Today in Ohio History: Clarksburg Ohio veterans continue through WWII

September 28, 1942: Ralph Ater enlists in the U.S. Navy. Pictured with his family.

September 28, 1944: Marcus Ater, aboard the USS Denver, returns to Manus. Norman Trapp flies his fifth bombing mission on Magdeburg in B-17 43-38405. Willis Cleary and the 23rd Infantry Regiment’s Personnel Group departs the Landereau, France hospital they were using as the regimental base and travels by train heading northeast toward Belgium.

September 28, 1945: Dwight Overly’s ship docks in the United States

Today in Ohio History: Clarksburg Ohio World War II Daily Update

September 25, 1942: Clarence Minnix transfers from Ft. Benjamin Harrison to Camp Crowder, Missouri attached to D Company, 29th T.N. Signal Battalion. Harold Anderson returns stateside from a two year assignment in Panama. Following a ten-day furlough in Clarksburg, he reported to Ft. Monroe, VA. Harold Hoffman departs the U.S. bound for the Pacific Theater as a Heavy Machine Gun section leader, D Company, 160th Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division. John Pool enlists in the U.S. Navy. Richard Minser transfers from Fort McClellan, Alabama to Fort Hamilton, New York.

September 25, 1943: Bob Anderson and the 14th Fighter Group, 37th Fighter Squadron, depart North Africa to inch closer to Europe by basing their P-38 Lightnings out of Sicily for a brief period. Clarence Minnix arrives Clarksburg on a 15-day furlough following additional training in Tennessee and recently transferred from the 2nd Army to the 3rd Army. Corrine Bochard is based at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey attached to a Woman's Army Air Corp unit. Don Garrison and the 538th Battalion depart Fort Pierce, Florida for Camp Pickett, Virginia. Sam Saxour departs the U.S. bound for the Pacific Theater to serve as a Surgical Technician with the 80th General Hospital. Tom Eycke enjoys a weekend in Clarksburg with his parents, grandmother and wife while on a brief weekend pass.

September 25, 1944: Robert Hamman lands at Utah Beach as part of the 9th Armored Division, 73rd Armored Field Artillery. Lewis Dennis and the 10th Armored Division arrive in France.

September 25, 1945: Jack Ater, attached to the 97th Infantry Division arrives the Pacific Theater. Marcus Ater, aboard the USS Denver, provides covering support for troops landing at Wakanouri Wan.

Today in Ohio History: Clarksburg Ohio World War II veterans participate in significant advances

Today in Ohio Military History: Clarksburg Ohio World War II vets move on the enemy:

September 23, 1943: Norman Dean receives a medical discharge from the U.S. Army and returns to Chillicothe, Ohio. He was previously based at Fort Knox, Kentucky. W.A. Anderson is based at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.

September 23, 1944: Carl Dinkler (pictured) writes to his parents stating that he is recovering in a British hospital but he has serious surgery ahead on his legs and noted that the Battle of Brest (France) was extremely tough duty. Dinkler was wounded severely days before, when a German sniper singled him out while retrieving bodies from the battlefield, as portions of the 28th Infantry Regiment and the 6th Armored led a task force through the Brittany region of France to cut off German forces in the port city of Brest. Charlie Jobe, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 80th Airborne Artillery, Battery F, boards a glider in England and lands near Nijmegan, Holland as part of Operation Market Garden. Sgt. Dick Garrison, part of I Company, 121st Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division, assists in securing the Crozon Penninsula and neutralizing German troops in the area. John Templin enlists in the U.S. Army. Gunner's Mate, Marcus Ater, abord the USS Denver cruiser, provides cover for a Navy Task Force tasked to sweep for mines near Ulithi, in support of the future landing. Tom Sowers enlists in the U.S. Army and eventually serves in the 80th Infantry Division (ETO).

Today in Ohio History: Clarksburg Ohio war veterans

Today in Ohio History: Clarksburg Ohio World War II heavy bomber crew members continue fighting:

September 22, 1943: Ralph Anderson is participating in advanced B-17 training at Dalhart, Texas and preparing to transfer to Scott Field, Illinois in a few days for rotation overseas.

September 22, 1944: Norman Trapp flies his second bombing mission to Kassel, Germany in B-17 42-31879 nicknamed "The Shark." (PHOTO: The Shark behind a 351st Bomb Group crew - not including Trapp)

Ohio Military History: Service...In the Family

Generational Military Service from Clarksburg Ohio - A Family Affair

Recent examinations of Clarksburg Ohio's service rolls from the Civil War, World War I, and World War II identified a number of consistent names. I thought it would be fitting to list them and the information we have about each soldier.

ADAMS
Ralph Adams, Sergeant, 166th Infantry Regiment, H Company, World War I
Donald Adams, 1st Lieutenant, 485th Bomb Group, B-24 Liberator Pilot, World War II

ATER
George Ater: Company A, 90th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Civil War
Abraham Ater: Company K, 89th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Civil War
Glenn Ater:, Corporal, H Company, 166th Infantry Regiment, World War I
Joe Ater, 1st Lieutenant, 324th Army Air Base Unit, B-17 Pilot, World War II
Jack Ater, Sergeant, 97th Infantry Division, Heavy Machine Gunner, World War II
Marcus Ater, U.S. Navy, Gunner’s Mate, U.S.S. Denver – Cruiser, World War II

DAWSON
Lewis Dawson, Mechanic, 330th Infantry Regiment, G Company, World War I
Robert E. Dawson, Captain, 11th Air Force, 54th Fighter Group, P-39 Pilot, World War II
Robert K. Dawson, Sergeant, 69th Infantry Division, World War II
John M. Dawson, Corporal, Radio Operator Mechanic, World War II

DONAHOE
William S. Donahoe, Company H, 149th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Civil War
Emmitt Donahoe, Seaman aboard the U.S.S. Michigan battleship, World War I

DOWNING
William Downing, Mail carrier for Company H, 149th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Civil War
Joseph Wesley Downing, 236th Engineer Combat Battalion, World War II

HAMMAN
Royal Hamman, Private, 84th Infantry Division, 333rd Inf Reg, I Company, World War I
Robert Hamman, Lieutenant, 9th Armored Division, World War II

MADDUX
J.W. Maddux, Company A, 61st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Civil War
Nelson Maddux, Company K, 89th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Civil War
Don W. Maddux: 35th Infantry Division, 137th Infantry, World War II (Killed In Action)

MALLOW
Anson Mallow, Company H, 149th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Civil War
Reed Mallow, PFC, 1st Cavalry, 7th Regiment, World War II (Killed In Action)

RITTENHOUSE
Fred Rittenhouse, Private, 166th Infantry Regiment, H Company
Fred Rittenhouse, PFC, 777th Tank Battalion, World War II
Tom Rittenhouse, Ship Fitter, U.S.S. Hamul, World War II

SHANTON
Orlie Shanton, MP, 330th Infantry Regiment, K Company, World War I
Dick Shanton, Corporal, 389th Anti-aircraft Battalion, World War II

SKINNER
Joshua Skinner, 90th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Civil War
Cary Skinner, Litter Bearer, 41st Infantry Division, World War II

TAYLOR
Frank Taylor, Sergeant, 332nd Infantry Regiment, D Company, World War I
Willis Taylor, Corporal, 2nd Engineer School, World War II

TEMPLIN
E.W. Templin, Company H, 149th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Civil War
John Templin, Corporal, 1504th Army Air Base Unit, World War II
Wanda Templin, Chief Yeoman, WAVE’s, World War II

WILLIS
John W. Willis, 11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, Civil War
Jas. Willis, Company H, 149th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Civil War
Dwight Willis, Sergeant, 1337th Army Air Base Unit, World War II

Today in Ohio World War II history

Today in Ohio Military History:

September 17, 1944: Norman Trapp (pictured center bottom row), pilots his first bombing mission of the war with the 351st Bomb Group over Nijmegan, Holland in B-17 43-37956, in support of Operation Market Garden.

September 17, 1945: Hoyt Graham departs Wright Field to points west, including Los Angeles, on an inspection tour of various aircraft factories in California.

September 17, 1946: Joe Kelly departs the Philippines bound for the United States. Troy Reisinger departs the Pacific bound for the United States.

Today in Clarksburg Ohio WWII history

Today in Ohio World War II history:

September 16, 1942: Roger Bryant is training in Canada.

September 16, 1943: John Martin (90th Infantry Division) is participating in additional infantry training at Camp Hood, Texas.

September 16, 1945: Oscar Garrison's ship docks in the U.S. following 37 months of overseas duty (82nd Airborne Division)

World War II's "Most Admired"

World War II's Most Admired

Photo: (March 1998: Williams Gateway Airport, Mesa, Arizona) Left to Right: General Joe Foss, Vic Cleary, Joe Forster, and Jack Purdy.

Very rarely do I stray far from 610 WTVN talk radio in the mornings and afternoons during my drives to and from work, but this morning, I was caught in a jam on the Columbus outerbelt. A massive fender bender locked up 270 this morning around 845 am, just in time to catch me in the act, returning from a quick morning meeting with our fine marketing agency. For a change of paste, I flipped to 1460 the FAN for some sports news. It's football season, and I love listening to local chatter on the Buckeyes.

Instead of getting "Buckeye" locker news, the Mike and Mike show was on, but they quickly caught my attention with an interesting topic. Mike (I am not sure which one), asked the other Mike his opinion who the most admired one or two figures in pro sports are, that are still living today? In other words, if you were sitting at a restaurant, and you worked in the sports entertainment business, who would HAVE to walk in and sit down at the restaurant for you to be humbled by their presence?

All in all, it was an excellent question and they provided their own opinions and why. Mike (I can't remember which Mike), said in baseball, it would have to be Hank Aaron. The other Mike said Cal Ripkin, but added the fans may agree more with him more so than the players. In basketball, one picked Bill Russell, the other picked Dr. J, because Michael Jordan regularly refers to Dr. J as the "real" legend. In hockey, Gordie Howe and Gretzgy (did I spell it wrong?). And for some reason, in football, they both agreed Anthony Munoz (which I couldn't quite figure out), Coach Shula and Coach Ditka. Good choices overall.

This conversation made me think back to March of 1998 when I was producing the Cox Communications Air & Motor Spectcular in Mesa, Arizona. Each year, during our air show, we would invite a number of Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and Army pilots to fly their fighter jets, cargo planes, bombers, refuelers, and helicopters into our show, to provide "static" aircraft displays for the tens of thousands of people who purchased tickets to view up close and personal. In some cases, the pilots and crew would even allow spectators (taxpayers and true owners of the aircraft) to sit in their seats, flip the switches, grab the stick, and try the aircraft "on for size."

To keep these young men and women in-uniform entertained, we would oftentimes invite them into our VIP Chalet for drinks and food, and to relax while watching the air show from an unobstructed patio. To enhance their entertainment, I would personally invite a few World War II era fighter aces, who wintered, or lived fulltime in the Phoenix, Arizona market, to attend the event and sit with us in the chalet, enjoy the show, and talk to the young, active pilots, to share "war" stories, per say. It was somewhat a selfish gesture on my part, because I loved talking to these guys as well, but I found, year after year, they were staunch supporters of the show because they loved reliving their pasts and sharing words of encouragement with the young fighter pilots flying the new jets, who admired their service 50 years ago. There was definitely a level of mutual respect between the old warriors and the new warriors, and it was quite an experience to be a "fly on the wall" and listen to their conversations.

I was easily star struck by any of the old WWII aces who agreed to come to my show and fortunately for me, I call many of them my friends... Colonel Jerry Collinsworth (and his lovely wife Fran), Jack and Liz Purdy, Joe Forster, etc. However, once, during the show, I truly realized how star struck the aces themselves were of one in particular among their ranks. In March of 1998, Jack Purdy and Joe Forster from the 475th Fighter Group attended the show and told me they had convinced another well known ace to also attend the event. Both men were P-38 Lightning aces during the war and had miraculously impressive flying records. Jack Purdy shot down 7 Japanese aircraft, was the first man to survive a water crash in a P-39 Air Cobra, and lived a second crash in a P-38 outside Manila. He lived a long, successful life and became a self made millionaire and small business owner in Dayton, Ohio before retiring fulltime in Scottsdale. Joe Forster was even more successful from the P-38 cockpit. Joe shot down 15 Japanese aircraft (a triple Ace by definition) and still today holds the record for the longest flight in a P-38 on one engine, when he lost power in one of his engines over a remote section of the South Pacific and was forced to fly the aircraft for hours and hours back to his island base, which he did safely. As you can imagine, most of the squadron's maintenance men's jaws dropped when they heard the story.

Anyway... back to "my" story. We stood around for a half hour and talked, had some laughs, and I introduced them to a few current pilots who were in attendance, and deep conversation began to take place. However, at a moment's notice Jack Purdy snapped to attention in a fit of nervousness when his invited guest (and wife) arrived the chalet. It was Brigadier General Joe Foss. Joe was responsible for shooting down 28 Japanese aircraft VERY early in the war, when the Japanese were at full strength and had superior aircraft. This accomplishment earned him a trip home, a cover of LIFE magazine, and a PR tour of the country, even though he would have preferred to have kept fighting. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor during the war, later served as the Governor of South Dakota, the Commissioner of the American Football League in the late 1950's, and was a spokesperson for the National Rifle Association including the television host of the show American Rifleman. Joe was impressive, no doubt. He was a true American. Even though Jack Purdy and Joe Forster were by definition true men among men, - they even knew Joe Foss was something special. The energy radiated from the crowd when Joe was present. His confidence was evident and the young pilots (especially the Marines who were taught his legendary stories) flocked to be by his side. I can confidentally say that Joe Foss falls into the category of World War II's Most Admired. I have never seen such a moving display of admiration for one man - from his peers who themselves are unbelivably admirable. That was definitely a rare occurence in my life and I will never forget it, for as long as I live.

Ohio WWII history: From Somwhere In France - Cleary's latest book on one Ohio village's effort during the war

From Somewhere in France, Vic Cleary’s second book on World War II, focusing exclusively on Clarksburg Ohio's effort during the war, is scheduled for release in late fall 2009.

The book will feature 186 personal letters from Clarksburg Ohio’s soldiers, sailors, and airmen during training, the transitional and staging period before the war, combat, and following the conclusion of the war including personal reflection on the circumstances and unique experiences faced by the servicemen.

Letters from 70 individual service personnel (listed below) are included in the compilation, over 50 of whom were not included in the individual chapter stories of Clarksburg’s Courageous: World War II, Cleary’s first book on the subject.

According to Cleary, "From Somewhere in France provided me the opportunity to share the unique stories of a number of Clarksburg's World War II veterans, who I lacked sufficient data on to dedicate an entire individualized biography for my first book. Even though I realized I was leaving a number of incredible stories out of Clarksburg's Courageous, I simply couldn't change the research format of the book to include a handful of letters, without carefully crafting them in order, as I have done with From Somewhere in France. With the chronological structure of this second book, an excellent letter from one individual easily fits into one of the four sections of the book - Training, Transition, Combat, or Aftermath. One letter is enough to contribute to the overall reflection of each chapter. I am confident readers will thoroughly enjoy this book which focuses specifically on content generated by the servicemen themselves and relies less on photos and detailed 'research-oriented lists' that I compiled to explain Clarksburg's collective effort during the war. There is nothing more 'real' than reading a letter written from a soldier sitting in a damp foxhole, or from a sailor sunning himself on the deck of a battleship floating in the South Pacific, and painting a picture in your head of what they were attempting to describe to their family members and friends back home in Ross County." Cleary concluded.

Cleary hopes to have the book on shelves before the 2009 holiday season. A limited number of copies will be printed and distributed to retail outlets, as he plans to primarily offer the book for purchase online in print-on-demand and ebook format. Details on how to purchase the book online will come soon. However, to better determine the demand for a printed version of the paperback, the author is compiling a pre-order mailing list for the book. Send your request, including name, physical address, email address, and number of copies requested to viccleary@aol.com.

The following is a list of Clarksburg, Ohio service personnel and family members whose letters are included in From Somewhere in France:

SSGT Ralph W. Anderson
Aerial Engineer
8th Air Force, 92nd Bomb Group, 325th Bomb Squadron

TSGT Robert C. Anderson
P-38 Crew Chief
15th Air Force, 14th Fighter Group, 37th Fighter Squadron

SGT Allen Anderson
Navigator-in-training
36th Training Group, Squadron A

Seaman 1st Class Marcus Ater
Gunner's Mate
USS Denver (CL- 58): Cruiser

LT Joe Ater
Multi-engine pilot
324th Army Air Force Base Unit

SGT Jack Ater
Heavy Machine Gunner
97th Infantry Division, 387th Infantry Regiment, Company D

PFC Robert Bethel
Surgical Technician
58th Medical Corps. 344th Medical Dispensary

SGT Corrine Bochard
General Clerk
WAAC Detachment 4201

SGT William Bochard
Radio Operator
6th Army, 10th Corp., 99th Signal Battalion

SSGT Sylvester Bookwalter
Medical Laboratory Tech
3702nd AAF Base Unit, 344th Bomb Group

CPL Delbert Boyer
Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun crewman

T/5 Wendell Bryant
Amphibious Truck Driver
479th Amphibious Truck Company

Roger Bryant

PVT Charles Bryant

SGT Wendell Carroll
Infantry Medic
3rd Army, 80th Inf. Div., 319th Inf. Reg., HQ Detachment

SGT Willis Cleary
Infantry Clerk
2nd Infantry Division, 23rd Infantry Regiment, K Company

SSGT Charles Crabb
Top Turret Gunner
12th Bomb Group, 81st Bomb Squadron. The Earthquakers!

SGT Robert K. Dawson
3rd Army, 69th Infantry Division

CPL John M. Dawson
Radio Operator Mechnic
3507th AAF Base Unit, Aircraft Squad III, Flight I

LT Robert E. Dawson
P-39 and P-51 Fighter Pilot
11th Air Force, 54th Fighter Group , 42nd Fighter Squadron

SSGT Herman Dinkler
Quartermaster
3rd Armored Division, 548th Quartermaster Depot, Advanced Communication Section

SGT Carl Dinkler
Infantryman
8th Infantry Division, 28th Infantry Regiment, Company A

LT Myron Dodd
Pilot
15th Air Force, 465th Bomb Group, 782nd Bomb Squadron

AUX Mary Ann Driapsa
Woman’s Auxiliary

Seaman 1st Class Leo Dunkle
Crew
LST #863

CPL Tom Eycke
Intelligence NCO
1st Cavalry, 24th Infantry, 77th Infantry, 234th Quartermaster Salvage Collection Company

PFC Oscar Garrison
Parachute - Field Lineman
82nd Airborne Division, 505th Parachute Inf Reg, 115th Field Artillery Batt., Battery C

LT Lewis Garrison
Navigator
8th Air Force, 466th Bomb Group, 787th Bomb Squadron

PVT Don Garrison
Quartermaster and Crane Operator
3204th Quartermaster Service Co

SGT Richard Garrison
Infantryman
8th Infantry Division, 121st Infantry Regiment, I Company

SSGT Harold Garrison
Forward Artillery Observer
32nd Division, 120th Field Artillery Batt., HQ Battery

Muriel Hale
Wife of B-17 Bomber Pilot Lt. George C. Hale
92nd Bomb Group, 325th Bomb Squadron

LT Robert Hamman
Mobile Howitzer Commander
9th Armored Division, 73rd Armored Field Artillery, Battery A

CPL Forrest Hicks
Fire Control Operator

SSGT Harold Hoffman
Infantry Section Leader
40th Infantry Division, 160th Infantry Regiment, D Company

CPL Harry Holloway
Heavy Mortarman Crewman
82nd Airborne, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, H Company, and 2nd Battalion HQ Company
Silver Star Recipient (June 1944)

Martin Junk

Field Director John Kirkwood
Red Cross Field Director

SGT Bill Lemly
Ball Turret Gunner
15th Air Force, 465th Bomb Group, 782nd Bomb Squadron


SGT John Martin
Infantryman
90th Infantry Division, 358th Infantry Regiment, G Company

CPL Warren Martin
Mail clerk
8th Air Force, 301st AAF Base Unit, 704 Air Material Sq.

PFC Paul McCormick
Life Guard
919 Signal Corps, 48th Repair Squad, 4121st AAF Base Unit

PFC Glenn McPherson
Light Truck Driver
204th Quartermaster Battalion

LT William Merz
Artillery Officer
Americal Division, 245th Field Artillery Battalion, HQ Battery, A Battalion

LT Jack Minser
Railhead Supervisor
Army Transportation Corps: 6th Port Headquarters

CAPT Sarah Moomaw
WAAC Training Center

SSGT Gene Morris
Heavy Mortar Crewman
1st Infantry Division, 745th Tank Battalion, Heavy Mortar Platoon & HQ Company

Seaman 1st Class Glenn Morris
Seaman 1st Class

PVT Charles Morris
Infantry Training

LT Jack Morris
Navigator
8th Air Force, 392nd Bomb Group, 576th Bomb Squadron

Seaman 1st Class Fred Nye
LCL Seaman

SGT Richard Pabst
Stationed in Okinawa

PFC John Peck
Aerial Radio Operator
1333rd Army Air Force Base Unit: 13th Area

Machinist Mate 2nd Class John Pool
Machinist Mate
USS Texas (BB-35) Battleship

SSGT Willis Prince
Aerial Nose Gunner
15th Air Force, 465th Bomb Group, 782nd Bomb Squadron

PFC James Reisinger
Artilleryman
981st Field Artillery Battalion

Ship Fitter 3rd Class Tom Rittenhouse
Ship Fitter
USS Hamul (AD-20)

SSGT John Roseboom
Artilleryman
1st Cavalry Division, 760th Field Artillery Battalion, Battery C.

PFC Ephraim Shull
Cook's helper
58th Ordnance Ammunition Company

PVT Henry Shull
U.S. Army

PFC Cary "Scoop" Skinner
Litter Bearer
41st Infantry Division, 116th Medical Battalion, 5th Squad, Troop B

T/4 Tom Sowers
Infantryman
80th Infantry Division, 318th Infantry Regiment Company A

PFC Richard Stephens
Artillery Observer
20th Field Artillery; attached to the 4th Infantry Division

CPL John Templin
Aircraft Mechanic
Air Transport Command: 1504th Army Air Force Base Unit.

Machinist Mate 2nd Class Robert Templin
Motor Machinist 2nd Class
Naval Sub Chaser

PVT Darrell Templin
United States Army Air Force

LT Daryl Williams
B-25 Pilot
5th Air Force, 345th Bomb Group, 499th Bomb Squadron BATS OUTA HELL

PFC Albert Willis
Firefighter
369th Harbor Craft Company

SGT Dwight Willis
Mess Sergeant
Air Transport Command: 1337th Army Air Force Base Unit, Battery 6

Today in Ohio Military History: Focus - World War II

Today in Clarksburg Ohio World War II history:

September 2, 1942: Lewis Dennis enlists in the U.S. Army.

September 2, 1943: Cecil Richardson, attached to the 3916th Quartermaster Gas Supply Company arrives North Africa by troop carrier ship. Dale Boyer volunteers for the United States Marine Corps.

September 2, 1945: Sgt. Charles Crabb receives an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army Air Force after completing 53 missions in a B-25 over North Africa, Sicily, and Italy attached to the 12th Bomb Group. Ward Garrison, aobard the USS Antietam, sails into Chinese waters near the port of Shanghai.