December 14, 2012

Oroville Mercury Register
December 21, 1951
U.S. Demands Word on 1000 POWs Enemy believed Holding Back Data On Hundreds of Allied Captives Panmunjom
Korea-(U.P.)- The United Nations hinted today that the Communists may hold hundreds of American war prisoners in addition to the 3198 they reported to the Allies. The U. N. demanded that the Reds explain why more than 1000 U. N. officers and men-mostly Americans- announced previously by them as war prisoners were missing from the list submitted by the Communists three days ago. A sharp note from Rear Admiral R. E. Libby, U. N. member of the prisoner subcommittee, charged that the Communist list of 11,559 prisoners was full of “wide discrepancies” and was “wholly unbelievable.” Libby Demanded that the Communists provide a “complete, proper and satisfactory explanation” of the discrepancies. The note raised hopes that additional hundreds of American war prisoners beyond the 3198 reported by the Communists Tuesday may yet be found alive in Red prison camps. It said that Communist propaganda broadcasts, releases and other reports have named more that 1000 U. N. officers and men who did not appear on the latest communist list. The note also said that the Communist listing of only 7142 South Korean prisoners out of the tens of thousands missing in action constituted a “wholly unbelievable ration under conditions of warfare in Korea.”(Stu- see next article, 2 years later.)

Oroville Mercury Register
December 16, 1953
Editorial by Dan Beebe
How About The 944?
Our State Department, heavily loaded with policy makers from the previous administration, is doing nothing about the 944 Americans now identified as being alive in North Korean camps, but not returned or even reported. There has been no protest. These men are to be slaves or worse of the Chinese Reds. They probably will be used as hostages in a demand for admission of Red China to the United Nations. If we had won the Korean war we could demand return of those men and get them back. Now we can only protest-but why not protest?

Oroville Mercury Register
December 21, 1951
Looking Back 10 years ago (1941)
The Merchants Association held a Christmas party at Municipal Auditorium.

Headlined the Mercury:
“War Forgotten For Evening, 3,000 Greet Santa At Party”
United Press reported from Washington:
“The anti-Axis powers may be preparing a super-strategy plan that will place America’s newest general – Douglas MacArthur-in supreme command of all Allied forces in the crucial Far Eastern struggle”…United Press editors across the country picked the bombing of Pearl Harbor as the No. 1 story of the year, with Nazi reverses in Russia as No. 2. Oroville Mercury Register November 26, 1951 Veterans Invited To Use Butte Service Veterans of all wars, including the Korean campaign, are invited to register with the Butte County Veterans Service Officer in the basement of the court house, according to Henry E. Dennis, of the veterans service. Dennis said that there are many claims for benefits in his files that have been delayed for months because the claimant’s discharge papers have been lost or destroyed. He asked that veterans have their discharges recorded immediately. Information on all phases of state and federal benefits to veterans is available at the veteran’s office.

Stu’s Notes:
Dec. 16, 1953 the War was over or was it, a truce was signed July 27, 1953, now 4 months later the Oroville Mercury has an Editorial about 944 men still in POW camps, did they ever get home, some, all or none. As I’ve said before I’ve always thought the Communist kept some until they died and were buried, forgotten, now nobody seems to care. I see this by the same low attendance at our Sept. POW/MIA Ceremony. The same people come every year and we are getting old, oh a few new people come every year but just barely enough to replace those we’ve lost. Sad isn’t it. But we will carry on until the last one of us passes on I thank them from the bottom of my heart. As my readers know I’ve always thought that many died in captivity years ago. Why would our Government know about them anyway as the above article say’s “The Claimants discharge papers have been lost or destroyed.” How many of my readers have heard as I have though the years my paper work for my service to my country has been lost by the Government. Oh we all heard of the fire in the files. Seems there was fire in files in every war we had.

The Oroville National Guard Heroes are on American soil, Texas. (I don’t’ think they succeeded yet) They will be coming to Oroville soon. Lets start flying flags in their honor as if it was Flag Day every day. Remember Service men and Women have been coming home to Oroville for years. Let’s never forget any of them. Patrick (Rick) Hoover is the Veterans Service Officer in Chico at 2445 Drive, 530-891-2759.