July 1, 2011
Oroville Mercury Register
August 24, 1960
Activities Of Local People In Armed Services
Pvt. Alvin S. Smith, H-S 249 Eng. B., now is stationed
in France. He is the son of A. E. (Skeet) Smith of Yankee Hill and
the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. S. P Starkey of Durham. He took his
basic at Fort Ord and then went to Bellevoire, Va. He left there
June 17 and has been assigned to the water purification division
of engineers in France.
Army Pvt. Richard Neher, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Neher of Oregon
City, has arrived at Fort Eileson, an Air Force base near Fairbanks,
Alaska, for duty. He is assigned to a mortar platoon. Neher attended
Cherokee elementary schools and was graduated from Oroville Union
High School in 1959.
Pfc. Grant D. Brown, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Boris S. Brown of Oroville
Dam Blvd., is participating with other personnel from the 101st
Airborne Division in exercise Bright Star at Fort Bragg, N.C. A
massive airborne assault involving 30,000 troops in one phase of
the Strategic Army Corps (STRAC) exercise. Brown, a driver in Battery
C of the division’s 321st Artillery at Fort Campbell,
Ky., entered the Army in December 1958 and was last stationed at
Fort Chafee., Ark. He is a 1957 graduate of Oroville Union High
School.
Army Pvt. Billy J. Youngblood 17, son of Mrs. Bessie J. O’Meara,
Route 3, Oroville, recently was graduated from the 82 Airborne Division
Jump School at Fort Bragg, N.C. Youngblood received his paratrooper
wings after completing four weeks of intensive ground and aerial
training that included five parachute jumps. He entered the army
last January and completed basic combat training at Fort Ord.
Oroville Mercury Register
April 20, 1943
Schurrs Get Attention For War Effort
Blind pair may get place on national radio program. Mr.
and Mrs. Morris Schurr who have become well known in Oroville for
their faithfulness in manning an observation post, although both
are without vision, are in line to become recognized all over the
country and in foreign lands. The couple have just received a letter
from Headquarters San Francisco Air Defense Wing, Fourth Fighter
Command, in which Maj. G. VB. Underwood, Air Corps, wing ground
observer officer, tells them that correspondence concerning the
story of their lives has been sent to him and that he is forwarding
it to a broad casting company in Hollywood for consideration as
material for a radio script. His letter continues, “We hope to have
your story dramatized on our ‘Eyes Aloft’ program.” The major also
expresses his appreciation to Mr. and Mrs. Schurr for their loyalty
and service. He concludes his letter, “I understand congratulations
are in order on the arrival of a new member of the family” (The
Schurrs recently became the parents of a baby girl.) In a letter
received by Mrs. Geneva Lepper, area supervision, who sent the correspondence
about the Schurrs into headquarters at San Francisco, Major Underwood
wrote that he hoped to have the story dramatized on foreign broadcasts.
In spite of the ordeal of becoming a father, Schurr is still standing
his watch at the listening post regularly. Mrs. Schurr said that
as soon as the baby is old enough to leave with a nursemaid, she
will resume her job as a ground observer. Mother and baby are in
Dayton at the present time, visiting at the home of Mrs. Schurrs
mother. Stu- My sister Peggy was born in April of 1943.
Stu’s Notes: Well I’m back. Lynn and I and most of my family went
to Fort Bragg for four great days. Since the valley temperature
was mild we had four days and nights fog free. My nephew, Eric got
some abalone and son Jeff got some delicious surf fish (smelt) so
we are eating fish. Grandchildren Jessica, Noah, Gavin and little
Emma kept me very busy. I did miss two days of the construction
of our sidewalks. But I will be there everyday this week. It still
hasn’t sunk in that we have actually started a part of the Memorial
Park. This week they will pour the entrance to Arlin Rhine Memorial
Drive. I sure like that new name, I hope Arlin’s sister
still reads my articles, I’m sure she will be happy about the change
in name.
I hope one of my readers can tell me exactly what a listening post
was, I think maybe to listen for Airplanes at night that might be
the enemy or did they listen on some kind of radio for enemy broadcast?
So many civilians did so much for the war effort and we of Oroville
can be proud of what the Orovillians did so long ago. Let’s not
ever forget what they did. This article is about the 470th
one, give or take 1 or 2 that I have been writing and Lynn has been
typing for the past nine years.