May 8, 2015

Enterprise Record
February 10, 1945
“Some Gave All”
Sgt. ‘Dick’ Quiring Lost on Flight Sergeant Richard (Dick) Quiring of Chico was lost somewhere between Bermuda and the Azores about January 21.according to a war department telegram received by his wife, Mrs. Carmelita Quiring, who resides here with their young son, Dickie. Sgt. Quiring was flying on a B-24 Liberator bomber as a belly turret gunner, and according to the war department officials: a search for the missing Chico flier and other members of his crew is being carried on by air and water branches of the services. The son of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Quiring of Chico is a graduate of Chico High School. Shortly after leaving school he enlisted in the air corps. He was assigned to the Global 20th Air Force and trained for a time at Denver. Colorado.

Enterprise Record Chico
March 1945
Cpl. ‘Dick’ Quiring Dies in Atlantic Plane Crash
Corporal Richard D. Quiring, 22, previously reported missing in action on January 20, died February 2 in American area, according to a telegram received by his wife, Mrs. Carmelita Quiring of Ivy Street. Cpl Quiring was on his way overseas when the B-24 he was on crashed somewhere between the Azores and Bermuda Islands. He had left this country in January. He was home in December on a furlough and visited his wife and 18-month old son, Dickie. He had been in the service for two years. The Chico youth is survived by six brothers and three sisters and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Quiring of Chico. The wire stated that a confirming letter will follow shortly.
(Stu- In WWII Soldiers didn’t always come to your door.)

From the Oroville Veterans Memorial Park web site
Richard D. Quiring
Born February 2, 1923, Died January 20. 1945,
Army Air Corporal, B-24 Crewmember in World War II
MIA/BNR Air Loss/Crash, Between Azores, Portugal & Bermuda Islands.
Listed on the Tablets of the Missing,
East Coast Memorial, Battery Park, New York, NY Memorial headstone:
Chico Cemetery,
Sources: Additional research by Bill Edmiston.

Stu’s Notes:
Years ago Oroville Veterans Memorial Park Committee member Joan Lee Van Campen gave me the above story about Richard Quiring, which I set aside for later use. Well it got lost in my many places that things get lost in. In the mean time Bill Edmiston found a little about this Chico Hero and now we have more.

Thank you Joan where ever you are. She has moved south to live with her sister and we have not had contact for a few years. She did so much over the years as a committee member. As my readers know she lost her brother in Vietnam PFC Thomas Van Campen, MIA June 24, 1965. He was a graduate of Oroville High School.

The Oroville Veterans Memorial Park Committee will have a booth in the Mike Ish Parking lot across from the Eagles. We will share it with my other club Men Who Built Oroville Dam. After many, many years of having a big rig with a steam roller, back hoe or some other big piece of equipment, we will not this year. The Department of Water Resources cannot cover us any more with insurance. I guess we went out big time last year as Dam Worker Clem Brown “Brownie” rode with me up on top, in his WWII uniform which fit him perfect. He is in his 90”s. I was so proud to sit with him that fine day. Many through out the whole parade hollered “Hey Brownie” stood and saluted him. He has moved out of town and is living near his daughter.

Memorial Day is coming up on Monday May 25th, be sure to save time to come and pay tribute to those who served their country. There will be a Ceremony at the Oroville Memorial Park Cemetery on Lincoln Blvd. at 11AM and weather permitting the Avenue of Flags will be up. At 1:30pm there will be a ceremony on the Green Bridge with the Ringing of the Bell for all the Veterans that passed this year from the Oroville Area. The Thermalito Band (Nelson Avenue Middle School) will play for us.