January 11, 2013

Oroville Mercury Register
January 17, 1952
Aboard USS Helena- Glenn C. Clapp, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Clapp of Bangor, is shown aboard the cruiser Helena, which carried President-elect Eisenhower from Korea to Hawaii. Clapp has been aboard the cruiser in Korean Waters since August. He entered the navy last April.

Richard E. Pattinson, airman, USN, son of Mr. and Mrs. R. S. Pattison of Madone Avenue, Oroville, is serving at the U. S. Naval Air Station, Alameda. Prior to entering the Navy in Feb., 1952, Pattison attended Oroville Union High School. Sgt. Darrell W. Kister, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilton L. Kister, Route 2, Oroville, is returning to the U. S. after serving in Korea since June 1951. Kister, who wears four battle stars on his Korean Service Ribbon, served as an operations noncommissioned officer at Headquarters, Eighth Army. A graduate of Oroville Union High School in 1946. Kister went on to Yuba Junior College, graduating in 1948, and to California State Polytechnic College. He was a rancher near Oroville before entering the Army in January, 1951.

Oroville Mercury Register
December 17, 1952
Battle Casualties Climb To 127,867
Washington (UP)- The announced American battle casualties in Korea now total 127,867, an increase of 209 over last week’s figure, the Defense Department reported. The new total, covering casualties whose next of kin had been notified through last Friday included 22,481 dead, 92,628 wounded, 9,336 missing, 2,029 captured and 1,393 previously missing but returned to service. The 209 increase is the lowest weekly increase since the report of June 4, when the increase over the previous week was 182.

Oroville Mercury Register
December 17, 1952
Families of Captured GIs Get Propaganda
Cincinnati, O. (UP)- Families of servicemen captured in Korea have received Communist propaganda, some mailed from California with a strong anti-Japanese feeling, it was reported today. One mother told the Cincinnati Post, a Scripps-Howard newspaper, that she received booklets from Pacific, Calif., describing “atrocities” committed by American troops. The booklets said the troops were trained by “atrocity crews of Japanese officers.” Other mothers reported they received booklets printed in Czechoslovakia, which gave “glowing descriptions” of life in Communist held countries. Other’s said they received letters requesting money “so you can spend a vacation in China” away from a prisoner of war camp.

Oroville Mercury Register
March 20, 1943
Morris Likes It At Catalina and Who Wouldn’t?
Clayton (Jack) Morris, 20, son of Mrs. Nettie Morris of Sixth Avenue, Oroville, is now in the Merchant Marine. He is stationed at Catalina Island and likes it there very much, according to a letter to his mother. Morris has been there since January 15.

Oroville Mercury Register
March 20, 1943
Denuded Autos Get Attention
Lack of tires for automobiles has created a street department problem, E. M. Shreve, street superintendent, told the council Friday night. After the tires had gone some auto owners jacked up their cars, removed the wheels and rubber and left the bodies out in the street, looking like the chassis of a picked over turkey, Shreve told the council. In a few weeks when the city street department wants to use a scraper to keep down the grass on the sides of the streets the wheel-less autos will block the way. Councilmen were of the opinion that the police chief could be given the numbers of the cars and their owners instructed that they must park the remains somewhere else.

Stu’s Notes:
Sadly men were dying in Korea for over a year after the Truce talks had begun. I have a couple of Korean War stories yet to print that tell of one or two hang ups on the truce that kept the war going until July of 1953. Talks went on and on and Men kept on dying. The Merchant Marines were pretty safe on Santa Catalina, its when they went to sea, scary things happened, because under the Sea were enemy submarines which took a terrible toll on our cargo ships that didn’t go much faster then you could run. Many times if your ship was hit in a convoy you were left behind. Well it’s January, I am sure I’ll get a letter soon from Sherry Morehouse that it is time to start planning for Memorial Day. I went up the hill to our Lincoln Street Cemetery, wow big changes up there where so many Veterans are buried. The Cemetery District has done a lot of improvements on the top of the hill. Car Collectors’ Bob Buskirk and John Bramlage would love to have those old tireless cars. Thank you again to the Oro Dam Cruisers’ for those nice checks.