May 13, 2005
Oroville Mercury Register May 9, 1945 and January 21,
1948
Brinkerhoff’s Plane Strikes At Kuriles
Advanced Aleutian Base, April 29 (Delayed)
Navy search planes of Fleet Air Wing Four today blasted building,
gun emplacements and radar installations at Minami Zaki on the Japanese
Kurile island of Shimushu. Hits were scored with rockets and the
area raked with machine gun fire. Despite enemy anti-aircraft, all
our planes returned safely. Piloting one plane was Lieut. Quentin
E. Norem. His crew includes, Russell A. Brinkerhoff, AOM1c,
gunner, of Bridge Street, Oroville, Calif. The same crew, on April
16, participated in an attack on Tomari Zake on Paramushiru strafing
an armed trawler offshore.
“SOME GAVE ALL”
Local GI’s Body Returned
The body of Pfc. William H. Martin of Oroville, who was killed in
the battle of Europe, is being returned to the United States aboard
the U. S. Army transport Corporal Eric.G Gibson according to a Bulletin
released by the army department. The army Wednesday announced the
return of the remains of 1753 American servicemen, most of them
casualties in the establishment of the Normandy beachhead. The bodies,
the third group to be returned from Europe since the start of the
army’s return of war dead program last October, included 41 from
California.
Next of kin were notified Tuesday by the army that the remains of
their loved ones were aboard the Gibson, scheduled to dock at the
Brooklyn Army Base, New York at 2 p. m. Wednesday. It is expected
that a period of from one to four weeks will elapse before the bodies
reach home towns or national cemeteries where final burial will
take place, the army said, explaining that remains are sent from
New York to regional distribution centers nearest the place of burial.
Next of kin will be notified at a later date that the body is being
brought to its final resting place under soldier escort, the army
added.
William I. Martin of Oroville is listed as next of kin to Pfc. Martin.
The body is being returned from the cemetery at LaCambe, France,
and will be taken to the distribution center at Kansas City, Q.
M. Depot, Missouri, according to the army bulletin.
Stu’s notes: Well the 60th Anniversary of V-E Day
has come and gone. I didn’t hear or read much ado about it in our
North State, our Boy’s are still dying on Okinawa as I write this
(60 Years ago). Soon we will have V-J day.
At the Christmas Dinner put on every year by our Local American
Legion Post 95, I met Cecil Bartolomei who is writing a book on
Military Air Bases of Northern California. He told me that doing
his research he found a story about a young man who died in the
war. I didn’t have this information. So I went to Jan Rose Bales
with the date and she found the above story in the Oroville Mercury
micro film at the Library. Although I have many Mercury’s I don’t
have all of them. Jan has been a God-send to me. Who is this young
man who died so long ago? What you read here is all we know of him.
The American Legion is a great group of men and women who served
our country. A big part of our Oroville Veterans Memorial Park Committee
belong to this group. If you have information on our old Military
Air bases, Oroville, Chico etc. Cecil would like to know.
The Veterans History Project wants your story. Kelly Birchfield
of Oakmont and Alma Chaika of Country Crest are the people to call.
They have forms for veterans to fill out. They want to hear from
you 533-7857 or 895-0123.