Oroville Mercury Register (OMR)
May 7, 1951
War in Korea is a battle for the hills controlling lower ground,
according to Pfc. Charles
Stafford Jr., 19-year-old paratrooper son of
Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Stafford
of Thermalito. Stafford, who has been in Korea six months,
wrote to his parents; “Do you want to send me some more packages?
I get them on the hills we are always on. We go from hill
to hill. We stay for two days and go on to a bigger one than
we were on before. We stay until they can find a bigger one
and then we go over on it and stay there. That’s the way it
goes all the time. We still get our mail.” Stafford
asked for more pictures of “all the family,” explaining that the
ones he carried with him were burned in a fire in one of the villages.
He wrote on Feb. 17, in a letter received by his parents recently:
“We have some of the men back that were hit when we first got over
here. I was glad to see them come back, instead of seeing
some of the boys that are coming in to the army.” The men
had been wounded when his outfit made their first jump last October,
Of 4000 paratroopers who took part, 185 were killed or wounded,
Stafford wrote to his parents. Stafford enlisted in December
1948.
Albert Treichler,
son of Mr. and Mrs. August
Treichler, has been accepted for enlistment in the U. S.
Navy and is now receiving training at San Diego. Treichler
registered a score of 99, one of the highest intelligence examination
scores to be attained at the Chico recruiting station in the last
year, at the time of his enlistment. He attended Oroville
high school.
Raymond Wesley Phelps,
of Pomona avenue, has enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve and been
assigned to active duty. He is now at the Marine Corps Recruit
Depot, San Diego, where he will be given eight weeks recruit training.
Phelps, married, and the father of two children, was born and raised
in Oroville where he attended Oroville High School. His family
lives at the Pomona avenue address here. After completing
his boot camp training, Phelps will be advanced to the rank of private
first class.
Robert Earl Beavers, son of Mrs.
Louise Pearl Martin,
Route 5, Oroville, was accepted into the U. S. Marine Corps, and
is now in training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego.
Beavers was student at Oroville Union High School where he was a
member of the football team during the past two years. He
enlisted for a period of three years in the regular Marines.
At the end of eight weeks’ training at San Diego, he will be advanced
to the rank of private first class
Stu’s Notes: The Oroville Veterans Memorial Park Committee
is putting on a Spaghetti Dinner and Dance on May 1, 2009.
It will be at the Oroville Veterans Hall. All you can eat
for $10 and the ticket will get you into the dance. Dance
to the music of Jim Halsey’s Country Duo. The dinner will
be served from 5pm to 8pm the dance will be from 8 to 10pm and a
No Host Bar will be provided by American Legion Post 95. Come
have fun, enjoy yourself. The proceeds got to help build the
Veterans Memorial Park. For Tickets call 534-9889 or 532-0336.
Next event will be Memorial Day Ceremony at the Oroville Memorial
Park Cemetery on Lincoln Street. Starting at 11AM on May 25,
2009. Followed by a ceremony on the Old Green Bridge at 1pm
and a Barbeque lunch at the Veterans Memorial Hall. The cost will
be $7 for Adults and $2 for children under 12. Offered by the American
Legion Post 95. Vene Thompson, Chairman of this event Call Joan Lee 589-1058
for more information
The fighting Stafford Boys, they served our country well, I got
to know the Stafford Family when I was 7 years old. In 1948
we moved to 4th street in Thermalito and they lived across
a big field from our back yard. Leonard was one of my best
friends in grammar school. We (brother Larry and sister Peggy)
were always traipsing through the field to their ranch. A
loud holler from Mom or Dad (no cell phones) would bring us home
for dinner. I remember the stories about Jr. Jumping out of
Airplanes, getting shot in the foot coming down. Leonard
went on to fight in Vietnam; someday I hope he tells me more of
his story. Type in Stafford on our web site and read more
of this large extended Oroville family of heroes. Their Mother Stella
was a most wonderful lady. Always Mrs. Stafford to me.