December 28, 2007
Looking Back On Oroville's Heroes
By Stu Shaner (533-8147)
Bill Connelly and I are Co-Chair of the Oroville Veterans Memorial Park Honoring All Of Butte County. Please check out our web site, by webmaster Daryl Autrey, at www.orovilleveteransmemorialpark.org, If you have anything you would like to share with me please call my number is 533-8147.
Oroville Mercury June 23, 1945
Air Medal Winner Given Discharge
Virgil M. Mastelotto of Bird Street has been discharged from the army air corps as staff sergeant under the point system after having completed 56 missions as a tail gunner on a Flying Fortress with the 8th air force. Mastelotto who entered the service in January, 1943, and was over seas eleven months, received the Air Medal and eight Oak Leaf Clusters, and was recommended for the Distinguished Flying Cross. He had a credit of 106 points. After completing thirty-five operational missions he would have been eligible to return home under furlough rotation, but volunteered for a second tour of duty, on which he flew 21 additional missions. He flew his first mission July 29, 1944, to Merseberg, Germany, and his last on April 25, 1945, to Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. He is the son of Joe Mastelotto, Oroville logging contractor. He was graduated from Portola High School in 1940.
Local Couple Married In Oakland Recently
Announcement is being made of the marriage of Miss Elsie Johnson of Oroville to Glenn Daniels, Fireman 1st class of the U. S. Navy. The wedding took place May 22 in Oakland where the groom is now stationed. He is the son of Floyd Daniels of Wyandotte. Daniels was hospitalized for several weeks recently at Oakland as a result of a bomb bursting near him. It is expected the young couple will make their home here after the war.
James E. Edwards of Oroville pulls switches aboard an escort aircraft carrier somewhere in the Pacific. He recently won a promotion to electrician’s mate 1st class, Edwards’ wife, the former June Joyce, is employed in the office of the county superintendent of schools.
Oroville Mercury June 4, 1945
Corkin Safe, Coming Home
Lt. Thomas J. Corkin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Corkin of American Farms, was liberated from a German prison camp April 29 and expects to be home by the middle of July. Harry Corkin received a telegram today from his son. It was sent from overseas. The lieutenant in letters received earlier, told his parents that liberation came after Gen Patton’s army had shelled the camp for two and a half hours. Finally the guards surrendered. Shells had been bursting all about, he said. A second letter followed the first by three weeks. In it Tom wrote that he was still in the prison camp but expected to be released within two days. He wrote that Patton had visited the camp, along with other letters. The camp was known at Stalag 7-A, and was located at Mooseburg Germany.
Oroville Mercury June 23, 1945
John Sitton Dies Suddenly
Richvale- John J. Sitton, 33, discharged war veteran, died Sunday in San Francisco while he was being taken by ambulance to a hospital there He had become suddenly ill while at work. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Elgan Sitton of Richvale and had lived in Richvale, Chico and Gridley. He served in the army for a year and a half. While with an engineer group in the South Pacific he was injured by a bomb blast. One of his eardrums was burst and he suffered from shock, followed by nervousness. After hospitalization for two months in Australia, he was brought to the United States 11 months ago. He was treated at army hospitals in San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Monterey before he received his discharge a few months ago. Mr. Sitton is also survived by the following: a daughter, Sahron Elaine Sitton, 11, or Chico; four brothers , Charles Sitton of Sacramento, Harry Sitton of Red Bluff, and Wesley and Golden Sitton of Durham: and a sister, Miss Arah True Sitton of Chico. Wesley Sitton left immediately after receiving news of his brother’s death, for San Francisco to make arrangements for returning the body here. Funeral arrangements will be made by the Nugent Funeral Home in Chico.
Stu’s Notes: I have written about Tom Corkin, father-in-law of Oroville Councilwoman Sue Corkin, about 4 or 5 times in July 2003 I wrote “ Lt. Tom Corkin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Corkin of American Farms, a German prisoner, not only wrote about receiving Praise Box sent to him through the Red Cross, he sent $10 as his donation to our Red Cross drive. He said the men in the prison camps consider the Red Cross “next to heaven” You have read about him training, going over seas, his capture and now he’s coming home.
The Mastelotto Family , a big part of Oroville for many years, can sure be proud of Virgil, he served his country well, above and beyond, along with others. Especially, Maurice Mastelotto, West Point Cadet who died in a C-47 plane crash, 1952 returning to West Point. A young 16 year old C. A. Morrison Jr., Grandson of Mrs. A. W. Mastelotto participating in some of the heaviest fighting in North Korea, 1950. John Sitton, did he die of War related injuries? It is very possible. I will personally see that a tile is placed in his honor. My good friend, Dennis Linburg said that Golden Sitton of Durham was not a brother, possibly a nephew. Golden died on Iwo Jima, Feb 22, 1945, three months before his Uncle. See my article March 4, 2005. So many heroes so many stories. They must be retold for future generations.