Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 15, Number 30, DeMotte, Jasper County, 8 June 1945 — NEWS OF OUR SERVICE MEN AND. WOMEN [ARTICLE]

NEWS OF OUR SERVICE MEN AND. WOMEN

INDIANA MARINE IS SKI INSTRUCTOR—Before coming to the Klamath Falls, Ore., Marine base. Private First Class Lester D. Story of DeMotte, had never been on a pair of skis in his life. Now he’s become so proficient at the sport he is retained as an instructor at this post’s unique ski camp near Ft. Klamath, Ore. In less than three months the 21-year-old veteran became expert on the snow and learned the tricky terrain of Crater Lake, National park, where the camp is located, so that- now he leads ski parties on all-day treks over the park. Story fought with the Second Marine Division overseas at Guadalcanal and Tarawa and was wounded in the first action. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Story live in DeMotte. May 19. . , Dear Mom and Dad, I haven’t any stationery at the time but this old V-Mail will do as good. Still in the same old place doing the same old thing—guarding roads and a water works six hours a day and 18 hours to do the rest of our work, like drill exercises and lectures. Today I washed my pants. They haven’t been washed since Jan. 15 and they were really dirty. I put them (they are pure wool) into a big tub and boiled them for about 1 1-2 hours. They shrank up so tight I can hardly get them on, but I managed, I traded ..my old shirt for a new one. His was too big and mine was too small a' ?r I had boiled it so, we were both happy. Last night it rained and today it rained. They sure needed it down there in the fiel ,s. It was getting pretty dry. They lifted some of the censoring about where we were. We left the states from New York and it took us ten days to come across. We landed in LeHarve, France, and was there that night. We took a train from there to Viviers, Belgium. I rode an old box car all the way. We went from Belgium to Stolberg irom there to Bad Newhar. That was the town with all the women and no men. From there to Bad Wildigen and then we started fighting around the last of March. The first action I seen we marched in to take a hill. There wasn’t too much fighting—the artillery scares them pretty bad. then there was that big Ruhr pocket. One day we jumped off at about 6:00 in the morning and cut iu in half. We took thousands of prisoners. Even some women. One day we were sneaking up on some Germans and there was a tank, a lousy German woman spotted us and warned them. The bazooka man got the tank anyway. We were in a couple of hot places. Once we ran across a % mile open field with German artillery and mortar fire. Once in a factory and we couldn’t get out. It was namel Hemer. Maybe you can find it on the may. the Danube, we crossed tha< look for Lanshut. We were driv *z South for Munich and it endc If you can find it on the map. ind the stationed in a little town called Elfershausn. Not too big a town. Borne of my best buddies got killed and wounded, but so far I came through alright. One of the guys came th us in the hospital an one still here. Those two felliws u first were picked to go back and sabotage a German halftrack. They did the job but stopped to get some water. While they were doing it there came a German around the car. All they had were

two carbines. The five Germans and an officer all together had machine guns “burp” guns, pistils and rifles. The two boys took them prisoners. Well that’s about all I have time to write so I will close. Love—John “Lukie” Walstra Corky Barker and Lukie Walstra have both been promoted to Pfc. They are somewhere in Germany. • ■ ■ - Pfc. Dan Tanner has received a medical discharge from the army, after almost three years service in Uncle Sam’s forces, 26 months of which were spent overseas. Sgt. Clyde Simmons recently received the Navy Cross, in ceremonies at Great Lakes, for “extraordinary heroism” at Saipan. Sgt. Simmons, who has been in the Marines for almost six years saw action in the battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Tinian and Saipan. He is the son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Story and is now stationed at Grate Lakes. THE 123 GENERAL HOSPITAL IN ENGLAND—His infantry regiment had taken five towns in the Ruhr Pocket that morning without firing a shot, but as they were getting prepared to take the sixth, an artillery shell hit the house in which Private First Class Robert W. Stevenson, 19J DeMotte, Indiana, had taken cover, and shrapnel struck him in both hands. He is now recuperating at this United States Aj-my general hospital in England. “His wounds are healing rapidly,” said his ward officer, Major Frank G. Sink of Remington, Indiana. “After I was hit,” the soldier said, “medics took me down into the cellar and gave me first aid. When the firing eased up they took me to a battalion aid station. I was then flown to England.” Mrs. Ora Stevenson, the soldier’s mother, lives in DeMotte. He is a graduate of the DeMotte High Srhool and worked for Bauman’s Feed Mill before entering the Army.