Oroville Mercury January 29, 1944 “Some Gave All”
E. A. Pulliam Will Receive Son’s Cross
Medal will be awarded Posthumously At Chico Field.
In behalf of his son, Staff. Sgt. Francis (Skeet) Pulliam of the
Army air corps, missing in action since the big raid over Europe
Oct. 12, 1943, E. A. Pulliam of Oroville will accept the Distinguished
Flying Cross at Chico Army Air Field next month. Notice that the
cross would be awarded was received recently by the father from
the war department, and he later was informed that the presentation
would take place the second week in February. The exact date has
not been announced. Sgt. Pulliam previously had been awarded four
oak leaf clusters. He was bombardier on a B 17 that did not return
from the raid.
In the Fight Richvale- Carl D. Lindahl of Richvale, fireman
first class, has served 18 months with the navy Seabees, 15 months
of it in Dutch Harbor. He was home on furlough recently, leaving
for Camp Parks at Livermore to return to the service. He visited
here with his brothers Harry and Elmer Lindahl, and other relatives.
He is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Lindahl.
Alonzo Jones Jr., who left Oroville , Aug. 25. has completed his
basic training at Camp Gruber, Okla. Jones, who is in an engineers
battalion of the army, was employed by the Feather River Pine Mills
before he was called into service. His wife is the former Betty
Walker.
“I’ll Take The U.S. A.” Writes PFC. Ralph Shepard “ “The first fellow
that I hear complaining about the way the States are being run had
better stand by,” writes Pfc. Ralph J. Shepard of the U. S. Marines
in a letter to his father, Orion C. Shepard. Young Shepard, who
is in a rest camp following the marine engagement at Tarawa tells
in his v-mail letters that, “I haven’t seen much of the world yet,
but what I have seen so far, give me the U. S. A.” Shepard said
he was safe and sound on good dry land without a scratch. He asked
that his dad tell everyone at home “hello”. Shepard was one of a
detachment of marines, that manned the big guns in the recent film,
Guadalcanal Diary. He enlisted in the service February, 1943 and
was at Camp Pendleton when the film was made. Prior to his enlistment
he worked as an apprentice machinist at the Western Pacific roundhouse.
He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. C.L. Shepard of Spencer Avenue.
Ensign Karl Parker Studies In Boston
Ensign Karl Parker, USNR adopted son of W. R. Parker, of Oroville,
is taking advanced engineering studies in Boston, Mass., according
to information received by relatives in Stockton. He was graduated
on the USS Prairie State, a midshipman school in New York Harbor,
with the rank of petty officer in June, 1943. Later he studied at
Harvard University, before being assigned to Boston. He is a graduate
of Stockton High School and of the University of California.
Stu’s Notes: Those brave men that flew over Germany, almost 50
thousand never returned. Early in the war very few made it to the
magical number of 25 mission’s to go home. The Flying Fortresses
that were at one time thought to be invulnerable to the enemy 109
& 190 German Fighters proved to be wrong, although they fought hard
they could not escape the fighters, without air cover, our fighters
at the time could not stay with the bombers all the way to Germany.
Thousands of B-17 and B-24’s were shot down, with a crew of 10 or
11. The losses were so high that daylight bombing was almost halted.
Then in late 1943 and early 1944 our fighters P 51’s and P47’s were
equipped with extra fuel tanks that could be dropped when attacking
German fighters and the odds became more even. Although they still
had to fly through terrible flak , exploding shells that could reach
up to the bombers. But those brave men flew on and on until wars
end. Committee member Doug Krause was one of these men. Someday
he says I will get a story. I wrote of Staff Sgt. Pullian 4 years
ago, the above is just a little more of his story.
Carl D. Lindahl’s brother Ronald also served his country in the
Navy, see Aug. 29, 2003. Tarawa was one of the first Island’s the
Marines took in WWII. Long ago I wrote of a Bangor area Marine that
was there, I think he was one of 4 or 5 brothers in the service
in WWII. He indicated it was some very hard fighting under poor
conditions. I do remember the Marines had to wade through water
under intense machine gun and artillery shells for 100’s of yards,
completely exposed. I hope that Marine reads this as I can’t find
his story, as I have forgotten his last name and as good as Daryl
is on our website if I type in the Five Brave Hispanic Brothers
from Bangor, it will not work, maybe, Daryl, someday.