Jamuary 16, 2015

Oroville Mercury Register
June 4, 1945 (70 Years ago)
John Sitton Dies Suddenly
Richvale- John J. Sitton, 33, discharged war veteran, died Sunday in San Francisco while he was being taken by ambulance to a hospital there. He had become suddenly ill while at work. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Elgan Sitton of Richvale and had lived in Richvale, Chico and Gridley. He served in the army for a year and a half. While with an engineer group in the South Pacific, he was injured by a bomb blast. One of his eardrums was burst and he suffered from shock, followed by nervousness. After hospitalization for two months in Australia, he was brought to the United States 11 months ago. He was treated at army hospitals in San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Monterey before he received his discharge a few months ago. Mr. Sitton is also survived by the following: a daughter, Sahron Elaine Sitton, 11, of Chico: four brothers, Charles Sitton of Sacramento, Harry Sitton of Red Bluff, and Wesley and Golden Sitton of Durham: and a sister, Miss Arah True Sitton of Chico. Wesley Sitton left immediately after receiving news of his brother’s death, for San Francisco to make arrangements for returning the body here. Funeral arrangements will be made by the Nugent Funeral Home in Chico. (My friend Cecil Hall will buy a tile for John as he died while out of the service of his country.)

Oroville Mercury Register
April 18, 2008
From Looking Back on Oroville Heroes April 21, 1943
Golden Sitton Graduates From Radio School
Pfc. Golden Mankins Sitton, 19, son of Mrs. Mary E. Sitton of Durham has just been graduated from radio operators school at the San Diego Marine Corps base. He now is ready for assignment to a signal unit of a combat organization. Pfc. Sitton entered the Marine Corps last March 11.

Oroville Mercury Register
February 11, 2005
From Looking Back on Oroville Heroes
Golden Sitton Killed On Iwo
Sgt. Golden Sitton, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. G.W. Sitton Durham was killed in action on Iwo Jima on February 22, the fourth day of the invasion, according to information from the War Department. Sitton, a radioman with the Marines, entered the service in the early part of 1943 and recently became a sergeant. He attended public schools in Richvale, and Durham and spent one semester at Chico State Teachers’ College before entering the Marines. Sitton well known to many Oroville people through acquaintances made at Gold Lake Y Camp. ( Stu- They might have been Cousins, due to the different fathers first names.)

Stu’s Notes:
Two Brothers died so close together, one of War Injuries no doubt, the other Killed in Action (KIA). I’ve written more about Iwo Jima and Golden Sitton, many years ago and will bring some of that back for my new readers. The 70 year anniversary of Iwo Jima will be Feb. 19, 2015.

On February 4th at 5:30pm at City Hall will be a vote on who gets the next round of money from the Supplemental Benefit Fund set up by the Department of Water resources the money is supposed to go to a project to enhance our Feather River through Town. We are at the present the 1st in line for this money. Other contenders are a Water Park, The Table Mt. Golf Course and the trail that goes through the back of our Memorial site. Of course the members of the Oroville Veterans Memorial Park Committee for All of Butte County and I hope the people who vote on this money which will be millions of dollars over the next few years, will vote this 1st part to us. The people who have this power are three from the City Council, the Mayor, Linda Dahlmeier, Vice Mayor Thil Wilcox and Council man Dave Pittman and two people from Feather River Recreation and Parks district Victoria Coots and Don Noble. There may be different voting members by February 4th. It will be interesting how things turn out. Please come and Support Oroville’s Veterans Memorial Park, after 14 years it needs to be finished, before any more WWII veterans pass away. Friends have told us it will be nice to see the park completed the chain link fence down, and no more weeds. This meeting is open to the public.