February 24, 2012

Oroville Mercury Register
March 9, 1943 Auxiliary To Fete Men On Legion Birthday
The 24th birthday of Oroville American Legion will be celebrated Thursday evening when the Legion Auxiliary gives its annual party for the men. A no-host dinner, at which auxiliary members will bring the different items for the menu, will begin at 7:30 pm in Memorial Hall. Mrs. Gretta Gaylord will be in charge of the entertainment and Mrs. Ellen Walker will look after the dinner arrangements. At the business meeting a class initiation will be held, also installation of Junior officers.

Oroville Mercury Register
February 14, 1946 S
ervice Corner…Oroville Man Coming Home Camp Beale (By Mail) -Pfc. William T. Parker, brother of Mrs. Rowena Morgan, Route 1, Box 9, Oroville, has been honorably discharged from the armed forces at the Camp Beal Separation Center. Entering the army in Aug., 1943, Pfc. Parker was assigned to the army ground forces and was sent overseas in February, 1944, with the 32nd Infantry Division as a machine gunner.

Oroville Mercury Register
February 14, 1946
Service Corner… Two Navy Men On Way Home Shoemaker (By Mail) – Herman M. Gomez, S1/c of Lincoln Street, was discharged from the navy at Shoemaker separation center. Glenn E. Wixom, MaM2/c of Oroville was discharged at about the same time, according to the announcement from the separation center.

Oroville Mercury Register
February 14, 1946
Service Corner… Baker Home Soon From Okinawa Pearl Harbor(By Mail) – Ernest G. Baker was due in San Francisco some time in February aboard the U. S. S. Dane, en route from Okinawa. Mrs. LaRene Baker, his wife, lives in Oroville.

Oroville Mercury Register
February 14, 1946
Service Corner… Navy Man Due In San Francisco Pearl Harbor(By Mail)- Clyde A. R. Cox of the navy was expected to arrive in San Francisco in February aboard the U. S. S. Henrico. Cox is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Orval Owens of Oroville.

Oroville Mercury Register
February 14, 1946
Service Corner… Costello Civilian After Long Service
James F. Costello, a corporal mechanic in the United States Army Air Force, received his discharge at Lowery Field, Denver, Colo., Feb. after 39 months of service. Costello expects to return to former position here as postal clerk in the United States post office.

Stu’s Notes: Wow, Oroville’s American Legion Post 95 is 93 years old. Can you imagine the heroes who past through that post? They were formed in 1919 one year after they came home from WWI. Even before they had there home, the Veterans Hall, built in 1926. They do so much for Oroville to this day.
I went to an Oroville Concert Association, ( didn’t know they have been around 58 years), concert at the State Theater, thank you Ginger, last week, it featured a duet by Kaori Fujii and Eric Cecil. Kaori is a well known Flutist born in Tokyo in 1979, has played in well known concert halls of the world. Eric is a Guitarist known through the United States. He is dedicated to Classical Music. They both put on a great performance, although this Oroville boy likes music he can sing to in his head and if alone with Lynn or Jessica or my animals, out loud. I found it quite ironic that one of her songs was about a family waiting for their father, who was a soldier, to come home. It was about a father who never came home, and as is the case in Japan’s last war. Approximately 1933-1945 and mainly when they fought us most Japanese soldiers didn’t come home especially those in the Army and pilots. They were taught early on that it was an honor to die in battle and to be taken prisoner was a disgrace, worse than death. In the battle of Iwo Jima about 22,000 Japanese died and 200 were taken prisoner. We lost about 7,000 Marines and I know our Navy lost thousands, due mainly to Kamikaze suicide planes. It was clear how they felt by the way they treated our young men taken prisoner, many who they worked to death or tortured to death. But America is a country that forgives its enemies, as we’ve seen throughout our history. I suppose if we didn’t forgive those we fought against our nation would stand alone, where would we get our tobacco, where would we put Disney World and the Normandy D-Day Memorial in Virginia. I’ve been there it is Beautiful. I never thought we would have relations with Vietnam so soon. But we do. We forgive, but we must never forget. To see a Japanese girl perform in our State Theater, the theater that many a young Oroville boy watched moves in, then went to war and never came home seemed quite normal. Speaking of coming home, the above men were coming home after a long war, many had to wait up to a year to get home. Not the case any more. As I recall my Daughter SSgt. Deborah Shaner was going on mission’s in Iraq shortly before she was home in Oroville. Soon our Oroville Guard will go over there. Let’s pray they all come home safe and sound.