August 16, 2002

These stories are about the men and women who went to war so that we might be free. This column is dedicated to all our Veterans. It will use articles taken from past Oroville Mercury Registers.

January 30, 1945
John G. Williams of The Navy is Wounded
Official announcement has been made by the Navy Department that John Grant Williams, Seaman first class has been wounded in action. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Buutte P. Williams, formerly of Oroville and later of Feather Falls. Miss Josephine Williams, his cousin, who is employed by the Butte County Title Co. here, said that Williams is 19, graduated from the local high school in 1942, and that his parents now live at Yankee Hill. He has been in the Pacific theatre, she said.

Com. Conner Is Wounded by V-2
One week ago, Jack Conner received a letter from his brother Commander Melvin Conner, U. S. Merchant Marine, in England, describing how it feels to have a German buzz bomb explode nearby. In that letter Conner told of having the window of his stateroom shattered. Today, Conner received word that his brother was in a base hospital in England, wounded when a German V-2 bomb hit his cargo vessel. The Merchant Marine Commander had also received the Purple Heart for having been wounded in action. The information was forwarded officially to Conner's mother, Mrs. J. H. Conner in Manteca, who phoned the Oroville councilman the news. The V-2 bomb is the type that is fired into the stratosphere and has a more terrific blast than the V-1 or buzz bomb. Conner later today received a letter himself from his brother in which the commander said the V-2 bomb hit his shop at a point 50 feet from his stateroom. Portions of the vessel were blown to bits and rescue crews were two hours extricating Conner from the wreckage. He received two wounds in his head but said he expects to survive the experience.

February 1, 1945 HAROLD TABER ADVANCED TO RANK OF CORPORAL
GULFPORT ARMY AIR FIELD, NUSS - Harold L. Taber, a son of Harold W. Taber, Oroville, Calif, has been promoted to the grade of corporal at this Third Air Force bomber base maintained for the training of a 10 man crews for B-17 Flying Fortresses. Selected for an intensive training course as a lower ball turret gunner, Corporal Taber is attached to Squadron "S" of the 328th Army Air Force Base Unit. Before entering Army service, he was a student at Oroville High School.

JESS STARKEY of the U. S. Marines spent last week with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Leon Starkey and sisters, Mrs. Eva Powers, Mrs. Lottie Jones and families.

On a sadder note, which will be coming all to often:
John Casner Is Killed In Action.
Mrs. Louise Casner of Oroville was notified Thursday her son, John Casner, had been killed in action Dec. 14, 1944 in Germany.

Stu's notes: This is all I could find so far on John in the Mercury. Does anyone have any information? If you do please call me at 533-8147. Was he from Oroville, etc. Sad he gave all and this is all we know.