This section is devoted to small features, photos, comments drawings, questions, answers and other more indescribable things that don't appear anywhere else. Subject matter can be any experience, humor, questions, complaints, photos, cartoons and more. We hope you enjoy!
Snowballs in Florida
There are many organizations that assist military families in many ways. One of our steady Post 376 patrons, Lois Shelton, took the opportunity to visit a "Snowball Express" event in Florida recently.
Don't know what the Snowball Express does? Take a look at her story and find out what happened.
Next step for the rest of us -- look for a way we can go the extra step and "be there" in some way and help make life better for a military family that is serving us.
FRED IN GERMANY, A GI LOOKS BACK
A member of Oxford Post 376, a one-time GI in Germany, reports on Army life and a bit of life after hours, when the daily routine work requirements were complete. Fred's group was well trained, well drilled, polished and very competent in their specific line of duty (MOS) as you can see.
At the end of the day, it was found that a GI helmet could easily be exchanged for the temporary use of a German Bavarian style hat while learning more about the locals. Fred tells us: (and I hope he will elaborate with more memories in the future)
A Brief Military Career
In the mid-1950's I served two years in the 10th Mountain Division in what was a very lucky time to serve and a lucky assignment for me. There was no war at the time (1955-1957) and after my early training at Fort Riley, Kansas and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri I was shipped to Germany on a troop ship. Everyone should have the experience of crossing the North Atlantic packed in a troop ship.
Bamberg, a beautiful Bavarian city and Warner Kaserne, with its three-story brick barracks and cobble-stoned streets and squares, was home for our 25th Artillery Battalion--105 howitzers. I was in FDC (Fire Direction Control) and we trained and re-trained for the next 19 months until we were quite competent. We could lay that battery and fire accurate rounds within four minutes in our field tests at Grafenwohr, our large firing range several miles away.
To sweeten my time, I was a regular guest at the home of the Gruendel family in nearby Hassfurt on Main. Herr Gruendel was a middle school Principal whose brother had moved to the States and owned a restaurant in Greene near my parents. He had sent a letter of introduction to Hassfurt for me. Amazing. The food and people I knew in that home are a life-long memory for me.
Home and discharged in May, 1957. Two years in the U.S. Army and never a shot fired in my direction. Traveled Europe and put on 20 pounds. I'm like Lou Gehrig, I consider myself the luckiest man ever to serve.
Fred Lanfear
A VIDEO ABOUT D-DAY EVERYONE SHOULD SEE
Spend a short time to watch this YouTube video from 2019. Everyone should see this presentation.
Go to: Sam Elliott pays tribute to SGT Ray Lambert on the 2019 National Memorial Day Concert
The Medal of Honor was created and stipulations for its use signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1861, in part: "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty".
In 1862, Union army volunteers who were in northern Georgia led by James Andrews commandeered a train and headed for Chattanooga. Along the way they damaged as much confederate track, telegraph, and supplies as possible. On March 25, 1863, Secretary of War under Lincoln, Edward Stanton, awarded the first Medal of Honor to Ohio native army private Jacob Parrott, a member of the crew of Union volunteers.
In the Disney movie, "The Great Locomotive Chase" Fess Parker played James Andrews and Claude Jarman was Parrott.
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society (http://www.cmohs.org/) was chartered by the Congress in 1958 to create a brotherhood among the living Medal of Honor recipients, to protect and uphold the dignity and honor of the Medal, to promote patriotism and love of country, and to inspire our youth to become worthy and dedicated citizens of our nation. Its membership consists exclusively of those individuals who have received the Medal of Honor. Today, there are 77 living recipients of the Medal of Honor. The Society is unique in that its membership hopes that there will be no need to welcome new inductees.
A lot of US Military personnel spent countless hours in places like this- a WW2 vintage wooden 2 floor barracks once found in all parts of the US-- this one is at an Army base in central Georgia. Many such barracks have been demolished or in some cases moved to allow new construction on the site.
While on a business trip to Georgia in 1990, I was able to stop off where I had been in 1961 or 2. My barracks was gone and replaced by an all-brick military school building, complete with air conditioning, audio-visual instruction equipment, lunch/break rooms, large parking lot, swing sets for the kids. All substantially different from the 1962 setup where we were packed into what had been a small mess hall, loaded with communication devices, all giving off heat. Did I mention the Georgia sun, no A/C in the old 1 floor building, and it was summer?
Several old barracks were vacant nearby and obviously "on the list". In front of one of the buildings was a rose bush- apparently planted by some now unknown GI during the 1940's, trying to maintain a touch of home. The main trunk of the old bush was nearly 10 inches in diameter but the entire plant was no more than 2 feet high but 4 or 5 feet wide and in bloom. The touch of home had lasted. I wonder who took that effort to plant a rose bush; where did that GI come from, where did he go and what other contributions did he make during his GI years?
Here in NY state, that is actually correct military Trivia (and we apologize to the composer of the US Army song for using the first verse so poorly).
..but history tells us...
The Second Continental Dragoons and the Ulster County Light Horse Brigade routed the British at the battle of Flockey in Scoharie County on August 13, 1777, the US Army's first cavalry charge in combat.
Might this WW2 vehicle be the inspiration for all the hardtop CJ's, Wranglers, and whatever else that came along over the following 75 plus years??? The cold weather, and therefore cold officer, at the US Naval Air Station, Anacostia, Washington, DC, winters of the 1940's gave rise to good old Yankee ingenuity.
The fabulous "Woodie" shown was built by the sailor in the picture for the use of the base commander. This vintage photo is from the collection of Louise Spicer, currently a member of the Oxford Post 376 American Legion Auxiliary. Her dad, Chief Carpenter's Mate, Henry Mehren was stationed at Anacostia in 1943?-1945 and was happy to do the woodwork. Does anyone out there know where the Jeep is?
