May 2, 2003
Looking Back on Oroville's Heroes
By Stu Shaner
These
stories are about the men and women who went to war so that
we might be free. This column is dedicated to all our
Veterans. It will use articles taken from past Oroville
Mercury Registers. If you have any information you would
like to share please call me at 533-8147. Many of those
mentioned in these stories came home. But as you will learn,
many young Oroville men did not. They gave ALL.
OROVILLE
MERCURY REGISTER March 6,1945
IN THE
FIGHT
SERVICE FLAG WITH 12 STARS SHOULD HAVE TWO MORE ADDED
Many who
drive down Bridge have noticed the silk service flag in a
window on Bridge Street. It bears 12 stars. One little lad
looking at it was heard to remark: "Oh, hell, they couldn't
all be hers." He was referring to
Mrs. John McEvilly.
Mr. and Mrs.
McEvilly have one son,
Burke Nielson,
in the service – he is on a rescue ship, used to pick up
fliers lost at sea. The other 11 stars are grouped around
this one and represent Mrs. McEvilly's nephews in the
service. Since the flag was made by a sister and sent to her
two other nephews have entered the service. Burke, who
attended high school here for a while and then graduated in
Salt Lake, enlisted in the navy. He is 21 and married.
ROBERT KRAUSE NOW IN MERCHANT MARINE SERVICE
Robert H. Krause
is still baking bread only he is doing it now for Uncle Sam
and his kitchen is on board a Merchant Marine Liberty ship.
He lived in Oroville for a number of years where he was
employed by the Log Cabin Baking Co. Last September the
family moved to Chico and he helped his brother in the
butcher shop. The two children, a boy and girl and their
mother are staying on in their home there. Mrs. Krause is
the former Nellie Brown. She is the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. C. W.
Brown of Ft. Wayne Street and attended Oroville
schools. Krause in the son of
Mrs. A. Krause
of W. 7th Street, Chico.
CARL
TUCKER VISITING MOTHER
Cpl.
Carl Tucker, son of Mrs. Gertrude Clark of
Thermalito is home on leave for a few days for the first
time since he entered the army over a year ago. He is a
radar mechanic in the Air Corps and has been stationed at
Boca Raton, Florida. On the way home, he was able to fly as
far as Kansas City but had to travel by train the rest of
the way. Tucker attended Oroville schools and graduated from
high school with the class of 1943. He expects to be sent
overseas soon after his return to duty.
CPL.
COUNTRYMAN MAY BE FIGHTING ON IWO JIMA
Friends
of Cpl. H. L.
Countryman 34 are wondering whether he has seen
fighting on Iwo Jima. His most recent letter to his mother,
Mrs. Mamie
Countryman, of Myers St., stated that he was
"expecting to see combat duty any time now." It was written
about Feb. 11, just before the invasion at Iwo. He has been
in Saipan. Mrs. Countryman said that her son liked the
service wholeheartedly. Countryman worked for Safeway here
three years ago. He is married. He and his wife worked in an
airplane plant in Los Angeles prior to his marine
experience. He was a foreman there. Mrs. Countryman has
another son,
Raymond, Jr., 21, who is an army air corps cook
and baker. He is in the Netherland East Indies. He has
written that the climate there is hot and
SOME
GAVE ALL
Oroville
Mercury May 1, 1943.
COUNTRYMAN BOY TO BE NAMED FOR FATHER
A son was
born this morning at Oroville Curran hospital to
Mrs. Joseph D.
Countryman. Mrs. Countryman said that the baby
will be named for his father,
Joseph Delbert
Countryman, who was killed a short time ago in a
tank accident at an Army Base.
Stu's
notes: Who was
Joseph Delbert
Countryman? Was he from Oroville? I was told he was a
half brother to Cpl.
H. L. Countryman. It was
Mrs. 0. Beever,
who called after last week's article about
Pvt. Roy Eldon Steed.
She was his Aunt and very glad that I wrote about
him. Also that he would be honored. So many names so many
stories but Lynn will put it altogether I just must strive
to get my notes to her. I will. The search goes on. I've
read a lot of old paper. The four letter word for a bad
place is extremely rare. The Merchant Marines lost more men
percentage-wise than any other service and it took a long
time for them to get recognized as Veterans.