June 3, 2016

Oroville Mercury Register
June 25, 1952
Marine Wounded In Korea Thanks Blood Donors
“I believe all persons who can should donate blood to the Red Cross Blood Bank,” a Marine veteran of the fighting in Korea said yesterday. Then he added: ” I’m going down right now to donate a pint of my blood.” The veteran, Sgt. Jack Henderson, son of Mr. and Mrs. John W. Henderson of Highland boulevard, knows the value of blood plasma to the fighting men in Korea. He received three pints of whole blood after being injured by shrapnel in the “Punch Bowl area” of Korea. “I’d like to thank the people who donated that blood.” he said. Henderson enlisted in the Marines for a three-year hitch in November, 1950, after quitting school while a senior at Oroville Union High School. He likes duty in the Marines and plans to make it a career. He served 10 months with the First Marine Division in Korea, first as a carrier of ammunition for rockets and later on a two-man flame thrower team. He said he “enjoyed” himself while in action on the front lines and “found it all interesting. There was always action of some sort.” He said that despite the truce negotiations there was fighting all the time—except in February. “We weren’t allowed to fire then, but ‘they’ didn’t seem to mind firing onus,” he said. He said the United Nations have “far superior weapons” in Korea and added that to his knowledge the communists have nothing to compare with our flame throwers. Following his 30-day leave here with his parents, he will go to Camp Pendleton.

Oroville Mercury Register
May 9, 1952
Oroville Airman Trains In Texas
Clarence Hilton, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. Hilton, Oroville, is completing his Air Force basic airmen indoctrination course at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. His basic training is preparing him for entrance into Air Force technical training and for assignment in specialized work.

Oroville Mercury Register
May 9, 1952
Uncle Sam Set To Increase Pay Of Servicemen
Washington (UP)- Congressional leaders said today servicemen can count on an early pay raise - possibly retroactive to the first of this month. But they saw only a slim chance for action on special combat pay for men in Korea. The House and Senate are expected to give swift final approval to a general military pay boost approved yesterday by a conference committee. It provides a 4 per cent “cost of living” increase for everybody in uniform and at 14 per cent boost in allowances for food and quarters. If Congress completes action before May 31 as expected, the increase will be retroactive to May 1. (Stu- How cheap of the congress back then. Thanks be to the ones that Support our Troops.)

Drop Combat Pay
In working out this compromise pay bill the conferees dropped out a Senate approved provision for $45 per month extra for every man in a combat zone. Chairman Carl Vinson (D Ga.) of the House Armed Services committee said he would hold separate hearings on combat pay “later”. Other committee sources said however, that the committee schedule is so tight, and Congress’ early July adjournment goal so close that prospects are not good for action on combat pay this year. (Stu- I think today Congress should come up with money today and pay our service men and women what they are worth.)

Democrat Opposed
Some members of both House and Senate Armed Services committees are known to oppose the principle of combat pay. They also think it would be hard to draw a line as to who is and who isn’t in combat. Rep. Overton Brooks (La.) ranking Democratic member of Vinson’s committee, said, however that he will file a minority report on the pay bill strongly protesting the omission of combat pay. Brooks said he also will press Vinson for hearing on the issue. Chairman Richard B. Russell (D-Ga) of the Senate Armed Services committee estimated the compromise bill will cost the taxpayers $484,000,000 a year. This is a saving of $366,000,000 compared with the House bill but was slightly more costly than the $470,000,000 a year Senate bill.

Stu’s Notes:
We had a wonderful turn out at the Cemetery and on the Green Bridge Memorial Day. If you missed it try to make it next year. Each ceremony was less than an hour long. Thank you Sherry Morehouse for all of your planning, every year and our wonderful committee that does so much, I am proud to serve with them. Great helpers on the day.