Oroville Mercury Register April 21, 1943
Medal Awarded to Chico Sergeant
The War Department today announced the award of a medal to Staff
Sgt. William E. Hull of Chico, member of the U. S. Army’s Eighth
Air Force. No details were given.
Woodward To Join The Navy Sea Bees
G. C. Woodward of the Wagon Wheel will leave Saturday for Camp Carry,
West Virginia where he will join the Navy Sea Bees as First Class
Petty Officer.
Pueblo HARP Veteran’s Bridge Veteran Data Sheet
Last Name: Krpan
First Name: Nick J.
Birth date: 04/04/1915
Service Branch US –Army
Date Active Dec. 20, 1943 –June 4, 1946
War WWII Awards: American Theater Ribbon, EAMET Ribbon, Good Conduct
Medal, Victory Ribbon, Sharp Shooters Medal
Biography: “I went to boot camp at Camp Barkley, Camp House in Texas,
Ft. Louis, Washington and Camp Beale, California. From there I went
to Camp Kilman, New Jersey where they put us on a truck which took
us to a troop carrier that was a converted pleasure boat and we
were sent to England. From England we went to Germany where I was
to report to Sgt. Meares, who was to teach me to become a mortar
gunner. I was in the 309th Infantry Regiment 78th
Division. Our Division held ground at the Battle of the Bulge then
afterwards were to report to the Battle at Ramagen Bridge. Then
we went into Berlin. While the leaders discussed who would take
Berlin- the Russians or the Americans. After leaving Berlin we had
a 30 day leave back to the States, before we were to be deployed
to Japan. But during my 30 day leave, we dropped the bomb on Hiroshima
and then Nagasaki and that ended the war!”
Fall of 2007
James Crow’s Story
provided by his Oroville nephew, Eric L. Zancanella, Lieutenant
Colonel (Ret) Transportation Corps, U. S. Army Reserves
James Crow’s story continued:
The Da Nang complex was located on the northern-most coast of South
Vietnam, and about 57 miles from the border with North Vietnam.
The 400-bed Support Hospital, in the southeast portion of the complex,
was staffed with 485 Hospital Corpsmen working with doctors and
nurses who cared for large numbers of Marine combat casualties in
the I Corps region during the war. The hospital was not on the front
lines, but the area was subjected to routine rocket and mortar attacks.
September 1965 through June 1966, Chief Crow was the senior Medical
Department representative at the Naval Support Activity Headquarters
Building. He was responsible for establishing two dispensaries in
Da Nang, one at the main hospital, or “White Elephant”, and the
other at Camp Tien Sha, a camp housing more than 3000 enlisted staff
of the Naval Support Activity command. He also supervised the sick
call procedure for the Support Activity. In order to have a dispensary
at Tien Sha, Chief Crow had to build it first. Crow designed and
supervised the construction of the ten-bed Dispensary at the camp,
and then he supervised the dispensary’s daily operation as well.
He also maintained the health records of more than 3500 sailors,
and insured all inoculations were kept current for these men.
Chief James Crow, for several months, was additionally responsible
for sickbays aboard two berthing ships, non-self propelled barracks
APL-5, and APL-30, assigning and supervising the Hospital Corpsmen
attached to those vessels. He also supervised industrial medicine
in conjunction with ship unloading. After duty hours in Danang,
Crow, and another Corpsman, Grady King, would operate a clinic in
a neighboring community to treat the local Vietnamese children.
Crow’s billet, or position, at the Danang Hospital was one step
higher than his Chief Corpsman rate, but in November 1965 he earned
that higher rank, Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer (Hospital Corpsman).
Stu’s Notes: Oroville Veterans Committee Member Nick Krpan came
to our meetings for 5 years. After his 90th birthday
the Veterans Hall was either too hot or too cold. The heater and
cooler is better now. My old Friend can’t make it any more, he recently
moved into the Iris Care Home. He is doing quite well. This is just
an outline of his service to our Country during WWII. He told me
the whole story many times. Some time I will do a more complete
story. I have written also about his sister, Louise and her big
part in building bombers in Long Beach. I hope to someday hear more
about S. S. William E. Hull's Medal. Back then the Wagon Wheel was
a restaurant on the Old River Road to Marysville. James Crow was
a very busy man, but had time for the kids.