Elma Residents Anxious About Sons in Hawaii, December 15, 1941

From the July  29, 2021, Quad-City (Illinois/Iowa) Times "Closure at last:  North Iowa family says goodbye to Pearl Harbor victim after 80 years" by Jared  McNett.

This article from the Waterloo (Iowa) Courier was reprinted in yesterday's paper.

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ELMA RESIDENTS ANXIOUS ABOUT SONS IN HAWAII

Elma, Iowa.

Several  Elma families have been quite anxious over sons and relatives at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, including  George Sullivan, son of  Mr. and Mrs. Frank Sullivan;  Dean Garrett, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Garrett; Francis Duluhery, son of Mr. and Mrs. Duluhery; Duane Hayes, son of  Mr. and Mrs. George Hayes, Luverne Murphy, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Murphy; and John Mulick, son of John Mulick.

The last named was on the U.S.S. Oklahoma, bombed by the Japanese.

Ray M. Evans, son of Mr. and Mrs.  Tom Evans, arrived  here Wednesday from Pensacola, Fla., where he has been stationed for six months, and left  Thursday for his new station at Seattle, Wash.  He is an army bomber pilot.

Russell Schroeder, seaman, has completed a 15-day furlough at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Homer Schroeder.

And, John Mulick did not return home,  He died on the USS Oklahoma.

The War Strikes Home This Early in a Small Iowa Town.  --GreGen

According to Wikipedia, the population of Elma in 2010 was 546.  In the early 1900s, it was around 1500.  Elma is 17 miles northeast of Charles City.

USS Bowfin Reopens in Pearl Harbor

From July 29, 2021, KHON 2  "Renovated  Pearl Harbor submarine museum to teach STEM"  Kamaka Pili.

When most people think of Pearl Harbor, the name USS Arizona pops into mind and maybe the USS Missouri.  Not many people think of the USS Bowfin.

Exactly one year after Pearl Harbor was attacked, a submarine  nicknamed "The Pearl Harbor Avenger" was launched.  That vessel was the USS Bowfin (SS-287).  Today, it resides at Pearl Harbor  as part of the  Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum.

She was commissioned in 1943, made nine war patrols in the Pacific and was supposed to be scrapped in the 1970s, but was converted into a museum ship in  1981.  Later, this year, she will celebrate her 10  millionth visitor.

With its reopening the sub will feature all sorts of STEM educational points.  Among them:  How does it surface? How does it dive? Chemistry.  And, how do the batteries work?

The renovation project cost $20 million.

--GreGen

Two More USS Oklahoma Unknowns: Floyd Dee Helton and Louis James Tushla

From the July 28, 2021, Commonwealth Journal (Somerset, Ky.) Services set for local seaman killed at Pearl Harbor" by Janie Slavin.

Navy Seaman 2nd Class Floyd Dee Helton of Somerset was serving aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941, when he met his death.  The Oklahoma lost 429 men, including Helton who was just 18 at the time.

He was one of the ship's Unknowns.  The country finally identified his remains on April 23, 2020.

He will be buried this Saturday at Sloans Valley Cemetery with full military honors.

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Fireman 1st Class Louis James Tushla of Nebraska died December 7, 1941, aboard the USS Oklahoma and was one of the many Unknowns of that ship when it was finally uprighted years after capsizing.  The bodies were, by then, unidentifiable with technology that existed.  But now, using DNA, identification has been taking place.

He was identified on March 27, 2020.  He was buried July 17, 2021, in his hometown of Atkinson, Nebraska.

--GreGen

Canadian Soldier John Swityk Turning 100: Landed at Juno Beach on D-Day

From the July 27, 2021, Aldergrove (British Columbia, Canada) Star  "One of Langley's last surviving  Second World War veterans is turning 100" by Dan Ferguson.

John Swityk was one of the first Canadian soldiers to land at Juno Beach on June 6, 1944.

He was 19 when he enlisted with the First Battalion of the Regina Rifles in North Battleford, SK.  After initial training in Canada, they shipped overseas in August 1941 to continue their training in Great Britain, while also providing coastal defense.

As a member of an anti-tank platoon, he trained as a Bren gunner (a light machine gun.).

On D-Day, June 6, 1944, he landed at Juno Beach, Normandy and fought his way through the town of  Courseulles. On June 7, his platoon was given the job of taking the village of Norrey  en Bessin, the farthest in of any of the Allied units.

Within the next few days, John Swityk was promoted to sergeant.  He later fought through Normandy,  Belgium, the Netherlands and into Germany until the Germans surrendered.

Happy Birthday to One of the Greatest Generation.  --GreGen

Hull Repairs Finished on USS North Carolina-- Part 2:

Atlantic Coast Industrial Marine Construction, a Wilmington company, cut and replaced steel on the bow as well as repainted affected areas of the hull,  according to a release on the battleship's website.

The USS North Carolina arrived at Wilmington in 1961 after serving in World War II.  I was ten at the time and very proud to have done my little part in saving the ship.  Many pennies, nickels, dimes and some quarters were donated by school children across the state to pay for part of the expense of acquiring the ship.

It then suffered over fifty years of corrosion from the Cape Fear River and plans for repairs to the hull had been in the making since at least 2010.  At first, it was planned to have the ship towed to Norfolk, Virginia, but then the idea of leaving it where it was and building the cofferdam was adopted.  At least, the ship remained so people could tour it.  Of course, then came the you-know-what in 2020.

The Battleship North Carolina is not tax-supported and relies primarily on admissions for operating expenses.

--GreGen

Hull Repairs Finished on USS North Carolina-- Part 1

From the July 20, 2021, WXII 12 News NBC, AP.

The nearly four year project to repair the hull of the battleship USS North Carolina, moored across the Cape Fear River from Wilmington, North Carolina, was officially over Tuesday, July 20, when waters from the river flooded into the temporary barrier (cofferdam) erected around the ship.

A Wilmington-based company cut and replaced steel in the now and also did work and repainted affected areas of the hull.

The $11 million project began in August 2016 with the construction of a cofferdam around the ship which allowed work crews to drain the river water out and have access to  the ship's brittle hull.  With cofferdam construction completed in May 2018, work was begun t replace steel at the ship's water-wind line which began in June 2020.

--GreGen

Another USS Oklahoma Unknown Identified: Irvin Rice

From the July 23, 2021,  WLNS 6 News  "Michigan WW II sailor accounted for nearly 80 years later" by Izzy Martin.

On June 5, 2021,  Navy Radioman  3rd Class Irvin Rice was accounted for according to an announcement released today by the Department of Defense POW/MIA  Accounting Agency.  He was among the  429 crewmen of the battleship USS Oklahoma who died that day.

For three years afterwards, the Navy made attempts to identify the unknown sets of bodies recovered.  The remains of only  35 could be identified.

The unidentified remains were buried in 46 plots in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.

He will be buried  on October 2, 2021,  in Berkeley, Michigan.

--GreGen

Two More USS Oklahoma Unknowns Identified: Charles Hudson and Arnold Nielsen

July 24, 2021, AP  "Pearl Harbor casualty remains identified as California sailor"  AP.

The Defense department POW/MIA Accounting Agency has announced that the remains of California sailor Petty Officer 1st Class Charles E. Hudson, 39 of Stockton have been identified.  He was on the USS Oklahoma when it capsized.

His remains were identified in December.  Announcement came this late because family members have now all been made aware of it.  His remains will be buried in Honolulu on September 10.

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From the July 25, 2021, Stars and Stripes "World War II sailor gets funeral in Idaho after 80 years" by Joel Mills.

Boatswain's Mate First Class Arnold M. Nielsen died December 7, 1941, on board the USS Oklahoma.  He was from Oakland, California, but was buried at Lewis-Clark Memorial Gardens in Lewiston Orchards, Idaho.

--GreGen

Black Female WW II Unit Seeks Gold Medal-- Part 6

A bill in Congress would rename a post office in Buffalo, New York, after the battalion's Indiana Hunt-Martin, who died last year.

And, there is a push for a Congressional Gold Medal.

"These women were trailblazers, and it is past time that we officially recognize them for the incredible contribution to our troops during World War II," said Sen. Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, who is co-sponsoring the bill.

Like McClendon, Moore's family said she would be honored, but not enamored by the award.  She rarely talked about her time with the 6888th when she was alive, preferring to let those accomplishments speak for themselves.

"She would have said, 'This is an amazing, wonderful honor and I am very proud to have served.'  Then she would have went on with her life," said Moore's niece Elizabeth Pettiford, who grew up next door to Moore in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  

"I just don't think she would have made a huge thing about it because that was her personality.  She kept a lot of things in."

--GreGen

Black Female Unit Seeking Congressional Medal of Honor-- Part 5: Breaking Barriers and a Movie?

Still Cummings said the time overseas with the Army  left a lasting impression on the women, many of whom dismantled barriers in their personal lives.

Elizabeth Barker  Johnson was the first female to attend Winston-Salem State  University (a historically black college) under the G.I. Bill.  She took part in the school's graduation ceremony at the age of 99 --  70 years after getting her degree.

McClendon joined the Air Force after the military was integrated and retired in 1971.  She was the first female to command an all-male squadron with the Strategic Air Command.  Another unit member, the late Doris Moore, became the first black social worker in New Hampshire according to her family.

The unit's  story has also been getting more attention.  A monument was erected in 2018 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to honor them, and the 6888th was given the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2019.  A documentary "The Six Triple Eight" was made about their exploits.  There is talk of a movie.

GreGen

Black Female Unit Seeking Congressional Gold Medal-- Part 4: Minority Units Not Recognized or Appreciated

They cleared out a backlog of about 17 million pieces of mail in three months -- twice as fast as projected.  The battalion would go on to serve in France before returning home.  And, like so many black units during he war, their exploits never got the attention afforded their white counterparts.

"It is sad to say.  They came back to Jim Crow America," Colonel Edna Cummings said.  "Not only the 6888th, but a lot of our minority soldiers who returned home from the war were not recognized or appreciated until years later.  The Tuskegee Airmen, Montford Point Marines. There are so many stories of units of color who were not recognized until  decades after the war.

--GreGen

Black Female Unit Seeking Congressional Gold Medal-- Part 3: 'No Mail, Low Morale'

The mountain of mail had piled up and the troops were complaining about lost letters and delayed care packages.  Thus their motto, "No Mail, Low Morale."

"They kept  hollering about wanting us  to go overseas so I guess they found something for us to do overseas:  Take care of the mail," Major Fannie Griffin McClendon said.  "And, there was an awful loy of mail.  ...They expected we were gonna be there about two to three months trying to get it straightened out.  Well, I think in about a month, in a month and a half, we  had it all straightened out and going in the right direction."

The 6888th toiled  around the clock, processing  about 65,000 pieces of mail in each of the three shifts.  They created a system using locator cards with a service member's name and unit number to ensure mail was delivered.  Sometimes they had to resort to detective work when a parcel only had a common name or a service member's nickname.

Despite their achievements, the unit endured questions and criticism from people who did not support black women in the military.

Housing, mess halls and recreation facilities were segregated by race and sex, forcing them to set up all their own operations.  The unit commander, Major Charity Adams, was also criticized by a general who threatened  to give her command to a white officer.  She reportedly responded:  "Over my dead body, sir."

--GreGen

Black Female WW II Unit Hoping for Congressional Gold Medal-- Part 2: To get the Mail Delivered

Major Fannie Griffin McClendon said:  "I just wish there were more people  to, if it comes through, there were more people to celebrate it."

The 6888th was sent overseas in1945, partly as a result or black organizations to include black women in the Women's Army  Corps and to allow them to join their white counterparts overseas.

"I think the 6888th, the command inherently knew that their presence overseas meant more than clearing the mail backlog," said Retired Army  Colonel Edna  Cummings, who was not a member of the 6888th but has been advocating for greater recognition for them.  "They were representing  opportunity  for their sisters in arms back in the  United States who were having a hard time dealing with the racism and sexism  within the ranks.

The unit dodges German U-boats on their way  to England and scramble to  escape a German rocket once they reached Glasgow.

They were deployed to unheated, rat-infested  airplane hangers in Birmingham, England, and given a daunting mission:  Process the millions of pieces of undelivered mail for troops, government people and Red Cross workers.

--GreGen

Black Female World War II Unit Hoping to Get Congressional Gold Medal

From the July 13, 2021, Daily Press "Black female World War II unit hoping to get Congressional honor" by Michael Casey, AP.

Major Fannie Griffin McClendon and her Army colleagues never dwelled on  being the only black  battalion of women to serve in Europe.  They had a job to do.

The 6888th  Central Postal  Directory Battalion was credited with solving a growing postal crisis during its stint in England, and, on their return, serving as an example to generations of black women who joined the military.

But for decades, the exploits of the group's 855 members received next to nothing as far as recognition, that is, until now.

The Senate passed legislation that would award members of the battalion, affectionately known as the Six Triple Eight, with the Congressional Gold Medal.

The bill is awaiting action in the House, but it is already too late for most of the 6888's members.  There are only believed to be seven still alive, including McClendon.

"Well, it would be nice, but it never occurred  to me that we would even qualify for it," McClendon said from her home in Arizona.

An Overdue Honor.  --GreGen

First U.S. Flag Carried Over Ludendorff Bridge-- Part 2

"To have the opportunity to have of that historical importance here at the Olympia Armory which is home to our State Guard, is really quite an honor," MG  McCarty says.

Corporal Gordon Galbraith survived the war and lived out his life in Greenville  where he held on to the flag.

Steve Roberts donated the flag said, "I am the brother-in-law of Corporal Galbraith and he gave me the flag when I was in high school.  So, I've had it since 1984.  I had it hanging on my wall and I just felt  like more people needed to appreciate it because I was the only one really seeing this flag and it meant  more than that.

The flag was restored and displayed by Carolina Conservation.

--GreGen

First U.S. Flag Carried Over the Ludendorff Bridge at Battle of Remagen Presented to SC National Guard

From the July 10, 2021, News 19 (South Carolina)  "Flag flown overseas in WW II donated to to state guard" by Emily Correll.

A piece of American history was presented in Columbia Saturday from World War II.  A torn and tattered U.S. flag that was at one of the major turning points of the Allied war in Europe.

According to Major General  Van McCarthy, Adjutant General of the South Carolina National Guard, "the flag  that was presented here  today was the first American flag that crossed the Ludendorff Bridge in Match 1944 as part of the Allied final invasion of Europe into Germany."

At the Battle of Remagen, Corporal Gordon Galbraith of Greenville, S.C., tied the flag to a stick and carried across the bridge under heavy German fire.  According to MG McCarthy, said that when Galbraith was asked why he did it, he replied, "I wanted to let them know that the Americans were coming and we're going to make things right."'

During the Battle of Remagen in Germany, Allied forces captured the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine River which the Germans had attempted to destroy to slow the Allied advance.

--GreGen

Death of Nisei Frank Wada-- Part 4: After the War

After the war, Frank Wada and his wife, Jean. returned to San Diego, where he designed and built  a home on a 350-acre family farm in the Encanto area of San Diego.  Together they raised five children.

Wada worked for a time with the post office, went to college, and then for many years in the public works division  at  the former Naval Training Center San Diego.  He started there as a lawn mower repairman and worked his way up to a position as contract specialist before retiring in 1977.

In 2018, Wada posed for a portrait in his WW II uniform for Los Angeles photographer Shane Sato, who has published two volumes of Nisei  veterans titled "Go For Broke Spirit:  Portraits of Courage."  Sato, whose uncles served in the 100th Battalion, said he  created  the books because not enough Americans knew this chapter of their history.

A Real Hero.  --GreGen

Death of Nisei Veteran Frank Wada-- Part 3: Fighting in Italy and France

After a year of training, the 442nd shipped out to Europe, where Wada's company served on the front lines in the Rome-Arno, Po Valley and Ardennes campaigns.

The casualty rate was high and within a month, Wada rose three ranks from scout to platoon sergeant.

The 442nd's greatest test -- and one that nearly cost Wada his life --  came in October 1944 when they and the 100th Infantry Battalion (also Nisei) together fought to liberate Bruyeres, France, and rescue a small Texas battalion surrounded by German soldiers.  

The bravery of the Nisei  soldiers, who hurled themselves at the dug-in German  forces and fought hand-to-hand at close range,  led to the "Lost Battalion Rescue" to become known as one of the greatest ground battles of the war.

During the final days of the battle, Wada was seriously wounded by shrapnel injuries to his lower body and ended up spending  more than a month in a hospital.

Among the many combat decorations he received were a Purple Heart, Bronze Star and a combat medal with four oak clusters.  In 2011, he and all of the 442nd  and 100th veterans received the Congressional Gold Medal.  And, in 2015, he received France's highest  military  award, the Legion of Honor.

--GreGen

Death of Nisei Veteran Frank Wada-- Part 2

After high school, Frank Wada moved to San Diego where he worked on his sister's farm in Chula Vista.  The morning after the Pearl Harbor attack, he tried to enlist in the U.S. Army, but like other Nisei, was turned down because he was considered an "enemy alien."

Three months later, his family was ordered to internment.  In mid-1942, his family ended up at a camp in Poston, Arizona, where he met his future wife, Jean Ito of San Jose, California.

In 1942, Japanese American men serving in the National Guard in Hawaii were ordered to form the first Nisei unit, the 100th Infantry Battalion.  Their discipline and success in training were so impressive that it was decided to enlist a second group, which became the 442nd.  Hawaiian Nisei along with Nisei in internment camps were called for this unit.

Frank Wada was one of the first  Poston camp to volunteer.  This did not sit well with many of the other internees.  But his sister had told him that his joining might be the only thing that could get them out of the camp.

Before leaving for training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi, he married Jean at the camp and their marriage lasted for 69 years until she died in 2012.

--GreGen

Death of Nisei Veteran Frank Wada, 99-- Part 1: 'Go for Broke'

From the July 6, 2021, San Diego (Cal.) Union-Tribune  "Obituary:  1921-2021:  World War II  nisei  veteran Frank Wada recalled  for his quiet courage" by Pam Kragen.

Frank Wada was a member of the all-Japanese U.S. Army's 442nd  Regimental Combat Team and died June 14.  he served in E Company made up entirely of Nisei, the American-born descendants of Japanese immigrants.  Most of its recruits came from internment camps, where  110,000 Japanese -Americans living on the U.S. West Coast were forced to move.

Family members say Wada was the last local  survivor of the regiment.

The 442nd  would become the most decorated unit, for its size and length of service, in the history of the U.S. military.  Roughly 18,000 men served in it, ultimately earning 9,468 Purple Hearts, 21 Medal of Honor and an unprecedented  seven Presidential Unit Citations.

"Go for Broke" was the regiment's motto, meaning "shoot the works."

--GreGen

Two More USS Oklahoma Unknowns Identified: Russell Ufford and Eugene M. Skaggs

June 24, 2021,   Guidon "Missouri World War II seaman's remains id'd"    

U.S. Navy Seaman  2nd Class Russell Ufford, 17, of Kansas City, Missouri, died December 7, 1941, on board the battleship USS Oklahoma.  He is scheduled to be buried on July 16 in Salisbury, North Carolina.

He was identified February 11, 2021.  His identification was announced April 30, 2021.

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July 4, 2021, WTRF   "Remains of Navy sailor from W. Va.  stationed aboard USS Oklahoma finally accounted for."

Navy Signalman 1st Class Eugene M. Skaggs, 33, of Amsted, West Virginia.  He will be buried  in Riverside, California, on August 18, 2021.

--GreGen

Leo T. Keninger-- Part 5: The Telegram and a Purple Heart and Letter from Pres. Roosevelt

The telegram from the War Department saying that Leo had been declared  to have lost his life.

"After exhaustive search it has been found impossible to locate your son, Leo Thomas Keninger, fireman first class,  U.S. Navy, and he has therefore  ben officially declared to have lost his life in the service of his country, as of Dec. 7th, 1941.

"The department expresses to you its sincerest sympathy."

Rear Admiral Randall Jacobs

Chief of Bureau of Navigation

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From the September14, 1944, Ackley (Iowa) World Journal.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Keninger are in receipt of the Purple Heart Certificate and Purple Heart in recognition  of their son Leo's  services to his country.  Leo Thomas Keninger was a first class fireman on the USS Oklahoma, which was sunk at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack, at which time Leo lost his life.

He had served a year and seven months at the time of his death.  His parents are also in receipt of a Memorial to him signed by President Roosevelt.

--GreGen

Leo Thomas Keninger-- Part 4: Telegrams Tell the Sad Story

From the December 12, 1941, Mason City (Iowa) Globe Gazette.

ACKLEY YOUTH IS AMONG THE MISSING

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Keninger received a telegram early Sunday morning informing them their son, Leo Keninger,  who was with the Pacific  fleet on Dec. 7 is among the missing.  Leo Keninger enlisted in the United States navy, one and one-half years ago.

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From the February 19, 1942, Ackley (Iowa) World Journal.

LEO T. KENINGER FIRST ACKLEY MAN TO GIVE HIS LIFE IN PRESENT WAR

Leo T. Keninger, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Keninger, north-west of Ackley, 

 was the first Ackley man to give his life in service to his country in the present war, according to a telegram received by his parents.

Leo was the victim  of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Memorial services will be held Saturday at 10o'clock a.m., at St. Mary's  church, conducted by  the rev. J.J. Murtagh.

--GreGen

Leo Thomas Keninger of USS Oklahoma-- Part 3: About That Storm

In the last post, I wrote about the storm that seriously damaged the battleship USS Oklahoma on August 21, 1941.

This is what the Wikipedia article on the USS Oklahoma had to say about it:

The Oklahoma had been based at Pearl Harbor from December 1937 and had patrols and exercises during that time.  She returned to the States twice, once to have anti-aircraft guns and armor added to her superstructure and once to have armor replaced.

"En route on 22 August (1941), a severe storm hit the Oklahoma.  One man was swept overboard and three others were injured.  The next morning, a broken  starboard propeller shaft forced the ship to halt, assess the damage, and sail to San Francisco, the closes Navy Yard with an adequate drydock.

"She remained in drydock, undergoing repairs, until mid-October.  The ship then returned to Hawaii.

"The Washington Naval Treaty had precluded the Navy  from replacing the Oklahoma (which had been commissioned in 1916) , leading to a series of refits to extend her lifespan.    The ship was planned to be retired on  2 May 1942.

--GreGen