March 13, 2015

Oroville Mercury Register
April 9, 1945
“Some Gave All”
Lt. King Killed in Plane’s Fall
Mr. and Mrs. C.C. King of Thermalito today received official notification that their son, Lt. Howard King, had been killed in action Jan. 3, when his B-29 plane was shot down on Iwo Jima. Lt. King had previously been reported missing in action during a flight, in which he was squadron engineer in the lead plane of the B-29 outfit. Lt. King was a graduate of Oroville High School. He enlisted as an aviation cadet in September 1942. He was later graduated as an aviation engineer from Yale University. His arrival in the Marianas was in September, 1944.
(Stu-Before the invasion we bombed Iwo to soften it up.)

The Chico Record
May 2, 1945
“Some Gave All”
Ted Martin Reported Killed On Iwo Jima
Theodore (Ted) Martin, 42, MM2/c, native of Chico and resident here many years, was killed in action with the Seabees on Iwo Jima on March 26, according to a war department notification to his brother Albert Miller of Chico. Martin moved to Lakeport about 18 years ago where he was employed as a ranch foreman. While in Chico he attended Chico High School and was employed at the Diamond Match factory. He joined the Seabees in April, 1943, and was stationed in the Hawaiian Islands over a year. Martin’s nephew, Cpl. C. L. Eads of Chico was also on Iwo Jima with the 3rd Division Marines but had not met his uncle there. The two had been together in Hawaiian Islands also. Survivors include his brother in Chico, another brother, Lee Martin also in Chico and two sisters, Mrs. M.F. Fletcher of Chico and Mrs. William Maxley of Laytonville.

Oroville Mercury
April 9, 1945
“Some Gave All”
Bangor Boy Dies On Iwo
Mr. & Mrs. Ed Anderson of Oakland, formerly of Bangor, have been notified that the action, in which their son Donald gave his life March 3, took place on Iwo Jima. He was 23 years of age, a member of the Fourth Division United States Marine Corps. He was a graduate of Oroville High School class of 1939, and had lived in Bangor until 1941 when the family moved to Oakland. He had a wide circle of friends in Bangor and Oroville and on his last furlough, September 1943 he visited here. Oroville Mercury April 10, 1945 Tribute Paid to Donald Anderson Solemn tribute was paid Friday night at the meeting of Wyandotte Grange to Donald Anderson, killed in action while serving his country in the South Pacific.

Oroville Mercury Register
April 17, 1945
Vaughan Wears 3 Battle Stars: Was On Bismarck
Donald Vaughan S 1/c, is home on leave after an experience he will not soon forget. He was one of nearly 400 survivors of the escort carrier, Bismarck Sea that was sunk by aerial attack off Iwo Jima. The men struggled helplessly in the icy waters for several hours before being rescued by naval vessels. Nearly 100 of their shipmates were killed as Japanese machine gunners strafed them in the heavy seas. Vaughan wears three battle stars for action at Iwo Jima, Luzon and Leyte. He told an amusing story about the antics of the sailors when they cross the equator. In his case, they cut his hair off short and made him run the gauntlet between rows of men armed with paddles. Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Vaughan of Quincy Road are his parents. He left high school to enlist in the Navy in December 1943. He received his boot training at “San Diego and then was assigned to the Bismarck Sea where he remained until its sinking. He said it made him “mad when the Japanese sunk his home.” At the end of 30 days, he will report to Alameda for further assignment.

Stu’s Notes:
Two of the above stories I did over 10 years ago, the other two were more recent. I’m pretty sure the War was over for Donald Vaughan in Europe it ended May 7, 1945 and in the Pacific August of 1945. He served his country well in its time of need. Most of the fighting was over on Iwo by March 26th, sadly it was not for Ted Martin. Lt. Howard King walked the same street as I did and still do in Thermalito, he probably hiked all around the area as I did as a young boy. He probably fished where I did in the Rock Piles, Ruddy Creek etc. Sadly he can’t come back and relive those childhood adventures as I can. That’s where the Words “Some Gave All” mean a lot and he did. One more Big Battle in the Pacific Theater, of WWII, Okinawa, and the Quick End 70 years ago.