PO Box 55446
St. Petersburg, Fl. 33732-5446

August 1, 2009

Re-Enlistments:   Lawrence Simonsen, James Nutter, CSM Mike Foreman

Donations:        Lawrence Simonsen, James Nutter, CSM Mike Foreman

New Members:      Aaron Matheny                    Eugene W. Guinn
107 Suite View Drive             2713 NE 159th Circle
Ripley, WV 25271                 Ridgefield, Wa. 98642

Donald G. Peggs
3498 W. Lake Road
Canandaigua, NY 14424

Change of Address:   none
Deceased:       Richard Dean, May 16, 2007

Arthur Feuerman, May 20, 2008.  He was stationed
with the 6th during the Korean War.  For many
years, he volunteered at the local VA hospital in
New York City.

George Orr, April 3, 2006

Donald Galuoppo, a Berlin vet, December 21, 2006.

Introduction:
Several members have Emailed me and want their Emails available for other members.  As of now the list is:
Name                       Email Address               Era
========================   ==========================  ==============
Jan Milles                 janmilles@hotmail.com       ‘Nam and Berlin
Charles Farrell            cturkfarrell@aol.com        Berlin ‘68-69
William Zirkel             ziirkel@earthlink.net       Berlin ‘57-59
James Porter               ms8x60s@yahoo.com           Vietnam ‘68-69
Gary Kirsten               garykirsten@snet.net        Berlin ‘53-55
John Frye                  JFrye13@tampabay.rr.com
CSM Stanley Thornburgh     Stanley39us@yahoo.com       Berlin
Charles McDonald           cmcd5052@sbcglobal.net      Berlin ‘67-69
CSM Mike Foreman           mandbforeman@aol.com
Thomas Lynn                lynn9493@bellsouth.net
Don Wilson                 donniew32@verizon.net       Berlin ‘53-55
James Sim                  Simj@Comcast.net            Berlin ‘62-63
Lawrence Simonson          vikingls36@yahoo.com        Berlin ‘57-60
Lt. Col. Todd Mercer       todd-mercer@us.army.mil     Germany 87-89

I had hoped to be in North Carolina by now, but it won’t be for a while yet.  Now I am hoping for March, 2010.

South Korean Staff Sgt. Chang Moo Hwan, 72, was forced to work in a North Korean coal mine with 30 other POWs.  He escaped to China where he got in touch with a South Korean mission, which sent him to South Korea.

Many thanks to the Navy Seals who took out those three pirates off Somalia.

Member Paul Delvitto, who served in Vietnam in 1967-68 with 1/6, is searching for vets who served in Headquarters and/or C Company.  He was from the Pittsburgh area but now lives in the Carlisle, Pa. area.  His Email is pauldelvitto@comcast.net.  His phone number is 1-717-385-7165.

Lt. Col. Todd Mercer, assigned to Allied Joint Forces HQ, Naples, Italy, Emailed me in April.  He had several suggestions for our members.  He mentioned a web site for us - www.Army.togetherweserved.com.  He also mentioned two other sites for us - blogspot.com and wordpress.com.  He also wants to see what the members think of adding the word “Association” to our crest.  I wish Department of the Army would add a small brick wall to the top of the crest.  I faxed my congressman on that one.  The Sixth was in Berlin for 34 years and about 23 of those years was inside the Wall.  When many of us served, it was brick.  Later it was changed to cement slabs to which it was tough to attach anything with which to climb over.  Please let me know what you think of adding “Association.”

Before you get this newsletter, 1/6 and 2/6 will be out of Iraq and back in Baumholder, Germany.  A job well done.   
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran an excellent article on the Wall in Berlin.  November 9th will be the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall.  I’ll be in Berlin this year and attend that day.  I’ll also visit Charlottenburg Palace.  I haven’t been there since 1968.
Many thanks to CSM Mike Foreman for forwarding to me an Email with excepts from the Bob Hope Christmas Show.  If anyone would like to see it, contact me at cturkfarrell@aol.com and I’ll send it along.

The Military Times Edge Magazine supplement to the Army Times of June 1 is a must read if you plan to go to college after your service.  It can be found at www.MilitaryTimesEDGE.com.  If you are looking for the magazine, it is the June/July 2009 issue.  The hard copy is much better.

The Department of Veterans Affairs now has a counselor at the University of South Florida in Tampa to assist veterans to get their benefits.  USF is the first in the country to get that counselor.  The federal program is called VetSuccess on Campus.  You should check with your school to see if they have such a counselor.
From:        Philip Butler (pbutler@oepp.sc.gov)
Date:         Friday, May 29, 2009

As I prepare to depart the Governor’s Office of Veteran’s Affairs and spend more time with my family, I want to share a recent experience with each of you.

On Monday, the M. J. “Dolly” Cooper Veterans Cemetery in Anderson held a Memorial Day Service.  Standing to the rear of the crowd were two young soldiers in full dress uniform.  After the service, I spoke briefly with them and expressed our appreciation for their service to our country.  They had come a long way to attend the event.  I had no idea why they were there.
After the crowd dispersed and many of us left for another event, they proceeded to the grave of Sergeant David Lee Leimbach, one of South Carolina’s recent Fallen Heroes who was killed in Afghanistan.  They took out a bottle of bourbon and three glasses, lit cigars and proceeded to toast Sergeant Leimbach.  After remaining at the site for a while, they quietly departed.
When the cemetery staff went to the gravesite, they found a cocktail glass, a Bronze Star, a Combat Infantry Badge, and a black metal bracelet with the inscription, “Sergeant David L. Leimbach 1/218th KIA 25 May 2008 Bala Baluk Afghanistan.”  Later, Sergeant Leimbach’s brother told the staff with great emotion the two soldiers were with Sergeant Leimbach when he was killed by enemy fire.  He had brought fresh ammo to one and bandaged the hand of the other. One final point, Sergeant Leimbach volunteered to stay behind in Afghanistan when his unit returned to South Carolina. We are all truly blessed.  Our soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen are some of God’s Noblest Children.  Please, make yourself a promise to never miss an opportunity to thank them.
Many thanks to CSM Stanley Thornburgh for the above.

Officials say more than 3,000 patients at a VA hospital in Miami, Fl.  had colonoscopies with equipment that wasn’t properly sterilized.  They’ve been told thet should be tested for HIV and other diseases. At last count, five men were found to have HIV.
In April, more than 6,000 patients at a clinic in Tennessee were told they may have been exposed to infectious body fluids during colonoscopies.

The VA also said 1,800 veterans treated at an ear, nose and throat clinic in Augusta, Ga. were alerted they could have been exposed to an infection due to improper disinfection of an instrument.

The June issue of American Legion Magazine ran an article on Hanford MacNider, a veteran of both World Wars I and II. The following is the dossier from that magazine.
Born in Mason City, Iowa, October 2, 1889.
Graduated from Harvard in 1911.
Joined the Army National Guard and served with the 2nd Infantry Division in France during World War I.  Awarded the Croix de Guerre by France, 1918.
Served as American Legion national commander, 1921-22.
Assistant Secretary of War under President Coolidge, 1925-28.
Appointed U. S. ambassador to Canada by President Hoover, 1930.
Commanded the 32nd Infantry Division in New Guinea; wounded in Buna invasion, November 23, 1942.
Military decorations include two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars, three Silver Stars, Distinguished Service Cross and Philippine Legion of Honor.
Died February 18, 1968.  Interred in Elmwood St. Joseph Cemetary, Mason City, Iowa.

The VA backlog of claims is approaching one million claims.

The Berlin Airlift, Part II
In response to the West German currency reform that went into effect on June 20, the Russians issued their own currency reform for East Germany and all four sectors of Berlin.  Shortly before midnight on June 23, 1948 the Russians cut off power from their plant in Golpa-Zschornewitz.  Power plants in West Berlin could not make up for the cutoff.  Six hours later the blockade of the roads began.  The date was June 24, 1948.  This was followed shortly thereafter by the blockade of the canals.  The blockade of Berlin was complete.  Shortly before the blockade went into effect, General Clay was to say “They can’t drive us out by any action short of war as far as we are concerned.”
The crisis that could be seen on the horizon was that West Berlin received all of their food and coal from West Germany.  With the winter but a few short months away, it was obvious that a plan had to be devised fast.  General Lucius Clay, U. S. Commander of Berlin, wanted to end the blockade with Allied tanks.  Since this would have at least escalated a crisis and may have started a war, the Pentagon did not approve this plan.  General Clay’s second plan if an airlift was accepted.
Leonard Mosley, in his book “Marshall: Hero for Our Times”, relates the following account of what General Clay had wanted to do to end the blockade in those early hours.
General Clay had planned to send “an armed convoy I (General Clay) set up under General (Arthur G.) Trudeau.  They took a complete combat team for this purpose.  I then almost con-currently started an airlift to do what we could.”
It was only then that (General) Clay cabled Washington for permission to send an armed convoy into Berlin.
“I felt I had to ask permission,” Clay said, “because if it were stopped and had to shoot its way in, we would start the shooting and not the other side.”
General Clay believed that the Russians would not have dared oppose the pasasage of a U. S. armed convoy and that such a show of strength at the time might well have prevented other military crises later, including the Korean War.  He felt that President Truman was quite ready to take the risk.  But Marshall and the Joint Chiefs of Staff turned him down.
On June 25, as the blockade went into effect, the estimates of food supplies in Berlin were:
17 Day supply of bread, grains and flour
32 Day supply of cereal
48 Day supply of fats
25 Day supply of meat and fish
42 Day supply of potatoes
26 Day supply of skim and dried milk

And thus began the preparation to place the plan in motion.  This plan, Operation Vittles, in essence saved the city of Berlin from starvation, disease and from freezing.  While it saved the city, the effect on the plans of Communist domination of Europe were more far reaching.  The Allies, in the person of General Clay, had shown the world that they would prevent the Communist expansion and would come to the rescue of people who voted for freedom.  If the efforts to place the city back on its feet after the war did not bond the Berliners and West Germans to the Allies, the efforts in the blockade and airlift did.  On June 25, General Clay ordered a second and much broader airlift than the one in April.  This time the Allies would supply not only the garrisons in West Berlin, but the entire population also.
Washington estimated that it would take between four and five thousand tons a day to maintain the city of Berlin.  They could only transport 700 tons a day.  The existing stock pile of goods could last two months.  If the blockade lasted longer, how could they be able to save the city in the winter?  Part of the solution came four days later when England announced they would join the airlift.
On June 27 the government, at the request of General Clay, ordered 39 C-54 transports to Europe to supply Berlin.  More C-54s in Hawaii were on standby.  The transports were under the command of Lieutenant General Curtis LeMay.
On June 30th, England announced that the 400 planes at the disposal of British air supply services would be involved in the airlift within two or three days.  They committed to flying 200 flights a day by July 4.  Initially there was one landing at Gatow Air Field every 8 minutes.  Within months, the number of landings increased dramatically.  On the same day, Secretary of State George C. Marshall said “We are in Berlin as a result of agreements between the governments on the area of occupation in Germany and we intend to stay.” By July 2, the Allies were delivering 1,850 tons of supplies a day.  This was accomplished by flight crews flying three flights a day to Berlin. On July 3, Marshall Vasily Sokolovsky of the Soviet Union confirmed what history would learn about the blockade.  He stated that the reason for the blockade was the currency reform and the London Conference which set the agenda for the creation of the Federal Republic. While the British and Americans realized their responsibility to the people of Berlin, the French would blame the United States for the crisis.  They urged four power talks.  The Russians rejected this on July 14.  By the 4th of July, the French said their withdrawal from Berlin would be disastrous, but they still blamed the crisis on the United States.  It might have been disastrous, but England would simply be responsible for the two districts of Berlin they gave the French in 1945. On July 8, the inevitable finally happened.  A C-47 crashed shortly after taking off from Frankfurt with the death of two Air Force fliers and one civilian.  On July 11, civilians were curbed from these flights.  On July 24, another C-47 overshot the runway at Tempelhof and crashed into an apartment building with the death of the two man crew.  In August, a memorial was placed at the apartment house that said: “Once you were our enemies, but now you gave your lives for as.  We now are doubly in your debt.”  On August 24, two Dakotas collided over Ravolz-hausen in western Germany with the death of four crewmen.  The death toll was suddenly nine.  On October 2, the death toll reached 10 when a fire truck at Frankfurt Airport crashed into two C-54s, killing  the driver.  On November 2, the toll rose to 15 when a C-47 crashed in heavy fog at Wiesbaden.  On November 22, a British Lancester crashed in fog in England with the death of seven of the eight man crew.  On December 11, a C-54 crashed near Frankfurt with the loss of one life. On July 21, 1948, the Russians hoped to drive a wedge into the air-lift effort when they offered to supply West Berlin.  There was a catch to the offer.  The Berliners could no longer accept food supplies flown into Berlin.  Out of 2.225 million Berliners, only 19,100 accepted the Soviet offer.  By August, the Allies were to learn that the Russians did not intend to feed the Berliners with their own food, but with food from the Soviet Zone.  On August 10, the Russians added coal to the food offered to try to break the airlift and the support of it by the Berliners.  By December, the Russians went as far as offering a Christmas tree to anyone in the western sectors who accepted their food offer.  The plan failed. By the beginning of August, the Allies were aware that the Russians thought the Allies would leave Berlin by July 15.  Once that date passed, it was obvious the Allies were starting to get the upper hand in this battle of nerves and wills.  Now the Russians had but one hope, the winter.  It was apparent that if the blockade persisted, the Allies would have to deliver 4,000 tons a day.  The short days of winter in Berlin and a cold and snowy winter was about all the Russians had left on which to stake their chances.  Meanwhile, the Allies were faced with the fact that the propaganda war would not be in their favor if they withdrew from Berlin.  The general feeling would have been “If the Allies couldn’t make a stand against Communism in Berlin, then perhaps they can’t make a stand in Europe.”
End of Part II

If you had purchased $1000.00 of Nortel stock a year ago, it would now be worth $49.  With Enron, you would have $16.50 left of the original $1000.00.  With WorldCom, you would have less than $5.00 left.  If you had purchased $1000.00 of Delta Air Lines stock, you would have $49.00 left.  If you had purchased United Airlines, you would have nothing left.  But, if you had purchased $1,000.00 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling refund, you would have $214.00.  the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.  This is called the 401-Keg Plan.

A woman went to her priest with a problem.  “Father, I have two female parrots, and they only know how to say one thing.  “Hi, we’re prostitutes.  Wanna have some fun?”  “That’s terrible!” exclaimed the priest.  “But I can help.  Bring your two female parrots over to my house, and I will put them with my two male parrots whom I taught to pray and read the Bible.  My parrots will teach your parrots to stop saying that terrible phrase, and your parrots will learn to praise and worship.”  The next day, the woman brought her female parrots to the priest’s house.  His two male parrots were holding rosary beads and quietly praying in their cage.  The woman put her two female parrots in the cage with the male parrots.  The females said, “Hi, we’re prostitutes.  Wanna have some fun?”  One male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and exclaimed “Put those beads away, our prayers have been answered!”

Three contractors are bidding to fix a broken fence at the White House.  One is from Chicago, another is from Tennessee and the third is from Minnesota.  All three go with a White House official to examine the fence.  The Minnesota contractor takes out a tape measure and does some measuring, then works some figures with a pencil.  “Well,” he says, “I figure the job will run about $900: $400 for materials, $400 for my crew and $100 profit for me.”  The Tennessee contractor also does some measuring, then says.  “I can do this job for $700: $300 for materials, $300 for my crew and $100 profit for me.”  The Chicago contractor doesn’t measure or figure, but leans over to the White House official and whispers, “$2,700.” The official, incredulous, says, “You didn’t even measure like the other guys!  How did you come up with such a high figure?”  The Chicago contractor whispers back, “$1,000 for me, $1,000 for you, and we hire the guy from Tennessee to fix the fence.”  “Done!” replies the government official.  And that, my friends is how the new stimulus plan will work.

A gorgeous young redhead goes into her doctor’s office and says her body hurts everywhere she touched it.  “Not possible!” says the doctor.  “Show me.”  The redhead took her finger, pushed on her left shoulder and screamed, then she pushed her elbow and screamed even more.  She pushed her knee and ankle.  Everywhere she pushed she screamed.  The doctor said, “You’re not really a redhead, are you?”  “Well, no” she said, “I’m actually a blonde.” “I thought so,” the doctor said.  “Your finger is broken.”

I was talking to my friends’ 10 year old daughter, when I asked what she wanted to be when she grew up.  She said the President.  Both of her parents are liberal and were proud of their daughter’s response.  “If you were President, what would be the first thing you would do?”  She replied, “I’d give food and houses to all the homeless people.”  Her parents beamed.  “Wow. . .what a worthy goal.” I told her, “But you don’t have to wait until you’re President to do that.  You can come over to my house and mow the lawn, pull weeds, sweep my yard, and I’ll pay you $50.  Then I’ll take you over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $50 to use towards food and a new house.”  She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked me straight in the eye and asked, “Why doesn’t the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him the $50?” I said, “Welcome to the Republican Party.”  Her parents still aren’t talking to me.
An Oklahoma state trooper pulled a car over just north of the Texas State line.  The trooper asked the driver why he was speeding.  The driver said he was a magician and a juggler and was on his way to do a show at the Shrine Circus.  He didn’t want to be late.  The trooper told the driver if he could prove he was a juggler, he wouldn’t give him a ticket.  He told the trooper he didn’t have any things to juggle.  The trooper said he had some flares in the trunk and asked if he could juggle them.  The juggler said he could, so the trooper got 5 flares, set them ablaze and handed them over.  While the man was juggling the 5 flares, a car pulled up behind the patrol car.  A good old boy from Texas got out, watched the performance, then went over to the patrol car, opened the rear door and got in.  The trooper observed him and went over to the patrol car, asking the man what he thought he was doing.  The Texan replied, “You might as well take my drunk ass to jail, cause there ain’t no way I can pass that test.”

LTC Harold William Bauer, Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U. S. Marine Corps. Born:
20 November 1908, Woodruff, Kansas.  Appointed from: Nebraska. Citation:
For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous courage as Squadron Commander of Marine Fighting Squadron 212 in the South Pacific Area during the period 10 May to 14 November 1942.  Volunteering to pilot a fighter plane in defense of our positions on Guadalcanal, Lt. Col. Bauer participated in 2 air battles against enemy bombers and fighters outnumbering our force more than 2 to 1, boldly engaged the enemy and destroyed 1 Japanese bomber in the engagement of 28 September and shot down 4 enemy fighter planes in flames on 3 October, leaving a fifth smoking badly.  After successfully leading 26 planes on an over-water ferry flight of more than 600 miles on 16 October, Lt. Col. Bauer, while circling to land, sighted a squadron of enemy planes attacking the U. S. S. McFarland.  Undaunted by the formidable opposition and with valor above and beyond the call of duty, he engaged the entire squadron and, although alone and his fuel supply nearly exhausted, fought his plane so brilliantly that 4 of the Japanese planes were destroyed before he was forced down by lack of fuel.  His intrepid fighting spirit and distinctive ability as a leader and an airman, exemplified in his splendid record of combat achievement, were vital factors in the successful operations in the South Pacific Area.
Note: In a later mission Lt. Col Bauer had to parachute to safety.  He was never seen again.

Major Robert Edward Galer, Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Major, U. S. Marine Corps, Marine Fighter Squadron 244.  Place Solomon Islands Area.  Entered service at:
Washington. Born: 23 October 1913, Seattle, Wash.  Other Navy awards: Navy Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross. Citation: For conspicuous heroism and courage above and beyond the call of duty as leader of a Marine fighter squadron in aerial combat with enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands area.  Leading his squadron repeatedly in daring and aggressive raids against Japanese aerial forces, vastly superior in numbers, Major Galer availed himself of every favorable attack opportunity, individually shooting down 11 enemy bomber and fighter aircraft over a period of 29 days.  Though suffering the extreme physical strain attendant upon protracted fighter operations at an altitude above 25,000 feet, the squadron under his zealous and inspiring leadership shot down a total of 27 Japanese planes.  His superb airmanship, his outstanding skill and personal valor reflect great credit upon Major Galer’s gallant fighting spirit and upon the U. S. Naval Service.

Tech. Sgt Russell E. Dunham, Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U. S. Army, Company I, 39th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division.  Place and date: Near Kayserberg, France, 8 January 1945.  Entered service at: Brighton, Il.  Born: 23 February, 1920, East Carondelet, Il.  G. O. No.: 37, 11 May 1945.  Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.  At about 1430 hours on 8 January 1945, during an attack on Hill 616, near Kayserberg, France, T/Sgt. Dunham assaulted 3 enemy machineguns.  Wearing a white robe made of a mattress cover, carrying 12 carbine magazines and with a dozen hand grenades snagged in his belt, suspenders, and buttonholes, T/Sgt. Dunham advanced in the attack up a snow-covered hill under fire from 2 machineguns and supporting riflemen.  His platoon 35 yards behind him, T/Sgt. Dunham crawled 75 yards under heavy direct fire toward the timbered emplacement shielding the left machinegun.  As he jumped to his feet 10 yards from the gun and charged forward, machinegun fire tore through his camouflage robe and a rifle bullet seared a 10-inch gash across his back sending him spinning 15 yards down hill into the snow.  When the indomitable sergeant sprang to his feet to renew his 1-man assault, a German egg grenade landed beside him.  He kicked it aside, and as it exploded 5 yards away, shot and killed the German machine gunner and assistant gunner.  His carbine empty, he jumped into the emplacement and hauled out the third member of the gun crew by the collar.  Although his back wound was causing him excruciating pain and blood was seeping through his white coat, T/Sgt. Dunham proceeded 50 yards through a storm of automatic and rifle fire to attack the second machinegun.  Twenty-five yards from the emplacement  he hurled 2 hand grenades, destroying the gun and its crew; then fired down into the supporting foxholes with his carbine.  Dispatching and dispersing the enemy riflemen.  Although his coat was so thoroughly blood soaked that he was a conspicuous target against the white landscape, T/Sgt. Dunham again advanced ahead of his platoon in an assault on enemy positions farther up the hill.  Coming under machine-gun fire from 65 yards to his front, while rifle grenades exploded 10 yards from his position, he hit the ground and crawled forward.  At 15 yards range, he jumped to his feet, staggered a few paces toward the timbered machinegun emplacement and killed the crew with hand grenades.  An enemy rifleman fired at point blank range, but missed him.  After killing the rifleman, T/Sgt. Dunham drove others from their foxholes with grenades and carbine fire.  Killing 9 Germans - wounding 7 and capturing 2 - firing about 175 rounds of carbine ammunition, and ex-pending 11 grenades, T/Sgt. Dunham, despite a painful wound, spear-headed a spectacular and successful diversionary attack.

 

 

 

Obituaries: