Enclosed is acheck for their dues.

Co. B men were greatly sad­dened by the deaths of theircomrades, Luther Wilson,James (Red) McMahon, & NoelJ. Cascio, and extend our sym­pathy to their families.

Regret that my wife and I areunable to attend the Nationalget together this year but lookforward to next year, God will­ing.

P.S. If there are any Co. Bmen who have never been intouch with us, wish they wouldcontact me or:

Al ;'Hawk" DiRisio13 N. Main St.Fairport, N. Y. 14450

\ <I _ I ~~

\.~/I-'-</f\z. ~ I

. ( .~~.I ~'I ~ -

Business transacted at Reunion

continued on page 6

Lis ting of Associa tionMembers be available.

Chairman Guglielminothanked Lew Gray and his com­m ittee for their report and upona motion duly made by PatDiColli and seconded by CliffPainter it was voted to: Acceptthe report of this Gommittee.

NOMINATINGFr~n Maher was called upon

for hIS Nominating Committeereport and he named thesemembers who served on thiscommittee: Max Umansky,Ralph Carci, Emil Langer, Ed­ward Wisnewski, MikeBelmonte, and Louis Saprano.The committee recommendsthe following five membersreplace the outgoing boardmembers: Dave Heller, lllinoisChapter, Emil Langer, NewYork, Lewis Maness, Florida,J ~mes Bruner, Michigan andOlIver Carter, Washington, DCChapter. A motion made byJohn Bonkowski and secondedby Mike Belmonte to close thenominations was voted upona~d passed. A motion to acceptthis slate of Officers was madeby John Clouser and secondedby Bob DeSandy and so votedupon to have the secretary castone ballot for a unanimous slateof officers.

Chairman Guglielminothanked Fran Maher and hUicommittee for their report. ..

BY-LAWSCarlos Esteva Chairperson of

the By-Laws Committee namesthese men who served on thiscommittee with him: DaveHeller, John Clouser, MikeDeresh, Jim Bruner, Pat Di­Colli, Adolph Wadalavage,George Brown and Paul Clark.A discussion of the proposedchanges of the By-Laws as sub­m itted by John Clouser regard­mg Paragraph 33C (A) "byde~~ting the words, "relatedto, and adding the words"descended from (e.g. chil~dren, step-children, grandchil­dren, step-grandchildren, step­great grandchildren, etc.)"Paragraph 33C (A) will thenread: (A) to provide scholar­ships for under-graduatestudies .by any individualdescended from (e.g. childrenetc., etc.,) a person who servedwith the 9th Infantry Divisionduring World War 2. Chairmanof the By-Laws CommitteeCarlos Esteva reported that thecommittee (majority) recom­mends no change in the By­Laws was proposed at thistime.

Upon a motion made by MikeDeresh and seconded by MikeKaufman it was voted to: Ac­cept the report of the By-LawsCommittee.

SCHOLARSHIPSJohn Clouser Chairman of the

Scholarship Committee report­ed that this committee is a per­manent one consisting of JoeWilliams and Mike Deresh. Thecommittee had met in Floridathis past Spring. This year theyhad received 11 applications.Clouser continued and explain­ed how the awards are deter­mined, according to their finan­cial need and academic ability.They recommended that sixawards be given this year forthe total amount of $4,000.00.

Upon a motion made by Rich­ard Trahey and seconded byElmer Wagner it was voted to:Accept the report of the~cholarship Committee. TheBoard of Governors at theirmeeting held June 26, 1986 hadapproved the committees ac­tions.

Chairman Guglielminothanked Clouser and his com­mittee.

OctofoiJ 6,000.00Accountant 175.00F.I.C.A. 75.00Dues Reminder 100.00Printing 203.00

Total $15,418.00A deficit of $3,500.00 can be

used from the existing funds inthe General Fund.

Upon a motion duly made byBob Pappas and seconded byFrank Rankin it was voted to:Accept the report of the financecommittee. ChairmanGuglielmino thanked Lou Con­nor and his committee for theirreport.

NEWSPAPERElmer Wagner Chairman of

the Newspaper Committeewhen called upon for his com­mittee report named thesemembers who served with himon this committee: NickDogostino, Fred D' AmoreHenry Santos, J. Graff Bomber~ber Robert Winkleman, CarlosWard, Charles Yenser, ArthurS~h?Iidt, Floyd Hennessey andBIllIe J. Martin. The newspapercommittee reports the follow­ing:

~. Members agreed that theyenJoy the Octofoil and look for­ward to receiving it. They wishto express their thanks to theEditors Dan Quinn and WalterO'Keeffee.

2. Make a special effort thatthe convention and the Wor­cester Memorial Mass issuesare received one month beforethe date of the event.

3. It is recommended that thepresent number of issues of fiveper year be continued.

4. Check into dating of theOctofoil to speed up and im­prove consistency of delivery.

5. Check into feasibiJity ofupgr~ding the addressographmachme to speed up mailing ofOctofoil.

6. Because of increased in­terest in golf at the reunions, in­clude a golf registration formfor reunion information.. 7. For the reunion registra­

tIon form all names of thoseattending from a family orgroup should be included in theunit designation.

8. If possible, more than oneissue addressed in Red inkshould be sent to delinquentmembers.

Upon a motion made by LewGray and seconded by TedPreston it was voted to: Acceptthe report and recommenda­tions of the newspaper com­mittee. Chairman VincentGuglielmino thanked ElmerWagner and the committee.

MISCELLANEOUSThe Miscellaneous Commit­

tee Chairman was Lew Graya nd serving with him on thiscommittee were: Ted PrestonJack Collier, John Obermiller'Roger Alsgaard, Robert Pap~pas, Lewis Maness, Albert Per­na, Ron Murphy, Frank Torino,George Caprilaneo, EusteeLegualehi, Bill Nelson, Patluspa, John Santucci, andNolon Thampe.

This committee recommendsthe following:

1. That the National Sponsor­ship of Reunion be discon­tinued. There is an obviouscommunication problem withcommittee members becauseof distance between members.Permanent committee 2 to 3year assignment.

2. That the Chapters sponsorreunions regardless of loca­tions.

3. Consideration of changingmonth of reunion-Septembervs. June etc.

4. Thursday evening partyhave Regimental Placards tohelp members locate friends..

5. Stay wi th the advertisedroom rates even if it meansreinbursement.

$ 7,114.004,750.00

$11,864.00

$ 1,000.001,000.001,330.00

685.00350.00

3,000.00400.00800.00300.00

cent Guglielmino 1st Vice­President of the Association inthe absence of President Nor­man Caswell. ChairmanGuglielmino named theChairmen of the various com­mittees and asked that thedelegates meet with them andreport back at 11:00 A.M. forthe general business meeting.Guglielmino had opened themeeting with a standing mo­ment of silence in memory ofthe departed men of the Ninth.He then called upon Dr. CharlesJohnson of the University ofTennessee an Historian ofWorld War 2 who spoke of theproject he was undertaking,collecting material and storiesof WW2 from the average menwho fought the War. Mr.Johnson's appeal will be printedin the Octofoil.

At 11: 15 A.M. ChairmanGuglielmino called the meetingback to order with 196 membersin attendance. He asked them embers to rise to salute theFlag, and to remain 'Standingfor a moment of silence inmemory of the departed men ofthe ninth.

Secretary Dan Quinn read theminutes of the 40th AnnualMeeting held in OrlandoFlorida in 1985 and upon a mo~tion made by Al Perna and sec­onded by Bill Bongiorno it wasvoted to: Accept the reading ofthe minutes and have the secre­tary place copy of same on file.

The treasurer Tom Blylereported the spendings and in­come of the association for thepast year. Boyle concluded bvstating "All funds operate on ~cash basis. There are no ac­cruals. All expenses are record­ed when paid and receiptscredited when deposits aremade. All balances are provenlJ y UIt:: tlllUUglJ copic;, of bank

statements and Pass Books.To the best of my knowledge

all demands made upon theNinth Infantry DivisionAssociation have been paid orsettlement made thereof. Ihave no knOWledge of outstand­ing receipts or expenses.

It is my considered opinionthat our fine organization is ingood financial condition. In allthe years that I have been thetreasurer have I found ourAssociation to have been in bet­ter financial condition. Creditmust be given to the Officers ofthis Association and to theBoard of Governors. Upon amotion duly made by Bob de­Sandy and seconded by EdWisniewski it was voted to: Ac­cept the treasurers report.

Chariman Guglielminothanked Boyle for his report. (Itshould be noted that all trans­actions of financial matters arealso checked by 1st Vice-Presi­dent Vincent Guglielmino andall checks of the association aresi~ned by Boyle and Gugliel­mmo.)

BUDGET & FINANCEChairman Guglielmino called

Lou Connor of the FinanceCommittee and he named thefollowing members who servedwith him on this committee:Gordon Anderson, William Sol­liday, Bruce Johnstone, LennyDeBell and Tom Boyle as an ad­viser.

The committee submits thisbudget for approval:Anticipated Income:1. Dues2. Investments

TotalDisbursementsSecretary SalaryClerical HelpUtilitiesSuppliesMisc. ExpensesPostageE ditors ExpenseSecretary's ExpenseTreasurer's Expense

John Clouser chairman of theMemorial Service to be held onSaturday briefed the membersespecially those participatingin the ceremonies. Music willbe furnished by the WIst Air­borne Army Band but themembers are not expected tom arch to the Memorial which istwo blocks from the hotel but in­stead will'gather at 10:00 AM atthe Plaza.

Chairman Guglielminothanked John Clouser for hisreport.

1987 REUNIONPat DiColloi of the Philly

Delaware-Valley Chapterwhose members will host the1987 reunion at Camp Pine HillPennsylvania (located nea~Harrisburg) told the memberswhat to expect for the threedays reunion to be held on July2~ -. 26th 1987. A package dealSImIlar to the reunion held inLake Placid Whereby themembers will have two meals aday has been arranged.

Plan 1 (JUly 23-26) Single Oc­cupancy: $275. per personDouble Occupancy: $200 perpersonTriple Occupancy: $170 per per­sonQuad. Occupancy: $165 per per­sonPackage includes three (3)nigh ts lodging, 3 fullbreakfasts, 2 full dinners, 1~rime rib banquet, 2 beer par­tIes and all tax and gratuity ona per person basis.Plan II (July 24-26) Single Oc­cupancy $202 per person, Dou­bIe Occupancy $149 per person.Triple Occupancy $129 per per­sonQuad Occupancy $118 per per­sonPackage includes two (2) fullnights lodging, 2 fullbreakfasts, 1 full dinner 1prime rib banquet, 1 beer p~rtyand all tax and gratuity on a perperson basis.

DiColli asked that themembers get their reservationsin as early as possible. Theforms for same will appear inthe Octofoil. 'ChairmanGuglielmino thanked DiCollifor his report.

Fran Maher opened a discus­sion on the possibility of aMemorial to Father Connorsand General Craig. The matterwas tabled till the NovemberMeeting of the Board inWorcester.

The members were saddenedto learn of the demise of FraiH<Wade, a Past President of theAssociation, shortly before thereunion here in Nashville. Har­rison Daysh eulogized Frankfor his many years on behalf ofthe Association.

Chairman Guglielmino askedthe follOWing members to serveas Chairman for the variouscommittes at the GeneralBusiness meeting to be held onFriday June 27, 1986. FinanceCommittee Lou ConnorNewspaper Committee Elme;Wagner, Nominating Commit-tee Fran MaherMiscellaneous Committee Le~Gray and the By-laws to beheaded by Carlos Esteva.

There being no other businessto come before the board a mo­tion made to Fran Maher to ad­journ the meeting at 5:45 P.M.was seconded by Pat DiColliand so moved.

The 41st Annual Meeting ofthe Ninth Infantry Division As­sociation was held in NashvilleTennessee on June 27, 1986 atthe Hotel Radisson. Themeeting was called to order at10: 15 A.M. by Chairman Vin-

The 154th meeting of the Na­tional Board of Governors ofthe Ninth Infantry DivisionAssociation was held on June26, 1986 at the Hotel RadissonNashville, Tennessee. Th~meeting was called to order at4:04 P.M. by 1st Vice-PresidentVincent Guglielimino acting asChairman in the absence ofPresident Norman Caswell. At­tending the meeting wereElmer Wagner, Carlos Esteva,Fran Maher, Pat DiColli, LewGray, Lou Connor, Bob DeSan­dy, Ralph Carci as BoardMembers. Also in attendancewere the Treasurer Tom Boyle,Past Presidents Al Perna, EmilLanger, Paul Keller, Ron Mur­phy, John Bonkowski andJudge Advocate HarrisonDaysh, Adolph Wadalavge,Fred D'Amore, Dick McGrathand Ed Wisnewski.

Chairman Guglielmino askedthe members to stand for a mo­m ent of silent prayer inmemory of the departed men ofthe Ninth.

Secretary Quinn read theminutes of the 153rd meetingheld in WorcesterMassachusetts on November 9'1985. Upon a motion duly mad~by Bob DeSandy and secondedby Lew Gray it was voted to:Accept the reading of theminutes and instruct thesecretary to place copy of sameon file.

Treasurer Tom Boyle wascalled upon for his report andTom distributed statements tothe members as to the spen­dings and income for the pastquarter and year. Upon motionduly made by Paddy DiColliand seconded by Fran Maher itwas voted to accept the reportof the Treasurer.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMJohn Clouser Chairman of the

Scholarship Committee wascalled upon for his annualreport and Clouser named MikeDeresh and Joe Williams asmembers of this permanent

. committee. There were 11 ap­plicants for this year, sixrenewals and five new ones andthe committee recommendedsix awards be given. Recom­mended were Joni DeBell,daughter of Leonard DeBell CoA 39th Inf., a new applicant.Renewals are Deborah Bac­chieri daughter of Joseph Bac­chieri 47th Inf., Linda Belmontedaughter of Michael Belmonte60th F.A., Martin Goldstein sonof Edward Goldstein (deceas­ed) 60th Inf., Sharon Rappazinidaughter of Joseph Rappazini60th Inf., and Therese Rap­pazini daughter of Joseph Rap­pazini 60th Inf. Upon a motionmade by Lew Gray and sec­onded by Lou Connor it wasvoted to: Accent the report andrecommendations of theScholarships committee fortheir report.

Bob DeSandy Co-chairman ofthe Nashville reunion briefedthe members as to the events ofthe reunion. A much larger tur­nout than anticipated was onhand causing many membersto use other hotels. A bus waschartered to transportmembers staying in a hotelseveral miles from theRadisson. A third hotel used forthe overflow is within walkingdistance (about two blocks) butonly 50 rooms were available toour members. Again it wasstressed by the members pre­sent the importance of bookinga hotel for the reunion thatcould accommoda te ourmembership under one roof andthe need for banquet facilities.Many hotels have the rooms butdo not have the banquet hallslarge enough for our associa­tion, then too the price range isa big factor. ChairmanGuglielmino thanked DeSandyfor his reoort.

THE OCTOfO'i.-_ .._-------------------

Deadline for next issue of the Octofoil will be Oct. 20th

continut'd

BobDeSandy Co-Chairman ofthe reunion briefed themembers as to events of thereunion. Many members com­plained about their room reser­vations not being honored ormix-up in rooms. The unexpect­ed large turnout of memberscaused the overflow of people tobe sent to other hotels, somenearby, others a few milesaway with the association hir­ing a bus to shuttle themembers back and forth to theRadisson Hotel the Head­quarters for the three days.

Chairman Guglielminothanked DeSandy for hisreport.

PROPOSED CHANGES& BY-LAWS

John Clouser read the propos­ed changes of the By-Laws thathe had recommended andnotified the membership in theJan.-Feb. issue of the Octofoil.Bob Rucker seconded the mo­tion and after much discussionit was voted to: Accept the pro­posals to amend Paragraph 33C(A) by adding the words,"Descended from (e.g. Chil­dren, step-children etc,) ­Amend paragraph 33C (B) bydeleting the words, "relatedto," and adding the words"descended from (e.g. chil­dren, step-children, etc.,)

Bob Pappas opened a dis­cussion that the NationalAssociation's officers no longerconduct reunions for theassociation but that theChapters be responsible forreunions. Pappas then made amotion that· a committee tostudy this matter, be appointed,and this was seconded by BobHughes and so voted.

Ron Murphy made a motiontha t was seconded by BillBongiorno to have the reunioncommittee. reimburse the dif­ference in the amount of thebills for the price of roomswhen the members had to useother hotels because the HotelRadisson could not accom­modate their bookings. The mo­tion was withdrawn and a mo­tion by Clif Painter and second­ed by Pat DiColli was made tohave: "The motion tabled".

Adolph Wadalavage spoke tothe members about the historybook of the Ninth being placedin Library of the University ofHofstra in Long Island, NewYork. Chairman Guglielminothanked Wadalavage for his ef­forts.

There being no other businessto come before the membershipand upon a motion duly madeby John Clouser and secondedby Mike Belmonte it was ·votedto: Adjourn the meeting at 1:40P.M.

The 155th Meeting of the Na­tional Board of Governors ofthe Ninth Infantry DivisionAssociation was held on June27, 1985 at the Hotel Radisson,Nashville, Tennessee at 3: 15P.M. 1st Vice-President Chair­man Guglielmino of the meet­ing called the group to orderand asked the members tostand for a moment of silence inmemory of the departed men ofthe Ninth.

Attending the meeting wereJim Bruner, Carlos Esteva,Fran Maher, Emil Langer,Oliver Carter, Lou Connor, PatDiColli, Dave Heller, BobDeSandy, Lew Gray as Boardmembers. Also in attendancewere the Judge Advocate Har­rison Daysh,· the TreasurerTom Boyle, past presidentsJohn Clouser, Ron Murphy, BillBongiorno and Fred D'Amore,Max Umansky, Dick O'Connorand Richard McGrath.

Upon a motion made by LewGray and seconded by BobDeSandy it was voted to:Dispense with the reading ofthe minutes of the prior meet­ing held on Thursday, June26th.

Upon a motion made by PatDeColli and seconded by LouConnor it was voted to:Dispense with the treasurer'sreport.

Election of Officers.l!.:lection of Officers for the

coming year was held and thefollowing members elected tothese Offices:

President Carlos Esteva1st Vice-President Vincent

Guglielmino2nd Vice-President Ron Mur­

phy3rd Vice-President William

BongiornoJudge Advocate Harrison

DayshTreasurer Thomas BoyleSecretary Daniel Quinn1st Vice-President Gug­

lielmino acting as Chairman ofthe meetings (in place of the ab­sent President Norman Cas­well) turned the gavel over toCarlos Esteva who thanked themembers for the honor bestow­ed upon him and further statedthat he will try to visit eachChapter and start new chapterswhere there are none.

Emil Langer spoke of the ill­ness of Norman Caswell caus­ing him to be absent from thereunion. Langer had visitedNorman the week prior to thereunion and he appeared to bein good spirits and progressingin health.

Bob DeSandy recommendedthat the Board change thesalary structure of the Secre­tary to read $1,000.00 for salaryand increase the secretaries ex­penses by $200.00. So moved.

F l.(u.:-e Reunion Sites

Fran Maher of the future reounion site committee recom­mended that the Cape Cod areabe chosen for the 1988 reunion.Upon a motion made by DaveHeller and seconded by RobertDeSandy it was voted to: Holdthe 1988 reunion in the Cape CodArea, Massachusetts.

Upon a motion made by EmilLanger and seconded by RobertDeSandy it was voted to: As the1988 reunion is a non-chapterselection to be conducted by theNational Board of Governorshave the New England Chapterdesignated to conduct the re­union.

The 1987 reunion will be heldby the Philly-Delaware ValleyChapter on July 23-26th atCamp Hill, Pennsylvania. PatDeColli and Al Perna of thePhilly Chapter stressed theimportance of pre-registrationa s this reunion will be apackage deal with two mealsper day included as part of theplan. Details will appear in theOctofoil.

There being no other businessand upon a motion duly madeby Bob DeSandy and secondedby Lew Gray it was voted to:Adjourn the meeting at 4: 20P.M.

Respectfully submitted,Daniel Quinn

National Secretary

60th Inf Serv CoCARL HILL1416 W. 1st St.Abilene, Ks. 67410

Will not be able to attend thisyears reunion due to 4 majoroperations, heart attack and legamputation so I am confinedpretty close to home. I do enjoythe Octofoil. Enclosed is a pic­ture taken of service Co 60th Infin the field 1941 at Ft. Bragg. Iam enclosing dues for 3 years.

Michigan NotesIt's all over and now we

resort to happy memories.What's over? The 41st AnnualReunion held at Nashville, Tn.June 26-27-28.

Was a good time had by all?If you had as much fun as Jen­nie and I had then you had agood time. Yeah Thursdaynight might be best describedas SNAFU but that was a minorirritant that was soon forgotten.F or us the companionship ofdear ones off set any irritationthat may have developed.

F Company C. P. under thedirection of Ed "Hoppy"Hopkins was an oasis well sup­plied and well attended. On ourarrival we found many of thetroops in attendance. Beforethe three days ended five com­pany Commanders were in at­tendance. We did miss some ofthe boys like George King andStanley Putt but their absencejust gave us some one to talkabout.

We were mentioned at GrandOle Opry when the announcermade known that some 800 of uswere in attendance.

Saturday's Banquet was asuccess. Lindsey Nelson wasenjoyed as the principalspeaker. Dan Quinn might havestolen the show as he spoke offthe cuff.

When it was asked how manyfirst timers were present about,by my fast count, 45 personsstood up. Now if you who readthis have never attended a re­union please give it somethought as the years are march­ing on.

OUT-STATE MEETINGWe in Michigan are prepar­

ing for our annual Out StateMeeting. The dates this yearwill be October 10 through 12.The place is Holiday Inn,Angola, Ind. The Inn is locatedat the Jet of 1-69 and PokagonState Park Exit. We do get afine turn out from Ind. Ill. Ohio,Wis. Mich. and other pointswithin driving distance. Roomrates are $40.00 single and$48.00 double. We do have funwith the ladies bringing goodiesfor the snack table. Often it ismore than a snack it's our Fri­day Night dinner.

Well the heat has spread intothe north country. Today July17th has the thermometer in thehigh 90 degree range. And thehumidity is 100%. A combina­tion that is hard to live with. Weshouldn't complain becausecome December 17th we will belooking for relief from theMichigan Cold.

In closing I would like, onbehalf of the Michigan Chapter,to thank those who formed the1986 Reunion Committee: DanQuinn and Bob DeSandy Co­Chairmen, Tom BoyleRegistration and Finance, JohnClouser Memorial Service,Emil Langer Banquet, FranMaher Grand Ole Opry, ElmerWagner Publicity, JamesBruner Program Book, andCarlos Esteva Golf. The com­bined results, of their efforts,was a smoooooth reunion.

Rodger E. Alsgaard, Sec'y.Michigan Chapter

2834 Wynes St.Saginaw, Mi. 48602

15th Engrs A CoGEORGE BUNDZA138 Beaverbrook Pkwy.Worcester, Ma. 01603

Enclosed find check for 3years. Was unable to attendservices for Fr. Connorsbecause I was in the hospital.Had 3 operations but well on theroad to recovery.

TO "B" (47th) ORNOT TO "B"

It is with deep sorrow that wehave to report the sudden pass­ing of our "BECO" Buddy JackDiSanto. He was truly one of us,coming to "B" Co. in the earlydays of our en tering themilitary service, enduring alsothe difficult beginnings of ourtraining together and subse­quently becoming a great unitdedicated to each other.

In asking Jack if he wouldhelp in writing our "B" Co. Col­umn, we were very happy thathe agreed to do so. His columnwas in our last Oetofoil issue ofMar.-April 1986. To those of uswho knew Jack, he relished hisreminiscences going back some40 odd years describing the ex­ploits of our "B" Co. buddiespast and present. Although itwa Jack's first and only "B"Co. Column, he neverthelessleft behind wonderfulmemories for all of us.

Our reunion in Nashville wasmost successful. We believe thea ttendance was about the 3rd or4th largest of all previous reu­nions. We were sorry that manyof our Association memberswere not able to get lodgings inthe Main Reunion Head­quarters (Radisson HoteD andhad to be sent elsewhere whichmade things quite "sticky" andalso caused many units to split­up due to the inadequacy andlack of hotel rooms. We realizethat our reunions are becomingquite an undertaking due to in­creased attendance and on ~an­

quet nights. In this instancetables had to be set-up outsidethe Banquet Room in order toaccommodate the overflowcrowd. We hope that ourAssociation's Reunion Commit­tee will in the future take thisinto account when choosing aparticular site.

GOOD ATTENDANCEWell "BECO" continued its

tradition with a very good at­tendance at this our 41st Re­union. Our 'morning report'showed the following a t­tendees: Pat & Ann Morano,Stan & Florence Adowski, Er­nie & Nina Crowder, Joe &Stella Cichocki, John &Catherine Compagnone, Joe &Rose Harvilla, Bob & AnnaEdie, Olga Palega, Ed & HelenSarnocinski, Orion & EleanorShockley, Joe & EleanorTaubner, George & JaneBentley, and newcomers 'Tony'& Josephine Manzollilla(originally in "B" Co. - latertransferred to Cannon Co. 47thIn£) and Guy & DorisLawrence. This was "Tony's"first reunion and he was so hap­py to see the old gang that he'sstill talking about it! Welcomealso is in order for Guy & Doris;we hope to see you at future"get-togethers." - A big"Thank You" once again to Ed& Helen 8arnocinski our peren-

t nial CP Hosts, who provided theafter hours haven for food,snacks, drinks, and thecustomary "BECO" stories,anecdotes, and engaging con­versation. We also wish toacknowledge a big "THANKYOU'.' to Orion Shockley forgiving to us who were at theCP; the opportunity of talkingvia phone, to Art Stenzel whowas unable to attend the reu­nion this year. Art was in goodspirits and told us he reallymissed not being with us inNashville.

MISSED NORMWe were sorry to learn that

our "BECO" buddy and Na­tional Association PresidentNorman Caswell was unable tobe with us due to illness. Wemissed you Norm. All of us sentalong our very best wishes toyou and for a return to ~ood

health before long. We alsolearned from Ernie Crowderthat McAdoo White another"BECO" buddy, was quite illand could not make the trip toNashville. We hope thatMcAdoo is feeling better at thistime.

A tip of the hat to Bob & Ediefor making the reunion. Theirsis a spirit not to be denieddespite the obstacles they hadto overcome. "B" Co. 47th is in­deed proud of Bob & AnnaEdie!!

To all of our other "BECO"buddies who were not able to at­tend this latest reunion due toillness, prior commitmentsetc., we hope to see youNovember '86 in WorcesterMass, or at our 42nd AnnualReunion in Camp Hill, Pa. inJuly, 1987.

MEMORABLE OCCASIONThe New England Chapter of

our 9th Inf. Div. Assoc. willsponsor Father Connors' An­nual Memorial Mass for the4581 men of our Division whogave their lives in World WarII. This mass' also will bededicated to the loving memoryof our No. 1 Member, FatherEdward T. Connors. It will beheld on Sunday November 9,1986 at the Immaculate Concep­tion Church, Worcester, Mass.at 10: AM. We are looking for agreat turnout from our"BECO" buddies for this, the42nd Memorial Mass and Ser­vice. Please make every effortto get to Worcester to honor ourdeparted Fa ther Connorstogether with our departedcomrades. This will be amemorable occasion that willbe remembered for a long, longtime.

We sincerely wish that all ourbuddies and friends had awonderful summer. If we miss­ed reporting additional bud­dies' names etc., please forgivethe oversight. We hope to seeyou in Worcester on November9th, 1986. A word of advice:make your reservations early!Until next time, our sincerestregards, best wishes and goodhealth to all our "BECO" bud.:dies and their families.

PATJ. MORANO2208 Lincoln Way East

Chambersburg, Pa. 17201and

ART J. STENZEL8705 Village Mill Row

Bayonet Point, Florida 33567

60th Inf K CoMERTON BEEBE176 E. Robbins Ave.Newington, Ct. 06111

I was embarrassed to findthat I had not paid my dues andI have no excuse but that it wasan oversight on my part. Inorder to square myself with thisnoble and great organization, Iam sending a check for 2years.I am somewhat restricted dueto the infirmaties of old age,having reached the octogenera­tion age of 8O! I am always in­terested in the proceedings ofthe organization and miss mya ttending them. I enjoy readingthe Octofoil and the letters ofour members.9th Med BnJAY P. ROLLER, MD14 Green Wing TealHilton Head Is., SC 29928

Thank you for your quickresponse. I know you are busyand very generous with yourtime. When do you have time torest? We appreciate your giv­ing so much of yourself andyour wife for we drones! M. G.Van Bond took over the 39thwhen Col. Flint was wounded.He lives at 313 Irene Dr. Clarks­burg, Tn. I had commandedCo's A & C, 9th Med Bn.regimental surgeon 39th Inf BnCo 9th Men Bn.

THE OCTOFOIL

Many Than-ksI hope you re~eive this before

your annual reunion in Nasq­ville. Since my letter wasprinted in the Jan-Feb. -editionof the Octofoil, I hav~ hadseveral responses. Most werefrom the 39th and- 47thregiments. AI Bravin, 47th ofFort Lee, N.J. sent me his copyof the Octofoil and the 9th'sshoulder patch. Julius E. Clark(Lt Col) wrote me fromCamden, S.C. James R. Kellerof H Co 39th from Winchester,Va. (I was born in Winchester,England). Jack D. Whiteley LCo. 47th was stationed nearBasingstoke, where I now live.Mrs. Anthony Carmeci sent mea letter and a 9th Inf. Div.visiting card. I have the im­pression her husband was in MCo 39th. She also enclosed anannual reunion cap and a smallUSA flag. William Kreye sent-me a copy of his book "The-'Pawns of War" courtesy of'Mrs. Stumpf who- is thedaughter to General Stroh,Comm. US 8th Inf Div. (former­ly of the 9th) William Kreyewas with the 39th. S/Sgt T.L.Preston F Co & Hq 2nd Bn 60thsent me his copy of "FollowThru" , a history of the 60th dur­ing the war. Ted also enclosed acopy of a letter from Gen.Bradley congratulating the 9thfor their many battle honorsand achievements. It was awonderful and generousgesture for these soldiers of the"varsity" to take the trouble towrite to me. I thank them andwill be replying to them as soonas I can.

Unfortunately William Kreyedid not give an address. One let­ter stands out. It was the secondI received and was sent by aJohn Lammie B Co 60th. Heserved with the 9th from Sicilyto the end of hostilities and heremembered my faihel'. Theywere in the same company andJohn was with my father whenhe was killed. You can imaginethe mixed emotions both mymother and I had when we readJohn's letter. We are sendinghim some old photos and a mapof the Reigerville area west ofSt. Mere Enlise in the Cher­bourg Peninsula where thefateful action took place. Myresearch has been greatlyenhanced stateside by a GeorgeJ. Allen from Rockville, Md., awonderful man who we metwhile awaiting the arrival ofPresident Reagan at the USAMilitary Cemetery for the 40thCommemoration Ceremony atSy. Laurent-Sur-Mer. May I:end this rather longer than in­tended letter by thanking theOctofoil for giving my letter thespace which led to thesemagnificent replies. Finally,may I wish the 9th InfantryDivision a very happy andmemorable reunion in Nash­ville. God bless you all. ;

Leroy Angel1 Rochford Rd

Basingstoke, HampshireRG 211TQ, Englan~

84th FA Hq. Btry.AARON LUBIN69-10 D 188th St.Fresh Meadows, N.Y. 11365

Enclosed is my overdue duespayment for 3 years plus aScholarship Fund donation inthe name of Mary Winschbeloved and so very missedwife of Ed Winsch 1st. Sgt. of CBtry 84th FA. I've had somecontact with old buddies andglad to hear from any of them.Orville Wakeman had mentionin the last issue, but no address.I have some photos of him andcould send copies, let me hearfrom you Orville or anyone elsein Hqs.

60th Inf. F Co.GERALD TEACHQUT1600 W. Struck #165Or~nge, Ca. 92667

Another year and anotherreunion has passed in tohistory. Was sorry to learn thatwe lost several F Co. 60th menthis past year. The Paquinbrothers, Ray and Lester, ofNorthern Michigan passed onthis year. An old buddy, FlakeFor-Q, died June 20. He had beenseri<ltsly ill with heart prob­lems for several years but hadmanaged several reunions. Wewill all miss him at theseevents. Our group, Fox Co.60th, had a reasonable turn out.Allens, Bermans, Dennis,Etues, Herrins, Painters,Prestons, Saunders, Harrells,Johnson, Lindners, Lees, D.Millers, Skinns, Teachouts, Ur­bans, Wagners, Welchs. Nicka nd Emma Wagner fromMinneapolis made their firstreunion. We had four formerCo. Commanders out again, Ur­ban, Allen, Johnson andPainter. Our group had theusual problems shared bymany.

Most of our group were givenreservations in other hotels.Our C.P. was in doubt up to thelast minute. I had confirmedreservations but after a wait ofseveral hours was put up inanother hotel for 2 nights. TheRadisson's apparently let ourgroup down. I was sorry to see afew leave and return home indisgust. All in all, it worked out.My better half and I combinedour attendance at the reunionwith other travel. Flew in toNashville on June 19 and spenta week with a daughter andfamily in nearby Fairview. Fol­lowing the reunion, spe~t acouple of days with friends inNashville. On July 1 flew on toMichigan. My better half~sPortHuron High School class of 1936had a reunion on July 5 whichwe managed to attend. A coupleof weeks with my mother-in­law and flew back to CaliforniaJuly 15. Now to begin plans for1987 in Harrisburg. The best toyou Dan and your better half.Enclosed is a little somethingfor the Memorial Fund inmemory of Flake D. Ford.

Co G 39th InfBOB SMITH134 Roger AveBellevue, Ohio 44811

We had a good time at theNashville reunion even with allthe confusion and had 14 G Co.,39th. men on hand, the bestturnout yet for us. Six of themwere Bragg men too, all WIAalong the way.

And now for a little construc­tive criticism:

Once again some of our mennever got their names on theboard after registering in forwhich they were pretty wellteed off for which I don't blamethem as people were trying tolocate them there.

Some improvement has got tobe made in this dep't. or we willlose some members for sure. Ihave sent this same gripe toCarlos Esteva too, who by theway is also a former. G Co.,39th. man WIA at the Remagenbridgehead.

So keep in step and may seeyou in Worcester in Nov.

60th Inf A CoZANE GREY11417 Main St. #21Huntley, ill. 60142

Just going to put my Octofoilaway and noted the red ink.Enclosed find dues for 3 yearsand the rest in memory of Sgt.Kenny Franzen (E Co., 60thInf) who I enlisted with, andalso my good friends wife,Marge Finch. Have not beenable to make a reunion yet dueto illness. You are doing a greatjob, thanks a lot.

Co M-47th INF.JERRY PHll..LIPS14002 Hemlock St.Penn Valley, Ca. 95946

M company, 47th Infantry_was represented at Nashvilleby no _less than 17 members'"a nd we stake a claim for th~

ribbon that the 9th InfantryDivision Association ought to beawarding to the company-sizeunit most represented at ourconventions. Our success wass timula ted by efforts toreconstitute the old "M" ofWWII. We now have 92 sur­vivors brought to light in thisendeavor, and have identified39 or more who have marchedon to join the 43 who fell fromour ranks while campaigning inthe ETO. We know that 441 menserved with M/47 from thetime we left the States until VEDay, and are determined to ac­count for as many of these ascan be located. In the course ofthis effort many are learning ofthe Division Association and itsactivities for the first time.Others are re-joining. BillHoran, who commanded M/47in the early postwar days inGermany when the Associationwas founded, recalls that theunit was cited (he still has theofficial correspondence) forhaving turned out the mostmembers from any company­size unit in the division. I amcertain we could do as well to­day.

Dan, you asked about my im­pressions of the convention. Asyou know, I publish and edit thepaper for our community ofabout 5,000 here in California's"Mother Lode Country." Weare governed locally by a pro- ­perty owners association and,currently, one of our major pro­blems is the tug-of-war betweenthe younger and older segmentsof the population which arenearly matched numerically. Isaw and heard thing:5 iuNashville that seemed germaneto my reporting on this conflict.My note thereon may be of in­terest to Octofoil readers and isattached.

It was a great convention,Dan. I was deeply moved by theMemorial Service. While I-struggled against it, I found mytoes tapping at "Opryland" andI thought Lindsay Nelson's ad­dress highly entertaining. I'vebeen to a lot of hotel banquets inmy time but that meal wasoutstanding. Mess SergeantCharley Rehyberger and hisgang from M/47 couldn't havedone any better and they weremiracle men!

All in all my kudos go to allconcerned for a big job welldone at Nashville.

*At Nashville from M/47were: Ken CREIGHTON, JohnDE SEPIO, Leo FATLAN, SamDRAPER, Ray HAIRE, BillHORAN, Lysle KITCHEN,John KNIGHT, Don KOTHE,Ed LITTLE, Tom MORGAN,Bill MORKILL, Red,PHILLIPS, Jack ROWE, ErwinWALTERS, Bob WINKELMANand Jim WINGATE.

9th Med. Bn C Co.FRANK KALICH1208 Valencia NEAlbuquerque, NM 87110

Members of Company C ofthe 9th Med. Bn. attended the9th Division Reunion in Nash­ville, TN, on April 26 and 28 atNashville, TN.

The following members andwives of Company C attendedthe reunion: Mr. and Mrs.Stanley Busta, Cohoes, NY;Mr. and Mrs. C. Cochran,Cherry Log, GA; Mr. and Mrs.Aldor Cook, Schenectady, NY;Mr. and Mrs. Charles Denton,Clinton, TN; Mr. and Mrs.Charles Duncan, Memphis,TN; Mr. and Mrs. James Fite,Fairview, NC; Mr. and Mrs.Bruce Johnstone, Dunedin, FL;

DON'T LOSE WORLDWAR TWOI

Every day we are losing part of the history of World War II.The letters, diaries, photographs, newspaper clippings, unit

histories, and other personal accounts of the war are falling toage, mildew, and worse - the trash. The history of the in­dividual struggles of war - the loneliness, the triumphs, theboredom, the fear - disappear as the veterans who served passa way and their papers and records are destroyed.

Two University of Tennessee professors are attempting toreverse this tragic loss by collecting these materials for the UTKnoxville library.

And you can help - if you or a member of your family or so­meone you know was in the military between 1939-1945.The People's History

The complete story of World War II has yet to be told. A "peo­ple's history" of the conflict has never been written. Of the hun­dreds of books writtten about the European and Pacific Battles,most are "from the top" - from the perspective of the militaryand civilian leadership, since those are the records that havebeen preserved.

Dr. Charles W. Johnson, a military histori,an-at UT's Knox­ville campus, and Professor John H. Dobson, the Univer~'s

special collections librarian, want to make UTK a nationalcenter for the military records of the people who actually, foughtthe battles and supported the war from behind the front lines.

Johnson also will start the long, complex task of writing thesoldier's history.

WrIte Dr. Charles W. Johnson at 1101 McClung Tower, UT,Knoxville, 37996-0411, or call him at 615-974-5421. Professor JohnH. Dobson can be reached at the Main Library, UT, Knoxville,37996-1000. His phone number is 615-974-4480.

Let's stop losing World War II!

Seeking Information

60th Inf 1st BnJOHN MEIZIS4716 S. CampbellChicago, ill. 60632

Not being a letter writer, Idon't know how I can be cor­responding with the Octofoil.I'm in such a hectic mess withmy job, I don't know if I'll makeit to retirement, I might evenget fired! I work for the P.O.and I am a disabled Vet, carry­ing mail from house to house isnot appealing. I fell down aflight of stairs several yearsa go landing on my back andnow I can't carry mail. I'm atruck driver and it seems themore you don't want somethingthe more they push it at you.Being 64 years old I can't run upand down the stairs like theyoungsters so that I'm workingright thru my lunch most of thetime. Going on pension in about10 months. I was wondering ifbeing foreign born will be a hin­drance. I never did get citizenpapers from the Army althoughthey sent me to school. The in­structor said I knew more thanhe did about governmentstatus. I found I couldn't repre­sent a cousin of mine applyingfor citizenship because I didn't

. have my own papers. My fathertook out citizenship in 1923 and Icome in under the 1935 actwhere all children areautomatically citizens whenparents are naturalized before1925. Now will this affect mysocial security or do I need helpsomewhere els~'? .

9th QM CoTREVOR JONES34- Geraldine Ci.Trumbull, Ct. 06611

Well, the reunion is over foranother year and unfortunatelywe missed it! Hopefully, we willattend all future get-togethers.I am enclosing dues for 3 yearsand something for theMemorial Fund. Hope thesefew lines find you in goodhealth.

9th QMCHARLES "CHUCK" O'CON-.NORE46 1365 Van Antwerp Rd.Schenectady, N. Y. 12309

Guilty, guilty, mea culpa,mea culpa - for not long agohaving become closer to oldfriends of "The Ninth."

Now I want to get back ontrack - enclosed my dues for thenext two years and look for­ward to my own copy of the Oc­tofoH - John Ryan loaned me hislast issue. From it I became re­acquainted with Glenn Elliottnow living in Indio, Ca. throughan exchange of cor­respondence. What memoriescome to mind - Col. PaddyFlint, Gen. Westmoreland,Gen. Louis Craig and the in­imitable Lt. Col. JeffersonDavis Childs who, in the lastdays of my service I servedwith in Div. G-4.

Maybe I had something of arecord in the number of uni ts inthe Division with which I serv­ed - 9th, Q.M., 709th. Ord.(L.M.) Bn. attached at varioustimes with the 39th., 47th. and60th. Inf. Regs. Also, while inEngland at the WinchesterBaracks with Lt. Col. ParkerParker (yes that's right - it wasParker Parker). He was the In­s peetor General.

I joined the Division onmaneuvers in the fall of 1941,landed at Casablanca, then onto Port Lyautey, Oran, Algiers,Kasserine Pass and manyplaces along the way.

From time to time I've beenin touch with Gen. West­moreland; had hoped to be atthe reunion at Lake Placid withhim but events beyond my con­trol prevented that and theGeneral was recuperating fromsurgery at the same time.

In June I will reach the youngage of sixty seven and I enjoygood health and hope that it willbe possible for me to be inNashville this year.

For many years I have usedthe name O'Connor (myMother's); when in service itwas S/Sgt. Charles J.Drybulski.

Through the years I havemaintained my great pride thatI was a member of "The OldReliables. "47th Inf. C Co.JACK COLLIER126 St. John Ave.St. Louis. Mo. 63119

Enclosed are my dues for 3years and the balance to theMemorial Fund in memory ofFrank Chatto. I was very sad tolearn of the passing of Fr. Con­nors. He was one of the manywonderful 9th division peoplethat I have looked forward toseeing and being with thesepast 15 years at the differentreunions. Thank you for all ofyour hard work for the Associa­tion.

THE 0 C T 0 F 0 I L Publication No. 402820412 Gregpry Ave Weehawken, N. J. 07087-

s.o..t-a-,.... ....... lift...CdV,IIIt. J. Autftcw,~".o'Oc." '. ,..,

JUHN J. l:LOUSER

P.O. BOX 268\\F.TMORE. MI. 49895

39th Inf. A Co.ERNESTHACKENBROCK35 Grove St.Newburgh, N.Y. 12550

First, let me say how proud Iam to belong to the New YorkChapter of the Ninth InfantryDivision Association. I am trulysorry I didn't join sooner but upto last year, I did not know thatsuch an organization even ex­isted.

This year I got down to Pine­lawn for the Chapter MemorialService on May 17th. Neverhaving been to one, I felt quitesmall being among thoseHeroes who have preceded usinto God's care. I especiallylike the small talk Dan gaveand the prayer that GeorgeApar had prepared. I also wantto thank Arthur Schmidt forreminding me about where andwhen the service was to be.

The comraderie and joking atthe picnic later in the afternoonwas good for me because I metsome terrific guys. Namely Ar­thur Schmidt and GeorgeBrown, who I had been writingto for some time. I had alsohoped that Buddy Bower of ACo. 39th would be there but itwas not to be. By the way, Ar­thur, Harry Wax, Mr. Strauss,Charlie and I took a sligh tdetour from the cemetery to thepark! Adolph had a quip aboutthe 15th Engineers when wefinally got there.

Unfortunately, I had to leaveearly due to a job commitmentbut I wish I could have meteveryone there. I will try tomake it to a chapter meeting,or at least the Christmas partyin December. The good Lordwilling, I will surely be at thereunion in '87.

I'd like to hear from anyonewho was with A Co. 39th inNorth Africa and Sicily'42-'43.

Enclosed please find a smallcontribution for the MemorialFund in Father Connors name.

39th Inf K CoC.E. BLANKENSHIP SR2715 Dorset RdRichmond, Va 23234

My wife is writing this let~er

for me and we will have copIesmade to send to all you guysbecause she has so little timewith all the household dutiesand caring for me. I suffered aheart attack on Wed. June 4 andhave been in the hospital. Ihave just come home but haveto have complete bed rest andcan not have any visitors. Mydoctor says I cannot go to thereunion. Needless to say I amgreatly disappointed. I hadplanned on this trip for monthsand had made hotel reserva­tions, had my plane reserva­tions and all set to go. I waslooking forward to seeing all ofyou that I have been correspon­ding with but somehow it seemsit was not meant to be. My wifethinks it best this happened nowrather than when I got toNashville a way from my doc­tors and away from home, butGod knows, I am disappointed!I wanted to write all of you soyou would get my letter beforethe reunion and you would knowwhy I am not there. Please keepyour letters coming and I willwrite as soon as I am able.Have a good time at the reunionand I will be thinking of all ofyou.

r.

39th lof E CoWILBERT GOLDSMITH7848 Maynard AveCanoga Park, CA. 91304

I now have all my family outhere. My son moved out in May1986. On Dec. 7 I will be 65 andwill work part time, then I canmake the reunions.

THE OCTOFO'L

Co K 60th InfROBERT H. RUCKER205 Greenway DriveBryan, Texas 77801

Dear Dan and Bob:Thanks again for another

memorable reunion of theNinth Infantry DivisionAssociation which will rank asone of the best in recent years.The planning was excellent andI certainly appreciate the manyhours of work that was requiredto carry it to a good conclusion.For those who were somewhatcritical, they must rememberthat, "a person who has nevermade a mistake has not beenborn yet, or is not doinganything!" In spite of all theplanning possible, "Murphy'sLaw" will surface sometimes.

! do feel that the RadissonPlaza was an excellent facilitybut also realize that few hotelsare ready or realize the impactof an "invasion" by the OLDRELIABLES. The committeecannot be faulted by outdatedsystems of check-in proceduresand late check outs on the partof the hotel: I do admit that Iwas beginning to hurt all overbecause of the unexpected wai tto get into my room but then Ihave had better and I certainlyhave had worse. Once in myroom everything went fine forthe remainder of the reunion. Itis hard to have something foreveryone but then everyone hadsome choice.

The Memorial Service wasmost impressive and I dare saythat there were not many dryeyes when it was over. I thoughtthat the band was especiallygood and I would like to sendthem a letter of thanks. Pleasesend me an address so that Ican do so. I would suggest onething be added. There are somany from all parts of the coun­try that are not identified with achapter, etc. that should beremembered, but I supposethat is done by the at-large per­son.

Give my best to all and I hopeto be in Pennsylvania next Julyas I have already sent in forreservations.P.S.

In an effort to encouragemore attendance at the reun­ions, I want to make a sugges­tion. Could we introduce aspecial program for the ladiesin the way of a Flower Arrange­ment demonstration? As I havedone many of these in my betteryears, I think that I might haveone more in my system,especially for the many grea twomen that backed all of us sowell during all the years. If youthink this could be done, I wouldbe happy to begin planning forit. There are many other areasof programs in gardening,Landscape Design, etc. thatmight attract some of the ladiesin other years. Please let meknow if I can assist in this wayand I will be happy to give itanother whirl.

Thanks again for all tha t youand Marie do for all of us for theAssociation. No other group canremotely approach ourorganization. I just regret that Iwas so far removed from thearea down here in Texas that Idid not know about the groupfor many years. Then, too, Iwas trying to make a living andraise three kids! I am trulythankful that I was able to work40 years before the "wheelscame Off!"

Discretion: shutting yourmouth before someone elsedoes.

84th FARAYMOND PEQUE328 Monroe St.Carlstadt, N.J. 07072

Enclosed amount to coverdues and some to the MemorialFund in memory of Charles B.DeWitt who passed away Sept.1985. "Ben" was Master Sgt.84th FA Bn 1942-1945 as many ofyou may remember. Very in­teresting indeed to see many84th troops listed in the Oc­tofoil. Herbert Stern, OrvilleWakemen, Leo Smith, PeteRice, a most interesting letter.He claims to have a poormemory - yet his descriptionof events during our stay atCamp Elsenborn brings backmany memories. He made itread as if it happened yester­day! Everyone there (res tcamp?) will recall it was "buzzbomb alley" . The missiles weredirected towards Antwerp andother coastal targets and theallied command set up bat­talions of 90mm anti-aircraftguns to try and intercept themand knock them down. Manyfell in our area and I remembervery well the one that fell asdescribed by Pete Rice. Toclarify names, hopefully, Wm.Rybka, Capt., Cmdg. Hq. Btry,Fredericks is the name.Milhans S/Sgt. Radio Sect. then2nd Lt. around EupenNOV.-Dec. 1944-1945. Sa"mRobinson, Chester Mikus, Fred­erick Talarico, and to ADLubin, wherever you are "youhelped me in to a 6x6, June 1942at replacement center and werewith me all the way in to VEDay including Paris, Belgium,Liberty Ship, Miles Standish,Penn. Sta., Fort Dix and thelast train to New York. Who canforget Wakefield, laying wire inno mans land, 10 miles out ofZweifall, southeast Aachen,Schevenhutte area? This weheard at Hq. Btn Btry. whichwas rear in this action. DuringSept. 1944 advance many wirecrews were out of touch withbattalion and in this neck of thehostile woods many wire teamsfound themselves not knowingwhere the enemy was. Seeing84th's own nonchalan tly"Wakefield" laying wireagainst trees and other Germanlandmarks, thought they werein a safe area, wrong! It seemsthat Pfc. Wakefield was layingwire within ear shot of a Ger­man company who probablythought Wakefield representedAmerican troops in strength.His cool manner probably gavethe enemy second thoughts andthey retired. A true story as wegot it later. Best wishes to all.

47th InI F (;0

FRANK M. SMITHBox 1075Southern Pines, NC 28387

It was a great reunion eventhough Marie didn't make it.She still deserves much creditas I know she did a lot of workbefore anyone even arrived in.Nashville. And Danny, youwere great, particularly thenight of the banquet. Wish Ihad a VCR of your remarkswith the interruptions by amember. It looked as if it werestaged, now I know the fullstory from Bob, DeSandy. But itwas still hilarious! I am waitingto go to the funeral ot DanielAdams (commanded AT 47th).He and Edel Clark were closefriends and I am sure you willbe hearing from Edel. Thanksagain for a great reunion. Youand Bob did a great job.

47th Inf. G Co.P.J. TAMPORELLO1017 Roselawn St.Metairie, La. 70001

I attended the Reunion inNashville June 26-28 and reallyenjoyed meeting othermembers of the 9th Infantry. Ilost track of many of my bud­dies after I was .wounded andwould like to write to Mail Callto see if any of them are still outthere. Her~ is my recollectionas to how I became a memberof the 9th Infantry.

I joined the 9th Infantry as areplacement (from the dis­banded 300th Infantry out ofFort Benning, Georgia) in Oc­tober 1943 in England. I wasassigned to G Company whichIeft the marshalling area inSouthhampton, England in May1944 for the invasion in France.

I was wounded inBarnesville, France on June 20,1944 and transported to thehospital in England. Even­tually, I was sent to MitchellHospital in New York and final­ly La Guarde General Hospitalin New Orleans, Louisiana inlate 1944.

I would be interested in hear­ing from any of my buddies whomay have also been in the 300thInfantry before it disbanded.My duffel bag with all of mype~sonal belongings (such asmy address book) never caughtup with me from the marshall­ing area in Southhampton,England - I haven't seen itsince.

I enjoy reading The Octofoiland hope to run across some ofmyoId buddies again.47th Inf G Co & Hq CoROBERT L. MATHISBox 127 Tropical M.H. VillageClewiston, Fl. 33440

I served wi th Co G & Hq 2ndBn from 1940 to 1945. Shouldhave become a dues payingmember a long time ago. Icame out of the old 2nd Inf Divas a cadre man to help form thegreat 47th Inf in 1940. Servedwith the 47th throughout theirinvolvement in WW2. Truly the"greatest regiment" of the"greatest division" to haveserved our country during wartime.

47th Inf B CoMR. & MRS. HOWARDPENNISTON721 12th Ave #12Monroe, Wi. 53566

We wish to send greetings toall the brave men of the 9thDivision and especially to B Co47th as our son Howard waswith them until he made thesupreme sacrifice in Tunisia.We would be glad to hear fromanyone who remembersHoward. We hope you had ahappy reunion. Best wishes toall.

47th In£. F Co.CURTIS HOFFLER1700 Airline Blvd. PO Box 7072Portsmouth, Va. 23707

I sincerely appreciate yourinquiry as to our non-attend­ance at the Nashville Conven­tion. Shifting us from theRadisson to the Maxwell House,however, was not the reason forcancelling out. I had been underthe weather for several monthsduring the late winter ands pring because of a bad tooth.My root-canal operation wasscheduled the week of the con-vention.

Any refund that you are ableto negotiate on our behalf maybe credited to the Association'sMemorial or ScholarshipFunds.

Barring a catastrophe, wewill see you in 1987.