December 7, 2012

Oroville Mercury Register
May 14, 1951
Dean Larson Assigned To Air Base In Texas
Dean Larson, superintendent of the Oroville-Wyandotte Irrigation District on leave, has completed his combat crew training in B-29’s and has been assigned permanently to Randolph Field at San Antonio, Texas. “Flying is interesting, but not as much so as engineering,” Larson wrote the Mercury.

Oroville Mercury Register
August 16, 1945
Darell Foster Wins Place On Navy Honor Roll
Darell Winston Foster, S 1/c ARM, CAC student at the United States Naval Training School in Dearborn, Michigan, on July 6th was merited on the Naval Honor Roll for his outstanding achievements in the course. Upon completion of the Dearborn assignment, he will proceed to Corpus Christ, Tex., for further aviation radio technician’s training. Previously he completed a course in radio and radar at Memphis, Tennessee, and was the only man selected from the combat air crewmen at Jacksonville, Florida, to attend the Michigan school. Also in naval aviation is his brother, Clinton M. Foster, AEM 3/c volunteer of a bombing fighting squadron on an aircraft carrier, who has received extensive naval training in eastern schools of the navy. The Foster brothers are the grandsons of Mr. and Mrs. George C. Duensing and the nephews of Mr. and Mrs. Neil C. Hansen of Oroville.

Stu’s Notes: Well a few weeks ago I did a story on Dean Larson, manager of O-W, Oroville Wyandotte Irrigation District, now called South Feather Water and Power and how the Board of Directors tried to get him a deferment from the Korea War, Oroville Mercury Register, Sept. 9, 1950. Well I thought I would never know if they succeeded. Well luck would have it, I found the above story and it seems the Air Force needed him more than OWID Now I wonder if he got his job back after he served his Country again in the Korea War.

Oroville Mercury Register
December 7, 1953
Says Russ Hold US Service Men
TOKYL (UP)- Soviet Russia is holding American servicemen and a large number of European prisoners in notorious Wladimir Prison 100 miles northeast of Moscow, a Japanese repatriate from the camp said today. Former Navy Capt. Nao Maeda, Japanese naval attaché in Mukden, Manchuria, during the last war, told a lower house committee that Wladimir was primarily a prison for “foreign” captives. Last Saturday another repatriate, former Army Sgt. Ryoho Akiyama, said all prisoners at the notorious camp were “political prisoners.” Maeda told the legislators Germans were the most numerous at Wladimir but there were also about 30 to 35 Japanese, Finns, Poles, Turks, Frenchmen, British, Dutch, Estonians and, in addition American servicemen. He did not know how many Americans were interned there.

I wrote a few weeks ago about attending an American Legion dinner to honor those high school students who attended Boy’s State and Girl’s State, here are a couple more reports that the students wrote:

Amanda Nelson, Oroville High School:
My experience at Girls State is something I will always remember. I met lots of amazing people who share the same goals as I do and made friendships to last a life time. I learned a lot about government and gained the confidence I needed to run for an office. Being at Girls State made me feel important and a part of something special. When the week was over I was sad to leave Claremont McKenna College; a place where memories were made and great knowledge created an amazing government.

Julian Velador, Oroville High School:
Hello my name is J.J. Velador and I loved going to Boys State. There was always something to do, and the people there were amazing. I made incredible memories and friends that I will never forget. My team made it to the volleyball championship and I was a starter, it was a really fun, amazing, experience. The trip to Sacramento was great, especially meeting all of the fellow Boys Staters from my area.

I always thought that after WWII both Russia and China had some of our Service men hidden away for various reasons. Those two Governments were run by evil people. One example, 90,000 Germans surrender at Stalingrad and only 5,000 ever made it home. Many of those 90,000 were not friends of Hitler. They just got caught up in a terrible war. Did those Japanese soldiers have a reason to lie, maybe, maybe not. Its been so long ago will the truth ever be known.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Ceremony today
The National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 71st Anniversary will be observed today, December 7 by survivors of the 1941 Japanese attack at 9:55 a.m. in the Butte County Fairgrounds. The ceremony is open to the public and held at the Memorial Flag Pole. Enter at the south gate of the fairground. The gate will be open from 8 a.m. to noon to accommodate visitors. My friend Art Wells, a Marine and Pearl Harbor Survivor will be there.

Germans were the most numerous at Wladimir