Sixth Infantry

Re-Enlistments: SFC Richard Scheibe, Charles Danasko, David Glossenger,
Leonard Cisek, CSM Anastacio Gomez, David Berven, Paul Bruenger, Arthur Thorne (two years), Edd Harrell, Dr.
Virgil Likness, Edward Hill, Danny Brosnan, Stephen
Czepiel
Donations: SFC Richard Scheibe, Charles Danasko, CSM Anastacio
Gomez, Edward Hill, Danny Brosnan

Deceased: Donald Darnell died July 4, 2007. Served in the 6th
Infantry and the 4th Armored Division. His widow, Lyla,
died August 4, 2009.

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     Berlin ‘70-74
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
Peter Carroll              gmwh@epix.net
Dr. Virgil Likness         vlikness@yahoo.com          Berlin ‘55-56
Danny Brosnan             dbrosnan@cox.net            Berlin ‘51-53 & ‘60-62

When I used the GI Bill between 1972 and 1976, the checks arrived like clockwork the first of every month. About 15 years ago, I was aware that was no longer the case. Now vets can get emergency funds of up to $3,000 by going to a VA Regional Office. If that is not possible, you can get the funds in five to seven days via the Internet. Claims must be filed by October 21, 2010. I’m sorry, but that is the best the government is offering at this time.
The November 30 issue of the Army Times mentioned that there is a House-passed bill, HR 1168, that would pay a living stipend for up to six months to veterans taking part in a Labor Department retraining program that is aimed at veterans who have been unemployed for four months or longer. Your best bet is still the 9/11 GI Bill.
The following is from the December 14 issue of the Army Times:
The Post 9/11 GI Bill, one of the most generous military benefits programs ever created, was launched Aug. 1 with the promise of making a college education an affordable reality for a new generation of veterans.
Just four months later, the Veterans Affairs Department has turned the enterprise into a fiasco. Because of VA’s failure to address the predictable influx of applicants, tens of thousands of vets have not received their benefits and many may have to leave college.
The only advice I can give is to work at night while attending school. I worked full time during the day and took 12 credits at night and still managed to graduate in 4 years. You have to set your mind to do it and you can succeed. Fordham had a one month class in January, four nights a week for four hours. It was a crunch, but I got A’s in those classes and also in the summer. My index was 3.76. Put your nose to the grind stone and you can succeed. It won’t be easy, but you can do it.
CSM Stanley Thornburgh emailed me a letter from the VA. They are calling vets using the Post 9/11 GI Bill. They are seeking information with which to better serve you. It is in your best interest to be honest with them.
He also emailed a press release from the VA. The VA has added B cell leukemia’s, such as hairy cell leukemia; Parkinson’s disease; and ischemic heart disease to the list of diseases associated with Agent Orange. The other diseases are:
Acute and Subacute Peripheral Neuropathy
AL Amyloidosis
Chloracne
Chronic Lymphoctic Leukemia
Diabetes Mellitis (Type 2)
Hodgkin’s Disease
Multiple Myeloma
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
Prostate Cancer
Respiratory Cancers
Soft Tissue Sarcoma other than Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma or Mesothelioma

CSM Mike Foreman sent me a website that we Berlin vets would like - www.Berlin-Brigade.de.
Father Emil Kapaun, a Korean War chaplain, has been nominated for the Medal of Honor. It has been endorsed by Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It will probably be attached to the Defense Appropriations Bill. Father Kapaun is also being considered for sainthood in the Catholic Church.
The VA is clearing the backlog of Post-9/11 GI Bill claims. Now let’s see if they can clear some of the backlog for medical claims. The Army Times of November 2 says that claims from Iraq and Afghanistan are in-creasing at the rate of 80,000 a month.
Many thanks to member David Glossenger for sending me the article on Berlin from The Screaming Eagle Fall 2009. It is a pity the author gave all of the credit for serving inside the Wall to the 101st Airborne. For 34 years, the 6th served in Berlin with 23 of those years being inside the Wall. I’ll correct their history for their next newsletter.
Senator Olympia Snow of Maine has submitted a bill for the Cold War Victory Medal. Senator Jim Webb of Virginia has signed on in support of it. Senator Webb was the author of the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Hopefully this time it will get the blessing of the Defense Department. It is long overdue.

The Berlin Airlift, Part IV

During the blockade, the average daily ration for the Berliners was:
15     Ounces of bread
1.75 Ounces of prepared food
1.5   Ounces of meat
1    Ounce of fat
1.5   Ounces of sugar
15     Ounces of dried potatoes
.175 Ounces of cheese
When Tegel opened in early November, 1948, the Allies had a fifty day supply of coal in Berlin. With the anticipated increased tonnage, the Russians were fighting a losing battle with their blockade unless the winter could help them. The fog, which caused the death of a dozen Allied flyers in November, did seem to help the Russians, but the stockpile of food and coal allowed the Allies to stay grounded on bad weather days without hindering the efforts of the airlift. The General Electric Corporation in Cleveland also assisted the effort by developing fog lights that were to be used at Tempelhof Airport.
On December 7, 1948, Ernst Reuter was reelected mayor of West Berlin. One of the first things his party asked the Allies was to raise the tonnage from their current 4,000 tons a day to 8,000. Reuter also asked for a merger of the three western sectors of Berlin.
The Bob Hope USO tour with Irving Berlin came to Berlin on December 24th. By the last week in December, the Allies were averaging 6,000 tons of supplies a day. In the first 174 days of the airlift, the Allies delivered 656,000 tons. Of that total, the United States delivered 474,784 tons or about 72% of the total. The RAF provided all of the rest. As the year drew to a close, 17 Americans and 9 Englishmen lost their lives in the airlift.
The Berliners had only 27.5 pounds of wood, coal and synthetic coal to keep them warm the entire winter. The winter, through the end of 1948, was cold and many Berliners had to resort to burning their furniture to try and stay warm. When that ran out, many of them froze to death.
January 9th was the 200th day of the airlift and the Berliners gathered at Tempelhof Airport to greet the pilots. Six weeks later, on February 18th, the one millionth ton of supplies was delivered at Gatow Airport.
On April 7, Mayor Ernst Reuter, upon his return from a trip to the United States, addressed the City Assembly and said that American officials realize that “Berlin is the only city behind the Iron Curtain in which people are not only fighting for their own freedom, but for the world’s freedom.”
On April 16, the Allied pilots flew in 12,921 tons. It was a monumental feat and surpassed the previous record by several thousand tons. Any thought the Russians may have had about forcing the Allies from Berlin ceased to exist that day.
On April 22, 1949, Soviet United Nations Representative Jacob Malik approached U. S. Ambassador-at-Large Philip Jessup about ending the blockade. The State Department felt it was a last gasp attempt to block the creation of the Federal Republic of Germany. Secretary of State Dean Acheson stated that there would be no delay in the creation of the Republic. He would later state that there would be no meeting of the foreign ministers until the blockade was lifted. After keeping their people in the dark for a week, on April 26 Tass confirmed that Malik had spoken to Jessup about ending the blockade.
On April 27, Ambassador Jessup met with Andrei Gromyko, Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister, in New York. Jessup proposed that if the Soviets would lift their blockade, the Allies would remove their counter-measures to the blockade and there would be a meeting of the foreign ministers to discuss Germany.
On May 4, the 320th day of the blockade, representatives of the Allies and the Soviet Union met in New York and it was agreed that the blockade would end on May 12. On that day, Ernst Reuter announced to the people of West Berlin “The technical traffic impediments have been removed since midnight. The attempt to force us to our knees has failed.” Of the Berliners, the New York Times said “They were conscious that they had contributed the most decisive victory yet scored by anti-Communist forces in the struggle for Germany.”
The blockade was over, but the airlift continued. General Clay said the airlift would continue until no longer needed. In support of General Clay’s remarks, Foreign Secretary Bevin of England said “Whatever our quarrels in the past, when difficulties here arose we came to the conclusion that we must use all of our resources to save the people of Berlin. What we want now is peace.” He further stated that “We must see this through to a successful conclusion.” The following day in a sergeant’s mess in the British garrison in Berlin, Secretary Bevin downed a whickey toast and warned the British garrison that it would be some time before it could go home. It would be 45 years. The airlift finally ended on September 30, 1949.
On May 9, 1949, General Vassily Chuikov issued General Directive 56 of the Soviet Military Administration to end the blockade. The trains started moving towards Berlin on the morning of the 12th.
During the 11 months of the blockade 2,322,738 tons of supplies were flown to Berlin, with 77% of it by the United States. Of the 277,264 flights, the French flew but 400. At the height of the airlift, a plane took off or landed every minute at Tempelhof.
The Russian plan to wrest Berlin from the Allies failed for the simple reason that the Russians had miscalculated the ability of strong leadership, being General Clay and Mayor Reuter, to rally the citizens of Berlin to stand strong and as one. It failed because the very nation that had withstood the Germans at Stalingrad had failed to realize that freedom loving people throughout the world are the same. It failed because, whereas the Russians in East Germany were an occupation army, the Allies in the west had become protectors.
On July 10, 1951, the Airlift Memorial at Tempelhof Airport was dedicated. It commemorates the nearly 300,000 flights by American and British pilots to break the blockade. It is also a memorial to the 31 Americans, 39 Englishmen and 8 Germans who lost their lives.
On August 25, 1959, the Airlift Gratitude Foundation was created. The charter of the Foundation reads; “In memory of the sacrifices made by the American, British, French and German people during the Berlin blockade through the establishment of the airlift in the period from June 28, 1948 to September 30, 1949. A foundation is to be created by the City of Berlin from funds contributed in gratitude for the airlift. It’s goal is to express the ties between Berlin and the airlift nations.”
The Foundation at first made lump sum or monthly payments, to the dependents of those who died. Later, the Foundation shifted to the education of those dependents. In the 1960s, the original goal of assisting those dependent children was accomplished. The goal was shifted to provide fellowships for students from the airlift nations. That foundation exists to this day.
The American and Royal Air Forces paid for the airlift with blood. The people of Berlin paid that debt to the people of both nations and the bond between us is thankfully still as strong as it was in 1949.

The End

Men Are Happier Because:
Last name stays the same
They never get pregnant
A 10 day vacation only requires one suitcase
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack
Same hairstyle lasts for decades
You can do your nails with a pocket knife
You do Christmas shopping for ten people in an hour

A judge was sentencing three women, a blonde, a redhead and a brunette, because they had committed a crime. Their sentence was two years in a desert prison. He said that they could each take one thing with them. The brunette decides to take an umbrella, so that she can have shade whenever she wants. The redhead decides to take a water bottle so that she won’t get thirsty. Finally, the blonde decides to take a car door. The judge asked, “Why in the world would you want to take a car door?” The blonde replies, “Just in case it gets hot, I can roll down the window.”

There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer’s research. This means that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky breasts and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.
Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today, it’s called golf.
A man seeking to join an East Texas Sheriff’s Department is being interviewed. The Deputy doing the interview says: “Your qualifications all look good, but there is an attitude test that you must take before you can be accepted.” Then, sliding a service revolver and a box of ammo across the desk, he says: “Take this pistol and go out and shoot six illegal aliens, six meth dealers, six muslim extremists and a rabbit.” “Why the rabbit?” “Great attitude,” says the Sergeant. “When can you start?”
During a commercial airline flight an Air Force pilot was seated next to a young mother with a baby in her arms. When the baby began crying during the descent for landing, the mother nursing the infant as discreetly as possible. The pilot pretended not to notice and, upon disembarking, he gallantly offered his assistance to help with the various baby-related items. “Gosh, that’s a good looking baby . . . and he sure was hungry!” Somewhat embarrassed, the mother explained that her pediatrician said that the time spent on the breast would help alleviate the pressure in the baby’s ears. The Air Force pilot sadly shook his head, and in true pilot fashion exclaimed, “And all these years, I’ve been chewing gum.”
Once upon a time, the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said, “someone may steal from it at night.” So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job. Then Congress said, “How does the watchman do his job without instruction? So they created a planning department and hired two people, one to write the instructions and the other to do time studies. Then Congress said, “How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?” So they created a Quality Control Department and hired two people. One to do the studies and one to write the reports. Then Congress said, “How are these people going to get paid?” So they created the following positions, a time keeper, and a payroll officer, then hired two people. Then Congress said, “Who will be accountable for all these people?” So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, an Assistant Administrative Officer and a Legal Secretary. Then Congress said, We have had this command in operation for one year and we are $18,000 over budget, we must cut back overall cost.” So they laid off the night watchman.
Ralph and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool, Ralph suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there.
Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled him out.
When the head nurse director became aware of Edna’s heroic act, she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as she now considered her to be stable.
When she went to tell Edna the news, she said, “Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you’re being discharged since were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving the life of the person you love. . .I have concluded that your act displays sound mindedness. The bad news, however, is that Ralph hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe belt right after you saved him. I am sorry, but he is dead.”
Edna replied, “He didn’t hang himself. I put him there to dry. Now, how soon can I go home?”
A teacher asked her 6th grade class how many of them were in favor of the new health care plan. Not really knowing what a health care plan was, but wanting to be liked by the teacher, all the kids raised their hands except for little Johnny. The teacher asked little Johnny why he decided to be different...again. Little Johnny said, “Because I’m not a health care plan fan.” The teacher said, “Why aren’t you a health care plan fan?” Johnny said, “Because I’m a conservative.” The teacher asked why he’s a conservative? Little Johnny responded, “Well, my Mom’s a conservative and my Dad’s a conservative, so I’m a conservative.” The teacher asks, “If your Mom was a moron and your Dad was an idiot, what would that make you?” With a big smile, little Johnny replied, “That would make me a health care plan fan.”

Staff Sergeant Glenn Harry English Jr. - Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U. S. Army, Company E, 3rd Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade. Place and date:
Phu My District, Republic of Vietnam, 7 September 1970. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Born: 23 April 1940, Altoona, Pa. Citation: S/Sgt English was riding in the lead armored personnel carrier in a 4-vehicle column when an enemy mine exploded in front of his vehicle. As the vehicle swerved from the road, a concealed enemy force waiting in ambush opened fire with automatic weapons and anti-tank grenades, striking the vehicle several times and setting it on fire. S/Sgt English escaped from the vehicle and, without pausing to extinguish the flames on his clothing, rallied his stunned unit. He then led it in a vigorous assault, in the face of heavy enemy automatic weapons fire, on the entrenched enemy position. This prompt and courageous action routed the enemy and saved his unit from destruction. Following the assault, S/Sgt English heard the cries of 3 men still trapped inside the vehicle. Paying no heed to warnings that the ammunition and fuel in the burning personnel carrier might explode at any moment, S/Sgt English raced to the vehicle and climbed inside to rescue his wounded comrades. As he was lifting one of the men to safety, the vehicle exploded, mortally wounding him and the man he was attempting to save. By his extraordinary devotion to duty, indomitable courage, and utter disregard for his own safety, S/Sgt English saved his unit from destruction and selflessly sacrificed his life in a brave attempt to save 3 comrades. S/Sgt English’s conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the cost of his life were an inspiration to his comrades and are in the highest traditions of the U. S. Army.

Captain Lewis L. Millett - Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Captain, U. S. Army, Company E, 27th Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Vicinity of Soam-Ni, Korea, 7 February 1951. Entered service at: Mechanic Falls, Maine. Born: 15 December 1920, Mechanic Falls, Maine. GO No.: 69, 2 August 1951. Citation: Captain Millett, Company E, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. While person-ally leading his company in an attack against a strongly held position he noted that the 1st Platoon was pinned down by small-arms, automatic and anti-tank fire. Capt. Millett ordered the 3d Platoon forward, placed himself at the head of the 2 platoons, and, with fixed bayonet, led the assault up the fire-swept hill. In the fierce charge Capt. Millett bayoneted 2 enemy soldiers and boldly continued on, throwing grenades, clubbing and bayoneting the enemy, while urging his men for-ward by shouting encouragement. Despite vicious opposing fire, the whirlwind hand-to-hand assault carried to the crest of the hill. His dauntless leadership and personal courage so inspired his men that they stormed into the hostile position and used their bayonets with such lethal effect that the enemy fled in wild disorder. During the fierce onslaught Capt. Millett was wounded by grenade fragments but refused evacuation until the objective was taken and firmly secured. The superb leadership, conspicuous courage, and consummate devotion to duty demonstrated by Capt. Millett were directly responsible for the successful accomplishment of a hazardous mission and reflect the highest credit on himself and the heroic traditions of the military service.

Obituaries:

Marek Edelman, 90, the last surviving leader of the Warsaw Ghetto revolt in 1943, died October 2 in Warsaw. Most of Mr. Edelman’s adult life was dedicated to the defense of human life, dignity and freedom. He fought the Nazis in the doomed Warsaw Ghetto and later in the Warsaw city up-rising. Then, for decades, he fought communism in Poland. His heroism earned him the French Legion of Honor and Poland’s highest award. the Order of the White Eagle.

Colonel Willard H. Bennett, 78, passed away on October 20 after a battle with lung cancer. Among his military decorations were the Silver Star, Legion of Merit (2), Distinguished Flying Cross (4), Army Commendation Medal (3), the Bronze Star and the Air Medal (42).

John Robert Emmert, 84, died November 5. He served in Company F, 320th Infantry, 35th Infantry Division. He received the Purple Heart for wounds received during the Battle of the Bulge. He was recipient of the Legion of Honor from Luxembourg and Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor.

Colonel Lewis L. Millett, who earned the Medal of Honor in the Korean War, 88, died November 14 in Loma Linda, Cal. As a captain of an infantry company in Korea, he led his company up a hill in a bayonet charge. During his 35 year career, he earned the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit and four Purple Hearts.

Air Force Colonel Jack Pritchard, 82, a fighter pilot who survived seven years in the Hanoi Hilton, died December 2 in Jackson, Ms. after battling a brain tumor. He was shot down in 1965 and held at the Hoa Lo prison. He was released in 1973.
Richard Todd, 90, a British actor who reenacted his exploits on D Day in the movie The Longest Day, died December 3 of cancer at his home in central England. He was a veteran of the glider assault on Pegasus Bridge in Normandy.

Luther H. Smith, 89, died December 9. He was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen and flew 133 combat missions.
Delbert Hahn, 62, died in 1983. In 2009 his urn along with that of his wife and mother-in-law were found in a dumpster in Tampa. He was the recipient of 5 Bronze Stars and 2 Purple Hearts and was a veteran of the D Day invasion. The ashes of Delbert and his wife were buried at Bushnell National Cemetery on December 16. I’ve written to the president to get the ashes of his mother-in-law buried with Delbert and his wife. They are in a Tampa police station.

Colonel Robert Lewis Howard, 70, died December 23 of pancreatic cancer in Waco, Texas. He was considered to be the nation’s most decorated soldier. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor three times before getting it in 1971. He was wounded 14 times in combat and received 8 Purple Hearts. 5th Special Forces Group for action December 30, 1968. Among his other medals were the Distinguished Service Cross for action on November 21, 1967 and the Silver Star for action November 12-20, 1968. I’ll have his citation in the next newsletter.

Knut Magne Haugland, 92, died December 25 in Oslo, Norway. He was decorated by the British in World War II for helping prevent the German nuclear program from getting heavy water to make weapons. He was the last of the 1947 Kon Tiki raft trip led by Thor Heyerdahl from Peru to Polynesia.

Percy Sutton, 89, died December 27 in New York City. A member of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Please remember them in your prayers.

SIXTH INFANTRY REGIMENT ASSOCIATION AND AUXILIARY NEWSLETTER

The Berlin Airlift, Part IV

The End

Staff Sergeant Glenn Harry English Jr. - Medal of Honor

Captain Lewis L. Millett - Medal of Honor