January - 70th Infantry Division Association

.
Shrine of liberty,lll~dependen~e
Ha m
Philadelphia, '1elcomes
the T~al- .
blazer Reum~:>n ~~
Au ust. (Nahona
Po~ Service photo
by Richard ~rear,
courtesy Phlla.delhia
Convention
~nd Visitors Bureau.}
70th
Infantry Division
Association
Vol. 41, No.1
January, 1984
T"'AI ~·~ ' 1 BLAIE R

Ph illy
City of histo.y
vvelco~nes 70th
It is appropriate that the 70th Infantry Division Association
hold a biennial Reunion in Philadelphia.
For the Association is a group of men united by only one
common experience: serving our country in a time of crisis. And
Philadelphia is the scene of many crises that involved our
country ... even before it became a country.
Here, in Independence Hall the Declaration of Independence
marked the first formal action of a fledgling nation. Here the
first federation of independent states was formed and here the
first Congress of the United States debated the grave issues
facing a new democracy.
Not far from here, in the bitter snows of Valley Forge, the
pitifully few soldiers of the Revolution endured and conquered
one of the most grave threats our forebears ever encountered.
Not far from here Washington crossed the Delaware to win a
victory that many believe decided the success of the War of
Independence.
Philadelphia was a gateway connecting the New World with
our European homelands. Here William Penn established the
freedom of religion which our Constitution was to enshrine. In
this City of Brotherly Love was forged one of the links of
common respect and affection that permitted America to become
the great melting pot.
And here will gather a brotherhood of men who share a love
that can come only to those who fought battles side by side. And
while the snows of the Ardennes were not quite as cruel as those
of Valley Forge, they were bitter enough that we can more fully
understand the sacrifices made in these hallowed hills two
hundred years ago.
The rituals of the Reunion are familiar to many who have
attended previous rendezvous. There will be the warm handclasps
and embraces of friends who haven't seen each other
since Minneapolis. There will be a cup that cheers; be it
alcoholic or just iced tea, it will warm hearts as well as stomachs.
There will be a grand banquet with fun and laughs and a
continuing raffle and auction. There will be music and dancing.
And there will be poignant moments of silence and memories.
Just since Minneapolis in '82, many of our comrades have
stood the last retreat. They will be honored-along with those
who died during the war itself and in the intervening four
decades-in solemn rites on the final morning.
And the farewell handclasps will be longer and firmer because
we will all face up the fact that for at least some of us, this
will be the last goodbye we can bid a brother in arms.
All details will be given in the next " Trailblazer. " At the
moment, the million-odd strings that now dangle are being
rolled into the neat ball that will await us August 9 to 12.
One thing that demands urgency: Make your reservations
immediately, using the card fastened to this magazine. President
Orville Ellis has negotiated a remarkably low rate for the
Reunion but it requires prompt action. Please make your reservation
now--even before you read any further. Should circumstances
be unkind this summer, you can always cancel.
There will probably be pre- and/or post-Reunion tours . There
is so much historic countryside around Philadelphia that many
' Blazers will want to take advantage of the opportunity to visit
Gettysburg, the Delaware Water Gap, Andrew Wyeth country,
Pennsylvania Dutch-land and even the glittering temptations of
Atlantic City casinos. The attractions of Washington, D.C. are
only a couple hours away as are those of the Big Apple.
If you drive, Philadelphia is easily accessible. (The Pennsylvania
Turnpike is the granddaddy of our Interstate system.)
Within the city, the Marriott is just as easy to reach. The airport
is close by and Amtrak offers excellent service.
Members who have attended even one Reunion, need no sales
pitch for Philly in '84. Those who have never attended one are
assured, most cordially and sincerely, that they will be welcomed
and recognized with special badges.
The City of Brotherly Love awaits the Trailblazers and their
observance of 40 years of the brotherhood of battle.
New
hardware.
and
old ribbons
• •
Marion R. Slater, Co. E, 275th, invites
eligible Trailblazers to join the National Order
of Battlefield Commissions. For details write
to Commander Wally Weyant , Rt. I Box 191 ,
Bowling Green, Virginia 22427. He also points
out that the condensed history of the 70th which
ran in the '83 January issue listed only two
battle stars: Rhineland and Central Europe. Of
course, we also wear the Ardennes-Alsace star.
(That piece was clipped physically from the
"Trailblazer" published by the 70th Training
Div. out of Michigan. We have passed on the
correction to them.)
President
Orville F. Ellis
9255 Birch Tree Lane
St. Louis. Missouri 631 26
Secretary-Treasurer
Clarence E. Feaster
Box 187
Oxford, Kansas 67119
Historians
Dr. Eugene J. Petersen
39580 Tyler Road
Belleville, Michigan 48111
is published four times a year by the 70th Infantry
Division Association, for its members and friends.
Subscription : $7, annually.
Volume 41 , Number 1 January, 1984
Vice President-East
Fred J. Cassidy
17813 Vinyard Lane
Derwood, Maryland 20855
Asst. Sec.-Treas.
Norman Johnson
3344 Bryant A ve.
Anoka, Minnesota 55303
Theodore C. Mataxis
295 Downing Place
Southern Pines
North Carolina 28387
Editor
Edmund C. Arnold
3208 Hawthorne Ave.
Richmond, Virginia 23222
Associate Editor
Chester F. Garstki
2946 No. Harding
Chicago, Illinois 60618
Vice President-West
Eugene G . Inzer
1690 Dogwood Drive
Vidor, Texas 77662
Chaplains
Alex C. Johnson
955 Olive St.
Hoffman Estates. Illinois 60194
Rev. Wm. Hoyt Henderson
3251 Hopkins Road. S.W .
Powder Springs, Georgia 30073
Donald C. Pence
Carolina Trace
285 Fairway Lane
Sanford, N .C. 27330

Who's What
All salute Paul Gartemann of Falls Church,
Virginia! He was the first 70th man to send in
his biographical sheet that was asked for in the
last issue of " The Trailblazer" !
(If you haven't done so already, please look
at page 9 of the October " TB " and send yours
in. Also note that you should send in a similar
bio to the publishers of the new 70th history,
70th Div. Assn . History Book, PO Box 3101,
Paducah, Kentucky 42001. The deadline was
December 15 but I have a hunch that if you
rustle your bustle and get it in right now, that
they may be able to squeeze it in.)
Back to Paul. He was in the 44lst Coast
Artillery and in ASTP at Oregon State College
from January, 1942, until he joined the 70th in
early '43. He was in B Co. , 275th and in HQ
Co. of the 1st Bn . He must be bucking for a spot
with Johnny Carson: He says his ''most memorable
military experience" was surviving.
" Discovering that there was no dining car or
cocktail lounge in the train from CP 2 at Marseilles
to Brumath at Christmastime of 1944,"
was his unhappiest experience. After the war
Paul took his bachelor's degree at the University
of Oregon and his M.A. at Brown. He
served with the CIA from '51 to '73 and was
awarded the CIA Medal for Honorable Service.
Now he runs a book shop.
He married Joanne Curtis in Cape Town,
South Africa and they have three children and a
pair of grandkids.
•
Every GI used to gripe about scarcity of
passes, leaves and furloughs in his life. But
Wade Johnson of Co. A, 274th, really has
something to complain about. ''I had only one
2-day pass and two 4-hour passes in my whole
time of active duty ," he recalls.
An unusual occupation is that of Burton K.
Drury, Co . A, 276th. He's a Glassblower.
Note that that's with a capital G. For he is really
an office worker with PPG Industries in Festus,
Missouri . But he was president of the Glassblowers
Union Local 148 and on its board for
20 years.
He also had two 2-year terms as president of
the Festus-Crystal Conservation Club and more
than 25 years on that board. In '81 he was given
the Community Service Award by PPG. He's
also a member of the Legion, VFW and the
Elks .
He married Mary Ann Giesler of Ozora,
Missouri and they have five children and twice
as many grandchildren.
•
Ernie Goodrich, how did you make out in
your campaign for the job of mayor of Schenectady,
New York? Last we heard you were
campaigning strenuously. Ernie was with Co.
K, 274th.
•
All the way with the 70th! That may have
been the slogan of Fred C. Hallett of Co. H,
274th. From August '43 to February, '46 he
was with the Trailblazers. Within a couple of
months after you read this, he will retire after
24 years as an agent of Allstate Insurance in
Walla Walla , Washington.
He won a Bronze Star and a Presidential Unit
Citation but his military recollections all involve
ships. Most memorable: ''The sight of
the Statue of Liberty from the ship as we
returned from Europe." Unhappiest: "Walking
up the gangplank at Boston POE. " Happiest
"Walking down the gangplank at New
York."
He and Bertha have five children and twice
that many grandchildren .
•
From Henry Norton, an editorial writer for
the "Eagle-Beacon" in Wichita, Kansas, carne
the following letter to ol ' Elbert Feaster, our
hardworking sek-trez:
"Being short on ideas for my biweekly column
the other day, I pulled out a few GI
memories which caused a reader to deduce I
must have been in the 70th. Anyway, Mrs .
John Burch of 1818 W. 18th, here in Wichita,
called, told me there was a 70th division society
and that you were secretary-treasurer and
that the dues were $7.
"If so, please sign me up. I've never been
big on joining things or on going to meetings I
don't absolutely have to, which is why I
haven't belonged to either the Legion or the
VFW since about the first year after my World
War II discharge-and that's probably why I
had never heard of the association .
" But I'm at an age when it doesn't hurt to
renew a few old friendships , and so here's my
check. I was in 1st BN Hq Co. of the 274th
until, pretty much after combat had died down,
I was recruited to put out a mimeographed daily
I called 'The Wyoming Home News and Kitchen
Police Gazette' . (Later, after the 70th began
to break up , I edited another newspaper in the
7th Infantry of the 3rd Division.)"
•
It tickles me that one of our 70th wives did
such a good recruiting job. Louise Burch is the
better half of John, who was in Co. E, 276th.
The colyum she read is reprinted on page I I .
DOUGHNUTS
FOR DOUGHBOYS
A welcome sight at many a whistle stop
between Oregon and Missouri were
Red Cross volunteers like these who
passed out doughnuts and other goodies
toT rail blazers who were confined to
the train, often for long, boring hours
while faster freight zipped on by. This
shot was made at an unidentified station
by Chester Garstki, ''Trail blazer'' photographer,
during the trip made by the
advance party in the summer of '44.
Who recognizes himself in this shot? Let
the editor know.
January, 1984
3

• • •
and the band played on I
William Rankin of Caldwell , Idaho. has finally
hung up his military horn. After 37 Y2 years in the
National Guard-including two active tours totalling
6 1 /2 years-Bill has retired. A member of the 70th
Band, Bill led the big dance band that played for
Trailblazer units all through France and Germany.
They travelled in a pair of 2 1 /2-ton trucks which served
as their performing platform. Bandsmen slept atop
their equipment in the trucks.
Bill was transferred to the 3rd Division after the war
ended and, upon his ultimate return home, enlisted in
the Guard band in Caldwell. This was reactivated as
the 25th Army Band.
In October, 1950--Korea time-he was called up
again, stationed first at Colorado Springs and then at
Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. He spent most of his time
there leading parades in New York City and playing
radio and TV shows. He became a warrant officer and
retired, in 1967, as CW04. Three years later. though,
he re-enlisted and played in the band six more years.
"When I turned 60 I had to leave."
Bill taught at the College of Idaho. Northwest
Nazarene College in Nampa and Boise State University.
His father was a math professor. his mother
taught language at the College of Idaho. His daughter
is administrative assistant to the Idaho State Board of
Education. Bill is in the insurance business.
Bill happened to make connection with Clifford
Berg, a concert violinist with the 70th Band. Cliff is in
Juneau, Alaska.
Chester Garstki, "TB" associate editor, has
been tracking down the recordings that the Band
made in '43. Mrs. Norman Sims, Jr. (her husband
was with 2nd Bn HQ, 276th) Bill Smee, (outfit
unknown), Bill Rankin and Gus Comuntzis, Sv
Co, 275th, came up with some useful information.
There is hope that re-pressings of these records can
be made.
JAM SESSION
A strictly informal group swings a mean
tune in the barracks of Special Services
in Camp Adair. None of the musicians
or audience has been identified.
4
70th Division Assn TRAILBLAZER

"I'M GONNA BUY A UTILE PAPER
DOLL ... "
That song, so nostalgic to us now, was brand
new when the dance-band section of the
70th Band introduced it at Camp Adair. The
big-band sound was popular with the audiences
at the service club dances. Players are
not identified; who can help set the record
straight?
"I SHOULDA LEARNED THE PICCOLO ... "
Service in the 70th band wasn't all spit-andpolish.
But there was a heckuva lot of polish.
For that take the word of Tec/5 Edward
Webb (left) and T eel 4 Glenn Justice shining
up the oompapas for the next parade at Fort
Leonard Wood in 1944.
Good homes
available
for war souvenirs
Ever wonder what will happen to your
cherished war souvenirs after you stand
your last bivouac here on earth? Many
veterans do; for they realize that these
mementoes are often of little if any value
to people who were not closely involved in
the events of World War II.
A good home can be assured for them,
though: The Combined Arms Library of
the Command and Staff College at Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas.
Ernest J. (Jack) Rokahr, Co. D, 274th,
who retired as a light colonel, reminds us
of that.
" l was involved in the C&GS college
for years and donated many of my papers
and books to it. When I learned about Bob
Cheeves' death I sent my copy of his book,
'Snow Ridges and Pill Boxes' to the library
where I know it will be available for
future historians to learn about the work of
our division in the war.
"I have donated all my old maps,
papers, after-action reports for Co. D, to
the Military History Library at Carlisle
Barracks in Pennsylvania. I had kept, all
these years, the maps I had used as a
mortar platoon leader from January
through May of '45. It was on the advice
of Fred Cassidy that I placed those materials
at Carlisle.
"Last year I had a marvellous 2-week
visit to France with the express purpose of
seeing all the towns and vil lages we had
been in. In Bischwiller, north of Strasburg,
I even found the school house where
Dog company was billeted on Christmas
Day of '44.
"I spent an entire day in Spicheren,
walked up to the Heights and took lots of
pictures. l had a grand time. I found several
oldtimers across from the big school in
Spicheren and we drank schnapps and
talked about the liberation of the town .
'' l toured the area of Sengbusch and
found a dear old lady on the very street
where I had had my picture taken with her
30-odd years ago!
" I started at Marseille with a rented car,
drove up the Rhone into Avignon and then
into the Yosge to Strasburg. From there I
went to Bischwiller and eventually across
to the Forbach area. This followed as
closely as possible the route of our regimP.Iltal
convoy up the Rhone and through
Dijon. It was a grand trip and I recommend
it to every 70th man. ''
5

The President's
Report
orville Ellis
Memorial Day is set aside to remember and to honor our dead, and
especially those who have died in our nation's wars.
It is a time of remembering for those who have survived our wars, of
their thoughts in battle and before battle, sad and introspective
thoughts. Few men in combat units ever really expected to return home
alive, or at least unrnutilated.
War is a more terrible thing than all the words of man can say; more
terrible than a man's mind can comprehend. It is the corpse of a friend;
one moment a living human being ... just exactly like yourself ...
now nothing.
It is the eyes of men after battle, like muddy water, lightless and
empty.
It is the sound of an exploding shell; a moment's silence, then the
searing scream "medic" passed urgently from throat to throat.
It is the groans and pain of the wounded, and the expressions of their
faces.
It is the sound of new soldiers crying before battle; the louder sound
of their silence afterwards.
It is the evil, snickering knowledge that sooner or later the law of
averages will catch up with each soldier, and the horrible hope that it
will take the form of a wound, not maiming or death.
It is " battle fatigue"-a nice name for having taken more than the
brain and heart can stand, and taking refuge in a shadowy, unreal
world.
I've often thought if Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo all had spent a week
in our shoes in battle, that the war would have only lasted seven days.
Remember! Remember what we are talking about. Not words, not
soldiers, but human beings just exactly like yourself. And when it is in
your mind so strongly that you can never forget, then seek how you can
keep the peace. Work at this hard with every tool of thought and love
you have. Do not rest until you can say to every man who ever died for
man's happiness: "You did not die in vain."
Our 70th Family will have its own Memorial Day, Sunday, August
12 , 1984 at Reunion '84 in Philadelphia, where the military, battles and
freedom ring out so clearly, and where you can say to every man who
ever died for man's happiness: " You did not die in vain."
And, from August 9 to 12, many a battle will be fought again and
since 40 years will have passed, most of the bad memories have long
since been forgotten. We can even laugh now about some of those
crazy things that happened to us.
I'll be visiting Philadelphia in early 1984 to make the final arrangements.
All details will be forthcoming in the April "Trailblazer. "
In the meantime plan; plan to attend Reunion '84 for certain and to come
early and stay late.
•
In our January and April "Trailblazers" we encouraged home-town
publicity releases. This publicity program "bombed out." Your officers
and publicity committee have taken a new approach and it is this:
Each member attending the 1984 Reunion is requested to bring a
self-addressed stamped envelope, to your local home town newspaper
and present same at our registration table. This is all you have to do! We
will do the rest by having a press release prepared--containing member's
name, address/home town . We will stuff the member-furnished
envelope and mail.
All so easy, so simple! This is a sure-frre means to get member
home-town publicity and 70th Association publicity. Bring that envelope!
•
As of the October "Trailblazer;" after Taps and after change of
address, net paid membership; units and states stood: I ,286; 274th has
360, 275th has 330, 276th has 293 and all others has 303. California
has 104 members; Pennsylvania 102, Missouri 82, Illinois and Min-
6
nesota 72, Ohio 62 and Texas 61. All other states has from 50 -
graduating down to one.
Unfortunately, we have 32 members who have not paid dues since
fiscal '79/'80. They have been contacted twice. One member was
found to be deceased and one moved with no forwarding address.
Hopefully, all noted the surge of 70th MP Platoon new members in
the October Trailblazer. Someone certainly did some high powered
recruiting. How about you! Are you working at - "Each One Get
One"?
The Treasurer's
Elbert Feaster
Report Secretary-Treasurer
7/1/83 Cash on hand $15,576.20
INCOME
544 memberships @ $7. $ 3,808.00
Interest 337.40
Donations 15.00
15 life memberships 1,479.00 5,639.40
21,215.60
EXPENSES
"Trail blazer" 837.10
Postage 237.02
Supplies 328.07
Pictures
(Ft. Leonard Wood) 130.00
"TB" editor 200.00
Reunion expense
(prepaid) 1,076.00 2,808.54
18,407.06
10/1/83 Oxford Bank 7,505.02
First Federal Bank 10,902.04
$18,407.06
PLEASE NOTE: Dues for 1984 are due between now and
July 1.
First
Call!
So much fun and so successful was an impromptu raffle at the
Minneapolis Reunion that this year it's going to be an official-and
well-heralded-event in Ph illy . The raffle committee consists of Casey
Cassidy, Mary Davenport, Carol Brown, Paul Durbin and Dean
Banker.
There will also be an auction on the Friday night of the festivities.
Besides the fun provided by Dean and Paul , the masters of ceremonies,
the proceeds will hold down the cost of the Reunion.
All members, whether or not they attend the Reunion, are invited to
donate items to be raffled or auctioned. Your own personal handicraft
would be most appropriate as would products closely identified with
your part of the country. Bring the item(s) with you to Philly or send
them on to some address that will be announced in the next issue .
Casey-his address is at the foot of page 2 with other Association
officers-would appreciate an advance notice of what your contribution
will be.Just drop him a postcard. (Casey, I'll donate a painting or a
piece of calligraphy. How's that for early notice?)
70th Division Assn TRAILBLAZER

New Members
BANBURY, Gordon E.
19800 Gavello Avenue
Sunnyvale, California 94086
Co. B, 274
CROCKER, John D. (Arline)
42 Clinton Street
Delhi, New York 13753
Co. B, 648 TCBn
VELDMAN, F. Gerrit (Groce)
527 Galohad Drive
lansing, Michigan 48906
HQ Co. 2nd Bn, 274
DENNSTEDT, Frederick D. (Marjorie)
CHANGES OF ADDRESS
45 Brair Hollow #6
Houston, T exes 77027
BOYEA, Gerald
720 W . Austin
DILL, leslie G. (Lillian)
Peoria, Illinois 61614
4814 Van Morter
Spokane, Washington 99206 GOODWIN, Dallas L.
Co.H,276 1429 Montclair Road Apt 6
Birmingham, Alabama 35210
GARRITSON, F. K. (Mary)
7813 Palm Avenue
LONG, Roger
Yucca Valley, California 92284 461 McArthur Avenue
570th Signal Co.
Clovis, California 93612
STOCKMAN, Ralph
Box 115, 1015 West Sam Houston
Pharr, Texas 78577
UFFELMAN, Vernon
203 W. Beuna Vi\ta
Chester, Illinois 62233
WINCHELL, Arthur
580 18th Street
Gering, Nebraska 69341
KOCH, Henry J. (Edith)
MacNAUGHTON, Ralph
1063 Colfax Avenue
140 Route 46
CORRECTIONS
Pompton lakes, New Jersey
Mine Hill, New Jersey 07801
MEINERT, VINCENT
CROWDER, Estel L. (Pauline)
07442
(not Meinhart)
3098 Kirkcaldy
AT Co, 275
MARICLE, Floyd
3121 Sussex Drive
Memphis, Tennessee 38178
569 Garfield
St Charles, Missouri 63301
Co. H, 274
REARDON, Bernard A. (Mary Woodburn, Oregon 97071
DEBELICH, Peter (Jane)
louise)
NEWTON, Gerold
PO Box 159
535 S. Cortex Street
NEELY, William
(not Newman)
Pickerton, Ohio 43147
Prescott, Arizona 86301
Rt 6, Box 154
214 Aviation Rood Rt 2
Co. D, 274
Co. D, 276
Rollo, Missouri 65401
Glens Falls, New York 12801
**********************
We visited some places that our previous picked up by German families who were hosts
Trailblazers return trips had not taken us to. We saw the coliseum at their homes for several days' stay.
where Hitler had staged his huge rallies. In It was a wonderful tour, sightseeing, going
to old baHiefields Valkenburg, Holland we were welcomed as back to the areas where we fought and paying
By Eugene Inzer
liberators from Nazi rule.
respect to comrades who gave their 1 i ves for our
Man and nature combined to make the 1983 We saw familiar places, too . Saarbrucken great country.
Back-to-Europe trip an outstanding success. officials showed us maps and photos of the city
Nature provided 15 beautiful autumn days before and after the war. There we separated
and on the breathtakingly lovely Mainau Island and, in rental cars, we went individually to the
in the Boden see we saw what must be the most places where we had been in combat: Phillipsburg,
Wingen, Forbach, Syrin-Wendel, Spich­
Is this you?
beautiful flowers in the world.
Mankind-in the form of our German eren Heights.
friends-provided the 25th anniversary celebration
of the 6th Mountain Division Associa­
reception and were told that there is a street
At Forbach we were honored by a civic
Is this your description?
Or do you know who this man might be?
tion as an extra attraction to our tour. On a named "rue de 7th Armie" and another "rue
He was a first or second lieutenant from
Sunday morning the men who had faced each de 276th." We sang the French national anthem
with re;;l emotion. Pronunciation was
Chicago, was married and had two children.
other across the battlefield marched together to
He had just returned to the front after a /0-day
a memorial service for the fallen on both sides. passable-thanks to Frank Moran's phonetic
R&R leave. He was captured on Feb. 15, 1945,
writing-and the musical level was elevated by
along with 10 enlisted men. He spoke a little
Paula Schindler's coaching.
German and was with the 275th or 276th.
There were solemn moments, too. We journeyed
to the American Lorraine Cemetery at
If you have any clues, contact Gene Inzer,
POND, Calvin P.
415 Railroad Ave., Vidor, Texas, 77662. Several
members of the 6th Mountain Division
8073 Hanson Drive
St . A void, France, where most of our comrades
Oakland, California 94605
AT Co, 274, 2nd Bn.
who still remain in Europe are buried. There
would like to get in touch with him.
Died September, 1983
was a brief memorial service there. At Pfaffeneck
and Bucholz in Germany we participated
in ceremonies at military cemeteries.
Old friends contributed much to our enjoyment.
At hand to welcome us at Frankfurt was
Gunter Muller. He was a 12-year-old boy befriended
Who's Where?
SOUTHARD, lawrence G.
by Tom Higley and his company, C, Do you know the whereabouts of the follow­
6129 leesburg Pike
275th, during the war and who was located just ing 70th people? The postal laddies keep sending
back the " Trailblazer" as undeliverable at
Apt. 214
days before the Minneapolis Reunion which
Falls Church, Virginia 22041 Gunter-now a Pan Am official-attended. the last address we have:
Co. G, 275th
Our favorite burgemeister, Mayor Wilhem Winston Fletcher of Andalusia, Alabama;
Bruhl, presided at a reception in Boppard and Waldo Goertz, Seattle;
Willi and Hanni Gottenstroetter had a reception H. C. Pettyjohn, Poughkeepsie, New York,
for us at their home in Oestrich-Winkler. and
At Rudesheim, most of the group were Robert Bahde, Kearney, Nebraska.
January, 1984
7

Anniversary
brings men1ories
When we stopped to think- it has been
40 years si nce we gathered on the dusty
parade ground at Camp Adair and saw the
birth of an infantry division - the memories
come flooding back. Some are bitter,
some are sweet, most are bittersweet.
That was the mood of Gus Comuntzis
whose connections with the 70th go back
to the very beginning. "I had helped
open Camp Adair in August of 1942,"
he recalls. "We built two service
clubs, two cafeterias, two guest houses,
five theaters and the field house. Just as all
this was being completed I received orders
to go to Fort Benning, Georgia, where I
received my infantry commission.
"I met my wife-to-be there. After my
commission I hurried back to Adair for the
activation of the Trailblazers, Oregon's
Own.
" I wish that we could have had our
Reunion at this time, June 15, when we
were 40, to do a proper job not only of
honoring our one division but to remember
those who didn't come home. And there
were those who did come home but gave
up so much of their lives.
" Perusing the 'Trailblazer' brings
many memories. The picture of the medalawarding
ceremonies at the bombed-out
8
OKAY, MEN!
MOVE 'EM UP!
church reminds me of the assault on
nearby Zingzingen, south of Saarbrucken
under command of a Lt. Spaulding- he
was to be the son-in-law of Gen . Patch,
commander of our Seventh Army. This
was I company of the 275th. Our killed-inactions-
I I , I believe - were buried in a
common grave across the street from the
church. When we finally secured the village,
Gen. Patch wanted those bodies ex-
An infantry quartet capturing a Nazi
bomber and its crew?
Aw, come on!
Nope, it 's a fact. And one of that four­
Howard F. Overton, who just joined the
Association- can testify to that. He was
with Co. D. 276th, on May 4, 1945. discussing
the current lack of excitement.
Suddenly a large Heinkel I I 1-K landed on
a former German airfield at Aschaffenburg
, Germany.
Two and a half hours earlier the plane
had been in Denmark in the path of the
British drive, then about 40 miles away .
Earlier the crew had heard Gen . Eisenhower's
guarantee of safe passage for any
Ge'rman plane that didn't fire on Allied
forces. They chose the Dog Company
landing because they had been stati oned
Long columns of the 27 4th string out on
an approach march during training 40
years ago in Oregon. The scene is just
outside the hamlet of Airlie; the company
is not known. This picture was used
for the heading of a picture story in the
originai"T rail blazer" magazine for October,
1944, and was taken by Chester
Garstki.
humed to see if Lt. Spaulding was with
them.
"To accomplish this chore, five or six
Germans were captured and given the task
of digging. The lieutenant was not in this
group and I never did find out what happened
to him."
there for some time before the 7th Army
swept over the area.
The plane was in good condition. When
some of his captors jokingly suggested that
the pilot fly them to the States, the pilot
seriously considered the situation. Then he
replied, "Can't make it to America. But
we could make it to Britian."
Howard says he has the main compass
from the Heinkel cockpit and several personal
insignia and medals from the 6-man
crew.
He's trying to locate his former company
commander, Capt. Reardon, who
was with Co. D from June '45 until the
Division returned home that Fall. If you
have any info on this, drop him a line at
I 029 N. Quebec, Tulsa , Oklahoma
74115.
70th Division Assn TRAILBLAZER

LiHie acorn grows
to mighty oak
For the scores and hundreds of us who
joined the 70th Division Association in
recent years, it has been three decades or
more since we last enjoyed the fellowship
of our comrades. But for the founding
fathers of the Association, there was just a
17-year gap.
Seventeen years after they'd said goodbye
to each other at Camp Kilmer, New
Jersey, 17 men of Service Company,
275th Infantry Regiment met in Chicago.
That was in August of 1962.
Eugene J. Petersen of Belleville, Michigan,
was elected president and Clinton
Kruse of Topeka, Kansas, secretarytreasurer.
They decided to meet again in
two years in Salem, Oregon. close to
Camp Adair where the Division had been
activated in 1943.
In those two years, many ex-70th men,
not in Sv Co, wrote to these officers and
ANOTHER SEASON -
ANOTHER M ILESTONE
On June 15, 1943, the 70th Infantry
Division was born. On that Activation
Day, the Trail blazers - named for the
pioneers who a century earlier had
crossed the Rockies into Oregon -
consisted of a cadre of non-coms from
the 91st Division-" Powder River, let
'er buck!"
By September 11 the Division was at
January, 1984
urged that an all-Division association be
formed. The Service gang decided to invite
any former Trailblazer who lived in
the Pacific Northwest, to join the Salem
reunion. Enthusiasm was high and a large
majority voted to start the Division association.
The organizational committee was
ht:aded by C.G. "Gus" Comuntzis of
Morgantown, West Virginia. Dwight
Snell of Portland, Oregon, was named
secretary-treasurer. Mid-West representative
was Martin Stava of Omaha. Petersen,
then of Hayward California, and
Kruse were named special representatives.
Kruse was also appointed as editor of
the resurrected "Trailblazer." This publication
had been a picture magazine in the
size and style of'' Life'' while the Division
was in Oregon. It appeared as a special
"Readers' Digest" -sized magazine that
full strength and that was marked by
Organization Day. Each unit in the Division
was presented with its own Stars
and Stripes by commanding Major
General John E. Dahlquist (right). The
oldest unit in the Trail blazers was the
70th Quartermaster Company which
was represented by T/Sgt Claude English
(left).
could be sent as a Christmas greeting while
the 70th was at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri,
just before going overseas. In
France and Germany, the "Trailblazer"
was a weekly newspaper, printed in
Nancy, France.
By the next reunion- 1966 in St. Louis
- the Association had grown to 240
members and the organization was made
official by adoption of a constitution.
The men who had joined in Salem were
designated charter members.
The first executive committee of the
Association included: Comuntzis as president;
Andrew Martinez of Culver City,
California, vice-president-west, and John
Zimmerman of Laurel, Maryland, vicepresident-east;
Dwight Snell, Portland,
Oregon, secretary-treasurer with Ernest
Miller of Vancouver, Washington, as assistant.
Kruse was "Trailblazer" editor,
Petersen was historian and the Rev. Loren
T. Jenks of Center Point, Iowa, was appointed
chaplain.
Denver was the site of the 1968 reunion.
Membership had swelled to almost 400.
The 275th Service Company Association,
which had continued as a separate group,
voted unanimously to merge with the Division
Association. There were on ly a few
changes on the executive committee. Merritt
Dick of Topeka was elected assistant
secretary-treasurer; Clarke Hess of Los
Angeles was named chaplain; William
Myers of Denver was put in charge of
publicity and Robert Davidson was appointed
historian.
The Association rendezvoused in Reno
in 1970. (That, incidentally, was the first
reunion that Orville Ellis, now Association
president, attended.) He was elected
president in '76 and has served ever since
both in that capacity and as Reunion
chairman.)
Reunion attendance grew steadily:
1979, Reno, 86
'72 Kansas City I 0 I
'74, Milwaukee 125
'76, Toledo 161
'78, St. Louis 356
'80, Lexington, Ky. 432
'82, Minneapolis 546
Association membership also soared,
from 470 in August of 1976 to I ,200 plus
today ... and still counti ng.
9

Seems Like Old Times
By Edmund C. Arnold
Looks like quite a few Trailblazers were
pleased that this magazine has been expanded
50 percent. I know I am. Youse guys have been
so good in sending along interesting material
that it was a too-painful process deciding what
could and what couldn't run . The new size also
enables the printing of more of Chet Garstki's
great photos, too.
I hope the "Who's What" department will
soon contain material about you. Remember
that we aren't looking for Second Coming
stories; we want to know what the ordinary
day-to-day activities are in your life. We have
many Trailblazers who have risen to prominence
in their fields and we are justifiably
proud of them. But we are just as proud of our
comrades-in-arms who have done their jobs in
less conspicuous but just as honorable fashion.
So if you haven't filled in and returned the
"Axe-head Archives" form on page 9 of the
last issue, please do so. You don ' t need to use
that form; just drop us a line and tell us what
your latest has been. We'd like to hear, for
instance, what you did during the duck-hunting
season ... or chasing deer or moose or whatever
the game is in your territory.
•
I hate to say this, but I gotta. We can't use
colored Polaroid pictures in the "TB." And it
breaks our heart to have to turn down cherished
1945 pictures that just haven't weathered the
years to well. Too reproduce in print requires
sharp and clear photographs.
*
Sketchy information comes that Lawrence
G. Southard, commander of Co. G, 275th, died
in September. He was living in Falls Church,
The Computer
and you
Ever so slowly-but encouragingly surely-the
computer and the "Trailblazer"
mailing list are learning to live together. You
can hasten the process. Please check your
address on the back page of this magazine. If
there are any changes-no matter how
slight-please send them to the editor for
correction.
The postal apparatus is getting awfully
nitpicking. For the tiniest of changts, they
return the whole magazine. For this we must
pay two bits. Then it costs another 37¢ to
send it out again first class. Plus, it makes a
lot of work for the diligent, if unpaid, circulation
manager-the editor's wife.
So look at that label now.
10
Virginia at that time. I hope that we'll get more
details about his taking over the company in the
most bitter of combat.
•
We've noted that the typical Association
member might save a few bucks by taking out a
life membership rather than paying yearly
dues. Odds are in favor of a life long enough to
effect such savings.
But Tom Higley of Co. C, 275th, takes a
different view. In a note to Elbert Feaster, Tom
writes: "I've come to the conclusion that I
should be a life member of the Association.
Gambling on how long I, at the age of 70, will
live is not the criterion; that would be a poor
investment. However, there are other advantages
that the (Trailblazer) points out. "
(Among them are saving work for good ol'
Elbert who has a biiiiig job and does it admirably.
Also lifetime dues arc earning interest
for the Association. Not to mention the nice
sensation of knowing you never have to watch
the calender for the date-which is July
!-when dues come due.)
•
A most handsome ' ' Book of Remembrance"
has been prepared for the Association
and now begins the painstaking job of lettering
the names of each of our fallen comrades. The
book will be on display at our Reunions and
will be placed in the museum at Fort Leonard
Wood.
The Division's killed-in-actions number 270
in the 274th; 278 in the 275th and 282 in the
276th. The Recon Troop lost four and the
Combat Engineers, seven. Three Medics were
killed and there were two KIAs in each the
Signal Company and the 882nd Field Artillery
Battalion. The 725th, 883rd and 884th Artillery
Battalions each lost one man.
•
OK, OK! I was wrong; I admit it. And I am
being well reminded of that. I said that the
Division came home from Europe on the Queen
Mary. Among those who put the record straight
is Norman Gauch, who was first sergeant with
Sv. Co., 276th. Norm is with the Scotch Game
Call Co. in Rochester, New York, and I hope to
hear more from him about what kind of game
their calls call.
Meanwhile I' m happy to get a letter from
him-or from you-on any subject. Even
mixed-up ships. I now realize that I have sailed
on both the Queens. My wife and I returned
from England on the QE2 about a dozen years
ago . The QEI was the '45 ship.
Our eagle-eyed nitpicker, Casey Cassidy,
tells us that Lawrence Oftedahl-who with his
wife Harriet was on the return-to-Europe trip
last Fall-was a member of Co. G, 274th. Let
the record stand corrected.
Casey also passes on the sad news of the
death of Ellen Day Blackmar. She was the wife
of Charles, exec officer of G, 274 and now a
justice of the Missouri Supreme Court.
Speaking of ships, Charlie Pence, our esteemed
historian, reports about another one
that lives in 70th memories. "Recently I enjoyed
the hospitality of John (Co. F, 274th) and
Mae Tilson in Covington, Georgia. The senior
Tilsons, three of their five children and numerous
grandchildren all live in close proximity in
a rural community within an hour' s drive of
Atlanta. Our day provided a morning of fishing
in John's bassboat, Mae's country-ham dinner
with all the fixin's, war-story telling, familyalbum
viewing and much good fellowship.
"In one of the albums I enjoyed a collection
of snapshots taken by John while he was serving
with the 6th Coast Artillery in the Canal
Zone in 1940. One shot that caught my eye was
of the luxury liner, its side displaying the national
flag and its name 'America' of the United
States Lines. This was to identify it as a neutral
in the European war which then was already a
year old.
''We know that four years later the same ship
was refitted as a troop transport and renamed
the 'West Point.' This is the vessel that took the
274th and 275th regiments across the Atlantic
to the ETO. "
•
Fill me in , you experts: Who was on the
'Marine Devil' that sailed from New York to
Marseilles? It carried Division HQ-actually
Task Force Herren HQ-and other troops.
Most of them enjoyed extreme seasickness. I
never missed a meal . . . although most meals
were notably skippable.
•
Hy Schorr of Co. H is going to start a
newsletter for veterans of the 274th. He'd like
to hear from all regimental members and his
address is 109-15 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills,
New York 11375. Deluge him , guys! But remember
to send in your news items to this
venerable publication, too .
I' m a member of a national committee that
meets in Phily semiannually and puts us up at
the Marriott where our Reunion will be. So I
can testify personally that it 's a good hotel.
They've got a South-Seas-islands restaurant
that' s a dandy. The location is good, too,
whether you drive, fly or hitchike. The price
that ol' Pres Orville has negotiated is a dandy ,
too. Be doggone sure that right now-before
you read even another word of this deathless
prose-you fill out and send in the reservation
card that is affixed to this magazine. Early
reservations are required to get the bargain
rates .
•
One of our buddies asks: "Whatever happened
to the old Pine Tree Division from which
the 70th evolved? The Army Specialized Train-
70th Division Assn TRAILBLAZER

TWO ON­
FOUR OFF
Among other delightful features, guard
duty meant sleeping-if you could-on
bare mattresses, guarding against
Nazis and Japanese who, last heard of,
were some 3,000 miles away, and
maintaining parade-ground spit and
polish throughout a looong night. Here
is part of the guard detail furnished by
Co. E, 276th, while the Division was at
Ft. Leonard Wood. (Anyone recognize
a familiar face?) The other third of the
detail was out walking its beat.
ing Program (ASTP) which sent many men into
the Trailblazers, had units at a camp near Medford,
Oregon when the 9lst (Fir Tree) Division
trained there."
Last summer I went to Medford. Camp
White is now the ritzy Sun River resort with
only the huge officers club left of the original
Down the Rhine
in Memory Lane
By Henry Norton, Editorial Writer
Some friends have been spending the last
few days visiting the Netherlands and Belgium
and looking at picturesque castles along the
Rhine River. I envy them. I wish I were with
them. It was about 38 years ago that I floated
past some of those same castles.
It was a peaceful voyage. The part of World
War II in which I had earned my Purple Heart
had been over for about 314 months; the other
part of the war had more recently ended with
the atomization of two Japanese cities. My
military duties had been reduced to the production
of a mimeographed daily regimental newspaper.
There was time left for sightseeing.
I don 't remember how the sightseeing boat
came to be available, but I do remember that
the trip was made on a pleasant August Sunday
afternoon, right from our own backyard, practically.
The regimental headquarters to which I was
attached , more or less (I think that as a private
first class in a Special Service section I must
have been on the roster of the regimental Service
Company, but I worked independently),
sat beside the Rhine a few kilometers from the
resort city of Wiesbaden.
A rowing club whose activities the war had
military buildings. Made of tremendously large
logs-3 feet in diameter at least-it had been
built as a training project by the Engineers.
Some smart promoter looked over the area a
few years ago and noted that electricity, water
and roads were already in place, decided that
conversion to civilian use would be relatively
interrupted had conveniently stored its equipment
nearby, and I worked out occasionally
with a GI rowing crew. Our workouts in a
racing shell were awkward but fun.
Mainz, where Johannes Gutenberg had invented
movable type some 500 years previously,
was a short distance upstream. Our
river boat voyage took us in the opposite direction,
past steep, vineyard-covered hillsides,
toward Bingen, where the Rhine takes a rather
sharp turn on its way to Rotterdam and the sea,
a couple of hundred miles downstream.
Bingen is famous for myths and castles.
Especially famous is the Mouse Castle, or
Mauseturme, where, legend says, an army of
mice took vengeance on an evil bishop. Nearby
is another castle called the Katzturme or Cats
Tower; I forgot why. The rocks from on which
the Lorelei, with their singing, are supposed to
have lured uncautious sailors to their doom also
are nearby.
I am taking this journey into the nostalgia of
an August past because I am weary of the heat
of the August present. August is not one of my
favorite months-at least not in Kansas-and
judging from the weather channel maps I have
seen recently August has been a terrible month
almost everywhere this year.
There did appear, the other day, to be a sort
of refuge in the Pacific Northwest. The last
time I was in that region was in another seg-
easy. The result is a lovely place with a hotel,
condos and recreational facilities along the
beautiful Deschutes River. Nearby is the new
High Desert Museum on the outskirts of Bend.
Just a year old, it's well worth a visit if you're
out that way.
ment of my Army service.
It was during an August nearly 40 years ago
that the Army suddenly transferred me and a
trainload of other infantrymen from the summer
coolness of Oregon to the searing heat of
the Ozarks at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Had a
war not been going on, we probably could have
sued on grounds such a transfer in summer's
hottest month constituted cruel and unusual
punishment.
The abrupt change of climate drove one
corporal in our company to a suicide attempt.
The army was kinder to us after the war had
ended. The first furlough I received from my
editorial duties after VE (Victory in Europe)
Day was to Paris, by way of Luxembourg, a
fairy-tale duchy constructed out of lofty mountains,
tall trees and more castles. I'd love to go
there again and have time to spend a few days.
The Luxembourg segment of our trip to Paris
lasted only a few hours. Too bad my touring
friends didn't get to see any of it last week.
Their itinerary did not include Paris, either. I
got to see Paris twice, but I didn't really see
much of it the first time--only a few winter
hours' worth before the suburban military hospital
where I had been recuperating shipped me
back to the infantry. Tne other time was much
better, in early summer. I'd like to go back
there, too.
Reprinted courtesy of Wichita Eagle-Bulletin.
January, 1984
11