Oroville Mercury Register
Some Gave All
Lt. Robert Rivet Missing In Action
Lt. Robert Rivet of the U. S. Army, formerly of Oroville, is missing
in action in Korea, his wife, Ernestine, of Chico, has been informed
by the Department of Defense; Rivet, who was with the second division,
has been missing since Nov. 28, his wife said… Mrs. Rivet is the
former Ernestine Graves of Oroville. The Rivets have a son, Robert.
9, Rivet’s mother, Mrs. Walter Padgett, also lives in Chico. Rivet
attended Oroville High School. After graduation he worked for the
Shell Oil Company in Chico and in Marysville. Later he was employed
for seven years by the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company, working in Portola
and in Oroville. He served with the Army of Occupation in Germany
for three years during World War II and reentered the army in 1945.
He is a brother of Ralph Rivet of Los Angles, former managing editor
of the Chico Record, and the step-brother of Paul Thompson former
city editor of the Record.
Mercury-Register Oroville
September 18, 1945
Service Corner
SC 1/C Byron Maudlin Spent Weekend Here
SC2/C Byron J. Maudlin surprised his aunt, Juanita Weaver,
M. T. at the Good Samaritan Hospital, Friday evening when he arrived
in Oroville for his first visit with her in six years. Today is
his birthday and the occasion was celebrated last Saturday night
with a party at the Weaver home on Chico road to which 45 guests
were invited. This was Maudlin’s first visit to California and Sunday
they drove to Buck’s Lake- his first ride on mountain roads. Maudlin,
who is attached to Battery 9 at Camp Shoemaker, has just returned
from submarine duty in the Atlantic. He left Monday to resume his
duties with the navy.
Mercury-Register Oroville
September 18, 1945
Service Corner
Moak Promoted To Sergeant Rank
Fresno-Leo A. Moak, husband of Mrs. Ruth Moak of Nelson,
was recently promoted to the grade of Sergeant by order of Colonel
John O. Neal, commanding officer of Hammer Field, a Fourth Air Force
training base. Sergeant Moak entered the Hammer Field Jan. 21, 1944,
where he is serving as radio mechanic. Before entering the army
he was employed by the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. He is the son
of Mrs. W. D. Comstock, Richvale, and has a brother, Pfc. Mervin
S. Moak, serving in the Marines.
Stu’s Notes: Our County Wide List has Robert Rivet listed
as KIA. Daryl will move him to the Oroville List.
Last Sunday, June 6th was D-Day the
famous D. Day, the most talked about one. The long waited invasion
of Europe, at the Normandy Beaches. The D was used on many other
invasions where Americans fought just as well, just as hard. Think
Iwo Jima, Saipan, Guadalcanal, Anzio, etc. But, the invasion of
France that long ago day was the most talked about. It was probably
the biggest sea invasion onto land ever. So, I thought of my friend
Tim Timmons and his wife Leona, whom I’ve written about before.
I will not use the hero word as he does not want me to. But as an
Army Staff Sgt. In the 501 Parachute Infantry Regiment activated
in Toecas, GA in 1942, he served his country well. Training his
boy’s (Tim was the “old man” at 22 years old), for the jump behind
enemy lines, that was their job. Completely surrounded from the
moment they hit the ground. Can you imagine knowingly doing that,
neither can I. What was General Eisenhower thinking? Well he thought
long and hard but he knew the sacrifices’ it would take and that
many would die but it would shorten the War and save tens of thousands
of lives. What these men and others did in WWII I am convinced saved
the world from unbelievable evil for a long, long time. So Tim and
his men jumped into the dark night. Not knowing what they would
land on. Bullets and confusion everywhere, Tim was hurt, as he hit
the ground. “I lay in a hedge row, Germans all around me, I had
a Thompson Machine gun in my hand, I planned on taking some of them
with me if found. Later one of the guys who jumped with me found
me and as that area was somewhat secured, took me to a farm house,
a lot of wounded were there. They placed us on a wagon to take us
to a safer place but a shell hit and killed the horse, so they took
us to another farm house where they splinted my leg with a M 1 Rifle.
Then when the 101st Airborne linked
up with the Invasion forces coming from the beaches of Normandy,
they laid me on the Beach where we were strafed by a ME-109, our
Anti Aircraft fire got him and he bailed out, to a very unhappy
bunch of men on the beach. I was taken to a Destroyer, which got
me back to England and a hospital and a body cast. Later I got to
fly home via Glasgow, New York, Topeka, Kansas, Salt Lake,
to Santa Barbara, CA. Home. On all those long flights we were cared
for by a bunch of wonderful Nurses.” Tim said. Tim tells me to mention
the men of the 501 he trained, they went on to fight until the end
of the War, many were lost in Battle, his Commander Colonel Howard
(Jumpy) Johnson was killed Oct. 8, 1944. Tim is very proud of those
Men. He is now the only one left of the 501 I Company. Heroes all,
oops, sorry Tim.