April 13, 2007
Oroville Mercury
KEENAN OF U. S. ENGINEERS FINDS GERMANY MUDDY, COLD.
Pvt. Clyde Keenan,19, of Oroville has found plenty of cold weather
and mud in Germany where he is with a U. S. Army engineering outfit.
In letters to his relatives here he indicates that he prefers the
Oroville sunshine. Keenan is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Mike Keenan
of Quincy Road. He has two brothers and two sisters, Mike, Terry,
Avis and Gail. He has been in the service two years, having enlisted
while still a junior at the local high school. At school he was
active in track events.
DICK STENBERG THROUGH WITH BOOT CAMP
Pvt. Richard K. (Dick) Stenberg of the U. S. Marine Corps was home
recently on a furlough after completing boot training at San Diego.
He is now stationed at Camp Pendleton, Oceanside. Stenberg was a
student at Oroville High School when he was called into the service
Dec. 8, 1944. He is taking advantage of an opportunity to finish
his high school course while in the service and will receive his
diploma through the Marine Corps. Immediately after induction, he
was made a squad leader has served in that capacity all through
boot training. Mrs. C. M. Blackwell of Arbol Avenue is his mother.
More from “Recollections From Army Days” by Robert C. Brooks
Chester Tanke, John Durandetto and I dug an emplacement for a machine
gun. Tanke did most of the digging. Durandetto and I were pretty
much exhausted. Visibility was spotty – clouds, mist, and snow blowing.
Peter Spotted Wolf and Melvin Ricketts of the Recon Platoon had
set up a listening post about a football field length out ahead
of us. They had run a telephone wire back to their C.P. We knew
where they were, but others from another unit some distance away
didn’t. We knew where they were, but others from another unit some
distance away didn’t. Someone there spotted movement and began firing.
In an instant Tanke jumped out shouting to stop firing – “They’re
our men!” Peter Spotted Wolf carried and dragged Rickets back toward
our position – Rickets had been hit in the head, not fatally as
we learned later. During that time Medics came up and took Ricketts.
It seemed like a short time, but I guess it all happened in about
an hour. I was surprised how fast things happened, and how fast
Tanke moved. He was usually very slow and quiet, through big and
strong.
Stu’s Notes: I hope to see everyone out on Saturday, April 14th
at “Prom Night” It is a second chance Junior-Senior Prom, Sponsored
by: VFW Ladies Auxiliary Posts 1747 and 9602. From 7:00 to 10:00pm
at the Veterans Memorial Hall, 2374 Montgomery St. The tickets are
$10 each, donation. The Attire; formal (what you wore then, what
you would have worn, or what your parents wouldn’t let you wear).
So dust off those party clothes, put on your dancing shoes and please
join us for hors d oeuvres and dance to the tunes of our local DJ
Jim Mangus. Drinks will be available. Contact Donna Marikas 589-4786
or Sherry Morehouse 532-7948.
As many of you know our Web site, thanks to Daryl Autrey, reaches
out all over the world. We recently received an interesting email
from Reggie Mays, his father Gilmer Mays, was mentioned in this
column a while back. He was in the War with Bob Brooks. Now thanks
to the Oroville Mercury and our web site, they will get in contact
with each other.
On Tuesday, April 10th we, the Veterans Memorial committee
group heard at the Supervisor’s meeting, thanks to Bill Connelly
having us on the Agenda, that the County and City maybe even the
State will get together and iron out the difficulties of acquiring
the property we need. The money is there, it just needs to be found
and put in the right place.