April 4, 2014

Oroville Mercury Register
May 14, 1946
Wm. Develter Heads VFW
William G. elter was elected commander of Veterans of Foreign War Post No. 1747 at a meeting held Wednesday evening at Memorial Hall. Others chose to fill offices; Gordon V. Varnum, senior vice commander; G. A. Lowery, quartermaster: John W. Hunt, retiring commander, post advocate: Lester Hoke, chaplain: Richard E. Cox, surgeon, and Roy Herbert, three year trustee. Appointive officers selected were: G. A. Lowery, adjutant: Paul West, officer of the day: Harry Meeker number one color guard: Don Casagrande, number two color guard: Roy Frietas, Jr., national color bearer; Arthur H. Funk, post color bearer, Roy Herbert and Charles Taylor, buglers; Bill Dolan, publicity: and John W. Hunt, personal representative of the commander. Four appointive officers not filled last night will be announced at a later date. Paul West will act as installing officer for the post at a joint installation with the auxiliary on April 10. A 7 o’clock dinner will precede the installation ceremonies. Following the election the following six new members were received into the post: Thomas J. Coy, Everett F. Androus, Don R. Casagrande, Robert W. Minton, Chester L. Vance and Wilmer W. Littlejohn. At close of the meeting, the post joined the auxiliary for the social hour and refreshments.

Oroville Mercury Register
May 14, 1946
Japanese-American Hero Honored
Long Beach-(U.P.) – The nation’s highest honor, the congressional medal of honor, was cherished today by the mother of the first Japanese-American to win it. Pfc. Sadao S. Munemori, 22 was killed two days before V_E day protecting his buddies from an exploding hand grenade in Italy. His mother, Mrs. Nawa Munemori, accepted the medal for him yesterday.
Stu – So sad young Sadao Killed just two days before the war ends.

Oroville Mercury Register
December 2, 1946
Chico Air Field Units To Be Sold To War Veterans
Notice has been received at the Post Office that surplus buildings at the Chico Army Airfield will be sold to veterans for use as homes. War Assets Administration at San Francisco, said that bids should be recorded at the airfield for the buildings chosen by prospective purchases. The bids will be opened at 10 a.m. Dec. 20.

Oroville Mercury Register
December 2, 1946
Grafe Shifted To Shemya, Army’s Worst Duty Spot
PVT. Harry Grafe, U.S.A., who was to have gone to a post near Anchorage, Alaska, has been shifted to the most disagreeable spot occupied by the army – the tip of the Aleutian Islands. Grafe, much pleased by his Special Service assignment to Anchorage, where he was to help put out an army newspaper, was reassigned after his classification section had discovered that it did not need any newspapermen at Anchorage. They did need one, however, on the island of Shemya, the army’s farthest-west base. There is one tiny island west of Shemya, it is Attu of war fame, 30 miles distant. Grafe writes that the weather seldom changes there, and then only for the worse. Attu and Shemya have rain and fog in summer and snow in winter and wind all the time. There is no animal life on the barren, rocky islands and no vegetation. There are no civilians “and no women,” Grafe write. “I have been told,” writes Grafe, “that Special Service is the only thing that keeps the men from going nuts out there. Besides running the PX’s, Etc., Special Service provides newspapers, libraries, puts on shows and entertains the troops in any way possible.

Stu’s Notes – It amazes me when the news says a man wins the Medal of Honor. He or in this case his mother is awarded the Medal of Honor. The Medal of Honor is not a contest prize. It’s awarded, in this case, as is often posthumously. As I’ve said before about the Medal of Honor thousands of men in World War II did what was not required of them, to go above and beyond the call of duty. There were less than 500 medal of Honors awarded in WWII out of approximately 16 million that served.

I wonder, I always wonder if any of those buildings sold at Chico Army Air Field are still around Chico.

Harry Grafe writes, there are no civilians and “no women.” Well looking back I see I wrote about Harry in an OUHS.contest. He was a freshman in 1942. So in 1946 Harry would be about 18, Women were very important to an 18 year old, I remember. I hope he came home and found one and lived happily ever after, maybe as a newspaper man.

I’ve written about Oroville area Japanese Americans in the past, they fought for the famous 442nd Infantry. The most decorated group in WWII; see Looking Back October 31, 2003 available online.