March 7, 2003

OROVILLE - MERCURY February 21, 1945

BOB HOLT WORKING ON THE RAILROAD SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE
According to an army bulletin, Pvt. Robert L Holt of Quincy Road is somewhere in France with the 703rd Railway Grand Division. This unit spent eight months in North Africa and ten more months in Italy before hitting the beaches of France. There they attacked the problem of rebuilding bridges, laying new track, clearing out tunnels and reestablishing communications. It is reported allied bombers in their "softening up" process and Nazi demolition squads in their retreat had done tremendous damage to the railroads.

WALTER FRAZIER SERVING IN THE INFANTRY
Pvt. Walter H. Frazier of the U. S. Infantry, the son of Mrs. C. W Simmons of B Street, enlisted September 4,1944. He was sent to Camp Roberts for training and graduated there Dec. 30, winning a sharp shooter's medal during that time. Frazier was home for a short visit before being sent to Camp Meade, Maryland. He is thought to be overseas now. While he was at Oroville High school he played basketball and received his "Block O."
I
LT. WASHBURN MAKING A SATISFACTORY RECOVERY
Alvin Washburn has received word that his son, 1st Lt. Carlyle Washburn is on 30-day leave at his home in LaGrange, 30 miles east of Modesto. He hopes to visit in Oroville on his next leave. Lt. Washburn was wounded somewhere in France recently and is making a satisfactory recovery. He suffered from concussion more than from the bullets that hit him. He is making the acquaintance of a young son, born June 7 while he was fighting in Rome. Washburn is a member of the Combat Engineers known as "The Black Devils." He joined the army just before Pearl Harbor was bombed and saw action at Kiska in the Aleutian Islands and in Italy and France. He graduated from Oroville high school and specialized in mining and electrical engineering in college. He was employed by the LaGrange Gold Dredging Co. at the time of his enlistment.

AMBROSE GETS NAZI SNIPER WITH THE FIFTH ARMY ITALY
Pfc. Raymond D. Ambrose of Oroville, Calif., killed a German sniper on his first day in combat on the Fifth Army front in Italy. Ambrose who fights with Company G. 363rd Infantry Regiment of the 91st "Powder River" Division had taken over the duties of an automatic rifleman who had been wounded by a sniper. The German's bullets clipped his entrenching tool from his belt as he picked up the rifle and took cover. "From behind a rock I saw the sniper," said, Ambrose, "I waited until I got him in my line of fire and then I let him have it." Pfc. Ambrose, 36, is the son of Mrs. Iva Ambrose of Elgin St. and the brother of Mrs. Jim S. Overstreet of C Street. He went into the service from Tracy where he was employed in a vegetable packing shed. Prior to that he worked at the Feather River Pine Mills and for Omer Caughey. Ambrose is a native of Missouri.

Stu's Notes: I went to school with some of the Washburn boys, I wonder if Carlyle was their father? A war hero that I didn't get to know. Toward the end of the war the older men had to fight as I see Pvt. Ambrose uses 3 years old and living in foxholes. I was an Ironworker connector and they said 35 was old for that part of the trade and I know it is not as hard as fighting in the war.