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My grandfather, MelvinMcIntosh, served inthe Navy during

World War II. This much Iknew. While I was growing up,we got to see each other per-haps once a year, as he lived inMaryland and I lived in centralNew York. I went off to college,then moved around the coun-try, first New Jersey, then NewMexico, Ohio, California, backto New York.

Unfortunately, I never hadany long conversations withmy grandfather or asked himabout his military service.

Around 1998, my wife and Itraveled from San Francisco toWashington, D.C., to attend afriend’s wedding. I called mygrandparents to see if they’d be

around so thatwe could havelunch together.They readilyagreed, and wespent a coupleof hours withthem, talkingover lunch andtaking a strollthrough down-townWashington.

This wasright around the time that theepic World War II movieSaving Private Ryan had comeout in theaters. Off-handedly, Iasked my grandfather if he wasgoing to see the movie.

And then a remarkable thing

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Thank veterans notjust on Veterans Day

Inside:

Editor’s Column..............................................................................3

Black, served in the Army, WWII ....................................5 - 6

Griffey, served in the Army, Vietnam...........................7 - 10

Croner, serviceman, recruiter, 1958 to 2001 ..........11 - 13

Holcolm, served in the Air Force, Vietnam......................14

Eugene Smit, served in the Marines in 1977...................15

Stitzel, served in the Army, Vietnam..........................16 - 17

Emmons, served in the Navy, WWII..........................18 - 19

EDITOR’SNOTEBOOK

Scott McIntosh

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

On the cover:The post-boot camp photo shows World War II veteran

Eldon Black just before he shipped off to the Pacific theaterof operations. Black’s story is on Pages 5 and 6.

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happened. My grandfatherstarted talking about his expe-riences in the war. He talkedabout serving in the SouthPacific and about being calledsuddenly to the European the-ater for some sort of big inva-sion that turned out to besomething called D-Day. Mygrandfather had fought on D-Day! And I had no idea at all.

Here I was strolling casuallyalong the streets ofWashington with a member ofthe Greatest Generation whoserved on D-Day.

I was as much surprised bythe fact that he had fought onD-Day as I was surprised by thefact that these stories were sud-denly coming out of my grand-father. I guess I had always as-sumed simply that my grandfa-

ther would be reticent aboutthe war. But I have no one toblame but myself for not askingsooner.

After our conversation, I waseven prouder to carry theMcIntosh name because of mygrandfather’s service to ourcountry.

Veterans Day is an excellentexcuse to honor those whohave served in our ArmedForces, particularly those whoserved during wartime.

During our most recent warsin Afghanistan and Iraq, I havehad the privilege of meetingmany service members whoserved overseas and I havetalked to their families. I havecome to understand just howdeep of a sacrifice it is for a fam-ily to give up a mother or fa-ther, husband or wife, son or

daughter, who is going into awar zone.

I say that Veterans Day is anexcellent “excuse,” becausethat’s what it seems like to me.I hate relegating the act of rec-ognizing and honoring our vet-erans just one day out of theyear. When I see someonewearing a “Vietnam WarVeteran” ballcap or some othersymbol that they are a veteran,I do my best to say, “Thank youfor your service.” When talk-ing to family members, I try toremember to say, “Thank youfor your sacrifice.”

So while it may sound trite, Iwould encourage everyone tomake every day a Veterans Day,whether it means saying thankyou for your service or asking arelative about their experience.

We hope you enjoy this edi-tion of our annual VeteransDay special section and appre-ciate the stories we’re bringingyou about local people whohave served our country sowell. We applaud them andhonor them, and we hopeyou’ll do the same. Not just to-day, but every day.

FROM PAGE 3I would encourage everyone to make every daya Veterans Day, whether it means sayingthank you for your service or asking a relativeabout their experience.

— Scott McIntosh, Editor, Argus Observer’

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RWILLIAM LOPEZARGUS OBSERVER

PAYETTE

“I served for two years, 10 months and10 days,” World War II Army veteranEldon Black, 90, Payette, said. “Twenty-two months of that was in combat.”

Black was drafted into the service inFebruary 1943 and began his career withthe Army as a military glider, operating en-gineless, wooden planes that were towedby aircraft and then dropped where need-ed.

Due to the dangers of such work and itsoverall perceived ineffectiveness, Blacksaid that his battalion changed to a para-trooper one. This change was happily ac-cepted by him and most of the soldiers.

“We went on these maneuvers with thegliders and I didn’t care for it,” Black said.“I told my captain I wanted to join theparatroopers and he told me the battalionwas going to be turned into a paratrooperone anyway.”

Black, a lifelong resident of EasternOregon, explained in detail many of thehorrors he encountered during his ardu-ous duty in the Pacific theater of opera-tion.

“It’s hard to remember sometimes,” hesaid. “I spent so much time trying to forgetthe bad memories.”

Early on in his tour, Black said that hisbattalion got hit hard by Japanese artilleryand several American soldiers were killed.Black was on a separate assignment at thetime and missed that one.

He climbed through the enlisted ranksquickly, looked after his men well andearned a Bronze Star medal for eliminat-ing three Japanese gunner nests.

“A friend of mine told me once, ‘Youdon’t have to be crazy to be a paratrooper,but sometimes I think it helps,’” Blacksaid, chuckling.

While looking at a photo of his battaliontaken shortly before entering a combatzone, Black pointed out several of the menand their fates.

“He was killed, so was he,” Black said ashe singled out the men in the old black-and-white photo. “I’m not sure how welost him, but I know he didn’t make itback. My friend here got shot in the arm.”

Despite the almost constant fighting andthe loss of lives, Black said that there weresome moments he looks back on now andlaughs.

There was the time that his officers haddisappeared with a truck needed to trans-port food rations, and Black said he hadto resort to unconventional methods to ac-quire a vehicle by essentially stealing one.When the captain heard about what hap-pened, he threatened Black with a court-martial and Black said, “Fine, but in thatcourt-martial be sure to explain what hap-pened to the ration truck that you took inthe first place. Our colonel said, ‘Thesergeant’s got you on that one captain,’and that was it for the court-martial talk!”

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Our gratitude goes out to all our military men and women.

ank you~

Eldon Black served in Pacific theater

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY VEA JENSEN

Eldon Black sits in his apartment surrounded by photos and holdinghis dog, Janie.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

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Black survived severalmonths of grueling combat inthe Pacific and made it home tomarry his fiance, Helen, hesaid.

“They went to high school to-gether in Huntington,” said hisdaughter, Vea Jensen, Payette.

Black’s mother made Helen’swedding dress out of a whiteparatrooper parachute, andBlack wore his Army serviceuniform at the wedding.

Transitioning from a WorldWar II soldier to a civilian,Black spent much of his timeafter the war ranching, farm-ing and working in various la-bor-type jobs, Jensen said.

“He led a common person’slife when he came back,”Jensen said. “He wasn’t boast-ful about his service and evenwhen he talked war it was sim-ply to tell a story, not to boast.”

Black had seven children, butlost a 2-year-old daughter in acar accident. He raised threeboys and three girls, Jensensaid. At 90, Black now has 13grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

In 1990, after 45 years ofmarriage, Helen passed away

from cancer. “He was always so quick-wit-

ted, and my mom was quick-witted too, so together theywere just so much fun,” Jensensaid.

Black currently resides at asenior and disabled apartmentcenter managed by his daugh-ter, Jensen, surrounded by pic-tures of his life and his dogcompanion, Janie.

FROM PAGE 5

SUBMITTED PHOTO

This undated photo was taken shortly after EldonBlack’s arrival in the Pacific theater of World War II.

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Editor’s Note: Clyde L.Griffey contacted us this sum-mer, offering to tell us aboutone specific day in Vietnam,hoping that it would give us abrief idea about our troops andothers who were there duringthe Vietnam Conflict. Griffey,currently of Federal Way,Wash., was born in 1940 inOntario. He left Ontario in1958, running away to join themilitary. During his service, hewas assigned to the 25th MPCo, 25th Infantry Division,and went to Vietnam. Whatfollows is his story.

BY CLYDE L. GRIFFEYFOR THE ARG US OBSERVER

In school, most of us were re-quired to learn a poemabout the 18th of April,

1775, about Paul Revere’s ride.However, history will never tellyou about the 18th of April,1966, nor the country or placenor the things that happenedon this day.

It’s a day that Iwant to forget.It’s a day that Idid not want tosee happen. It’s aplace that I neverknew that Iwould be in, and

why did it happen, who causedus to be there, and did theworld or my family really care.

I had just been released fromthe hospital two days prior tothe 18th of April, 1966. I wasnow back with my company. Iwas back again with my pla-toon and squad.

Everyone was glad that I wasstill alive, but no one knew orexpected this event to happenbecause we were at our basecamp where we had bunkers,fox holes, all kinds of defensepositions, and all kinds of pro-tection.

We had three InfantryBattalions, Tanks, ArtilleryUnits, Howitzer Units. We had

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Clyde Griffey recallshis service in Vietnam

Griffey

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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the Wolf Hounds, SpecialForces, Signal Units,Helicopter Units, an EngineerBattalion, a TransportationUnit. We also had a hospitalwith doctors and nurses there,as well as the 25th InfantryDivision, 25th Military PoliceCompany.

The name of the place wasChui Chi Viet Nam. The name

of the Military Police Campwas called Fort Fritts, namedafter of commanding officer.The time was just about 05:30(5:30 a.m.). From the tentwhere our squad slept to themess tent was 50 meters and tothe closest bunker was 70 me-ters, and 90 meters to our or-derly room.

Without notice, the sound of

FROM PAGE 7

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Clyde Griffey at Military Police Academy. Griffey served in Vietnam and relates his experience of one day inVietnam during which he and his fellow soldiers came under enemy attack.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

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small arms fire was heard, thenthe swish sound of motors androcket fire going off and the re-sounding explosion the rocketand motor rounds made whenthey impacted the ground,building, shelter, or whateverthey came in contact with.

We were under attack by theenemy, but they could not beseen. Only the sounds of theirweapons could be heard. I wasin no man’s land, too far fromthe bunkers, too far from thefox holes, too far from our tent,too far from any safety that Icould see.

The MP’s that I could seewere running to their safetynet and had their weaponswith them. I did not even havea hard hat on or with me, noteven a weapon. I could not runfor it. If I did run, the stitchesthat I had in me could breakand open up the wound in mystomach.

My only option that I knew ofwas to walk as fast as I could to-ward one of our bunkers forsafety and to pray and ask forhelp as I went on along my way,and I did pray in my heart andmind.

Rounds that were fired from

the weapons of the enemy wentover my head and sometimescame close to my feet. Therockets and motor rounds hitthe ground not far from whereI was walking.

As I got close to the safety ofone of our bunkers a rocketstruck the ground close to me.

Two other MP’s and friendswho were trying to reach thebunker at the same time as Iwas, are not here. However, Iam still here.

The two MP’s that I knewand called “friend” are not.

Did I deserve to survive?Why was I not also taken toheaven or hell on that day, whyam I the one still here? No manon earth can tell you why I amhere and why my friends weretaken. One can only say yourtime has not yet come, or forthe grace of God there go I.

The fighting in Vietnam wasnever classified as a war. It wascalled a conflict, but a war itwas, a war to survive, and givethanks to those who gave theirlife so young.

No one in the United Statessupported this fight (war) andthose of us who had to go toVietnam were called babykillers and other such names.

All of those who served orlived in Vietnam, their livesare changed forever and theywill never be the same. Whathappens to them when late atnight a knock on their doorcomes, or they hear the soundsof explosions going off, or thesound of weapons fire? Whatgoes on in their minds, is it thesame that goes off in my mind?Am I ready to fight or do I

want to run?I will never be the same, and

my family can attest to that.Even my sister Caroline can tellhow she felt the day shetouched me when I was notready, and how she turnedwhite as a ghost.

Conflict or war, it does notmatter. A lot of good men,women and children died and

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To all the men and women who have honorably served in the military,T hank you!

those that are still living are not the same.Their lives have been changed forever andever.

When I came home on the 27th day ofJanuary 1967, I had eggs thrown at me; Iwas cursed at and hated by those who Ihad called my best friends.

When I left to serve in Vietnam, I had alot of good friends here in the U.S. whoare no longer friends even though I havebeen back for over 45 years.

When a firecracker goes off, I hit theground, when a car backfires, I hit theground and look from where the soundcame. The condition that I have is calledPost Traumatic Syndrome.

It was not caused by this one incident, itwas brought on by all of the other inci-dents that I encountered while I was inVietnam — the ambushes, the attacks, thesearch and destroy missions, the convoyswe escorted, seeing others being hit by ri-f le fire, grenade explosions, napalm at-

tacks, children being exploded because ofthe bombs attached to their bodies beingset off by the enemy, and other incidentsresulting from being in an armed conflict.

I fight unseen enemies, I wake up atevery sound that I cannot place. If a sirensounds, I am awake and ready to fight orrun,

Should I have been taken during thefight, should I still stand late at night, forit’s only by His might, that I am still hereto continue the fight.

We can always second guess our selvesand we can always wonder why, howeverthat call is not made by us. Just rememberthose that love you and those that you loveand keep holding on to what you believeand trust in His grace and give thanks, forall of us that have been in battle and havedone our best and shouldered the rest andwe can no longer matter what we are herefor, however you can rest assured that wewill always aid and support you so you cando your best with what you have.

FROM PAGE 9

SUBMITTED PHOTO

The author, Clyde Griffey, in military police uniform in Vietnam.

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RCHERISE KAECHELEARGUS OBSERVER

PAYETTE

In 2004, Payette’s Veterans ofForeign Wars post was a dis-mal group of veterans that wasbarely keeping its head abovewater. With only a few mem-bers of the post attendingmeetings, the prospect of clos-ing the post was a daunting de-cision looming in the leaders’minds. However, one memberof the VFW group came in andwas put to the task of recruit-ing new members. Today, eightyears later, the group has 500members and is in the topVFW spot in Idaho for mem-bership.

Denny Croner joined the

Navy a day after he graduatedfrom Fruitland High School in1958. With four of his friends,they enlisted together formoral support. However, thosefriends decided the militarywasn’t for them and soon leftCroner, who found that theNavy was exactly what he waslooking for.

For the next 23 years, Cronerhad a life in the military. Then,he decided to become a re-cruiter and spent the next 20years persuading young menand women to join the life hehad chosen.

When Croner was 62 yearsold and eligible for SocialSecurity, he decided to leaveSan Diego, Calif., where he had

been recruiting, and come backto the Treasure Valley to playgolf with his father and enjoyretirement, he said.

Soon after coming back,

Croner joined the AmericanLegion, VFW and DisabledVets group in the local areaand spent a few years with all

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Members of the Payette VFW post, Duane Benda, Denny Butler and Denny Croner awarded Larissa Cheney,student at Weiser High School, the Voice of Democracy winner last year.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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three groups, Croner said. The VFW post was about to

fold and Croner told the re-cruiter, Bob Schroeder, that hedid not want to be a part of thepost any longer and said, “andquite frankly, I didn’t care forthe leadership.”

Bob Schroeder’s wife, DellaSchroeder, was involved withLadies Auxiliary and said if theVFW post fails, so does theauxiliary.

Della Schroeder said thateverything they did wouldhave to stop, as well. The aux-iliary was responsible for schol-arships to the local students,made care packages for thetroops and put on other signif-icant community events thatbenefit the town.

Croner decided to stick aroundand help the post. He had to fo-cus on just the one group, though,

and quit Disabled Veterans andthe legion.

As the youngest member of

VFW, Croner’s experience inthe Navy helped a significantamount to get veterans to join.The membership was the mostimportant thing to focus on in2004, because with such smallnumbers, the post didn’t havethe opportunity to do thethings that VFW was char-tered to do for the community,he said.

The post is responsible forhelping the schools, helpingveterans in need in the com-munity and doing many small-er things that may not be seenby community members butare still important — such as re-placing tattered Americanflags when they see them andthe owners do not have themoney to replace them.

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FROM PAGE 11

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

CHERISE KAECHELE

Denny Croner, second on the left, leads the Payette Apple Blossom Parade last May in the Color Guard.

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In 2007, the post had 65members, by the next year ithad 80, the year after it grew to189, then 301 and today is 500members total.

This gives the Payette poststrength in voting for veterans’benefits. Currently, all veter-ans organizations across the na-tion are hurting.

“Without members, you can’tdo what you’re chartered todo,” Croner said.

With the growing member-ship, the post has adopted theWeiser and Fruitland schooldistricts, along with Payette’s,and gives scholarship awards tostudents who submit essayswith the topics focused on pa-triotism.

Local students have been

sent to the state level, and onelocal student made it all theway to nationals.

It’s not just about voting andhelping with the community,though. The VFW post alsohelps veterans with the net-work that is built out of itsmembers.

VFW is a nationwide organi-zation. Any member can go toany of the VFW meetingsacross the country and take ad-vantage of the benefits the oth-er posts have to offer. Some ofthem have restaurants and fa-cilities that are helpful whentraveling.

“Veterans that don’t belongto a veteran organization is re-ally doing themselves a disserv-ice,” Croner said. “By belong-ing to a service, they have the

opportunity to lobby congressfor veterans benefits. Everysingle member counts.”

It is not a requirement to goto the meeting, though they areonce a month. The network as-pects alone can really benefitveterans moving to a new city.If there is a post at the city,then they can find out who tocontact for certain construc-tion projects, where to find ajob, etc., Croner said.

For those retirees looking forsomething to do, the post is in-volved with many volunteerprojects around the community.

“It gives them something todo that is worthwhile,” he said.

The meetings are once amonth, on the third Saturdayof the month. A free breakfastis served to members begin-

ning at 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Then,beginning at 10 a.m. to noon,the meeting is held.

It costs $23 a year to becomea member and that includesthe magazine and authorizesthe member to go to any VFWpost in the country.

The Payette VFW post waschartered in 1932 and hasbeen growing steadily the pastfew years with the help ofCroner and the other membersof the post.

The meetings are held at theEagles Lodge in Payette, acrossfrom Commercial Tire. For thewomen who are interested inLadies Auxiliary, the meetingsare held with the VFW post.

For more information aboutthe Payette VFW post, contact(208) 342-2438.

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FROM PAGE 12

LARRY MEYERARGUS OBSERVER

NYSSA

Reid Holcomb, Nyssa, enlisted in the AirForce, serving during the Vietnam War,but a freak accident ended his military ca-reer early.

In the last several years, he has been atthe forefront of revitalizing the AmericanLegion Post in Nyssa.

Holcomb, who graduated from PayetteHigh School and enlisted in 1970, wasbased at Fairchild Air Force Base nearSpokane, but was assigned to temporaryduty on the island of Guam, working onbombers that were flying missions overVietnam.

Holcomb said he and another personwere working on an engine when it start-ed to drop. He managed to grab the engineand was told to hold it up until his buddygot out from underneath.

“When he got out, I let go of it,”Holcomb said, and the weight of the en-gine spun him “around like a top.”

“I ended up in the hospital on Guam,”Holcomb said, staying about month thereand spent about another month at a SanAntonio, Texas, hospital.

Holcomb received a medical discharge,having served 13 months in the Air Force,then went to work for the U.S. Postal

Service for 22 years, starting in Meridian,then transferring to a carrier position atPayette.

Holcomb joined American Legion Post79 in Nyssa after seeing an announcementof a Legion meeting and being encouragedby his wife, Betty, whose father had beenin Post 79, when it had been previously ac-tive and had a lot of members.

“I was the only one there (from Nyssa),”Holcomb said about his first meeting, whichhad been organized by American Legionmembers from other communities, and wasmade the new commander of Post 79.

“We started seeking new members andstarted calling former members,” he said,and though still small, membership hasgradually built up.

There are about 10 members who par-ticipate on a regular basis, Holcomb said.

“Younger guys don’t want to join,” hesaid, although some do participate insome of the events that the AmericanLegion is involved in.

He is very proud of the new rifles thePost has obtained to do gun salutes andthe crosses that are put up at veterans’graves for Memorial Day on which theflags are placed.

Because of health issues, Holcomb hashad to retire as commander.

Betty Holcomb has been involved withhim, as a member of the Post Auxiliary.She said veterans deserve to be honored.

“They fought for their country,” she said.“We don’t want them to ever be forgotten.”

Reid Holcomb has also been knownaround the valley for his singing voice, in-cluding his impersonation of Elvis Presley.

“I always sing like him,” Holcomb said.He has done special events, such as wed-

dings, and has performed at grandparentsRock and Roll Days at Nyssa ElementarySchool Days. Holcomb also had a band inthe past called “Special Delivery” andplayed at the Elks Lodge in Ontario.

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LARRY MEYER | ARGUS OBSERVER

Reid Holcomb, who is working to revitalize the American Legion Postin Nyssa, was injured in an accident in Guam.

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RSHERI BANDELEANARGUS OBSERVER

WEISER

It was 1977, and Eugene Smitwas a 17-year-old junior in highschool looking at the economicoutlook and what kind of jobsthere would be when he gotout of high school. He decidedto graduate early and have hisparents sign a letter so he couldjoin the Marines.

“It was going to be a steadypaycheck,” Smit said.

His dad and uncle had bothbeen in the military, and hisbrother had joined a monthearlier, so he decided to join.

Even though Smit wasn’t inlong, he felt it was a good expe-rience.

He was in for a total time ofone year, four months andthree days.

After three months of bootcamp, he went to infantrytraining school and schoolingon special weapons. While inthe Marines he also got to trav-el overseas, which Smit saidgave him perspective becausehe saw gas prices in Japan at

$2.65 while it was 69 cents inthe States.

After a short time and whileon guard, Smit fell ill andstopped breathing and eventu-ally went into a coma. He even-tually got better and was med-ically discharged.

“They didn’t know what hadhappened,” Smit said.

But looking at the positive as-pects of the experience, Smitsaid he thought he had learnedmore in three months of bootcamp than he had in four yearsof high school.

“I look at it, if you can do thatyou can handle anything,” Smitsaid.

Smit said that his drill ser-geant said, “If you learn onething from me it will be team-work.”

“You succeed as a unit or youfail as a unit. So teamwork isvery important,” Smit said.

Born and raised in Portland,Ore., Smit returned to thePortland area and had severalsales positions and was the topsalesman in Oregon forPrincess along with his former

wife. He also worked for thePostal Service but retired earlyfrom that. His family eventual-ly talked him into moving tothe Weiser area, and Smit did,moving into his home in 2004.He met his current girlfriendand has been with her for eightyears.

He is self employed and is al-ways working on some kind ofproject.

“You can make a good life byworking for someone else, butif you are really going to makeit you’ve got to work for your-self,” Smit said.

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Eugene Smit comes from military family

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WILLIAM LOPEZARGUS OBSERVER

ONTARIO

In 1965, a few years out ofhigh school, Larry Stitzeljoined the U.S. Army, wherehe served for three years as aheavy equipment operator.After basic training at FortLeonard Wood, Mo., and thena year in Thailand, Stitzel de-ployed to Vietnam.

Unlike many of the servicemembers during that period,Stitzel volunteered both for theArmy as well as his tour inVietnam.

“I’d been out of school for afew years and I didn’t have ajob, so I went into the servicefor the training,” Stitzel said. “Ivolunteered for Vietnam be-cause after Thailand, I wantedto get out of the states and goback overseas.”

The first half of his Vietnamtour was spent bulldozing areasto assist in the construction ofroads and various fire bases, he

said. For the second half of his

tour, Stitzel was part of a landclearing team that would clearout areas of jungle to gain fieldsof fire, he said.

“It basically helped to elimi-nate ambushes from the ene-my,” Stitzel said.

Land-clearing operations inVietnam was considered oneof the most dangerous, diffi-cult jobs as well as one of themost important. A daily rou-tine typically involved 12hours of clearing jungle, fol-lowed by six to eight hours ofrepairing any damages donethat day to the equipment.

Statistically, most land-clear-ing companies lost two out ofevery three men operatingland-clearing equipment.These dangers came from theenemy in the form of land-mines and gunfire, as well asdangers from the jungle itself,including bees disturbed from

Saluting the Men & Women who have served and who

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Larry Stitzel signedup to go to Vietnam

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their nests and trees falling over on oper-ators.

“There was just so many things thatcould happen,” Stitzel said. “There wasone guy in my battalion who cut down atree that fell onto his cab, and crushed himand killed him.”

Prior to his departure from Vietnam,Stitzel and his battalion was rushed fromBearcat base to Bien Hoa Air Base to assistwith security during the Tet Offensive, hesaid. The Tet Offensive was a militarycampaign launched by the NorthVietnamese against the south, Americaand their allies in 1968.

Upon returning to the States fromVietnam, Stitzel joined the ranks of civil-ian life for some time, he said. In 1984,however, he joined the Oregon NationalGuard and remained there until his retire-ment in 2005.

When he looks back on his time in themilitary, there are several memories thatsurface, he said. Seeing Bob Hope per-form in Thailand and building a fuel de-pot in Sattahip, Thailand, are a few ofthem.

“Thailand was some of the best memo-ries,” Stitzel said. “The people were nice,the country was pretty. I made a lot offriends in the service and learned a lot. Ihad good times and I had bad times, likeanybody else in the military. Most of thetime it was pretty good.”

Stitzel has remained active with militaryorganizations throughout the years, andcontinues to do so, he said. He’s a memberof the Veterans of Foreign Wars and theAmerican Legion.

While serving as commander of theAmerican Legion, Stitzel became very illand had to step down from that positionto focus on his recovery, he said. He spent

nearly 100 days in the hospital and in re-habilitation, but his illness and rehab ledto a chance encounter that has changedhis life.

Stitzel was required to walk on a regularbasis to help his rehabilitation and manydays he would walk along Oregon Streetand stop in at what is now Grammy’sGoodies, 230 S. Oregon St., to chat withemployee and as of Oct. 26, his wife,Kimberly Stitzel.

“He would stop in here and we’d talk,and he mentioned once that he didn’thave a housekeeper and that his disheswere piling up,” Kimberly Stitzel said. “Iwas pretty busy at the time because Iworked part time here and had two otherpart-time jobs, but I went to his house tohelp him and there was two dishes in thesink. I figured he was either a real neat-freak or there was something else going onand sure enough, he asked if I wanted togo with him to his friend’s house for a bar-becue.”

The two eventually bought the bakerytogether, changed the name and marriedthere.

“We met here, bought the place together,and it’s only fitting that we get marriedhere,” Stitzel said.

Stitzel, a widower, has one son and nowfrom his and Kimberly’s union a stepson,two stepdaughters and a granddaughter,who is the “apple of my eye,” KimberlyStitzel said.

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SUBMITTED PHOTO

Larry Stitzel and his new bride, Kimberly, pose for a photo after theirwedding, which was held in the bakery in Ontario they purchased to-gether. Stitzel served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam, doing land-clearingoperations, considered among the most dangerous jobs there.

FROM PAGE 16

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ONTARIO

Bill Emmons decided to jointhe Navy before the inevitabledraft happened for him. Just af-ter finishing his junior year atOntario High School he joinedin July 1943.

“You pretty much knew youwould be drafted when youturned 18, so I volunteered tojoin the Navy,” Emmons said.

He was one sibling of eight inhis family and one sibling offour who were in World WarII.

With two in the Navy and

two in the Army, their parents’house was the only home inOntario that had four stars onit, signifying family memberssent off to war.

After he joined, he made thetrip to Farragut, Idaho, forboot camp, which lasted foreight weeks.

Once done, he was trans-ferred to Oakland, Calif.,where he boarded the USSGiansar AK111, which was acargo ship.

Along with him and the crew,the ship was loaded with10,000, 55-gallon barrels ofgasoline held on the lowerdecks. The upper decks hadmiscellaneous cargo. That wasEmmons’ first cruise. Theyloaded up seven airplanes andheaded to Pago Pago, Samoa,where they unloaded theplanes. Then they went on to

another group of islands andunloaded everything exceptthe gasoline.

“It seemed nobody wantedthe gasoline,” Emmons said.

After that, they loaded 500-pound bombs and went 200miles north to another groupof islands, which had been heldby the Japanese.

The ship eventually was or-dered to head to Pearl Harbor.During that trip, one night justafter sunset, a torpedo wasshot at the ship from a subma-rine that everyone assumedwas Japanese that missed theship by only two feet.

“With all the fuel we werehauling, if we had been hit, Iwouldn’t be here today,”Emmons said.

It was the first part ofFebruary 1944 when tanks,

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

You pretty much knew you would be draftedwhen you turned 18, so I volunteered to jointhe Navy.

— Bill Emmons’

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guns, trucks and more gas wasloaded up, and the crew head-ed to Island of Majuro and un-loaded everything includingthe fuel. The ship went back toPearl Harbor and then to LosAngeles.

Emmons ended up on a fleetsupply ship that carried foodsupplies, medical supplies andclothes, not only for the Navy,but for Army and other mili-tary personnel.

On Christmas day 1944,Emmons was reunited for oneday with his brother Bob whowas also in the Navy. Bob wason the BattleshipMassachusetts. They hadn’tseen each other in four years.So for one day they got to enjoytheir day together on theIsland of Ulithi, a small islandsouthwest of Guam.

Emmons eventually endedup in the Command ServiceSquadron until Nov. 1, 1945.By that time, World War II had

ended and he was transferredback to the United States andwas stationed at different loca-tions until he was dischargedMay 4, 1946, and returned toOntario.

After returning home,Emmons settled in Ontario.He has two sons from his firstwife and has been married tohis current wife, Phyllis, for 30some years.

He has been a member of theElks for 61 years and workedfor the post office for 31 1/2years and has been retiredfrom there since May 1980. For10 years he was appointedMalheur County VeteransService Officer. Phyllis saidthat he was made for that job,that it was his calling.

Emmons was also a volunteerfor the Red Cross for manyyears.

Emmons keeps busy and en-joys going dancing with hiswife at the Elks.

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LARRY MEYER | ARGUS OBSERVER

Bill Emmons returned to Ontario after World War II. He has been a member of the Elks for 61 years, was aMalheur County Veterans Service Officer for 10 years and has volunteered for the Red Cross.

FROM PAGE 18

To all the veterans,The Argus Observer would like to say ‘Thank you for your

service.’ And to all the family members ‘Thank you for yoursacrifice.’ We honor you and all you have done for ourcountry. — God bless you.

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