May 27, 2005
“Some Gave All”
Oroville Mercury, February 12, 1942
and June 13, 1942.
Torpedo Blast Kills Local Man
MARYSVILLE—Lawrence
Gianella, 21, radio operator on the S. S. Prussa,
a freighter, was killed December 19 when the vessel, enroute to
Panama, was torpedoed 100 miles from Honolulu, relatives here learned.
The ship was returning from Borneo, and Gianella had cabled his
uncle, Postmaster Thomas
Gianella, that he was safe in Honolulu. Two boatloads
of survivors were picked up. Gianella, who had been employed
until a year ago in the Bank of America here, was a native of Oroville,
son of Henry Gianella
and the late Bertha Leeper
Gianella.
MacArthur To Be Honored At Oroville
Flag Day Ceremony
Big Parade Will Start At Fire
House, Wind Through Business Section To Field
General Douglas MacArthur
will be honored Saturday night, June 13th, when the Elks
lodge hold their annual Flag Day observance at Mitchell Field.
Saturday was recently proclaimed by Congress as MacArthur Day.
It is the anniversary of the United Nations commander's appointment
to West Point military academy. Local recognition of the day
will be included in the program which is expected to attract a large
crowd from Oroville and surrounding district. Miss
Eileen McDonnell
has been selected as soloist for the event, it was announced by
Don Hobbie chairman of arrangements. At the conclusion of
the program she will sing “God Bless America" with Miss
Elizabeth Humphrey
as accompanist. The parade will be staged at 7:30 p.m.
prior to the Mitchell Field observance. Over forty organized
groups are planning entries, said
Paul West, chairman’s
assisted by Roy Nelson,
Roy McCune and
Tom Reeves.
Following the parade, Company K of the State Guard will stage a
drill, the first such appearance by the group since its organization.
The Flag Day parade will form at the fire department, Montgomery
and Oak streets. The line of march will go east to Myers street
south on Myers to Robinson and continue to Fourth Avenue where participants
will proceed south to Mitchell Field for a grand entry.
Stu’s Notes:
Monday, May 30th Memorial Day, we will again gather up
on the Hill at the Oroville Memorial Cemetery at 11:00 AM and honor
American’s Veterans. If it’s not raining the flags will be
flying along the roads and on each Veterans grave. A most
Beautiful sight if you haven’t seen this I urge you to drive out
and see it. The relatives on the passing of their veterans
have donated most of the large flags, some years later. It
is an honorable place for them to go.
I found the story
of Young Lawrence Gianella
years ago. I put him on our Oroville list. Finally after
many years our Government is finally recognizing our Merchant Marines
and giving them their just due. They served our country well.
They died at a bigger percentage rate than any other service, I’ve
been told. Their duty was extremely hazardous. Can you
image sailing on our high seas. Knowing that if your ship
went down your chances of survival were very slim. A convoy
could not stop for you. They were usually far from Navy help.
Sharks, water so cold, (in the North Atlantic) you might live ½
hour. There was a war on.
Lawrence Gianella
was safe in Honolulu. He could have jumped ship and stayed
in Hawaii. But he sailed on. Could he be the first Oroville
man to die in WWII ? Maybe, God only knows. But he died
for his country 12 days after Pearl Harbor and we will honor him.
This is all I know of Lawrence, anyone know more?
Good news! Patti Myers
is going to put her now famous talent show next October and all
the proceeds go to the Oroville Veterans Memorial Park. She
will be working on this with
John DeRee and
Inga Armitage.