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September 16, 2011

Oroville Mercury Register
December 28,1950
Military Career Planned By Biggs Serviceman

Sgt. Delbert McClure, son of Mrs. Ida McClure, of Biggs, is now stationed at an air field near Fairbanks, Alaska. He was graduated from high school in Chico, and joined the Army in April, 1942. He served in the infantry in Okinawa, the East Indies and New Guinea. He was wounded in New Guinea and was sent to a hospital in Australia where he stayed for three months. He was discharged at that time and re-enlisted again after being out of the service for about a year. He then was stationed in New Jersey where he studied cooking. He has now been a chef in Alaska about 10 months. He plans to make the Army a career.

Oroville Mercury Register
December 12,1950
Biggs’ Sergeant Continues Career In U. S. Service

Staff Sergeant Darwin Dreyer, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Dreyer of Gridley and brother of Mrs. Eunice Smith of Biggs, is stationed at Travis, Air Force Base near Fairfield, following two month’s duty in Japan and Guam. Dreyer was graduated from Biggs High School in 1940 and entered the service in September, 1941. He was stationed at various bases in the United States until the B-29 was ready for combat. He then was sent to the Boeing plant at Seattle to study the B-29, and from there went to India with the 58th Bomber Wing and flew on combat missions as a flight engineer. He was moved to the Pacific island of Tinian in April, 1945, and flew combat missions to Japan from there. He flew three Prisoner of War supply missions, one to Manchuria and two to Japan. On Sept. 2, 1945, he was flying above the Battleship Missouri as General McArthur and the Japanese were signing the treaty. His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with Silver Oak Leaf cluster, the Distinguished Unit Badge with two bronze Oak Leaf clusters and various theatres of operations ribbons. He was discharged from the service on Oct. 5, 1945. In August, 1946, he decided to make the Army his career and reenlisted, and has been assigned to B-29 and B-50 squadrons since. In the summer of 1948 he took part in the Eniwetok Atomic Weapons tests.

Oroville Mercury Register
November 28,1950
Reminds Former POW’s Of Claims Deadline

Prisoners of war or civilian internees held by Axis powers during World War II, or their next-of-kin if the prisoner or internee died, have until March 1, 1951, to file claims. H. E. Dennis, assistant service officer, urged parents of POW’s who are not survived by a widow to file a claim even through they were not dependent upon their son. Widows may be eligible even if they have remarried, Dennis said. Payment is $1 for every day a POW was in enemy hands. Applications may be filed with the Veterans Service Officer at Memorial Hall. (Stu says $1 a day seams so little for everyday was a day of terror)

Stu’s Notes: Tonight, Friday, on the steps of the Veterans Hall we will present the POW/MIA (Prisoner of War and Missing In Action) Recognition Day Ceremony, sponsored by the Oroville Veterans Memorial Park Committee. This will be the 9
th year that we have done this. It is a very moving Ceremony the date has been set in stone by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. More than 9 years ago Oroville Veterans Memorial Park Committee member, Joan Lee (Van Campen) came to me and asked if we could do this. How could I say no, as I knew that her brother PFC Thomas Van Campen is MIA in Vietnam. America has over 100,000 men still MIA from our many wars. Also countless numbers of POW’s that still live in the Country they fought for. There is a quote that I like to use, it came from the program when the Yuba County Veterans memorial was dedicated “Through the years and through the tears remember me.” And that is what America must keep striving to do.

The above article about Staff Sergeant Darwin Dreyer really intrigued me (I’ve never used that word in my writing) about flying over Manchuria to drop supplies to our POW’s, one of Oroville’s Heroes , Bob Wolfersberger was on the receiving end of that drop, after 3 ½ years of slave labor. I will have to ask Bob if he got his dollar a day. We have lost Oroville Veterans Memorial Park Committee member Darby Miller this year. He was there in the Philippines when the ranger’s brought our men from the Japanese Prison Camps, he saw some of the young boys die that night, after only one day of freedom. After 60 years Darby had a hard time telling that story without break up. But he knew their story should be told.

Please, my loyal readers try to get down tonight on to the steps of our Veterans Hall and show Oroville we have “Not Forgotten”.

Don’t forget tomorrow is our Motorcycle Poker Run starting at the Feather Falls Casino up through Quincy and back. Come out for the music and fun as they return.