Thursday, January 15, 2009

Ohio servicemen move into fighting position throughout the globe, Clarksburg's John Peck Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross!



Today in Ohio World War II history. Clarksburg servicemen move into fighting position:

January 15, 1943: Clarence Minnix is training at Camp McCain, Mississippi and recently transferred from Camp Crowder, Missouri. Clarence's brother Clifford Minnix is training at Fort Bliss, Texas attached to the 509th C.A. Richard Minser arrives North Africa with the Railway Transportation Corps.

January 15, 1944: Harold Hoffman is serving as a machine gunner in the 40th Infantry Division. The division gathers on Guadalcanal in preparation for its first combat assignment at New Britain. The New Britain link is to an excellent 30 minute video of the battle! Richard Stevens is based at Camp Shelby, Mississippi.

January 15, 1945: John Peck receives the Distinguished Flying Cross for logging over 300 hours of flying time in a C-46 Commando cargo plane (C-46 pictured above). Peck, based in India is flying weekly cargo missions over "The Hump," the slang term used to describe a treacherous stretch of Himalayan Mountains between destinations. Orville Watkins completes boot training at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois and returns to Clarksburg for a 9-day furlough. Roy Holloway, 80th Infantry Division, and Roy Pearce, 1st Infantry Division, arrive the European Theater as infantry replacements, unknown to the fact that both will be wounded in three months time.

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