June 21, 2013

Chico Record
April 13, 1945
“Some Gave All”
Melvin Walker Killed In Action On Nazi Front
February 23
Pfc. Melvin Walker, 23, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Walker of Chico, was killed in action in Germany on February 23, according to a War Department communication. He previously had been reported missing in action. A graduate of Modoc Union High Scholl in Alturas he came to Chico with his parents in 1943. Before enlisting in the army in April, 1944, he worked in a Portland shipyard. His infantry training in the United States was at Camp Hood, Texas. He was awarded the Purple Heart in December for wounds received in action with his infantry unit in Germany. Survivors beside his parents include two brothers, Mervyn and Donald, and a sister, Audrey, and other relatives in Alturas.

Chico Record
April 12, 1945 (66 years ago)
U. S. Deplores Nazi Abuse Of Yank Prisoners R. C. Taking Daily Supplies To Camps
Washington-U. P. - Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and Secretary of State Edward R. Stettinius said today that 70,000 American prisoners of war held in Germany are living under “deplorable” conditions. They said, however, that the American Red Cross, through the International Red Cross, “has been and is doing everything within their power” to get relief to the American prisoners. The American people, the two secretaries promised, “will not forget” the criminal Nazi treatment of the prisoners. “The perpetrator of these heinous crimes will be brought to justice,” they said. Stimson read the statement to his press conference shortly after the International Red Cross disclosed in a cable from Geneva that truck convoys carrying Red Cross food supplies started a daily service today from Switzerland to prison camps in Germany. It informed the American Red Cross that 296 trucks are available for this work.
( Stu- Sadly so many Nazi’s escaped prosecution.)
Chico Record
April 13, 1945
Adventists Send Relief Clothing
The local Seventh – Day Adventist Church has just received word that members of the denomination have already sent more that forty tons of clothing to San Francisco and New York for shipment to needy countries. The church will co-operate with the national United Nations Clothing drive during April, and will continue to send clothing to needy countries after the nation – wide drive ends. Word from Greece, Poland, Holland, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, and even Leyte indicates that many are dying from exposure due to lack of clothing. In some sections it is said that notice of a death in a family brings mobs of shivering folk offering money to buy the clothing of the deceased.

Stu’s Notes:
Pfc. Melvin Walker, we had on our Chico WWII list as KIA, but this is the first article that I have found on him. Being a graduate of Modoc High School, he may be honored in Stone up there, and I don’t think the people of Modoc will mind if we here in Butte County honor him also. If you know of any people in Modoc let them know we will honor him down here. Thank you Buzz Huntington for more Oroville Mercury’s and Chico Record’s. The search goes on. It is hard to believe that this could happen in America that masses of people could die due to lack of clothes. Forty tons of clothes the Seventh Day Adventist Church did a wonderful job to help those people. The Red Cross did so much more than just provide coffee and donuts.
The Oroville Veterans Memorial Park For All of Butte County just had our 12th Anniversary Meeting, it is hard to imagine we started this Memorial 12 years ago. Thanks to some unnamed person we had a party after the meeting which included home made pie! Fortunately, there was one left over and Stu took it home, boy was it good! We’ve come a long way, some times it seemed impossible to do what we’ve done. Last week I said we had a set back in the start of our parking lots. Bill Connelly, my Co-Chairman told us last Monday at our Meeting that the problems have been worked out and in late summer we will start. Heavy Equipment will roll for all to see. Butte County has been working hard to put this all together. Butte Counties Grant Hunsicker stated in a memo to Bill, “Simply put, we are sticking to this like a dog on a bone and will not let up until this part of the overall project is complete and will also continue to seek additional opportunities”.