TONIGHT POW/MIA,
7PM VETERANS MEMORIAL HALL ON MONTGOMERY STREET. HOPE TO SEE
YOU THERE.
It is about an hour long Recognition
Candle light service.
This story is
from Ronald Hays
continued from last week
Harold V. Hayes at
the age of 86 recently passed away at his home in Redding, California.
On April 13, 1945, German SS and Luftwaffe troops, retreating from
the Allied advance, murdered 1016 political and military prisoners
near the German town of Gardelegen. The prisoners were on
a forced march from one prisoner camp to another. Many of
them sick and too weak to march any further, were taken from the
town of Gardelegen to a large barn on the Isenchnibbe estate and
forced inside the building. The assembled guards then barricaded
the doors and set fire to gasoline-soaked straw. The massacre
site was discovered the next day by soldiers of the second battalion
405th infantry and men from the 548th
AAA battalion of the 102 Ozark Infantry Division, (excerpted from
the Wikipedia,). Hayes was at the site when the Gardelegen
massacre was discovered and amongst his war memorabilia are several
pictures of that horrible event that had occurred there. At the
war’s conclusion the 102 Division was sent to Belgium where they
guarded American prisoners who were being held for engaging in black
marketing activities. The division returned to the United
States March 11, 1946. Shortly thereafter Hayes was sent to
the Beale Army Base in Marysville where he was honorably discharged.
Harold returned to Oroville married
the former Ruth Boyd
and had two children. He was employed at Don Hobbie’s Chevrolet
Sales and Service in the Part’s Department until 1957 when he joined
the California Highway Patrol. He served thirty years in the
Highway Patrol retiring in 1987. Several years after Hayes
had put his war years behind him and unexpected meeting of an old
comrade took place. Harold and his wife were invited to dinner
at his sister’s home in Marysville. His sister the former Elnor Hayes had married
Walter K. Shealy
who was originally from South Carolina. When Harold and wife
arrived, Elnor told them they had also invited an old friend of
her husband who also was from South Carolina. Soon after the
door bell rang and in walked the former Commander of the 548th
Colonel Oliver.
Neither was aware of the Shealy/Oliver/Hayes connection and the
last time they had seen each other was when they departed Belgium
in 1946. Harold had been the Colonel’s driver and together
they had traveled in a Jeep from France, through the Netherlands,
into Germany to the war’s conclusion. Over dinner and late
into the evening the Colonel and the Sergeant once again traveled
that route and to the same conclusion. They had been a part
of a great victory that had ended with the defeat of Nazi Germany.
Stu’s Notes:
Happy 50th anniversary to the Oroville Union High School
class of 1958, my class. We are having our 50 year class reunion
this weekend, watch out Oroville. Many of my class mates served
their Country in very dangerous times, the sabers of war were rattling.
Yes, Korea was basically over, Vietnam was just about to come and
the Chinese were threatening Formosa and other Islands off their
coast. The shells were actively firing from China their way.
We were helping our friends the Chinese Nationalist who had fled
the Communists to those Islands. Oroville Mercury October. 21, 1958
Quiet Unloading – A Nationalist LST unloads shells on Quemoy
Island during the cease-fire prior to the resumption Sunday of artillery
barrages at the island by Chinese Communist gun batteries on the
mainland. Authoritative military sources reported the United
States also will give the Nationalists plane-killing Nike-Hercules
missiles and light, fast Walker Bulldog tanks. Many brave
young men and women of my class stepped forward to be ready to defend
their and other’s freedom. The following names were put together
at the last minute by Daryl
Autrey, Jim Jennings
and I. We surly left a few off but if we find them we will
write more in coming stories;
Angelo Acebo served
as a U. S. Marine, He was a sea scout in high school and my long
time friend. Our own webmaster, Daryl Autrey served in the
U.S. Navy on the Carrier, USS Midway, his ship carried sidewinder
missiles to the Chinese Nationalists.. Carl James Bucher,
Navy Officer, Liana Biondo,
Navy Wave, Sam Belser,
Navy, Gordon Bennett,
Omie Colvin, Army.
Omie was my partner in Wood Shop. We did good together. Gary Black Army dog
handler, William Curran,
Navy, Olen Harley,
Navy. Jim Jennings
entered the service in 1960, as a cadet at the US Naval Academy
Annapolis Class of 1964, he was a naval Aviator and then a Surface
War Fare specialist. Rocky
Mosely, Navy Photographer’s Mate,
Robert Nelson, Navy,
Mike Philips Navy
Aviation Electronic Tec.
Jimmy McDonald, just
after enlisting in the Navy died in a car wreck on Marysville Highway,
returning to Oroville from the skating rink, he was to report to
duty the next day. Jimmy sat right next to me in one of our high
school classes, he was such a nice young man. His girl friend
was Cleone Slone,
a friend of mine from Thermalito, so sad. Bill Rutherford,
Air Force officer.
Harry Pyke, U. S. Army Officer.
Joe Schleef, Air
Force Officer. Leonard
Stafford U. S. Army, 20 years. Leonard was my friend from
the 1st grade, still is ,he lives in Thermalito .
He was awarded a Bronze Star. Leonard Wood , Army.
I hope this information is correct, if it isn’t please let me know.