Oroville Mercury Register
August 30, 1967
Butte County Servicemen
William R. Buckley, son of Mr. and Mrs. Alton Buckley of Upham Road,
Bangor, and husband of the former Janice D. Harris of Palermo, took
part in an amphibious exercise named “Coral Sands II” on the island
of Molokai, Hawaii, as a member of the First Shore Party Platoon.
Coral Sands II was a joint Army-Navy exercise in which the Army’s
11th Infantry Brigade from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii,
hit the Molokai beaches from 12 U.S. Navy ships of Amphibious Squadron
Seven. During the exercise he assisted in marking the beach for
landing craft and helped in the movement of men and equipment onto
the beach. The Army’s 11th Infantry Brigade conducted
a mock raid to destroy enemy missile sites. Various army reserve
units acted as defending enemy soldiers. The exercise was designed
to give the brigade training in amphibious assault operations.
Stephen Schumacher, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry E. Schumacher,
W.S.R. Oroville, has been commissioned an Army second lieutenant
after graduating from the Infantry Officer Candidate School, Ft.
Benning, Ga. He was trained in leadership, tactics of small infantry
units, and use of infantry weapons. He also received instruction
in map and aerial photograph reading, guerrilla warfare, and counter
insurgency operations. Lt. Schumacher, a 1962 graduate of Oroville
High School, entered the Army in October 1966 and was last stationed
at Ft. Dix, N.J. He received his B.A. degree in 1966 from the University
of California at Santa Barbara.
(Stu: Oroville’s Lt. Thomas Wigle, Metal of Honor Recipient Posthumously
is honored at Ft. Benning Ga., where he also got his Lt’s commission.)
Robert E. Barkhurst Airman Third Class Robert E. Barkhurst, son
of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Barkhurst of Oro View Drive, has been graduated
from the U.S. Air Force technical training school at Amarillo AF,
Tex. He completed the supply inventory specialist course conducted
by the Air Training Command which provides technical and specialized
education programs for the nation’s aerospace force. He is being
reassigned to Seymour-Johnson AFB, N.C., as a member of the Tactical
Air Command. Airman Barkhurst, a 1964 graduate of Oroville High
School attended Yuba College.
Richard D. Oxford Seaman Recruit Richard D. Oxford, USN, son of
Mrs. Lorena B. Rogers of Colusa Ave., has graduated from nine weeks
of Navy basic training at the San Diego Naval Training Center. In
the first weeks of his naval service he studied military subjects
and lived and worked under conditions similar to those he will encounter
on his first ship or at his first shore station. In making the transition
from civilian life to Naval service, he received instruction under
veteran Navy petty officers, He studied seamanship, as well as survival
techniques, military drill and other subjects.
Oroville’s Past 25 Years Ago (1942) (Now 69 years ago)
An appeal to Butte county to turn over its cannon and other metal
war materials being used as mementos of past wars will be placed
before American Legion posts by the supervisors as a result of an
appeal made by the army for metal to go into shells and guns. There
are several cannon, trench mortars and other war equipment at Memorial
Halls in the county.
Stu’s Notes: I haven’t found many stories about the Fighting men
of Vietnam but the few I have seem to be of the State side training.
Unlike WWII, where many stories came straight from the battle fields
and Ocean’s of our world. The exploits of individual men was the
rule, taken by newsmen that went in the field and sent a fighting
mans story back to his local newspaper, or from letters home to
family. Perhaps in Vietnam this was not allowed, I don’t know. I
do know when my Daughter, Sgt. Deborah Shaner e-mailed us from various
bases in Iraq she was allowed to tell about some of what was going
on, which can be found on our website.
The little story about Butte County’s need for scrap WWI
and maybe Civil War Cannons and machine guns, seems to me, Oroville
must have given as I’ve never seen a cannon around here although
there are cannon balls at our old Cemetery on Marysville Road.
As a young boy walking past our Memorial Hall there was a WWI Russian
Machine Gun on that Ledge above the door, I remember it very well.
Sadly someone stole it, I suppose just to put it away in their den,
sad when people take things of Historic value to be enjoyed by all,
just to satisfy only them. Gridley has a cannon or artillery piece,
Chico has a torpedo, I think Durham has a cannon. There is a battleship
up for grabs in the Suisun Bay in moth balls, maybe we
of Oroville could cut it in a few pieces and weld it back together
on Lake Oroville. Vallejo wants it but they are
a little short of the cash needed. San Francisco turned it down,
that figures.