Thursday, October 31, 2024 @ 7 PM
Lt Col John Borneman
Graduate of United States Naval Academy
United States Marine Corps Veteran
After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1985, Lt Col John Borneman served the next 11 years in the United States Marine Corps as a Marine F/A-18 Pilot, a Mission Commander, a Top Gun Graduate, and a Marine Weapons and Tactics Instructor. He completed more than 100 Combat and Peacekeeping Missions, more than 200 Aircraft Carrier Landings, and five 6-month Overseas Deployments that will be shared in his presentation. The 5 years following his active duty, John Borneman served in the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve where he participated in multiple annual training deployments to Europe and Northern Africa. This year he is serving as President of the Folds of Honor Chapter for Eastern PA and New Jersey. NOTE: All donations received this evening will go to this Folds of Honor Chapter. “Thank you”, Lt Col John Borneman, for your amazing and honorable service to the USA!
Thursday, October 31, 2024 & September 26, 2024 @ 7 PM
Staff Sergeant Daryl Kennedy
U.S. Army Combat Veteran
Daryl Kennedy joined the Army after college and went to One Station Unit Training (OSUT) at FT Benning in Georgia. After graduation he was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood in Texas. Later Daryl joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard 1/111th Infantry, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team. During his military career, he participated in rotations through National Training Center, Joint Readiness Training Center (2x) and a rotation through the Combat Maneuver Training Center in Hohenfels Germany. Kennedy deployed and conducted Peace enforcement operation in Kosovo, Humanitarian aid mission to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, and finally combat operations in Iraq. He was medically retired from the military due to the injuries he received. Kennedy now works for the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
NOTE: His father was a medic during the Vietnam War, and his grandfather was a Marine during World War II
NOTE: His father was a medic during the Vietnam War, and his grandfather was a Marine during World War II
Thursday, May 23, 2024 @ 7 PM
Lt. Col. John J. McGeehan
U.S. Army, Vietnam Veteran
Lt. Col. John J. McGeehan began his military career when he was drafted into the Army. His 28 years of military service included three tours of duty with the Special Forces in Vietnam. In 1968, he served with his Green Beret unit, Delta Project (the precursor to Delta Force), the most decorated single unit in the Vietnam War. The Special Forces team captured the largest enemy cache of weapons and ammunition up to that time in the Vietnam War. Throughout his career, he received numerous medals and commendations, including three Bronze Stars and four Combat Air Medals. In 1969-1970 he was Director of Counter Terrorist Program and was involved with pursuing, capturing and terminating senior Communist Party officials in the National Liberation Front, the People’s Revolutionary Party, and the North Vietnamese Army. While serving in Panama, he directed and served in a highly classified special operation in Central and South America targeting drug cartels and terrorism forces not friendly with the United States. You will want to hear Lt. Col. McGeehan share stories from his fascinating military career!
Note: His oldest son, Ryan, is a commander in the U.S. Navy.
Note: His oldest son, Ryan, is a commander in the U.S. Navy.
Thursday, April 25, 2024 @ 7 PM
Susan & Kevin Dellicker
Susan is a high school German teacher, military wife and mother to 3 boys. She studied in Europe as a Fulbright Scholar, earned a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati and taught English at a Gymnasium in the former East Germany. She worked as a public relations professional and co-founded a business with her husband. Kevin is an entrepreneur, military veteran, husband, and father. He has earned degrees in history, environmental management, public administration, military science, and a master of divinity in global studies. Kevin is the owner of a successful technology company and former policy advisor to the governor of Pennsylvania. He has 28 years of part-time service in the National Guard as an Army infantry soldier, Air Force intelligence officer, and squadron commander. Kevin has deployed overseas 4 times for the Global War on Terrorism with the 193rd Special Operations Wing and has commanded a squadron that flies MQ-9 Reapers. You will enjoy learning more about this very special couple as they share their experiences with us!
Thursday, March 28, 2024 @ 7 PM
Chief Master Sergeant Bobbie Trotter
U.S. Air Force, Vietnam Veteran
Bobbie Trotter left her teaching position at a high school and volunteered with the American Red Cross to serve in the Republic of South Vietnam from 1970-1971 as a “Donut Dollie”. She was much affected by the sacrifice of friends and family in the Vietnam War. During that year she kept a journal hoping to one day publish a book about her experiences. She also wrote poetry on scraps of paper she stored in a shoe box. Upon her return home in 1971, she felt alienated and sought to be with others who served and understood. She ultimately joined “The Boys from Syracuse”, the 174th NY Air National Guard. Bobbie became very active in the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Project and donated 8 of her poems to Visions of War, Dreams of Peace. The proceeds helped pay for the statue which now stands in Washington, D.C. She was selected to read 2 of her poems at the candlelight dedication. Bobbie Trotter, or Sgt. Mom, as she is often called, served 30 years in the Air Force. We are proud to have her as our speaker tonight and grateful for her service to our Country.
Thursday, February 29, 2024 @ 7 PM
Specialist Fifth Class Tim Clark
U.S. Army
Tim Clark always had a knack for language and after joining the Army was sent to the Defense Language
Institue in Monterey, California. Tim studied Russian eight hours a day and learned all aspects of the language.
Instructors were native born Russians and only spoke Russian in class. He became a Specialist Fifth Class and
interpreter and translator with a top-secret clearance. This led to being sent to the National Security Agency in Washington.
Service in Turkey and Texas followed.
Institue in Monterey, California. Tim studied Russian eight hours a day and learned all aspects of the language.
Instructors were native born Russians and only spoke Russian in class. He became a Specialist Fifth Class and
interpreter and translator with a top-secret clearance. This led to being sent to the National Security Agency in Washington.
Service in Turkey and Texas followed.
Thursday, January 25, 2024 @ 7 PM
Staff Sergeant (SSG) Patrick J. Cubbage
U.S. Army
Vietnam War Veteran
Patrick Cubbage was drafted into the U. S. Army (1968) and was honorably discharged (2005). After completion of training at Fort Bragg, NC and Fort Polk, LA, he went to the noncommissioned officer training course (NCOC) at Fort Benning, GA, where he also completed parachute (jump school) and received his airborne wings. In July of 1969 Patrick went to Vietnam and was assigned to the173rd Airborne Brigade. The 173rd was the most decorated unit in Vietnam. For his service in Vietnam, he received Badges and Medals. Returning from Vietnam, Patrick was assigned to Fort Dix, NJ. He continued to serve his country in reserve components: 11th Special Forces (Green Beret), 122nd MP assigned to the criminal investigation division (CID), and the 112th Field Artillery as a nuclear biological chemical expert. He was the only one in the Emergency Operational Center (at Fort Dix) when the United Sates was attacked on 9/11. You will hear highlights of his military experiences while serving in the U.S. Army. Thank you, SSG Patrick Cubbage, for your service to our Country!
Thursday, December 28, 2023 @ 7 PM
Lt. General (ret) Richard S. Kramlich
United States Marine Corps
OBSERVATIONS OF A MARINE LOGISTICIAN
Lt. Gen Kramlich received a Marine Corps commission upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1973. His operational assignments, primarily as a logistics officer, included tours with 3d Marine Air Wing and 3d Marine Division, along with each of the three Force Service Support Groups (FSSG). He deployed with 2d FSSG in support of Operation Desert Storm prior to attending the Marine Corps War College. He was selected for Flag rank in 1999 while serving as the Deputy Director for Logistics and Security Assistance at U.S. Central Command. His general officer billets began with a tour as the CG of Marine Corps Logistic Bases, headquartered in Albany, GA. He then assumed command of 1st FSSG and in 2004 deployed that organization to Iraq to serve as the Logistics Combat Element for I Marine Expeditionary Force in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom-2. Appointed to the rank of Lt. General in 2005, he served as the Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics and later as the Director, Marine Corps Staff until retiring in 2009. After retiring from active duty, Lt. General Kramlich served as an adjunct faculty member for the Institute for Defense and Business. You will want to hear him highlight some of his experiences as a general officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Thursday, October 26, 2023 @ 7 PM
Capt. Stephen Hoare
U.S. Air Force Veteran
As a child Steve watched many civilian and military aircraft flying over his house in Watkins Glen, NY, and that instilled in him a desire to fly. He attended Hobart College and completed 4 years of AFROTC, the last of which included flight training in a Piper J-3. Steve completed pilot training at Craig AFB in Selma, AL, flying in the T-37 and then the T-33. After graduation he was assigned to fly B-52 planes at Bergstrom AFB in Austin, TX for 2 years before transferring to March Field in Riverside, CA. During those years Steve flew training missions, airborne nuclear alerts and SEA actual bombing. He arrived at March Field in 1966, and the following year the entire wing of bombers and tankers was sent for a 179-day TDY (temporary duty) to participate in the war over Vietnam. They were stationed at March Field until 1971. Steve participated in 3 more TDY assignments for the War, where he flew more missions and accumulated more flying hours. In 1971 he was transferred to Plattsburgh AFB. There Steve flew the FB-111 bomber and was also the Accident Investigation Officer. When the Vietnam RIF (reduction in force) occurred in 1976, he was “too old” to fly for the airlines and got a job with Union Pacific Corporation flying the Gulfstream. Thank you, Steve, for honorably serving the USA and the U.S. Air Force as a Veteran.
Thursday, September 28, 2023 @ 7 PM
Ralph Leroy Timmons
U.S. Army
Career Veteran
Ralph Leroy Timmons will share some of his experiences and accomplishments as a U.S. Military Veteran. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served four years in Okinawa. Ralph then joined the U.S. Army and served as an Infantryman for more than 16 years, Field Radio Repairer, and a United States Army Recruiter. He served with the 101st Airborne Division. Ralph received a number of Decorations, Medals, Badges, Citations, and Campaign Ribbons. These included Parachute Badge, Oversea Service Bars (3), Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star Medal, and United States Recruiter Badge. Ralph completed an intensive course of instruction and demonstrated proficiency in the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrolling techniques. He graduated from the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV). In fact, he was the Distinguished Graduate of the class. Ralph was assigned a Recondo Number and authorized to wear the distinctive patch on the right pocket of the fatigue uniform, while serving in the Republic of Vietnam. You will want to hear more about his honorable and brave service to our Country (USA).
Thursday, August 24, 2023 @ 7 PM
Lou Cinfici
DT1 (Dental Technician Petty Officer 1st Class)
USMM (United States Merchant Marines)
United States Navy Veteran of 3 Wars
Cinfici, at age 16, joined the Merchant Marines and started his military career that included surviving combat in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations late in World War II and injuries in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. As a Merchant Marine, he delivered supplies and ammunition at Iwo Jima, Midway and Guadalcanal. Lou Cinfici witnessed the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri. He completed medical training in the Navy and served as a dental assistant during World War II and the Korean War. He received further training as a medic and was attached to the Marine Corps in Da Nang, Vietnam. NOTE: You must hear his story regarding a 10kt gold Benrus watch given to him by a girlfriend. We salute Lou Cinfici’s military accomplishments and honorable service…another Veteran from the Greatest Generation!
Thursday, July 27, 2023 @ 7 PM
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE: Fellowship Community (Zentz Community Center)
3020 Fellowship Drive, Whitehall, PA
PFC Jake Ruser, U.S. Army, World War II Veteran
CPL Benjamin Berry, U.S. Army, World War II Veteran
Jake Ruser was a Combat Medic with the 4th Infantry Division, that stormed Utah Beach on D-Day (6/6/1944) and fought through France into the Battle of Huertgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge.
Benjamin Berry served in the Quartermaster Corps of George Patton's 3rd US Army. He landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day plus 23 and was also at the Battle of the Bulge.
Huertgen Forest is a 54 square mile area east of the Belgian-German border. This was the longest battle on German ground during WWII and is the longest single battle the U.S. Army has ever fought. The Battle of the Bulge was the U.S. Army’s greatest struggle to deny Adolf Hitler’s last chance for victory. The “Bulge” was the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by the U.S. in WWII and the third-deadliest campaign in American history. It lasted 5 weeks (12/16/1944-1/8/1945).
Join us as both Veterans from the Greatest Generation share their combat experiences.
Benjamin Berry served in the Quartermaster Corps of George Patton's 3rd US Army. He landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day plus 23 and was also at the Battle of the Bulge.
Huertgen Forest is a 54 square mile area east of the Belgian-German border. This was the longest battle on German ground during WWII and is the longest single battle the U.S. Army has ever fought. The Battle of the Bulge was the U.S. Army’s greatest struggle to deny Adolf Hitler’s last chance for victory. The “Bulge” was the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by the U.S. in WWII and the third-deadliest campaign in American history. It lasted 5 weeks (12/16/1944-1/8/1945).
Join us as both Veterans from the Greatest Generation share their combat experiences.
Thursday, June 29, 2023 @ 7 PM
Robert Pearce
U.S. Navy
World War II Veteran
1st Class Petty Officer Robert Pearce served in the United States Navy (1942-1945) as an Aviation Weather Specialist with Fleet Air Wing #10 in the Philippines on Palawan Island. He originally wanted to join the submarine service, but was intrigued by the weather service. He was trained to be a weather observer on a PB4Y-2 Privateer. His job was to fly through the eyes of typhoons with winds that measured as high as 145mph and search for downed aircraft in the South China Sea. He participated in a total of 50 missions, some flights lasting up to 13 hours. Bob Pearce landed on Palawan Island one week after The Massacre, when 150 American POWs were brutally killed on 12/14/1944. They were ordered into wooden air raid shelters. Gasoline was poured on the wood and set on fire with flaming torches followed by hand grenades. Bob was also a musician and played the piano/organ for Art Lund of the Benny Goodman Orchestra. They entertained many troops on many ships. Robert Pearce is an honored Veteran from the Greatest Generation and one of the long-time employees of the Allen Organ Company.
Thursday, May 25, 2023 @ 7 PM
Lieutenant Dale Kratzer
U.S. Navy, Civil Engineer Corps
Vietnam War Seabee Veteran
Dale graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Civil Engineering. After attending Navy OCS and Civil Engineer Corps Officers School, he joined USN Mobile Construction Battalion 6 in Chu Lai, Vietnam. His initial assignment was Assistant “C” Company Commander. Most of the Battalion’s projects in Vietnam were not for the Navy but for the Army, Marines, and ARVN. It included construction of facilities: an Army 400-bed Medivac hospital (which included two major beer payoffs), support buildings for Marine Air Wings 12 and 13, POL tanks, Army Special Forces camp, civilian hospital at Tam Ky, support facilities for various Army and Marine units, and an ARVN cantonment reconstruction. Civic action by the Battalion in general and counterinsurgency activity in the form of Seabee Teams were other responsibilities. At Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico, Dale served as the Battalion Engineering Officer with collateral duty as Disaster Recovery Officer. His primary responsibility was design of a new permanent camp to re-establish a Seabee presence in the Caribbean, as well as, initiating new projects. Dale has been a member of the Roundtable since 2008. He recruits speakers and interviews Veterans. Learn more about the Seabees and their contributions to our freedom. (Construction Battalion: C+B = Seabee)
Thursday, April 27, 2023 @ 7 PM
Colonel James C. Sikra, Ph.D.
U.S. Air Force, ret.
Col. James Sikra, a graduate of Phillipsburg High School, entered the Air Force through the ROTC program in 1969 and served more than 23 years on active duty. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy Degree at Rutgers University. During his career, Col. Sikra was involved in development and flight testing of USAF missiles, aircraft electronic warfare systems, and space reentry systems. He also served a tour of duty in technical intelligence and taught engineering mechanics at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Col. Sikra retired from active duty at Norton Air Force Base, San Bernardino, CA in 1992. His military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Force Achievement Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star. Join us as Col. James Sikra shares his career experiences while serving in the U.S. Air Force.
Thursday, March 30, 2023 @ 7 PM
Nancy Eckert
Combat Nurse
Vietnam Veteran
Nancy Eckert was 25 when she enlisted in the Army to go to Vietnam. At that time, she was working in ICU at a NYC hospital. Nancy is a former decorated Captain of the Army Nurse Corps, who served as a combat nurse at the 93rd Evacuation Hospital in Long Binh, Vietnam, from 1966-1967. She said, “Women were not housed in safe zones. They were in the middle of the war like everyone else, because there were no safe zones in Vietnam. We actually were frontline”. Nancy Eckert attended the unveiling of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, D.C. The Monument was dedicated to the memory of 264,000 women who volunteered to serve during the 12-year Vietnam War. Of that number, approximately 7,000 were nurses. Nancy will share her incredible journey as a post-operative surgery nurse & describe how those experiences impacted her life, including some of the sights she endured while caring for patients during the war. Before retirement, she was employed as a nurse at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
Thursday, February 23, 2023 @ 7 PM (CANCELLED)
Jim “Ace” Gallagher
Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class
World War II Veteran
Jim graduated from Allentown High School (Spring 1942) and joined the Navy (May 1943). He completed his aviation ordnanceman course in Memphis, TN (November 1943). Aviation Ordnancemen (AO) are weapons specialists charged with managing all types of ammunition carried on Navy aircraft. As a combat aircrewman in the Navy, Jim served as a TBF Avenger turret gunner. TBF Avenger is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps. In October 1944, the Night Carrier Air Group was formed, and Gallagher was assigned to a night torpedo squadron (VTN-91), which flew Avengers. In 1945 (May), VTN-91 was sent to Saipan and joined Carrier Aircraft Service Unit 7 to support naval aircraft operations. In addition to sharing some of his experiences, Jim will also share with you a training accident that killed his buddy. Japan surrendered August 14, 1945. Jim “Ace” Gallagher was honorably discharged April 1, 1946 as another hero from the Greatest Generation.
Tuesday, November 22, 2022 @ 7 PM (PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DAY--TUESDAY)
David B. Binder
Petty Officer Second Class
U.S. Navy, Vietnam War Veteran
Petty Officer Second Class David Binder served in the U.S. Navy (1963 – 1967) and is a two-tour combat veteran of the Vietnam War (1965 – 1967). He served as a Watercraft Inspection Team Member, a .50 caliber machine gunner, and an occasional Swift Boat crew member. In addition to searching junks, boats, and other watercraft; his ship was often called to render shore bombardment with three-inch guns and gunfire support with .50 caliber machine guns. Binder was the leading Electronic Technician responsible for maintenance and repair of the ship’s three radars (IFF, Loran, and other associated electronic systems). He earned and was awarded many ribbons and medals for his service in Vietnam, including the Navy and Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon, the Vietnam Service Medal with Three Bronze Campaign Stars, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Device, the Vietnam Campaign Medal with Date Device, and the Vietnam Naval Service Medal. Please join us to hear more interesting details about Binder’s heroic combat service in Vietnam. “Thank You”, Petty Officer Second Class David Bender, for your honorable and brave service to our Country. We are proud of you!
Thursday, October 27, 2022 @ 7 PM
Matt Gutman, U.S. Navy
Chief Boatswain’s Mate (BMC)
World War II, Pacific Theater
Matt Gutman enlisted in the U.S. Navy during June 1943, and completed his amphibious training in Bradford, Virginia. He served aboard LST-553 (Landing Ship Tank) in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater with a crew of 109 sailors. As Coxswain (pilot) of the landing craft, Matt piloted 36 combat Marines and supplies to the beach. The ship and her crew invaded five islands during World War II including, Peleliu, Leyte (Philippines), Lingayen Gulf, Luzon (Subic Bay), and Okinawa. LST-553 was credited for shooting down three Japanese planes during the war. When the war ended, Matt and 27 others volunteered for 60 days to sweep for pressure-activated mines in the channel and harbors of Japan that our planes had dropped during the war to stop Japan’s shipping. He went on to serve 22 years in the U.S. Navy. Matt was awarded at least 8 medals and 3 ribbons and recognized as one of our heroes from the Greatest Generation.
Thank you, Matt, for your service to our Country
Thank you, Matt, for your service to our Country
Thursday, September 29, 2022 @ 7 PM
Lieutenant Joseph Petro
United States Navy
Vietnam War Veteran
Special Agent/United States Secret Service
Not many people, including veterans, know much about the U.S. Navy’s River Patrol Forces that only existed during the Vietnam War. Joe was an officer in the U.S. Navy for four years (1966-1970). He served in the River Patrol Forces and commanded River Patrol Boats (PBRs) in Vietnam. His presentation will include some of the history and operations of the River Patrol Forces. He was awarded a Bronze Star with Combat “V” and the Navy/Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon. He was later assigned as the Senior Advisor to a Vietnamese PBR River Division. From 1971-1993, Joe was a special agent and senior executive with the United States Secret Service, where he served in numerous operational and management positions. He supervised the Presidential, Vice Presidential and Dignitary Protective Divisions. In addition to sharing some of the unique history of the Secret Service, he will share four personal stories. Joe is the author of the book “Standing Next to History, An Agents Life Inside the Secret Service” and a graduate of William Allen High School.
Thursday, August 25, 2022 @ 7 PM
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE:
Fellowship Community (Zentz Community Center)
3020 Fellowship Drive
Whitehall, PA 18052
CPL David Mills
United States Army
Korean War Veteran/Prisoner of War
CPL David Mills was in F Company, 2nd Battalion, 15th Infantry of the 3rd Infantry Division. He joined the Army on his 17th birthday. Upon arrival in South Korea, Mills was stationed at Outpost Harry. In April of 1953, Chinese troops nearly took Outpost Harry. A massive enemy artillery bombardment hammered the Outpost. It was followed by a major Chinese assault in battalion strength, including two days of brutal hand-to-hand fighting. Mills was captured after being shot nine times; twice in the head, six times in the legs, and once in the arm. The only people he saw alive were the three Chinese soldiers who took him captive. He was initially listed as missing in action and then killed in action. His company suffered 72 casualties out of 88 men. Mills was a Chinese Prisoner of War for four months before he was repatriated. He will share his experiences as a POW and his interrogation by the enemy, while receiving no medical treatment for any of his wounds. He served the remainder of his enlistment as a Military Policeman. NOTE: Mills never intended to return to Korea, but he did in 2012 and was absolutely stunned by the transformation that took place! You must hear the “the rest of the story”. David Mills has received a number of Military decorations, and he speaks throughout the United States as a military representative and an advocate for Korean War Veterans.
Thursday, June 30, 2022 @ 7 PM
Tim Gilbert
United States Navy
Vietnam Veteran
Cryptologist
Tim Gilbert enlisted in the U.S. Navy Kitty Cruiser Program as a 17-year-old. His training included Counter Insurgency (Coronado, CA) weapons training with the U.S. Marines (Camp Pendleton, CA) and S.E.R.E. training: survival, evasion, resistance to interrogation (Whibey Island, WA). Tim's military experiences included Communication Technician, Cryptologist in the Naval Security Group (NSG), and service in Vietnam for the Commander of Naval Forces (1966-67). His awards and medals include a Letter of Commendation from Admiral K. L. Veth, Commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Vietnam, as well as, Vietnam Service (2 Stars), Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor. He has membership in several Veteran's Organizations, including The Fleet Reserve Association #115, Vietnam Veterans #415, and the Naval Cryptologic Veterans Association (NCVA). Tim returned to Vietnam in 2005 as a civilian touring all of South and North Vietnam (the Delta to Han Long Bay). Thank you, Tim Gilbert, for your honorable military to our Country. We are proud of you!
Thursday, May 26, 2022 @ 7 PM
Hermann Pfisterer
“Experiencing Life Inside the Third Reich
Hermann was born in the heavy industrialized city of Essen, located in the Ruhr Valley of North Western Germany, the heart of German industrial production that made it a frequent target of Allied bombers. He remembers some of the more than 800-bombing raids on his city to destroy the huge factories of Krupp, producing heavy military equipment. These bombing raids forced Hermann and his family into bunkers. During age seven, Hermann was taken away from his parents and sent to a farm in Southern Germany away from the bombing; however, at the insistence of his mother, he returned to Essen. At 9 years of age he joined Jungvolk (“German Youth”) a Youth Organization in Nazi Germany for boys aged 10-14. Hermann saw Hitler 3 times during his childhood. He will share with us his experiences of living in Nazi Germany and postwar Europe. He came to the United States in 1952 for a better and safer life. He lived in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Still a German citizen, Hermann was drafted into the US Army and was stationed in Germany as an interpreter and office clerk. Today, he proudly wears his U.S. uniform. “I think this is the best country in the world”.
Thursday, April 28, 2022 @ 7 PM
Thomas D. (Tom) Roney
United States Army
Vietnam Veteran
After completing his basic training at Fort Dix, NJ and his infantry training at Fort Polk, LA, Specialist 4th Class Tom Roney arrived in Vietnam (June, 1968). He was assigned to the 3rd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division. During the first four months of his tour, Tom served as a rifleman with Company C, 1/508th Infantry, patrolling in the mountains of the Hue/Phu Bai area near the DMZ. His unit was then transferred south to the Saigon area, however, a serious illness put Tom in the hospital for more than three months. Upon return from the hospital to his unit, he was reassigned to the mortar platoon in Company E, 1/508th. There Tom was involved in firing support missions for the Battalion line companies with the 82mm and 4.2” mortars. During his tour in Vietnam, Tom was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, Army Commendation Medal, and Bronze Star Medal. He completed his military service at Fort Hood, TX with the 2nd Armored Division. Notes of Interest: Tom is active in Habitat for Humanity, having returned to Vietnam three times to build houses with the Habitat Global Village Project. He is President of Chapter 415 (Lehigh Valley) of the Vietnam Veterans of America. “Thank You”,
Tom Roney, for your honorable military service to our Country!
Tom Roney, for your honorable military service to our Country!
Thursday, March 31, 2022 @ 7 PM (2/24 meeting cancelled because of weather)
SSGT Ernie Abe
Vietnam Veteran
United States Air Force
Weapons Specialist
Ernie Abe will share his military experiences while serving in the US Air Force as a weapons specialist (1967-1971). After completing basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, Ernie attended Weapons School at the Lowery Air Force Base in Denver, CO. His first assignment was at Elgin Air Force Base in the western Florida Panhandle with the 4533rd Tactical Test Squadron of the 33rd Tactical Fighter Wing (that was involved in the development and testing of new weapons and systems). Ernie was trained to serve on the weapons load crew. In 1969 he was stationed one year at the Da Nang Air Base Vietnam replacing two squadrons of F-4C with F-4E Phantoms in the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing “Gunfighters” on a weapons crew. He also served on the 4th TFW WING STAND team at Seymore Johnson AFB in Goldsboro, NC prior to being discharged. You will want to hear about his training and service as a weapons specialist and enjoy a slide presentation to see some of the action. Thank you for your service to our country, SSGT Ernie Abe.
Tuesday, November 23, 2021 @ 7 PM
Richard (Dick) Schimmel
World War II Veteran
United States Army Air Corps
Pearl Harbor Survivor
Staff Sergeant. Richard Schimmel, enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was deployed to Hawaii for basic training at Schofield Barracks. He then became a signal plotter and switchboard operator in the newly-formed Signal Aircraft Warning Service at Oahu. Dick was among the first
soldiers to work with radar. Although he wasn’t on duty the morning of December 7,1941, he watched the attack on Pearl Harbor for a few minutes then quickly ran to the information center. There he would spend the rest of the day recording details of the attack. He was one of the first to notice that the approaching planes were from the Japanese Air Force and witnessed the air raids over the naval base during that historical morning. Dick served much of his 56 months of military service on the islands of Hawaii. He was transferred to Canton Island in the Pacific to continue his work in radar. There he survived three bombing raids by the Japanese Air Force. Sgt. Schimmel continues returning to Pearl Harbor every five years to participate in the ceremonies honoring the servicemen lost on December 7th. He plans to be there again this December. We look forward to hearing his amazing story.
Richard (Dick) Schimmel is another hero from the Greatest Generation.
soldiers to work with radar. Although he wasn’t on duty the morning of December 7,1941, he watched the attack on Pearl Harbor for a few minutes then quickly ran to the information center. There he would spend the rest of the day recording details of the attack. He was one of the first to notice that the approaching planes were from the Japanese Air Force and witnessed the air raids over the naval base during that historical morning. Dick served much of his 56 months of military service on the islands of Hawaii. He was transferred to Canton Island in the Pacific to continue his work in radar. There he survived three bombing raids by the Japanese Air Force. Sgt. Schimmel continues returning to Pearl Harbor every five years to participate in the ceremonies honoring the servicemen lost on December 7th. He plans to be there again this December. We look forward to hearing his amazing story.
Richard (Dick) Schimmel is another hero from the Greatest Generation.
Thursday, October 28, 2021 @ 7 PM
Robert Thompson
World War II Veteran
Battle of the Bulge
POW
Robert Thompson, U.S. Army Veteran, was inducted into military service during March, 1943. He completed his infantry training at Fort McClellan, AL and Alabama Polytech in Auburn before finishing at Camp Shelby, Hattiesburg, MS. He was deployed to Europe in mid-June, 1943, and later joined the 2nd Infantry Division at Utah Beach in Normandy, France. They continued their journey through the hedgerows and across the hilly peninsula of historic Brittany. Then it was forward to the Ardennes, where in December, 1944, the 2nd Infantry Division held fast its position during the Battle of the Bulge, preventing further German attempts to reconquer Belgium. It was also at that time and place that Robert was captured and became a POW at Stalag 13-C in Germany. He was liberated (5/1/45) and discharged (11/11/45). Robert has an interesting story to share, and it’s one you will want to hear. Robert Thompson is another hero from the Greatest Generation.
Thursday, September 30, 2021 @ 7 PM
1st Lieutenant Larry E. Ahner
U.S. Army Veteran, Iraq War
Officer in charge of the Security & Custody of Saddam Hussein
After graduating from Lehighton Area High School (1987), 1st Lt. Larry Ahner completed Basic Combat Training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. His AIT training took place at Ft Lee, VA and Ft Bragg, NC. In 1996, 1st Lt. Ahner enlisted in the PA Army National Guard at Ft Indiantown Gap. He attended National Guard Officer Candidate School and was commissioned 2nd Lt Armor Officer & served as M1 Abrams tank platoon leader and Executive Officer of a tank company for four years. At Ft Knox, KY he was mobilized as Military Police platoon leader. Then at Ft. Dix, NJ he participated in Military Police and mobilization training. 1st Lt Ahner served a tour in Iraq (2004-2005) as a platoon leader of a military police company in Baghdad and was stationed at the High Value Detainee Detention Center as the Officer in charge of internal and external site security and custody of Saddam Hussein. 1st Lt Ahner was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his actions in Iraq and received commendation from the FBI for combating international terrorism.
Saturday, June 26, 2021 @ 7 PM
There was a special meeting with various demonstrations. Go to Media/Photos link at the top of this page to see photos from that meeting.
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Sunday, April 26, 2020 from 2-4 PM (CANCELLED)
David Mills
U.S. Army
Korean War Veteran
Information to be added closer to date.
Thursday, March 26, 2020 -- MEETING HAS BEEN POSTPONED BECAUSE OF CORONAVIRUS PRECAUTIONS
Thursday, February 27, 2020 @ 7 PM
Charles Brooking
U.S. Navy
WWII Veteran
Seventeen years old and a high school drop-out, Charles joined the Navy. He completed PT boat training in Rhode Island. PT (Patrol, Torpedo) boats were small, torpedo-armed, fast-attack vessels used by the Navy for short range oceanic scouting, for daring and harassing attacks on enemy supply lines, and for search and destroy missions. The boats were also used to lay mines and smoke screens, and to rescue downed aviators. Patrols were conducted at night. These boats were an important part of the war. Forty-three PT squadrons, each with twelve boats, were formed during WWII by the Navy. They were used to support the D-Day invasion. The PT boats were equipped with anti-aircraft and machine guns. The crew had to know how to take apart and put together all the artillery. Serving as a Gunner’s Mate Second (GM2), Charles manned twin .50 caliber machine guns and saw his share of action. In fact, Brooking suffered a severe injury when a machine gun blew up in his hands, hospitalizing him for several weeks. He fought in combat and lost several friends. His crew sunk some Japanese ships, including troop-carrying barges. The most frightening aspect of the duty were the kamikaze planes the Japanese used to attack boats. Charles Brooking is another hero from the Greatest Generation.
Thursday, January 30, 2020 @ 7 PM
Nancy Eckert
Combat Nurse
Vietnam Veteran
Nancy Eckert was 25 when she enlisted in the Army to go to Vietnam. At that time, she was working in ICU in NYC. Nancy served as a combat nurse at the 93rd Evacuation Hospital in Long Binh, Vietnam, 20 miles north of Saigon. “Women were not housed in safe zones. They were in the middle of the war like everyone else, because there were no safe zones in Vietnam. We actually were frontline,” said Eckert. In other wars, there was relative safety behind the lines, but in Vietnam there were no boundaries and the front was everywhere. Nancy was present for the unveiling of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, D.C. The Monument was dedicated to the memory of 264,000 women who volunteered to serve during the 12-year Vietnam War. She will share her story, including some of the sights she endured while caring for patients during the war.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019 @ 7 PM
George Jackson
101st Airborne
World War II Veteran
George Jackson was trained to be an engineer during WWII, but he became annoyed with the practice of tearing down bridges that he had just helped to build; so he volunteered for airborne training. The training was rigorous, including a “full load” combat jump at night from a C-47 along with instruction specific to landing behind enemy lines. After earning his Parachutist Badge, he was assigned to the 101st Airborne, 326th Airborne Engineering Battalion and sent to England where training continued. In September, 1944, Jackson took part in Operation Market Garden. It was one of the largest Allied operations of the Second World War. It aimed to secure the brides over the rivers Mass, Waal, and the Rhine in the Netherlands to outflank the heavy German defenses of the Siegfried Line. It failed to secure the key bridge at Arnhem. In the nine days of Market Garden, more than 17,000 airborne and ground forces were killed, wounded, and missing in combat. The Operation failed. Jackson’s service also included the early days of the Battle of the Bulge, when the 101st Airborne was rushed to Bastogne. Toward the end of the war, the 101st approached Berchtesgaden. He saw the Eagle’s Nest. George Jackson is another hero from the Greatest Generation!
Thursday, October 31, 2019 @ 7 PM
Victor Marulli, Sr.
U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team
World War II Veteran
Boatswain’s Mate 2nd Class Victor Marulli, Sr. enlisted in the US Navy in December 1942 and completed diver training in Corpus Christi, TX. He was then sent to school in Coronado, CA for training in underwater demolition where he became part of the Underwater Demolition Team #3 (UDT-3), in 1944. From 1943-1945, during the final stages of WWII, his duties as a Bell Diver/Combat Swimmer/Frogman took him to the European and Pacific-Asian Theaters, as well as Guam, the Philippines, and Japan. As a Bell Diver, he recovered PBJ Mariners (American patrol bomber flying boats) and PBM aircraft, human remains, and assisted in any other miscellaneous dive requests from his Commanding Officers. His Frogman experience included carrying 100 lbs of dynamite up the beaches for the Marines to retrieve and use in battle. During his years with the Navy, he was commissioned on the USS Corregidor, but served on other ships who needed his diving expertise until the end of WWII. Victor Marulli, Sr. is another World War II hero from the Greatest Generation.
Thursday, September 26, 2019 @ 7 PM
CPL Robert F. Wippel, Jr.
U.S. Army
Vietnam Veteran
Bob’s military assignments included a year with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg; a year with the 2nd of 15th Infantry in Mannheim, Germany; ten months in Bong Son, Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 503rd Infantry, 4th Battalion, B Company; and some short assignments at Fort Hood, Texas, and in Anchorage, Alaska with the (Artic Rangers) 75th Infantry. In Vietnam, Bob served as a point man on a combat patrol team of seven men. He fired the M16 rifle, M60 machine gun, and M79 grenade launcher. During five of his patrols, Bob captured a total 12 Viet Cong. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for
meritorious service in connection with ground operations. During one patrol, the team was overrun by Viet Cong; they were miraculously rescued by a Casper Aviation Platoon, who supplied two Cobra Gun Ships killing 57 of the enemy with rockets. Bob was presented a Purple Heart for a stab wound he suffered in hand-to-hand combat with a Viet Cong. On New Year’s Eve at midnight, 1970, while on patrol, he tripped two wires (land mines) and was seriously wounded and suffered with lifelong injuries. Bob was presented a second Purple Heart. Robert F. Wippel courageously fought for the freedom of the United States of America.
We are grateful.
meritorious service in connection with ground operations. During one patrol, the team was overrun by Viet Cong; they were miraculously rescued by a Casper Aviation Platoon, who supplied two Cobra Gun Ships killing 57 of the enemy with rockets. Bob was presented a Purple Heart for a stab wound he suffered in hand-to-hand combat with a Viet Cong. On New Year’s Eve at midnight, 1970, while on patrol, he tripped two wires (land mines) and was seriously wounded and suffered with lifelong injuries. Bob was presented a second Purple Heart. Robert F. Wippel courageously fought for the freedom of the United States of America.
We are grateful.
Thursday, August 29, 2019 @ 7 PM
Cpl. Anthony Fraind
U.S. Army Infantry
World War II Veteran
Ninety-nine-year-old Anthony Fraind served with the 15th Engineer Combat Battalion, 9th Infantry Division that was known to have had its share of casualties. He was responsible for clearing minefields (identifying the landmines and marking them for removal), including the German S-mines known as the “Bouncing Betty” that were absolutely devastating. Al fought with General Patton in eight major campaigns. They first saw action in North Africa and temporarily joined the British 8th Army (known as the “Dessert Rats”). They were initiated into combat at the Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia (1943) and the invasion of Sicily, where much of the combat took place in the area of Mount Etna. They sailed to England to prepare for D-Day and were in the 3rd wave of the invasion of Normandy at Omaha Beach. Al fought in the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Forest and helped defeat Hitler’s forces. His Battalion liberated a POW Camp in Elsenborn, Belgium. They crossed the Danube River, Rhine River, and the Elbe River (at the end of the war). He was awarded the Bronze Star. Anthony Fraind is another hero from the Greatest Generation.
Thursday, June 27, 2019 @ 7 PM
Earl Bridygham, Jr.
U.S. Army Infantry
World War II Veteran
Earl Bridygham’s ten months of training included “wire communications” that proved to be valuable during his one year of service overseas and his three campaigns in the European Theatre: Northern France, Rhineland, and Central Europe: a total of five different countries. He landed on Omaha Beach two months after D-Day and was attached to the 1st Battalion Headquarters Company, 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division. His combat experiences included the Battle for Brest in France, the “Siegfried Line”, the Huertgen Forest (Battle of the Bulge), the Rhine River/Cologne, Germany, a tactical operation along the Elbe River and a link up with the Russian Army driving westward, and a return to the United States for more training and possible deployment to the Pacific for war with Japan. Earl was in Cologne and only a block away when Clarence Smoyer and his Sherman Tank battled against the German Panther Tank. The entire world knows who won that battle! He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge and his combat experiences qualified him for the Bronze Star. Earl Bridygham is another hero from the Greatest Generation.
Thursday, May 30, 2019 @ 7 PM
Clarence Smoyer
WWII Legendary Tank Gunner
“Hometown Hero
One of the most legendary tank gunners of World War II, Clarence Smoyer, was assigned to the 3rd Armored Division. It was one of America’s two heavy armored divisions, later known by the name “Spearhead” Division. Clarence came ashore three weeks after D-Day and criss-crossed France and Belgium into Germany. He served as a loader and gunner on a Sherman Tank. On September 2, 1944, he knocked out a Panzer IV Tank that had infiltrated American lines at Mons, Belgium; the first of five tanks he was responsible for disabling or destroying. Assigned to one of twenty top-secret Pershing Tanks (rushed to the European Theatre), Smoyer earned a notable place in history during the battle for Cologne, Germany. He fought a dramatic duel with a German Panther Tank at the city’s cathedral. A combat photographer filmed this engagement and the footage appeared in newsreels worldwide. Smoyer would become known as the “Hero of Cologne” and go on to fight with the Spearhead Division until the end of the war in Europe. He remains one of the last living heroes of the legendary “Spearhead” Division. A book titled Spearhead, authored by Adam Makos, tells the fascinating story of Clarence Smoyer.
Thursday, April 25, 2019 @ 7 PM
Mae Krier
From North Dakota to Washington to Levittown, PA
"Rosie the Riveter"
Defeating Germany and Japan in WWII took plenty of manpower, and much was supplied by WOMEN. Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of World War II, representing the women who worked in factories and shipyards during the war. Many of them produced munitions and war supplies. In 1943, Mae Krier, just out of high school, left the familiarity of her home in North Dakota, headed to Seattle, WA, joined millions of other women nationwide, and entered the work force in traditional "male" jobs to support the war effort. Mae, her sister, and her best friend "thought it would be fun." After two weeks of training, Mae began her two year "career" with Boeing Aircraft, producing B-17 and B-29 bombers. Mae loves telling her story of doing her Patriotic duty to support the war effort. Her recall is peppered with humor and pride, as she shares her great satisfaction of being part of the enormous female work force that helped win the war.
Thursday, March 28, 2019 @ 7 PM
Tech Sgt. Norvin Vogel, Sr.
United States Army
World War II Veteran
Norvin Vogel was assigned to the 134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division. On New Year’s Eve (1944) he boarded the Queen Mary and crossed the Atlantic Ocean. He fought his way across France, Belgium, Luxemburg, and Germany. In September, 1945, Norvin remained in Hanover, Germany with the US military occupational forces. His combat experiences included participating in the counter attack at the Battle of the Bulge (January, 1945), knocking out a concrete bunker while facing a 50 caliber machine gun (for which he received a Bronze Star), and capturing 14 Germans. At the conclusion of the war, Norvin returned home to Allentown and joined the 213th Regiment (The First Defenders). He was given a combat promotion to 2nd Lieutenant and eventually worked his way to the rank of U.S. Army Major. Norvin Vogel is another World War II hero from the Greatest Generation.
PLEASE NOTE: CHANGE OF DATE DUE TO COLD WEATHER!!
Thursday, February 28, 2019 @ 7 PM
Cpt. Vern Arndt
U.S. Marine Corps
Vietnam War Veteran
Vern Arndt graduated with honors from basic training in Parris Island and completed Infantry Training and Sea School. During his six years in the USMC, he served almost three years aboard the Navy aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVA-62) and spent five months in the Gulf of Tonkin conducting air bombing missions against North Vietnam. Vern graduated from Officer Candidate School for his final three years of active duty. He served in Vietnam as a “Grunt” Infantry officer at An Hoa Combat Base as 1st Platoon Commander of Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, located 25 miles southwest of Danang. Captain Arndt was one of four officers selected from 18 applicants for Aerial Observer duties with 1st Marine Division AO Unit at Marble Mountains (a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located in Ngu Hanh Son District). He attained 430 combat flight hours in seven months during his 19 months of combat in Vietnam. We are honored to have Vern share some of his experiences with us, and we express our appreciation and gratitude for his service to our country!
Thursday, December 27, 2018 @ 7 PM
Lt. William T. Watkinson, Jr.
U.S. Navy, Fighter Pilot
World War II Veteran
After Bill was trained by former President Gerald Ford at boot camp in Chapel Hill, NC, he became a pilot and was eventually chosen to be a radar night fighter aboard the USS Yorktown CV-10. He was among a select few in the Navy qualified to perform fighter operations, take offs and landings in total darkness. During his World War II experiences, Bill flew his F6F Hellcat fighter aircraft on 17 combat missions from Guam and Saipan, as well as, 45 combat missions aboard the USS Yorktown. On August 15, 1945, when Japan announced its surrender, four of Bill’s fellow pilots were shot down by renegade Japanese pilots who refused to accept defeat. During the signing of the formal surrender of Japan (9/2/45) aboard the USS Missouri, Bill flew at low altitude off the Japanese mainland, guarding against enemy gun embankments. Bill Watkinson spent most of his life in the air with the Navy during WWII, served as an instructor during the Korean war, and then flew for Eastern Airlines for 35 years. Bill is another World War II hero from the Greatest Generation!
Thursday, November 29, 2018 @ 7 PM
Victor J. Haas
U.S. Air Force Veteran, Korea
Military Career (1947-1967)
After completion of his training, Victor Haas was classified to the Surveying Career Field and stationed at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa (1951). He took frequent trips to Korea during the war and made horizon profiles for proposed radar sites on mountain tops throughout Korea. In 1955, he transferred to Bitburg, Germany and was placed in charge of all surveys required for the deployment of the matador missile and guidance sites; in that same year, he was transferred to the 1381st Geodetic Survey Squadron at Orlando Air Force Base, FL. While in charge of all Geodetic Surveys, they surveyed inter-continental ballistic missile sites throughout the U.S., European Countries, and the Far East. In 1960, Victor was transferred to the 1961st AACS Group at Clark Air Force Base, Philippines, and later transferred to the 868th Tactical Missile Squadron in Taiwan and Formosa. His assignments took him around the globe, including Cuba, Jamaica, England, Russia, and many places in the United States. Victor’s military experiences (in combat and noncombat situations) over a 20-year career span were comprehensive and challenging. As you would expect, he learned much and served well.
Thursday, October 25, 2018 @ 7 PM
Aviation Radioman Second Class Ralph L. Foulks
U.S. Navy, World War II Veteran
Distinguished Flying Cross Recipient
Ralph Foulks served aboard the USS Hornet (CV-12), a Navy aircraft carrier, and with the VB-17 (Bombing Squadron) as radioman and gunner in the rear of a dive bomber. He flew on a Helldiver; bombers that extensively supported ground troops and Marines during the Pacific Island-hopping campaign. Helldivers were instrumental in the sinking of the two largest warships of World War II – the Japanese battleship Musashi during the Battle of Leyte Gulf and her sister Yamato during the Okinawa campaign. While bombing the Yamato, Ralph was shot down; rescued by a destroyer; and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Hearing his war experiences will cause you to better appreciate and value the sacrifices made by our young men and women who fought for our freedom. Veteran Ralph Foulks is another hero from the Greatest Generation!
Thursday, September 27, 2018 @ 7 PM
Petty Officer 3rd Class Ronald Bet
U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman
Vietnam War Veteran
Ronald Bet served in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman (1963-1967) and was attached to the Marine Corps during the last two years of his service. His first year included training at the Hospital Corps School in Great Lakes, IL. (1963-1964). During the second year, he was stationed at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital before transferring to the Marine Corps Base at Camp Pendleton in San Diego (1965-1966). Ron joined a Medical Battalion in Vietnam (1966-1967). He landed in Chu-lai, moved to Da Nang, transferred to Grunts, and lived in a village south of Phu-bai with two squads of Marines. They provided sick bay for the Vietnamese and protected the village. Ron transferred to the 3rd platoon of a Marine Company and performed Search and Destroy Operations via helicopter in Northeastern Vietnam (many times in the DMZ) and performed reconnaissance up-river using Amtracks (amphibious vehicles). On a riverbank he was mortared on his 21st birthday. Ron Bet is among our heroes who fought in a very difficult war!
Thursday, August 30, 2018 @ 7 PM
Master Chief Petty Officer George Folk
U.S. Navy
World War II & Vietnam Veteran
After his first enlistment in the Navy ended in 1947, George qualified as a journeyman sheet metal worker. He was recalled to active duty during the Berlin Crisis, and elected to remain in the Navy for the next 22 years, finally retiring in 1983 after 26 years active duty.
Lieutenant Colonel Bob Brocklehurst (Sick...canceled)
Army Air Corps Pilot
World War II Veteran
Bob Brocklehurst flew a host of fighter planes during his Air Corps service, including the P-40 Warhawk, P-47 Thunderbolt, and the P-51 Mustang. He was frequently recognized during World War II for his skill as a pilot and his outstanding leadership. Bob was trained to fight; however, he never fired a shot or came under attack. Enemy planes were not his only adversary; the 97-year-old veteran pilot was stationed in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands from 1942 to 1943, surviving some of the most treacherous flying conditions in the world. Sailors, soldiers, and aviators alike regarded this region of cold winds, dense fog, and snow as a punishing assignment. Brocklehurst never lost his passion for being in the air. He celebrated his 65th birthday by skydiving. At the age of 96, Bob made national headlines by co-piloting a TF-51D Mustang and even treated the gathering of onlookers to a loop and a barrel roll.
Thursday, June 28, 2018 @ 7 PM
Alexander R. Horanzy
United States Army, World War II Veteran
Schofield Barracks
Alexander enlisted in the Army at age 17 and served with the 24th Infantry Division assigned to Schofield Barracks (located about 15 miles North of Pearl Harbor). It was on December 6, 1941 that everything changed quickly. He witnessed the attack by Japanese planes flying low overhead strafing and bombing Wheeler Field on their way to the grand prize, Pearl Harbor. Many of our planes were damaged or destroyed, and there were casualities and loss of life. Alexander smelled the emitted fumes from the burning destruction caused by the Japanese attack. He also participated in the invasion of New Guinea and other islands in the Pacific during his four years there. In fact, it was in the jungle of New Guinea that he contacted malaria. He had three brothers who also served in WWII; his younger brother was killed during a Japanese mortar attack. Another brother was in the Korean War; a total of five brothers who served the United States with honor and protected our freedom. Alexander and his brothers are heroes from the Greatest Generation.
Friday, June 1, 2018 @ 7 PM
NOTE: This meeting will be held at a different location -- Fellowship Community (Zentz Community Bldg.), 3000 Fellowship Drive, Whitehall PA 18052
Hershel “Woody” Williams
WWII Veteran, US Marine Corps
Recipient of the CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR
& Purple Heart
Hershel “Woody” Williams received the United States military’s highest decoration for valor and heroism above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division, in action against Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, February 23, 1945. When American tanks, trying to open a lane for infantry, encountered a network of reinforced concrete pillboxes, Williams went forward alone with his 70-pound flamethrower to attempt the reduction of devastating machine gun fire. His heroic actions will be shared during our meeting. You don’t want to miss it. In that same year, several months later, “Woody” Williams received the Medal of Honor from President Harry S. Truman at the White House on October 5th. NOTE: Woody Williams stood on the 50-yard line at Super Bowl LII this year and tossed the coin as millions watched (a game won by the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES)! Hershel “Woody” Williams is another
hero from the Greatest Generation.
hero from the Greatest Generation.
Thursday, March 29, 2018 @ 7 PM
Richard “Dick” Donald
WWII & Korean War Navy Veteran
Seven Invasions in the Pacific
During World War II sonar technology became an indispensable tool for the U. S. Navy. Richard Donald served as a sonarman aboard the USS Melvin R. Nawman (DE-416) and was trained as a “ping jockey” who searched for enemy submarines. The word “ping” is a technical term for the signal one ships emits to measure its distance from another waterborne body. He and his crew saw significant action off the coast of Iwo Jima in February, 1945. It was there that Richard witnessed the raising of the American Flag on Mount Suribachi. He also served aboard a destroyer during the Korean War. Enemy submarines and kamikazes were not the only threats facing Donald and his fellow crew members; typhoons also took their toll, including one near the Philippines (December 18, 1944) with waves as high as 100 feet and 155 MPH winds that sunk three destroyers. Richard Donald is another hero from the Greatest Generation!
Thursday, Febuary 22, 2018 @ 7 PM
Sergeant First Class Forrest H. Taylor
United States Army, World War II Veteran
Battle of the Bulge Survivor
Forrest H. Taylor served with the 75th Infantry Division, 290th Infantry, 1st Battalion, Company C. He participated in and endured one of the greatest land battles ever fought by the U.S. Army from December 16, 1944 to January 23, 1945. Forrest survived the Battle of the Bulge. He has never experienced a colder winter during his 96 years. Three men in his unit froze to death. His combat trail went through Northern France into Belgium and down to Southern Germany (including the Dora Concentration Camp). He will share some of his experiences with us. Forrest has high praises for the medics who were unsung heroes. Medals are awarded and badges are earned; Forrest has his share of both. He rightfully takes pride in his Combat Infantryman Badge. Sergeant Forrest Taylor is another hero from the Greatest Generation! He believes that two things made that generation great: 1) excellent training and discipline by the military, and 2) training by the parents who taught them values and respect.
Thursday, January 25, 2018 @ 7 PM
Lt. Col. William Bonelli
Decorated World War II Pilot
Pearl Harbor Survivor
William Bonelli's military career, from which he retired, began during WWII when he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He started as an aircraft mechanic at Hickman Air Field in Pearl Harbor working mostly on the B-17 Flying Fortress. That is where he was and what he was doing when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He was a survivor. By the time the war ended, Bonelli was an officer and a pilot who lead a squadron on 30 sorties over Italy and Nazi Germany right up to the Battle of Berlin. He fought on the European and Pacific fronts. Bonelli also flew tactical bombers during the Cold War in the 1950s. The passage of time hasn't erased the loss of friends or the haunting memories of what he experienced during combat. William Bonelli received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery as a pilot.
Thursday, December 28, 2017 @ 7 PM
Staff Sergeant Mickey Yonkovig
U.S. Army Air Corps
World War II Veteran
Mickey Yonkovig, who was a radar/radio operator on a B-24 Liberator bomber, served with the 494th Bomb Group (nicknamed Kelly's Kobras) in the 867th Bombardment Squadron. His crew flew 23 missions in the Pacific Theater (13 over Japan). The missions totaled 155 hours and 28 minutes of combat. Yonkovig's plane flew in the area of Hiroshima the day after the atomic bomb (Little Boy) was dropped, and he witnessed the devastation. His plane was providing air support the day the bomb (Fat Man) was dropped on Nagasaki, and he saw the mushroom cloud. He said, “I saw Hiroshima and Nagasaki both. I tried to block out the experiences. They still come back to me”. At the conclusion of his service to our country, he received eight Air Medals. Mickey Yonkovig is another hero from the Greatest Generation!
Thursday, November 30, 2017 @ 7 PM
Ernie Gross
Survivor
Auschwitz Death Camp
Dachau Concentration Campt
April 15, 1944, the Gross family and other Jewish townspeople were rounded up inside the synagogue, the doors locked behind them. Three days later the doors reopened with horses and wagons to deport them to the Sevlus ghetto deep into Hungary. Three weeks later, the cattle trains came to take them to Auschwitz, where 17-year-old Gross got separated from his parents and siblings. Ernie lost five members of his immediate family and an unknown number of extended family members. Only two of his brothers and one sister survived. After several months in horrific conditions at Auschwitz, the Nazis forced Ernie and other inmates on a death march to the west towards Dachau. While there, he tried to avoid being sent to Camp Seven, from which there would be no return. However, Ernie became so weak that he could no longer work and didn't care whether he lived or died. The day after he arrived at Camp Seven, Gross was in line and nearing the camp's crematorium. He saw German soldiers suddenly throwing their weapons to the ground and fleeing. American troops had arrived to liberate the camp!
Thursday, October 26, 2017 @ 7 PM
PFC Kenneth Happel
U.S. Army
World War II Veteran
D-Day, Omaha Beach
Kenneth Happel served in the 110th Field Artillery Battalion, 29th Infantry Division. The 29th Infantry Division was one of the most illustrious U.S. Army outfits of WWII. It was in combat from its successful assault of Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944 to V-E Day and suffered more than 20,000 battle casualties in eleven months of combat. On July 18, 1944, the 29th Division liberated St. Lo, a critical crossroads city in Normandy, after 42 days of continuous combat from Omaha Beach. These were only two of six major campaigns in which the 29th Division participated. “Twenty-Nine, Let's Go” is the official 29th Division battlecry, and “29 Let's Go!” was the 29th Infantry Division's newsletter, published daily for distribution to front-line troops from 6/3/44 to 7/18/45. You will want to hear Kenneth Happel's story. He is another
hero from the Greatest Generation!
hero from the Greatest Generation!
Thursday, September 28, 2017 @ 7 PM
Kenneth Fidler
U.S. Navy
World War II Veteran
Kenneth Fidler served as Sonarman Third Class aboard the USS Loy (DE-160), a Buckley-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy. From August, 1943 through 1944 he saw duty in the South Atlantic. His job was to “ping” for German U-boats. Beginning January, 1945 he was on the lookout for Japanese submarines in the Pacific. His ship and convoy were constantly under enemy air attacks by Japanese aircraft, including kamikaze planes. He will share his WWII experiences
that also appear in a book he has published titled Memoirs of a Ping Jockey. Fidler is another hero from the Greatest Generation.
that also appear in a book he has published titled Memoirs of a Ping Jockey. Fidler is another hero from the Greatest Generation.
Thursday, June 29, 2017 @ 7 PM
Rear Admiral Robert H. Shumaker
U.S. Navy
Vietnam POW
Robert (Bob) Shumaker graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and became a rear admiral and naval aviator. He spent almost eight years as a prisoner of war (POW) in North Vietnam and was notable in creating tap code (a common system of communication with POWs of the Vietnam War) and coining the term “Hanoi Hilton” for the notorious Hoa Lo Prison. Bob was put in solitary confinement and leg irons for three years. Other combat experiences included getting shot down and breaking his back, as well as facing a firing squad. He was singled out for leadership and became one of the “Alcatraz Eleven”. Bob was a finalist in the Apollo astronaut selection, but a temporary physical ailment prevented his selection in 1963. Among his combat awards are the Distinguished Service Medal, 2 Silver Stars, 4 Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, 2 Purple Hearts, and the Navy Commendation Medal. Bob Shumaker is our hero!
Thursday, May 25, 2017 @ 7 PM
Herbert Ridyard
U.S. Army
World War II Veteran
Veteran of Patton's Third Army
Herb Ridyard enlisted in the Army at age 17 and served as a rifleman and ammunition bearer for a heavy-machine-gun squad with the 94th Infantry Division in Patton's Third Army. He was in combat for eight months during campaigns in Northern France, the Ardennes, the Rhineland, and Central Germany. The winter of 1944-45 was one of the coldest in decades, and Ridyard became one of its casualties. He was hospitalized for several weeks with frozen toes. After convalescing in France, he rejoined his unit and participated in the advance into Germany's Ruhr region. Herb Ridyard will share his experiences as a 19-year-old GI who engaged in six weeks of combat on the Siegfried Line; surviving mortar fire, snipers, mines and the deadly cold. His experience had a lasting impact. In addition to his four campaign battle stars, he earned the Combat Infantry Badge and the Bronze Star for Valor.
Thursday, April 27, 2017 @ 7 PM
We are sad to report we have lost a good friend and WWII hero this week, Edwin Franklin Hunsberger, who was scheduled to speak at our upcoming meeting on April 20th. He had just recently returned from a trip to the island of Iwo Jima for a WWII reunion. Our condolences to his family and friends. We will have Sam Kline (Navy) speak next Thursday.
Sam Kline
U.S. Navy
World War II Veteran
U.S. Navy
World War II Veteran
Sam Kline, U.S. Navy World War II Veteran, served on the Command Ship, USS Wasatch, with the Amphibious U.S. 7th Fleet. They fought in 5 major battles at Morotai, Leyte (one of the toughest battles), Lingayen, Mindanao, and Balikpapan. Aboard the ship, Sam was in the crow's nest, situated high in the main mast, where he stood his watch. He had a fantastic view of 800-1000 ships in the convoy! They had to be on the alert for Japanese Two Man Submarines, suicide swimmers, and Kamikazes. One day they shot down 2 bogies with a 5 inch gun and a 40 mm gun. During major landings, Sam drove a Higgins boat (usually the second wave of an assault) and came under mortar fire and machine gun fire. The Higgins carried 36 men or a jeep and 12 men. He saw his share of casualties. Sam is another hero from the Greatest Generation!
Edwin Franklin Hunsberger
Sergeant U.S. Marine Corps
World War II Veteran
After enlisting in the Marine Corps and completing his training, Edwin Hunsberger was ordered overseas to the Pacific Theater and assigned as a Unit Leader in an Anti-Tank Company, 21st Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 5th Marine Amphibious Corps. He joined his unit on Guam and six months later (February 1945) embarked for the invasion of Iwo Jima. Upon landing in Iwo Jima, his unit engaged in intense fighting from February 21 to March 16, 1945. They captured Mount Suribachi and cleared the Japanese troops from the island. Japan lost 18,000 troops as a result of that battle, and the Allied forces suffered nearly 7,000 deaths (accounting for nearly one-third of all the Marine deaths in World War II). The Marines and Navy Corpsmen won 27 Medals of Honor on Iwo Jima. As a result of the brutal fighting on Iwo Jima (including hand-to-hand combat), the 5th Amphibious Corps was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. Edwin Hunsberger recently returned to Iwo Jima to see once again the place where he participated in this famous battle. You will want to hear his reaction to that special trip. He is another hero from the Greatest Generation.
Thursday, March 30, 2017 @ 7 PM
Sergeant Howard Patrick
United States Army
Vietnam Veteran
Sgt. Howard Patrick served with the First Air Calvary Division in Vietnam and was assigned to Echo Recon, a newly-formed reconnaissance company, and became a squad leader. Later he was transferred to the Brigade Civil Affairs Unit as the NCO-In-Charge and participated in air missions with the attached Psychological Operations Unit. Patrick was never injured during his combat experiences that included firefights, being on the receiving end of friendly fire, and getting shot down while on an air mission. However, he was psychologically wounded and suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). After years of therapy, he authored a book titled A Never-Ending Battle, A Soldier's Ongoing Struggle with Combat PTSD.
Thursday, January 26, 2017 @ 7 PM
Corporal Raymond DeRaymond
U.S. Army
World War II Veteran
Battle of the Bulge
Raymond DeRaymond served with Company “C”, 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion. The 4’2” mortar shells weren’t filled with chemicals, but high-explosives. On the first day in actual combat, his Company was shelled continuously for six hours, and there were casualties. Besides working with mortars, Raymond was a rifleman who accompanied the Forward Observer. They were exposed to enemy fire many times in this function. The Unit battled through hedgerows to Sherbourg, firing many rounds in support of various infantry units. They continued through Northern France; skirted south of Paris to Chateau Thierry; then north to Belgium to fight in the Battle of the Bulge. On August 1, 1945, Raymond was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Battalion. He was made a Knight of the Order and awarded the Medal of the Legion of Honor at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. (November 16, 2016). DeRaymond is another hero from the Greatest Generation.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016 @ 7 PM
David S. Wisnia
Holocaust Survivor
Prisoner at Auschwitz and Dachau Concentration Camps
In December 1942, at age 16, David Wisnia became a prisoner at Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, where he worked for two and a half years. The word Auschwitz is synonymous with terror, genocide, and The Holocaust. It is the site where 1.2 million people were tortured and murdered. David survived the atrocities of Auschwitz; he survived a death march from Auschwitz to the Dachau Concentration Camp with the help of fellow inmates; and he survived the filth, deprivation, and the diseases at Dachau. In March 1945 after escaping the deportation train, David was liberated and adopted by the famous United States 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, H Company (“Screaming Eagles”). He served as their official interpreter and traveled with them through Germany and Austria as they hunted Nazis. David Wisnia has authored a book titled “One Voice, Two Lives” that describes, in detail, his life-changing journey during World War II and his survival against the enemy. His book will be available for purchase at the meeting.
Thursday, October 27, 2016 @ 7 PM
First Lieutenant Ted Rogal
U.S. Air Force
B-24 Liberator Bomber Co-Pilot
World War II Veteran
Ted Rogal served as co-pilot on a B-24 Liberator Bomber with the 726th Bombardment Squadron assigned to the 454th Bombardment Group. Ted was deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and stationed at Castelluccio Airfield, Italy. His squadron engaged in bombing missions to enemy military, industrial, and transportation targets in Italy, France, Germany (railroad yards in Munich), Austria, Hungary, and Romania. He participated in 30 combat missions, including five missions to the oil refinery facilities in Ploesti and German aircraft manufacturing facilities in Wiener-Neustadt, Austria (where they lost 13 of 24 planes). Ted is a hero from the “Greatest Generation” who served us with honor!
Thursday, September 29, 2016 @ 7 PM
Staff Sgt. David Lemal
U.S. Army Air Force
B-29 Tail Gunner
World War II Veteran
David Lemal served with the 99th Squadron, 9th Bomb Group, 313th Wing of the 20th Air Force and was stationed on Tinian Island in the Pacific Ocean from where B-29 Bombers could launch air attacks on the Phillipines, Okinawa, and mainland Japan. He was a tail gunner on a B-29 and flew 22 missions over Japan. David received the Distinguished Flying Cross for a mission on June 5, 1945 over Kobe, Japan. The detailed story of his survival experiences as a tail gunner in a B-29 during World War II is based on 150 letters he wrote to his mother, Lida, during the war. Nearly 70 years later, he read those letters to his daughter, Charlene. Together they preserved and chronicled all the letters in a book titled “Letters To Lida”. David Lemal is another hero from the Greatest Generation!
Thursday, June 30, 2016 @ 7 PM
David Tuck
Holocaust Survivor
David Tuck was a child living in Poland just over the German Border when he and other Jews in the community were sent to the Lodz ghetto (1939). In the Spring of 1941, David was deported to Posen, a labor camp. Two years later (August, 1943) he, with other skilled workers, was transferred to Auschwitz, the horrific camp where an estimated four million people were ruthlessly murdered. Despite the terrible conditions, Tuck managed to escape the horrors of Auschwitz. In January, 1945 he was deported on a train to Mauthausen in Austria, a brutal 370-mile trip over four days. During the more than five years of bouncing around camps, David was forced to chop stones and dig dirt to build roadways and work on constructing anti-aircraft guns. He was rescued by the Americans on May 7, 1945; he weighed only 78 pounds. Like many Holocaust victims and survivors, Tuck became known only by his number (176). A new number that was tattooed on his body at Auschwitz (No. 141631) still remains on his left forearm.
Thursday, May 26, 2016 @ 7 PM
Earl L. Henning
U.S. Navy
Aviation Machinist Mate Second Class
World War II Veteran
Earl Henning served with the Patrol Bombing Squadron (Screaming One "O" Four) at Clarke Field in Luzon, Philippine Islands. He was a mechanic and tail gunner on a B-24 Bomber during 57 combat missions, including the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Earl saw much combat during his eleven months in the Pacific and was credited for shooting down a Japanese Zero. The nine air medals he received include two Presidential Unit Citations and two Distinguished Flying Crosses. His Squadron was the only Naval Squadron ever to receive two Presidential Citations. Earl Henning is another hero from the Greatest Generation!
Thursday, April 28, 2016 @ 7 PM
Colonel Bob Wilcox
B17 Bomber Pilot
World War II Veteran
During his training at MacDill Field in Florida (1944), Wilcox and his crew were assigned to a plane with pretty impressive credentials: Memphis Belle. For seven or eight hours he piloted what was at that time the most famous aircraft in the world. Bob Wilcox's first combat in a B-17 bomber was his last. During a bombing raid on Hamburg, Germany (January, 1945), his plane was seriously damaged by flak over enemy territory. It appeared they would have to bail out and become POWs; however, he barely managed to get the plane to Sweden. By the time Wilcox and his crew were released from internment by the Swedes, the war was over and they came back to the States. He returned to Europe and in 1948 flew a C-47 during the first two weeks of the Berlin Airlift. Bob Wilcox is an accomplished writer whose work has appeared in more than 75 publications. He has authored 192 articles for 50 Plus Senior News showcasing his fellow veterans. He will share some of his wartime experiences with us and some stories of veterans about whom he has written.
Thursday, March 31, 2016 @ 7 PM
Michael O'Dell
HONOR GUARD
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Sterling Badge #52
(1965-1967)
The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Army (the Old Guard) consists of the soldiers who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Only those already in the Army, with clean military records, can be recruited for the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment. A member of this unit can then volunteer to apply for the tomb guard appointment. To be a tomb guard all soldiers must be tall with a physical presence to match. They must look “soldierly” in their uniform and cannot be overweight. The soldiers go through a rigorous interview and must have personal drive and self-discipline. They are expected to maintain high standards and have physical stamina. Training includes five grueling and progressive tests, along with reciting 35 pages of historical information error-free, before receiving the Tomb Guard Identification Badge. Our speaker, Mike O'Dell, is a Charter Member: Society of Honor Guard Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. After Advance Infantry Training, he served in the 3rd Infantry, U.S. Army (65-67) and was Relief Commander and Sentinel (66-67). Mike has lived and traveled all over the world.
Thursday, February 25, 2016 @ 7 PM
Reverend Dr. Manfred Bahmann
German Citizen During WWII
Survivor of the Dresden Firebombing
Former Member of Hitler Youth
(Hitler Jugend)
Dr. Manfred Bahmann lived in Dresden, Germany and was a
witness and survivor of the firebombing
by the British and American bombers during February 1945, when he was
only 15 years old. It was a miracle that
he, along with his mother and sister, escaped from the fire storm that devoured
Dresden by flames! At the age of 10, it
was mandatory for him to join the Jungzolk (Junior Hitler Youth). At age 14, he graduated to the Hitler
Youth. Hitler's belief was that “He
alone, who owns the youth, gains the future”. Manfred was part of the Naval Jungzolk and
was being prepared for the German Navy.
His father, a World War I Veteran, joined the Nazi Party well before
Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933.
Dr. Bahmann will speak about what it was like to grow up and live in
Nazi Germany. He has written a book
titled When All Hell Breaks Loose. Copies of the book will be available for
purchase at the meeting. Reverend
Bahmann is a Chaplain for the Lehigh Valley Veterans History Project.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015 @ 7 PM
Staff Sgt. Alexander (Al) J. Deusa
U.S. Army
World War II Veteran
Staff Sergeant Al Deusa served in the 2nd Infantry Division, 38th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, Company I. After additional training in Ireland and Wales, the 2nd Infantry Division crossed the channel to land at Omaha Beach on the coast of Normandy. It was D plus 1 (June 7, 1944) when they landed at St. Laurent-sur-Mer under vicious, accurate enemy shellfire. In another early battle in France, the 38th Infantry Regiment liberated the town of Brest (street by street) for which the Regiment was given a Presidential Unit Citation. Brest housed the German submarine pens from which U-boats threaded their way into the Atlantic Ocean. The fall of Hill 154 (Brest) took 39 days. Al Duesa's unit then moved into Belgium and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. The 2nd Division entered Germany and eventually Czechoslovakia before the war ended and the fighting stopped. The Division lost 3,031 killed in action. Staff Sergeant Al Deusa was a squad leader and carried a Browning Automatic Rifle (“B.A.R.”) in combat. He is a Purple Heart recipient.
Thursday, October 29, 2015 @ 6:30 PM (Please NOTE change of time!)
Lieutenant Art Staymates
United States Army
World War II Veteran
Big Red One, Omaha Beach
Guarded Key Nazis at Nuremburg Trials
Art Staymates was only 19 years old when he served as a member of the First Infantry Division (known as "The Big Red One") and was among the survivors of the first landing at Normandy's Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Of the 42 men in his platoon, he was one of three survivors. His WWII wartime service was a journey from Normandy to Czechoslovakia. Staymates was promoted to Lieutenant and stationed in Nuremburg, Germany for 19 months, where he was commander of the units in charge of guarding the 21 highest-ranking Nazi officers held for trials at the Palace of Justice. Those prisoners included Martin Bormann, Hermann Goering, Rudolf Hess, and Julius Streicher. Art Staymates was awarded the Bronze Star for valor and wounded twice after D-Day. First time by German artillery during the Battle of the Bulge, and by mortar fire several months later. He can still smell D-Day!
Thursday, September 24, 2015 @ 7 PM
Corporal Dick Brown
United States Marine Corps
World War II Veteran
Iwo Jima Survivor
Corporal Dick Brown served in the South Pacific with the 4th Marine Division during WWII. He was in the 10th grade when he left school and joined the Marine Corps. At age 17, he was sent into Saipan as a front-line infantryman and engaged in his first combat experience with the Japanese. On the morning of February 19, 1945, he participated in the U.S. Marines' invasion of Iwo Jima and was in the second wave of assault. As Marines made their way onto the island, seven Japanese battalions opened fire on them. By evening, more than 550 Marines were dead and more than 1800 were wounded. During his seventh day on the island, Corporal Brown was severely wounded while returning to the front line with ammunition. His vehicle struck a land mine and he suffered a broken back. Rehabilitation took more than a year before he could be discharged.
Thursday, August 27, 2015 @ 7 PM
Capt. George Stauffer
U.S. Army Air Corps
World War II Veteran
Ploiesti Oil Field Raids
Captain George Stauffer served as a bombardier on a B-24 Liberator Bomber with the 15th U.S. Army Air Force, 451st Bomber Group, 725th Squadron during World War II. One of his earlier combat missions was an air raid during the Battle of Monte Cassino and bombing the historic hilltop abbey. His eighth combat mission was a bombing raid on the oil refinery complex at Ploiesti, Romania. More than 60% of Germany's oil supply came from those refineries. On May 5, 1944 George Stauffer and his crew were hit by enemy fire and forced to parachute to the ground. He was immediately captured and taken to Bucharest as a prisoner of war (POW). George Stauffer survived combat and earned five medals. You will want to hear the story of another hero from the Greatest Generation.
Thursday, June 25, 2015 @ 7 PM
PFC Calvin Summers
U.S. Army
World War II Veteran
PFC Calvin Summers
entered the war at age 18 and was assigned to an all-black unit attached to the
5th Army. He drove a supply truck and saw much combat. His military journey
began in North Africa on a dessert near Algiers. Then his unit moved into
Southern Italy, including Naples (where they were bombed by German aircraft),
Rome, and Florence.They were attacked at Monte Cassino and fought in the Battle
of Anzio. His five-truck convoy was ambushed, and only two of the ten soldiers
in that convoy survived. Although Calvin Summers was wounded, rescued, and
hospitalized; he never received a Purple Heart. After 18 months in the European
Theater, his unit was transported to Luzon Philippines in the Pacific Theater
(a 51-day ship ride) and then to Bantangas, Manila. They remained there until
Japan surrendered. He joined the Occupational Forces in Tokyo and actually went
to see the devastation in Nagasaki caused by the dropping of the atomic bomb.
During his time in the Army, he was always segregated. Calvin has several
medals, including the Bronze Star (which
he received 50 years later).
Thursday, May 28, 2015 @ 7 PM
Sgt. Thomas W. "Wally" Clarke
US Army
World War II Veteran
Thomas “Wally” Clarke served as a machine gun sergeant in
Company D, 101st Infantry, 26th Division, Third Army
under General George S. Patton. His
wartime experiences include some nine months of continuous fighting. He saw action in famous battles, such as The
Battle of the Bulge, as well as, in less familiar battles like the five-day
Battle of Bezange La Petite in Alsace Lorraine, France. He will recount some of his experiences
serving with Patton as they fought their
way across France and Belgium, crossed the Rhine into Germany, and continued
through Austria and into Czechoslovakia.
For his service, Wally Clarke was awarded 5 battle stars, the Combat
Infantryman's Badge, the Bronze Star, the French Legion of Honor medal, and the
Purple Heart for a wound during action in Sarre-Union, France on December 1,
1944. Clarke has written a book about
his memories of World War II titled “General George S. Patton's Typical
Soldier”. He will bring copies of
the book with him for purchase.
Thursday, April 30, 2015 @ 7 PM
Dr. Joseph Hirt
World War II
Holocaust Survivor
Dr. Joseph Hirt, psychologist, is a survivor of the Holocaust
and bears witness to its horrors. In
1936 his father took him to the Berlin Nazi Olympics. He saw Hitler refuse to shake hands with Gold
Medal winner Jesse Owens. Dr. Hirt tells
the story of his capture by the Nazis, his journey to and incarceration in the
infamous Nazi death camp Auschwitz, the nightmare he endured within its
confines, his interview with the camp's notorious “Angel of Death”, Dr.
Josef Mengele, and his daring escape only to be caught by a German guard
determined to have the prisoner shot.
How he lived through this ordeal makes up his amazing story. Sharing his story is his mission. You don't want to miss it.
Thursday, March 26, 2015 @ 7 PM
PFC Donald W. Burdick
U.S. Army
World War II Veteran
Private First Class Don
Burdick was a member of Battery B, 16th Field Artillery Observation
Battalion. During the Battle of the
Bulge he was among the troops surrounded by the Germans at Bastogne,
Belgium. There was heavy snow fall, and
it was one of the coldest winters in years.
The day after Christmas in 1944, they were rescued by General George
Patton. Burdick's battalion fought their
way to Koblenz, Germany and crossed the Rhine River. His unit joined in the liberation of the Dachau
concentration camp near Munich on April 29, 1945. He saw the blood-stained walls of the Dachau
gas chamber, and he personally took pictures with a “liberated”
German camera of the Dachau death train on the day that this camp was
liberated.
Thursday, February 26, 2015 @ 7 PM
Major Nathan Kline
U.S. Air Force (Retired)
World War II Veteran
Major Kline has 42 years of military experience. He enlisted in the USAAF in 1942 and flew 65
bombing missions as a bombardier/navigator in B-26 Marauders assigned to the
454th Bomb Squadron, 323 Bomb Group, 9th Air Force. All missions were flown in the European
Theater of Operations. Major Kline was
involved in some of the European Theater's heaviest combat including the D-Day
Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge.
Twice, he was shot down behind enemy lines. Some of the awards he
received include: the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with one Silver
Oak Leaf cluster and four Bronze Oak Leaf clusters that equate to ten Air
Medals, four Bronze Battle Stars, the French Legion of Honor by the French
Government in Paris, and a nomination for the Presidential Citizen's Medal by
Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey.
Thursday, January 29, 2015 @ 7 PM
Harold W. Billow
United States Army
World War II Veteran, Malmedy Massacre Survivor
Harold Billow was a member of Battery B, 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion. He is one of only two remaining survivors of the infamous Malmedy Massacre known to still be alive. This massacre by the Germans during World War II was a war crime in which 87 American prisoners were killed in cold blood in the snow on December 17, 1944 at Baugnez crossroads near Malmedy, Belgium. The mass murder of American POWs came to be known as the greatest war atrocity committed against American soldiers on the Western front. German soldiers of Kampfgruppe Peiper (part of the 1st SS Panzer Division and a tough German combat unit led by the aggressive Lt. Col. Joachim Peiper) used pistol, tank and machine gun fire to kill the Americans. Harold buried himself under bodies and tried not to breath heavily for fear of his breath being seen. Anyone showing signs of life was shot through the head. You're invited to hear his story.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014 @ 7 PM
Richard E. Boyd
Royal Air Force (RAF), Flight Lieutenant, Distinguished Flying Cross
World War II Veteran
Richard Boyd was born in London, England and was a member of the RAF Air Training Corps before joining the RAF air crew … LAC (Leading Air Craftsman). He was assigned to the United States, and in 1942 he received his US Army Air Corps Wings. Richard graduated from the US Air Corps Training School as an instructor (1943). During 1944-1945 he returned to England and was assigned to the 3 Group Bomber Command / 195 Squadron. He flew 33 missions over Germany and France in a Lancaster Bomber and was awarded the DFC. Assigned to transport command operating between Europe and India (1946), Richard was on board a York transport that crashed. He spent several months in the hospital and rehabilitation. Over the course of the war Richard flew 17 different aircraft. When he was released from duty he sought a position in commercial aviation.
Thursday, October 30, 2014 @ 7 PM
Mahlon L. Fink
Combat Wounded Marine Corps Veteran
World War II Veteran
Corporal Mahlon Fink served in E
Company, 26th Regiment, 2nd Battalion of the 5th
Marine Division that was a United States Marine Corps Infantry Division created
during World War II. Its first combat action took place during the Battle of
Iwo Jima where it sustained the highest number of casualties of the three
Marine divisions of the V Amphibious Corps (Invasion Force). Mahlon Fink landed
on the Island of Iwo Jima at Red Beach #1 on February 19, 1945. He was wounded by shrapnel on day 12 of
combat. Cpl. Fink was transported by
Hospital Ship to Saipan for treatment and later received a Purple Heart. He was in the first wave of the Japanese
Occupation.
Thursday, September 25, 2014 @ 7 PM
Axel Schutte
German Navy & German Army
World War II Veteran
German Navy & German Army
World War II Veteran
Axel Schuette was born in Bremen, Germany (1927) and moved to Berlin (1938). At age ten he was forced to join the Hitler Youth. In 1943, Berlin was heavily bombed, and all young boys had to man the anti-aircraft guns at Tempelhof Airport, including Axel Schuette. In 1944, (age 16) he joined the German Navy in order to avoid placement into the SS. His basic training was at Pilsen in Tschechoslowakia. The Navy assigned him to submarine training in the Baltic near Gdansk. Then, he was sent to France for his first submarine duty that lasted only three weeks, because the German Navy was dissolved at that time. After Infantry training in North Germany, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. It was a terribly cold winter and the fighting was fierce. On the 15th of April, he was wounded and taken to a British field hospital. There he remained until the war was over, and he was released (age 17). During the Battle of the Bulge, his unit consisted of 48 German soldiers; only Axel Schuette and three others survived that battle.
Thursday, June 26, 2014 @ 7 PM
John Marcin, Jr.
Water Tender (WT2c)
United States Navy
World War II Veteran
Water Tender (WT2c)
United States Navy
World War II Veteran
WT2c John Marcin, Jr. boarded the USS
WASP in 1943, becoming one of the original crew members and eventually a plank
owner. The WASP earned ten Battle Stars
in the South Pacific. It attacked Iwo
Jima, launched strikes against Guam, conducted operations against the
Philippines and Luzon, provided assistance at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in
preparation for General Douglas MacArthur's landings, attacked Tokyo, and
covered the invasion of Iwo Jima. Other
battles included Turkey Shoot, Saipan, and Tinnian. Coming under frequent air attack, WASP
sustained a severe bomb hit in the Battle of Okinawa on March 19, 1945. John Marcin, Jr. is a recipient of the Purple
Heart.
Thursday, May 29, 2014 @ 7
PM
Axel Schuette
German Navy and German Army
World War II
Axel Schuette was born in Bremen, Germany (1927) and moved to Berlin (1938). At age ten he was forced to join the Hitler Youth. In 1943, Berlin was heavily bombed, and all young boys had to man the anti-aircraft guns at Tempelhof Airport, including Axel Schuette. In 1944, (age 16) he joined the German Navy in order to avoid placement into the SS. His basic training was at Pilsen in Tschechoslowakia. The Navy assigned him to submarine training in the Baltic near Gdansk. Then, he was sent to France for his first submarine duty that lasted only three weeks, because the German Navy was dissolved at that time. After Infantry training in North Germany, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. It was a terribly cold winter and the fighting was fierce. On the 15th of April, he was wounded and taken to a British field hospital. There he remained until the war was over, and he was released (age 17). During the Battle of the Bulge, his unit consisted of 48 German soldiers; only Axel Schuette and three others survived that battle.
Axel Schuette
German Navy and German Army
World War II
Axel Schuette was born in Bremen, Germany (1927) and moved to Berlin (1938). At age ten he was forced to join the Hitler Youth. In 1943, Berlin was heavily bombed, and all young boys had to man the anti-aircraft guns at Tempelhof Airport, including Axel Schuette. In 1944, (age 16) he joined the German Navy in order to avoid placement into the SS. His basic training was at Pilsen in Tschechoslowakia. The Navy assigned him to submarine training in the Baltic near Gdansk. Then, he was sent to France for his first submarine duty that lasted only three weeks, because the German Navy was dissolved at that time. After Infantry training in North Germany, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge. It was a terribly cold winter and the fighting was fierce. On the 15th of April, he was wounded and taken to a British field hospital. There he remained until the war was over, and he was released (age 17). During the Battle of the Bulge, his unit consisted of 48 German soldiers; only Axel Schuette and three others survived that battle.
Thursday, April 24, 2014 @ 7 PM
Lieutenant Colonel Kevin P. Stroop
United States Army-Retired Chaplain
Lieutenant Colonel Kevin P. Stroop
United States Army-Retired Chaplain
Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel-Ret.) Kevin Stroop began his
military career in 1981. During his eight-year enlistment in the National
Guard, he served in various units in Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
After graduating from Duke University with a Master of Divinity Degree, Stroop
was commissioned as an Army Chaplain. During his 21 years of active duty
he served at Fort Polk, LA, Fort Hood, TX, Fort Myer, VA, Fort Meade, MD, Fort
Shafter, HI, The Presidio of Monterey, CA, Friedberg, Germany,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kuwait. Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Stroop will talk
about his role and responsibilities as a Military Chaplain and share several of
his unique experiences while serving in areas of conflict around the globe.
Thursday, March 27, 2014 @ 7 PM
PFC Frank Maresca
United States Army
World War II Veteran
PFC Frank Maresca was born and raised in Jersey City, NJ. He served for three years as a rifleman assigned to F Company, 289th Regiment, 2nd Battalion of the 75th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. After training at Camp Breckenridge, KY, his unit was sent overseas to the European Theater. He was seriously wounded by German rockets in the Ardennes Forrest in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge and received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star by the U.S. Government. PFC Frank Maresca was awarded the French Legion of Honor Medal. The award is France's highest decoration for merit or bravery. He was honorably discharged and currently lives in Effort, PA Frank has written about his World War II service in the memoir titled A Soldiers Odyssey: To Remember Our Past As It Was.
United States Army
World War II Veteran
PFC Frank Maresca was born and raised in Jersey City, NJ. He served for three years as a rifleman assigned to F Company, 289th Regiment, 2nd Battalion of the 75th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. After training at Camp Breckenridge, KY, his unit was sent overseas to the European Theater. He was seriously wounded by German rockets in the Ardennes Forrest in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge and received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star by the U.S. Government. PFC Frank Maresca was awarded the French Legion of Honor Medal. The award is France's highest decoration for merit or bravery. He was honorably discharged and currently lives in Effort, PA Frank has written about his World War II service in the memoir titled A Soldiers Odyssey: To Remember Our Past As It Was.
Thursday, February 27, 2014 @ 7 PM
Albert Moss
Motor Machinist Mate 2nd Class
U.S. Navy
World War II Veteran
He was stationed on the USS Anne Arundel (AP-76), a Navy transport ship that earned five battle stars for her World War II service. Albert Moss was awarded medals for service in both the European and Pacific Theaters. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Army soldiers from the 1st Division were landed from his ship on Omaha Beach (the Easy Red Sector) in Normandy France as part of Operation Neptune. Albert Moss operated the motors on the Landing Craft and was responsible for lowering the ramp at the front to swiftly disembark men and supplies on the beach. He was awarded a medal from France for his service on D-Day. His ship also participated in the invasion of southern France as part of Operation Dragon on August 15, 1944. In the Pacific Theater his ship arrived in the transport area off Hagushi Beach on Okinawa, and for five days debarked troops, provisioned various landing craft, and received casualties on board. Several days later they paused at Saipan to send wounded troops to hospitals on the island. You will want to hear Albert Moss describe the combat he witnessed from aboard the USS Anne Arundel.
Motor Machinist Mate 2nd Class
U.S. Navy
World War II Veteran
He was stationed on the USS Anne Arundel (AP-76), a Navy transport ship that earned five battle stars for her World War II service. Albert Moss was awarded medals for service in both the European and Pacific Theaters. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Army soldiers from the 1st Division were landed from his ship on Omaha Beach (the Easy Red Sector) in Normandy France as part of Operation Neptune. Albert Moss operated the motors on the Landing Craft and was responsible for lowering the ramp at the front to swiftly disembark men and supplies on the beach. He was awarded a medal from France for his service on D-Day. His ship also participated in the invasion of southern France as part of Operation Dragon on August 15, 1944. In the Pacific Theater his ship arrived in the transport area off Hagushi Beach on Okinawa, and for five days debarked troops, provisioned various landing craft, and received casualties on board. Several days later they paused at Saipan to send wounded troops to hospitals on the island. You will want to hear Albert Moss describe the combat he witnessed from aboard the USS Anne Arundel.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013 @ 7 PM
PFC Bert Winzer
United States Army
World War II Veteran
PFC Bert Winzer served in an elite commando unit, the 1st Special Service Force, “Devil's Brigade,” the first special forces unit in the U.S. Military. His combat experiences included a mission in the Aleutians to oust the Japanese; a mission against the Germans at Monte la Difensa in Italy; liberation of Rome; and the invasion of Southern France, where he was wounded in the shoulder by German artillery and received a Purple Heart. When the Devil's Brigade was disbanded in 1944, Winzer was reassigned to the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division and stationed in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.
In a special ceremony at the Macungie Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9264 on July 25, 2013, PFC Bert Winzer was presented the Bronze Star Medal along with other awards he earned but never obtained. The Bronze Star is the fifth-highest combat decoration and the tenth-highest U.S. Military award
United States Army
World War II Veteran
PFC Bert Winzer served in an elite commando unit, the 1st Special Service Force, “Devil's Brigade,” the first special forces unit in the U.S. Military. His combat experiences included a mission in the Aleutians to oust the Japanese; a mission against the Germans at Monte la Difensa in Italy; liberation of Rome; and the invasion of Southern France, where he was wounded in the shoulder by German artillery and received a Purple Heart. When the Devil's Brigade was disbanded in 1944, Winzer was reassigned to the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division and stationed in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.
In a special ceremony at the Macungie Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9264 on July 25, 2013, PFC Bert Winzer was presented the Bronze Star Medal along with other awards he earned but never obtained. The Bronze Star is the fifth-highest combat decoration and the tenth-highest U.S. Military award
Thursday, October 31, 2013 @ 7 PM
Technical Sergeant Francis J. McCullough
United States Army
World War II Veteran
T/Sgt. McCullough served during World War II from 1943 to 1945. He was a member of the Eighth Air Force Bomber Station, England and flew in the B-17 Flying Fortress as an engineer and top turret gunner during bombing attacks on military and industrial targets in Nazi Germany. Sgt. McCullough participated in 34 bombing missions as a Combat Crew member of the 391st Bomb Squadron, 34th Bombardment Group, a unit of the Third Air Division. This Division was cited by the President for its historic bombing of Messerschmitt plants at Regensburg, Germany. He was the recipient of six earned medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross presented to him at Willow Grove AFB, PA, April, 1998. The DFC is a medal awarded to any member of the U.S. Armed Forces who distinguishes himself or herself in combat in support of operations by “heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight.”
Thursday, September 26, 2013 @ 7 PM
Corporal Gust C. Kraras
United States Army
World War II Veteran
Unit of Service: 101st Airborne Division; 82nd Airborne Division; 122nd Infantry Battalion (The Greek Battalion), Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
Corporal Gust Kraras served behind enemy lines ambushing German Convoys as a member of the OSS Group I in his native occupied Greece. The OSS was the forerunner of The CIA. In early July 1944 this unit ambushed a German Convoy of five trucks on an important supply route. It was the first time in the war that American ground forces fought the enemy occupiers in that country. There were seven Greek-American units totaling 180 men operating behind enemy lines in 1944. Gust said, “We'd use a bazooka to disable the first and last truck, then open up on the rest with everything we had. When we were finished, nothing much would be left, and we'd go back up into the hills.” Several times the Germans sent reinforcements to find them, but they never did.
United States Army
World War II Veteran
Unit of Service: 101st Airborne Division; 82nd Airborne Division; 122nd Infantry Battalion (The Greek Battalion), Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
Corporal Gust Kraras served behind enemy lines ambushing German Convoys as a member of the OSS Group I in his native occupied Greece. The OSS was the forerunner of The CIA. In early July 1944 this unit ambushed a German Convoy of five trucks on an important supply route. It was the first time in the war that American ground forces fought the enemy occupiers in that country. There were seven Greek-American units totaling 180 men operating behind enemy lines in 1944. Gust said, “We'd use a bazooka to disable the first and last truck, then open up on the rest with everything we had. When we were finished, nothing much would be left, and we'd go back up into the hills.” Several times the Germans sent reinforcements to find them, but they never did.
Thursday, June 27, 2013 @ 7 PM
Staff Sgt. CARL A.
SCHROETER, United States Army, World War II Veteran served with the
Headquarters Company, 422nd Regiment, 106th
Division. After completing his training at Camp Hood and Camp Atterbury,
Staff Sgt. Carl Schroeter was sent to Camp Miles Standish in Massachusetts to
be shipped out to England. From there he went to Laharve, France and
journeyed up the Seine River to Rouhon, France. The 106th
Division relieved the 2nd Division at the Battle of the Bulge in
Belgium on December 11, 1944. On December 15, Staff Sgt. Schroeter
engaged in combat and three days later was taken Prisoner of War by the
Germans. He suffered frost bite of his hands and feet. As a
prisoner, he was taken first to Firstenburg and then to Luckenwald. Staff
Sgt. Schroeter also entered service for the Korean War on June 29, 1950 to September 19, 1951.
Thursday, May 30, 2013 @ 7 PM
RONALD W. SWINFARD, M.D., F.A.C.P - Vietnam Veteran, 1st Lieutenant Ronald Swinfard, MD, served as Battalion Surgeon Assistant, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry, 198th Light Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division Americal in Chu Lai, Republic of Vietnam. He prepared for his military experiences in the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Missouri (1965-1969). For 10 months during 1969-1970 Dr. Swinfard participated in Medical Service Corps Officer Basic Training at Fort Sam Houston, TX, where he completed the Battalion Surgeon Assistant Course. He also served as Executive Officer, Company C-2, The U.S. Army Medical Training Center and as Executive Officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company (TUSA-MED). Dr. Swinfard was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) in November 2010. The network is the region's largest employer with more than 12,000 employees.
Thursday, April 25, 2013 @ 7 PM
THREE SURVIVORS of the PEARL HARBOR ATTACK
Col. Joseph B. Moore
Richard Schimmel
Col. Joseph B. Moore
- Anti-Aircraft Artilleryman
- 98th Coast Artillery Regiment
- He was on Oahu Island during a sabotage alert just days before
the Pearl Harbor attack.
- Electrician 3rd Class
- USS Helena
- His ship was hit by a Japanese torpedo, resulting in on-board casualties.
Richard Schimmel
- Communications Officer
- Aircraft Warning Service
- He was one of two operators at the communications center on Oahu Island where reports were received from the Joe Lockhard's Radar Station (the source of the first sighting).
Thursday, March 28, 2013 @ 7 PM
World War II Veteran,
Corporal Salvador Castro, served in the Army 126th Infantry Regiment
attached to the 31st Infantry Division. He served in the South
Pacific and joined the 32nd Division defending the airfield at
Aitape, New Guinea. Corporal Castro participated in the invasion of the island
of Morotai in the Dutch East Indies. He rejoined his division on Leyte in the
Philippines where he was wounded three weeks later and received a Purple Heart.
Thursday, February 28, 2013 @ 7 PM
Staff Sergeant Melvin Schissler served in World War II as a
member of the 323rd Bomb Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group
of the 8th Air Corps. He was a Ball Turret Gunner and took
part in 25 missions over Europe. Fortresses of the 91st
Bombardment Group bombed submarine construction and repair centers; attacked
railroad communications ; hit factories; bombed tank, truck, and locomotive
plants; and used its outstanding precision bombing skill on tactical targets in
support of ground troops.
Thursday, November 29, 2012 @ 7 PM
SGT James Millikem, served
in the U.S. Army from 1968-1970. He was in Vietnam with the Delta Company, 3rd
Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 60th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. His combat
experience resulted in 9 Military Decorations, including the Purple Heart,
the Combat Infantry Badge, the U.S. Presidential Unit Citation,
and the Vietnamese Cross Galantry with a Palm. Vertan James Millikem has
authored a book titled Enter and Die. His book will be available for
purchase and signing immediately following his presentation.
Thursday, October 25, 2012 @ 7 PM
Mr. David W. Mills enlisted into the Army on 6 October, 1952.
Private Mills (PVT) completed basic training at Camp Breckenridge, KY and was
sent to Korea. He reported for duty as a rifleman with F Company, 2nd
Battalion, 15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division on 7 April, 1953. At the time
of his arrival, the company was holding Outpost Harry, a forward position in
front of the Main Line of Resistance, on a dominating hill near the North
Korean village of Surang-Ni, across from the Iron Triangle.
On 24 April, PVT Mills was in a bunker in one of the trenches with his M1 rifle, when the nearby BAR man was wounded. PVT Mills was ordered to take over the Bar man's position and weapon and was the only man in that fighting position. At approximately 2230 hours a massive enemy artillery bombardment hammered the Outpost, and was followed by a major Chinese assault in battalion strength. PVT Mills remained at this fighting position as all other automatic weapons were knocked out in brutal hand to hand fighting. He continued to fight despite being surrounded by the enemy until his BAR became inoperable, and was taken prisoner while searching for another usable weapon. He had been wounded nine times in the fighting, twice in the head, six times in the legs, and once in the arm, and was just seventeen years old. More can be learned about this battle at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outpost_Harry
PVT Mills left Outpost Harry in Chinese custody believing he was the last remaining American alive. In actuality, his company had suffered 72 casualties out of the 88 men on the position. PVT Mills was a Chinese Prisoner of War for 4 months and was repatriated 24 August, 1953. He had received no medical treatment for any of his wounds. He served the remainder of his enlistment as a Military Policeman.
Corporal Mills has earned the following military decorations: The Purple Heart, The Prisoner of War Medal, The Good Conduct Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Korean Service Medal W/1 Bronze Star, The United Nations Service Medal W/Korea Clasp, The Korean War Service Medal of the Republic of Korea W/Yin and Yang Device, The Bravery Gold Medal of Greece, Cryssoun Aristion Andrias, 15th Infantry Regiment, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge. He has also been inducted into the Order of Saint Maurice by the US Army Infantry Association.
On 24 April, PVT Mills was in a bunker in one of the trenches with his M1 rifle, when the nearby BAR man was wounded. PVT Mills was ordered to take over the Bar man's position and weapon and was the only man in that fighting position. At approximately 2230 hours a massive enemy artillery bombardment hammered the Outpost, and was followed by a major Chinese assault in battalion strength. PVT Mills remained at this fighting position as all other automatic weapons were knocked out in brutal hand to hand fighting. He continued to fight despite being surrounded by the enemy until his BAR became inoperable, and was taken prisoner while searching for another usable weapon. He had been wounded nine times in the fighting, twice in the head, six times in the legs, and once in the arm, and was just seventeen years old. More can be learned about this battle at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outpost_Harry
PVT Mills left Outpost Harry in Chinese custody believing he was the last remaining American alive. In actuality, his company had suffered 72 casualties out of the 88 men on the position. PVT Mills was a Chinese Prisoner of War for 4 months and was repatriated 24 August, 1953. He had received no medical treatment for any of his wounds. He served the remainder of his enlistment as a Military Policeman.
Corporal Mills has earned the following military decorations: The Purple Heart, The Prisoner of War Medal, The Good Conduct Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Korean Service Medal W/1 Bronze Star, The United Nations Service Medal W/Korea Clasp, The Korean War Service Medal of the Republic of Korea W/Yin and Yang Device, The Bravery Gold Medal of Greece, Cryssoun Aristion Andrias, 15th Infantry Regiment, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge. He has also been inducted into the Order of Saint Maurice by the US Army Infantry Association.
Please Note: We do not have Lehigh Valley Veterans History Project
Roundtable meetings during the months of July, August & December.
