A 2012 Veterans Day Salute

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We Are Here. We Care.We Support You.

Military personnel come home from combat and are welcomed back into their families and communities. Everyone is relieved and joyful at their return. Then sometimes things change, sometimes subtle, sometimes with much emotional intensity. Vacant stares, irritability, anger without warning, fear, extreme vigilance, mood swings, emotional numbing, isolation, avoidance, fl ashbacks, and nightmares. The Veteran is confused, the family is often scared and all feel overwhelmed. These are some of the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. The Center for Disease Control estimates that between 10-20% of our Veterans suffer from this devastating illness.

It is estimated that at least 20% of all Veterans suffering with PTSD also have a substance abuse issue. There are treatments available to treat PTSD and substance abuse at the same time, which has the best chance for positive outcomes. If you are a Veteran struggling with these issues, or know someone who is, please reach out for assistance. Contact your nearest VA Medical Center or a local mental health facility to start the process. There is hope for recovery. In Southeast Indiana please contact:

Veterans Assistance Healthcare Associates, Southeastern Indiana

1600 Flossie Drive • Greendale, IN • (812) 539-2313Mon-Fri • 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

This message brought to you by:

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2 - Veterans Day Salute The Harrison Press, November 7, 2012; The Dearborn County Register, Rising Sun Recorder/News, November 8, 2012

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The entire group at United Community Bank proudly salute the men and women

who have given their lives in selfless service to our great nation. We will always

remember the difference they made, and we will never forget their sacrifice.www.BankUCB.com • 812-537-4UCB(4822)

We salute our nation’s heroes.

Hidden Valley LakeLawrenceburg US 50 (Lawrenceburg)

Frozen feet took Cook from battlefieldChandra L. MattinglyStaff [email protected]

As infantry, “you did the best you could” in the mili-tary push through France in the last months of World War II, said Thomas D. Cook, Lawrenceburg.

“It was nonstop; you slept standing up or wher-ever you could,” he said, recalling the drive through the Vosges Mountains. There, the Germans would fire into the trees, caus-ing wood and shrapnel to rain down upon the Allied troops.

Cook and his fellow sol-diers acquired small saws and cut logs to cover their foxholes and protect them from the “tree bursts,” he said. It was November 1944, as the 103rd Infantry Division attacked west of St. Die, drove through the mountains, and crossed the Meurthe River. By month’s end, the division had cap-tured St. Die and Siefen-bach, followed by Selestat Dec. 4.

The soldiers had orders to disrupt the German sup-

plies when they could.“The Germans used

horse-drawn equipment, so one of the instructions was to shoot the horses. … I scared a few,” said Cook, explaining he never killed any. As for their own supplies,“it was touch and go. They’d get supplies to us as they could,” said Cook, 88.

Both the enemy and the weather took their toll, and he’s not sure which was worse.

“That’s a hard ques-tion to an-swer. You were fighting both of them,” he said. Some didn’t survive. He remembers sleet coating his clothes and freezing during one storm.

“You’d try to move and chunks of ice would fall off. … The weather was detrimental to your health,” he said. The soldiers im-provised and became a bit toughened.

“You lived outdoors like an animal … in a hole in the ground,” he said, refer-ring to foxholes. Once in awhile the troops would go inside a barn, and that was a “luxury,” he said.

Potato diet“We were cut off by the

G e r m a n s one time, and we lived three days on raw po-tatoes,” he recalled.

In Decem-ber, the divi-sion pushed t h r o u g h C l i m b a c h , a s s a u l t e d the Sieg-fried Line

and participated in the Bat-tle of the Bulge, said Cook. His division was moved from the Vosges Mountains closer to Bastogne.

“We were kind of a back up if the break-through continued; we were the supporting troops for that,” he said. But the German break-through was stopped before it got to them, he

said.Afterward, in January,

the unit was in an area around the German border, near Muehlhausen, where they had no news of how the war was going overall.

“It was very fluid. You weren’t really sure from one day to the next whether you were on the defensive or the offensive. … It was just a little group of you that seemed to be moving back and forth. We didn’t have the overall picture,” he said.

Up to then, Cook had done as the other sol-diers, wearing wool socks, changing them if they got wet. But in March 1945 he was evacuated due to frozen feet, first to a hos-pital in France and then to England.

“My problem was I got my feet wet and I had no socks and no additional

boots,” he said. He spent six months in hospitals, which he thinks was lon-ger than necessary, and was discharged in September 1945 as 50 percent dis-abled, he said. That later was reduced to 30 percent and finally dropped.

“I still have some effects from that,” he added.

Cook originally was being trained as an engineer after he entered the Army in May 1943. The “condensed version” of a four-year pro-gram at Oklahoma State University ended abruptly when the school closed and he was sent to the 103rd Infantry Division as a ma-chine gunner.

“The government decid-ed they needed more boots on the ground than seats in the school,” he said. But that was the most difficult part for him: “going from a campus to almost the front

line” in a two- or three-month period, he said.

“When the war was over, that was the most rewarding time to me,” he said.

Cook’s military decora-tions and awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Combat Infantry Badge, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two Bronze Stars, and the WW II Victory Medal.

Cook married Jean Prib-ble, a fellow member of the Methodist Church and family friend, in 1953. The couple have one daughter, Susan Zwiesler, Florida, and a granddaughter, Katherine, California.

Cook worked as a trust officer for American State Bank, Lawrenceburg, until he retired about 10 years ago.

Thomas D. Cook

“It was nonstop; you slept standing up or wherever you could.”

-Thomas D. CookWorld War II veteran

Six World War II veterans were honored during the Aurora Farmers Fair in October. Three of them are featured in this special section, others will be featured in the Thurs-day, Nov. 8, Dearborn County Register.The six were recognized on stage Thursday, Oct. 4, in a program coordinated by the Southeast Indiana Korean War Veterans Chapter. The program opened with a prayer by Korean War veteran Tom Largent, followed by the singing of the national anthem by eighth grader Mariah Reynolds. She also delivered a speech honoring America.Luther Rice, Aurora, commander of the Korean War veterans chapter, described the experiences of each honoree during WW II.Each, he said, “is truly a member of America’s Greatest Generation as newscaster Tom Brokaw described those who served, fought and died in defense of liberty during World War II.”Then George Niemeyer, commander of the Aurora American Legion Post, and P. G. Gentrup, Ohio County veterans service officer, presented each man with a certificate, a plaque and a ball cap identifying them as WW II veterans.The Korean War Veterans firing squad fired three volleys, followed by bugler Nelson Elliott sounding Taps. Bagpiper Mark Morton, Rising Sun, then played Amazing Grace. The program concluded with Ken Jackson inviting the crowd to join him in singing God Bless America.Rice thanked each honoree for his service to his country, and also thanked Jackson and the Aurora Farmers Fair Committee for making the recognition program possible.

The Harrison Press, November 7, 2012; The Dearborn County Register, Rising Sun Recorder/News, November 8, 2012 Veterans Day Salute - 3

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We thank the brave men and women of our Armed Forces for their dedication and sacrifi ce. As we mark Veterans Day, we also honor and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifi ce in defence of our nation.

God Bless America

Community Center432 Walnut Street, Lawrenceubrg, IN 47025 • 812-532-3535www.lawrenceburgcommunitycenter.com

Lawrenceburg

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,

support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and

success of liberty.”~John F. Kennedy

We proudly support those who serve and have served.

American Legion Post 239201 Second St., Lawrenceburg 812-537-0349

Veterans can struggle with Post traumatic stress disorder Military personnel come

home from combat and are welcomed back into their families and communities. Everyone is relieved and joyful at their return.

Then sometimes things change, sometimes subtle, sometimes with much emo-tional intensity. Vacant stares, irritability, anger without warning, fear, ex-treme vigilance, mood swings, emotional numbing, isolation, avoidance, flash-backs, and nightmares.

The Veteran is confused, the family is often scared and all feel overwhelmed. These are some of the symp-toms of Post traumatic stress

disorder or PTSD. The Cen-ter for Disease Control esti-mates that between 10 to 20 percent of our Veter-ans suffer from this devastating illness.

In most cases for the Veterans, the traumas are related to the re-alities of combat, and often the veteran feels “embar-rassed or weak” in admitting that they are struggling to cope with these experienc-es. In addition, most people around the Veteran expect that now that they are home, they can “leave all that other stuff behind.”

This puts additional pres-sure on the Veteran to man-

age his or her distress, or at least hide it effectively from family and friends.

While there are multiple treatment options for PTSD available to our vet-erans, the stigma of

asking for help often leads them to other options. Many turn to self-medication through the misuse of alco-hol, prescription medication abuse, and the use of illegal substances.

They believe that this as-sists them by numbing them to the emotional pain that they are suffering from but it also distances them from family, friends, and co-

workers. Often the fam-ily becomes focused on the substance abuse, without un-derstanding the real issues buried beneath.

Further, substance abuse makes it much more difficult to effectively treat the symp-toms of PTSD and achieve some measure of recovery because it continues the cycle of PTSD avoidance. Avoiding the bad memories, dreams, people, and places can actually make PTSD worse and extend its course.

It is estimated that at least 20 percent of all Vet-erans suffering with PTSD also have a substance abuse issue. There are treatments

available to treat PTSD and substance abuse at the same time, which has the best chance for positive out-comes.

If you are a Veteran strug-gling with these issues, or know someone who is, please reach out for assis-tance. Contact your near-est VA Medical Center or a local mental health facility to start the process. There is hope for recovery.

Connie Boehner is a Psy-chologist working at the VA Medical Center Partial Hos-pital & Inpatient Psychiatry Unit at 3200 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45220. She

was once an Executive Com-mittee Board Member of Dearborn County Citizens Against Substance Abuse (CASA) and is still involved on a limited basis. She had two Iraqi Veterans help her with this article but they wished to remain nameless.

Dearborn County CASA invites you to become part of the solution and join them the first Monday of every month at 11:30 am in Classroom A of the Law-renceburg Community Cen-ter. For more information on this organization go to www.dearborncountycasa.com or contact Donna at 1-812-532-3538.

Veterans service officer will speakDILLSBORO- The Veterans Day service in Dillsboro will be at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, at Heritage Pointe, the corner of Bank and North streets.The speaker for that day will be Ken Hylton, Sunman, the Ripley County Veterans Ser-vice Officer. He has had the position since 2007. He also is a U.S. Army veteran and a re-tired from the U.S. Postal Ser-vice.U.S. veterans Paul Stevens and Larry Rump will place the me-morial wreath. The Northcutt Laaker American Legion Post No. 292 and the Dillsboro Beautification Committee have planned this event.

Tribute to our ownRISING SUN - Ohio County His-torical Society and Museum will present the exhibit “Local Veterans, Their Memories and Artifacts” through Friday, Nov. 16.The museum is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.There is no admission charge. All donations gratefully ac-cepted.For more information go to www.ohiocountymuseum.orgor call 1-812-438-4915.

Free concert honors veterans, familiesOVER-THE-RHINE – The century old Hamilton County Memo-rial Hall will host a free con-cert to honor military Veter-ans and their families at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10.The program will begin with a Color Guard representing all branches of the U.S. Military, followed by a special rendition of the National Anthem by the Cincinnati Boychoir.The Queen City Concert Band will also take the stage.A number of distinguished speakers will be on hand to briefly address the audience, including retired U.S. Air Force pilot and well-known philan-thropist, Otto M. Budig. Following the program will be a complementary cookie and

punch reception. The concert is free and open to the public. Voluntary donations will be accepted with proceeds bene-fiting the Wounded Warrior Project.Memorial Hall is on Elm Street, at the heart of Washington Park, in Over-the-Rhine. Paid parking is available in the Central System lot, immediate-ly adjacent to Memorial Hall, and nearby in the newly opened Washington Park Ga-rage.

School will salute the braveRISING SUN- The students and faculty of Rising Sun Commu-nity Schools will be honoring those men and women who have served or are presently serving our country begin-ning at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9, in the Rising Sun High School Gym. The public is in-vited to attend the program.

Special celebration, and a free lunchLAWRENCEBURG- A Veterans Day celebration will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, at Ridgewood Health Cam-pus, 181 Campus Drive, Law-renceburg. Be a guest at the special celebration and com-plimentary lunch while com-munity veterans are honored.

Cincinnati State hosts Veteran’s Appreciation WeekCINCINNATI-Cincinnati State will host a “Veteran’s Appreciation Week” starting Nov. 5, leading up to the national Veteran’s Day observance on Sunday, Nov. 11, and the federal holi-day that will be observed.The activities include a VA Medical Center mobile health unit, which will be on campus all week to provide free servic-es to the more than 450 stu-dents who have served in the military, as well as other veter-ans in the community who are not enrolled at Cincinnati State.

Here are highlights of some of the activities:Wednesday, Nov. 7: “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”From 9 a.m. to noon the VA will be enrolling and offering brief medical exams and flu vaccines in the mobile unit for any VA eligible veteran. Bring DD214 if not already enrolled in VA. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. subject matter experts in the area of PTSD services will be available at the VA table out-side the mobile unit.Veterans will be offered free admission to the women’s and men’s basketball games against the Ohio State Univer-sity JV teams. The women’s game begins at 5:30 p.m., the men’s game at 7:30 p.m.Thursday, Nov. 8: “Women’s Services”From 9 a.m. to noon, veterans on campus will have their last chance during this campaign to be enrolled and offered a brief medical exam and flu shot in the mobile unit. Bring DD214 if not already enrolled in VA. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. the VA will have subject mat-ter experts in the area of wom-en’s services available outside the mobile unit.From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. the U.S. Army National Guard will be on campus with a portable obstacle course, open to stu-dents and community mem-bers who wish to participate.Friday, Nov. 9: “Questions and Answers”VA representatives will answer questions concerning benefits. Specialists in Vocational Reha-bilitation will answer VA edu-cation benefit questions.Cincinnati State’s Center for In-novative Technologies will offer a special orientation ses-sion concerning its engineer-ing technologies programs, targeted to veterans. Veterans will have the oppor-tunity to take a placement (re-quired for admission to Cincin-nati State) that helps analyze academic strengths, potential areas of student interest.Non-perishable food items will be collected all week in the Veteran Student Affairs office to be donated to the Joseph House, a shelter for homeless veterans in Over-the-Rhine.

STRAIGHT TALK

CONNIE BOEHNER

In honor of those who served


Chandra L. MattinglyStaff [email protected]

Asked his favorite plane, the Dillsboro man who flew 170 combat missions in his military career said it’s “kind of a toss-up.”

He spent 4,000 or 5,000 hours on a B-25 and 400 or 500 hours on the A-26, said John William Lewis, 94.

“I liked them both,” said Lewis, whose service includ-ed World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

“In the B-25, we had two pilots, in the A-26 only one. … But the A-26 handled like a fighter plane,” he said.

But the one he flew dur-ing the Vietnam War was the most exciting to fly because it had so much equipment on it, he added.

Lewis joined the Army Air Corps Reserve in June 1942, and, classified as a pilot, started out flying P-40s. But due to a shortage of B-25 pilots, he then was trained for bomber combat, and trans-ferred to Casablanca, Mo-rocco, Africa, in December 1943.

A few months later, in February 1944, he was as-signed to Pompeii, Italy, only to have Mt. Vesuvius erupt and bury 85 B-25s and two Hurricanes under 18 to 24 inches of cinders, said Lewis.

Before the eruption, the 37th Bomb Wing wanted to move them but were told the volcano had been expected to blow up for the past 100 years, so not to bother, said Lewis.

When the eruption started, his unit stayed in the seven or eight stone houses in the village until they were evac-uated by tanks and trucks. Large, hot cinders had taken out the tires on other ve-hicles.

Transferred to Corsica, Lewis continued to fly bomb-ing missions.

“We were hit a lot of times; only one time we were shot down,” he said. His crew would fly over the Alpines in Italy figuring no Germans would be 9,000 to 10,000 feet up the mountains. But this time the enemy had snuck up with a truck and 9 mm guns, opening fire and causing Lewis’ plane to crash.

Knowing they were in trouble, the bomber crew tried to get rid of the bombs in their bomb bay, said Lewis. But the bay wouldn’t open.

“We jumped on the handle and broke the handle off,” he said. Then the engineer volunteered to chop through the hydraulic fuel lines with an axe in hopes that would work.

“About the second line he chopped through, the bomb bay doors opened and we got them out,” said Lewis. He and the engineer were the only two members of the seven-man crew not to be in-jured before they came down on an island about 100 miles outside of Italy.

“We had some rough mis-sions,” said Lewis, noting he was “about worked … to death.” He served as R & R officer, chief engineer/test pilot, and instructor pilot. He was over there four to five months longer than the rest of his crew, he said, noting he got only about four hours sleep each night.

While in Corsica, Lewis was teamed with Deke Slay-ton, flying low-level combat missions. Slayton later would become an astronaut, but not before he was grounded after 55 missions for an uneven heart beat.

“He was a nice guy,” said Lewis. The two pilots repeat-edly tried to bomb a bridge, but were unsuccessful, he recalled.

“We’d drop a bomb and it would bounce,” said Lewis.

When he had completed 59 missions, Lewis was assigned to fly courier planes while waiting for D-Day. He was to rotate back to the States upon completing 60 missions, but was reassigned to combat three days before D-Day.

The early events of D-Day were funny, he said.

“We had two squadrons go out,” said Lewis. One was to bomb a French battleship the Germans had captured; the other to bomb the beach at Normandy. But the Germans had heard about the latter and none were on the beach, said Lewis.

“So they (the one squad-ron) bombed the battleship and we just bombed the sand,” he said. He made three combat missions a day for three days, bombing the Nor-mandy beaches with 100 lb. bombs. On one mission, he went behind the chalk cliffs at Dover and bombed the Germans there. And on the last, his co-pilot was a cadet just out of flight school, and all the actual flying fell to Lewis.

“I was a tired cat,” he recalled.

425 mph!Sent home in September

1944, Lewis was assigned as an instructor in Douglas, Ariz., then discharged under the point system. He re-mained in the reserves, and in 1951 was recalled to fly

bombers during the Korean War. Retrained to fly A-26 twin engine bombers, he flew 50 combat missions in Korea during a seven-month period. That plane could go, said Lewis.

“I loved to fly that air-plane! That thing would do 425 mph,” he said. As the lone pilot, he was accom-panied by a navigator and a gunner, but actually fired the guns himself. The gunner just kept track of what was fired, said Lewis.

Once again he was re-leased from active duty but remained in the reserves. In May 1968 he was recalled to active duty to serve in the Vietnam War, and flew 51 missions. All, over a six-month period, were flown at night.

A number of missions in-volved getting personnel out, and Lewis would fly a C-130

at 2,500 feet to see if anyone on the ground would shoot at his plane, checking the situ-ation before a chopper pilot at 5,000 feet would consider landing.

Lewis left one plane in Vietnam, a C-19 converted to a gunship, and called the Shadow. The plane had set out in the weather for 2 ½ years before he was assigned to fly it first from Virginian to Columbus, Ohio, on to Oklahoma, then to Vietnam on a test hop. But by the time he got it to Tulsa, one engine had gone out and the control panel was rusted.

He was told the military already had waited three years for this plane, so it had to be fixed and flown.

“Every cable in it had 72 guys working on it over-night,” said Lewis. But by the time he got it to Vietnam, it had a runaway prop and he

grounded it.Coincidentally, it took him

51 days to get there with the ill-fated plane, then he flew 51 missions in Vietnam.

Returning to the United States, Lewis was retrained to fly jet aircraft. He retired from the Air Force in 1978 as a full colonel.

In between the times he spent on active duty, Lewis worked for Joseph E. Sea-gram & Son Distillery in Lawrenceburg, married Al-berta Ochs in October 1944, and raised a son and a daugh-ter. He retired from Seagram as a supervisor after 47 years.

Among his numerous mili-tary decorations and awards, Col. Lewis received the dis-tinguished Flying Cross for WW II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He also received 11 air medals during WW II, one in Korea and one in Vietnam.

6

“A love for tradition has never weakened a nation, indeed it has strengthened

nations in their hour of peril.” -Winston Churchill

Proudly supporting our Veterans today, and every day.

Lawrenceburg Fraternal Order of Eagles, Aerie 2018

334 Lake Street Lawrenceburg, IN(812) 537-3347

“More powerful than the will to win is the courage to begin.”

- Unknown

The City of Greeandale would like to thank our Veterans for their

bravery & sacrifices.

Mayor Doug Hedrick • City CouncilClerk Treasurer Joey Lynch

One pilot, three wars, 170 combat missions

John William Lewis


7

&&&&&FIRE DEPARTMENT&EMS

FIRE FIRE FIRE

“My heros are those who risk their lives every day to protect our world and make it a better place - police, fi refi ghters, and members of our armed forces.”

-Sidney Sheldon

Lawrenceburg Fire Department and EMS

would like to express our gratitude to our armed forces for their services, protection, and support

of this great nation.300 W. Tate StreetLawrenceburg, IN

(812) 537-1509

FROM A NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT TO THE WASHINGTON POST

The mission of the Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress is to collect, preserve, and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.

You can be part of this important project. You can volunteer to conduct interviews and collect historical documents. You may also organize interview groups and teach others how to conduct interviews. Educational institutions, retirement communities, veterans’ service organizations, churches, and other community groups are a few good places to start.

Items included in the Veterans History Project Collection. Collections may take the form of war veterans’ first-hand oral histories, memoirs, collections of photographs and letters, diaries, and other historical documents from World War I through current conflicts.

Share the story of a deceased veteran. On behalf of a deceased war veteran, you may submit historical documents like the veteran’s collection of photographs, letters, diaries and memoirs. You will need to complete the biographical data form and a release form for the deceased veteran.

Interview a Veteran. Preserve History. By taking part in the Veterans History Project (VHP), you are contributing to the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, one of the world’s most respected research and cultural institutions. When you participate, you are making history. You’ll find a few sample interviews with a list of possible interview questions to ask at: www.history.com/minisites/veterans/guides/oralhistory_sample2008.pdfIt’s as easy as following these simple steps:

Step 1: Visit www.loc.gov/vets and download a Field Kit, which gives you guidelines for conducting interviews and for

what we do and don’t accept. If you don’t have Internet access, call the toll-free message line at 888-371-5848 to request a Field Kit.Step 2: Go online to our website to register the collection you wish to submit.Step 3: Record a veteran’s story using an audio or video recorder; assist in collecting photographs, letters, diaries, maps, etc.; and/or help write a memoir.Step 4: Complete the required and appropriate forms (including biographical data, audio and video log, and release forms) at www.loc.gov/vets or from the Field Kit. Assemble the forms and the items you are submitting.Step 5: VHP only accepts original materials. Please make copies of all materials you wish to keep for yourself. Please provide the veteran with a copy of the interview. VHP does not have the resources to provide copies of any donated materials. Everything you submit to VHP will become property of the Library of Congress and cannot be returned.

Ten Tips for Getting Started on a Veterans Oral History Project

By Paul LaRue, Teacher, Washington High School, Washington Court House, OH (modified)1. Visit the Library of Congress

Veterans History Project website: www.loc.gov/vets/. This website includes all of the background information and materials necessary to have the oral histories you record entered into

the Library of Congress system. Visit www.loc.gov/vets/kitmenu.html for all necessary forms for submitting to the Veterans History Project

2. Get a digital or tape recorder. You may also want to consider videotaping in addition to the recording.

3. Prepare a script of questions. Sample questions are available at: www.history.com/minisites/veterans/images/veteransoralhistory.pdf Teachers will want to remind students of appropriate and inappropriate questions before they start their interviews

4. Contact local veterans organizations such as American Legion or Veterans of Foreign War to help find veterans to interview, or ask a family member or friend with military experience if they would be willing to be interviewed. Select a “friendly or familiar face” to interview first to ensure a positive experience while

students are still learning.5. Save your digital recording

to a computer and/or digitize your tape using software like PolderbitS and save once the interview is complete (if your tape breaks you will have the audio file for back-up).

6. Transcribe the recording. This can be done from the digital recording on your computer or by listen to a cassette tape or a CD. This may take a very long time –stopping, rewinding and replaying for greater understanding can take many hours. b. While transcribing, Google any names you cannot understand, or places that you are not familiar with. This will help ensure a correct document. Verify name spellings before finalizing and submitting them to Library of Congress. c. Write on notebook paper first and save all of these drafts. Multiple drafts can be useful.

7. Type the written document and save the file. Try to establish a standard format

to use on all transcripts.8. If possible have the veteran

look over transcript. Ask the veteran, a family member, or friend only to correct names and places, not rewrite the document.

9. When transcription is complete, follow the Library of Congress guidelines for submission at www.loc.gov/vets/mailingaddress.html

10. The HISTORY™ take a Veteran to School Day site has additional tips and resources for this project at www.veterans.com.

Newspaper Activity:Over a period of time, or

through research at the library or online, locate an article about Veterans Day or an important veteran or military unit in history. Write up a short essay or prepare a poster-board about that veteran or unit and include relevant dates and facts such as which branch of the military they represented, where the veteran or group was stationed and any honors or decorations they received.

The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress


Chandra L. MattinglyStaff [email protected]

Some of what Chief Master Sergeant William R. Ruehrwein remembers from his military service remains classified.

Now 92, the Lawrence-burg resident worked as an aircraft mechanic, test pilot and in logistics as a non-commissioned officer during two wars and the Korean War. Only once did he go on a bombing mis-sion, in World War II, dur-ing which he got a “little nick” from enemy fire. He was wearing a flak vest, so no further damage was done.

But he got no official recognition of his injury.

“I couldn’t put in for that because I wasn’t sup-posed to be there,” said Ruehrwein. Qualified years before as a crew chief, he went on the run because the regular crew chief “had celebrated too much.”

“I took his place. We bombed into southern France. That was just be-fore the (Normandy) inva-sion,” he said. The Allies were hitting the German fuel dumps so the Germans wouldn’t have the fuel to get their tanks to Norman-dy, he explained.

Safely back on the ground, Ruehrwein was chewed out by his com-manding officer, who said, “A good mechanic on the ground is worth 10 up in the air.”

“I told him he didn’t need to worry. I’d had my thrill,” said Ruehrwein. With 10 men in his crew, he worked 10-hour days, his crew responsible for inspecting every plane that came through the base, he said.

As a crew chief, Rueh-rwein not only worked on

aircraft but flew on them at his many postings after he enlisted in September 1942, first working on B-25s and B-24s while at Rosecrans Field in St. Joseph, Mo.

His first over-seas post was to Casablanca in French Moroc-co, Africa. There he worked on C-47s and C-54s - “Those were the ones I flew on” - and even B-29s toward the end of the war.

Later he was as-signed to Cairo, Egypt, having vis-ited or been assigned to numerous other bases, he said.

Battle remains“On the way to Cairo we

flew over old battlefields with rusted tanks and other gear. Then we flew along the Mediterranean Sea. There were German air-craft visible in the water,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ruehrwein had been promoted to a staff sergeant, and, after returning to the United States, was discharged in December 1945, he said.

In March 1946, he joined an active Air Force Re-serve unit, which was ac-tivated in April 1951, after the start of the Korean War in June 1950. His duties basically were as a line chief, doing a lot of sched-uling and planning, while stationed at Hunger Field in Savannah, Ga., he said.

He handled and serviced numerous aircraft, propel-ler and jet engine fighters, and loaded and unloaded atomic bombs on the C124, he said. He flew all over the United States, was pro-moted to master sergeant, then was sent to Thule Air

Force Base in Greenland.“We did air rescue,” said

Ruehrwein. If an aircraft went down on the ice cap, his unit was responsible

for the res-cue. They had triphi-bian ca-pabil i t ies , with three d i f f e r e n t a i r c r a f t i n c l u d i n g two heli-c o p t e r s , to land on land, water or snow. In the year he was there, six months

of light, six months of dark, there were three such rescues, he said.

Other bases followed, then came the Cuban crisis, dur-ing which he was assigned to Moron Air Force Base in Moron, Spain.

“We had B-52s flying off the coast of Russia with nuclear weapons on board,” said Ruehrwein. His job was seeing that the bombers were refueled by the KC135 tank-ers for their flights back to the States.

“Like I say, (President) Kennedy was ready. If Rus-sian had done anything, we’d probably have a lot more people gone,” said Ruehr-wein.

In June 1968, he was trans-ferred to Guam, from which B-52s would be launched for an 11- to 12-hour flight to Vietnam. The bombers would drop their bombs, then continue to Thailand to be checked and re-armed for the next day’s mission.

As a logistics officer, Ruehrwein helped plan the recovery of B-52s and other bombers after bombing runs, plans which dealt with bases in various countries such as Saudi Arabia and Africa. Much of the work was clas-sified.

In December 1968 he was promoted to chief master sergeant and the following year, in 1970, was deployed to Danang, Vietnam. As a non-commissioned officer, he was in charge of field maintenance and keeping the aircraft flying.

“They needed somebody who knew something about the C-47s,” he said. “They were special aircraft. The electric gear on the airplane was worth $3 million and the aircraft worth about $200,000.” Even today, the gear used remains classified, he added.

‘Higher than top secret’

Toward the end of his military career, Ruehrwein was called to Barksdale, La., when the logistics non-

commissioned Officer of the Second Air Force Head-quarters retired. Ruehrwein was the only qualified man available with the required security clearance, he said.

“My clearance I had was higher than top secret,” he said. His responsibilities in-cluded the recording and destruction of classified material.

“Working in higher headquarters and on war plans was very important. … Some of them are still classified so I can’t dis-cuss them,” he said, ex-plaining that work probably was most rewarding of his career.

Ruehrwein retired in Au-gust 1975 after 27 ½ years of active duty and five years active reserves. His military decorations and awards include the Bronze

Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation, Army Air Corps and Air Force Good Conduct medals, WW II Victory Medal, National Defense and Vietnam Ser-vice Medal, among others.

Married to Georgia Hune-feld, in December 1943, he often was joined by his family throughout his ca-reer. The couple had six children, but lost a daugh-ter to cancer when he was posted at Hunter AFB.

Their children include Bill Ruehrwein Jr., a lieu-tenant colonel in the Air Force, Statesville, N.C; Steven Ruehrwein, Omaha, Neb.; Susan Wendell and Sharon Strzynski, Cincin-nati; and Rose Von Holle, Lawrenceburg. They have 11 grandkids and two great-grandchildren.

8

“ I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those

attending too small a degree of it.” ~Thomas Jefferson

Ivy Tech Community College would like too thank our past and present veterans

for defending our freedom; these men and women make it possible for us to

continue to realize our potential, and follow our dreams

Complimentary Dinner for all

Ohio County VeteransSunday • November 11thSpecial Veterans Day Service • 12PM

Meal • 1PMRising Sun Legion

110 Main Street • Rising Sun812-438-3688

RSVP Encouraged

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Sunday • 11am - 8pm

“We are always looking for new members”

12887 Lenover Street • Dillsboro, IN812-432-5480

www.devriesfuneralhome.com

A SALUTE TO OUR

VETERANS-from-

DevriesFuneral Home

WW II vet told one mechanic worth 10 pilots

William R. Ruehrwein


9

126 W. High Street • Lawrenceburg

812-537-0063www.RegisterPublications.com

We salute those who have served, and those who presently serve,

for their courage and dedication to a strong and free America. Thank you for protecting our

citizens and our country.

COURAGE.SACRIFICE.

DEDICATION.HONOR.

COURAGE.COURAGE.COURAGE.SACRIFICE.SACRIFICE.

DEDICATION.DEDICATION.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.HONOR.

DOWN MEMORY LANE

May we never know war as Edna and HildaOur bingo game had finished and we began to

visit for a while. Soon the subject turned to how it was when we grew up. Edna began talking in her soft English accent. Sud-denly, all was quiet.

Born in 1935, she ex-plained that she was a child in England during World War II.

Edna shared that when the sirens would an-nounce an air raid, her family would head for shelter built in their back yard. Her school also had shelter. Although the bombs never destroyed anything near her home, she could see the flames made by the phosherus bombs dropped on the far-off cities.

One did take out the back end of her grand-mother’s home that was a distance away. She continued to live in what was left of the house. When she visited, Edna was not allowed to play in the ruble. Her father, who lost six brothers in the war, did not have to go. He had the assign-ment of seeing after the welfare of those in their community. Edna clearly remembers there was a great celebration when the war was over. She later came to the U.S. when she had the opportu-nity because she knew England would take long to recover.

And there I sat with my childhood recollec-tions of make-believe war games played with my imaginary playmate Mert, totally innocent of what war was really like. My father was too old for the service, (Ray and our son’s service age fell in peace time.)

Edna’s recollections of her childhood in war torn England stayed with me, so when I heard of Hilda, whose childhood was spent in Germany during the war, I asked her to share her story of how it was.

When we met the first thing, she shared a

group of photos from her youth. One I chose to share with you. Hilda, third from the right, is

with her sister and brothers. Children of war, I call them.

Like Edna’s experiences, Hilda, born in 1931, shared the sirens, the shelter runs and fiery nighttime views. She was not in a target area; however, the planes bombing the cities would sometimes drop their left over bombs at random.

Hilda’s father was called to the service early because he was educated and they were called first. He left her mother to care for four small children. He would return 10 days in a seven year period. Part of that time he was a prisoner of war. She has great praises for her mother, who managed to give them a quality life under the circumstances.

When the war was over and the Americans came through, not knowing what they would do her family hid in the cellar on piles of potatoes. Peeking through a tiny window, Hilda remem-bers seeing the first black person she had ever seen among the soldiers going by. They soon learned that the Americans were kind to them. Her younger sister had beautiful curls and a pretty face. The soldiers would load her pockets with candy and liked to have their picture taken with her.

After the war Hilda studied English and be-came an interpreter. She came to the US when she married an American soldier.

Neither played war games, as I did, during that time. They just lived what they thought was a normal life. The horrors of war were just the way it was. There was no time to talk of hate.

During the European conquest in WW II some 13 countries were invaded….while I played my little war games.

And now I have lived some 77 years without the fear of bomb raids, foreign invasion or the

poverty that war can bring. And there is a rea-son for my peaceful years, the protection from our military.

It came at a great price. We lost 419,800 of the 16,000,000 soldiers in WW II. However, when you total civilian deaths, some little boys and girls, from strategic bombing, including Holocaust victims (5 to 7 million), Japanese war crimes, forced shifts in population, and those re-lated to famine and disease varied estimates from 37 to 54 million, add total military deaths and 2.5 percent of the world’s population was lost.

Afterward there was the Korean War, the long years of the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War all taking their toll of lives, both military and civil-ian. With our nearly 8,000 deaths in Iraq and

Afghanistan, an estimated 132,000 civilians have lost their lives.

And we must not forget the wounded, both physically and mentally.

Figures change quickly, but in my findings we now have approximately 1,445,000 are actively serving in our armed services today. They serve in 830 installations in at least 150 countries. Add another 833,000 in the reserve and guard that are ready to go. Our military budget is $550 billion. Our military is responsible for peace in the world, near and far, and the well-being of its people.

So today our children are safe as they laugh and play. No sirens, no bombs, no fear of inva-sion. We must always be thankful to those that protect them.

DORIS

BUTT

Doris Butt's aquaintance Hilda let her copy this cherished photo of her and her siblings from their childhood in World War II Germany. Butt counts her blessings as a child in America, and that today's children do not have to know war the way Hilda did.


FROM A NEWSPAPER IN EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT TO THE WASHINGTON POST

Steven LovinsPvt. 2 Steven Kyle Lovins, a 2010 graduate of South Dear-born High School, is currently serving in the U.S. Army as an Aircraft and Systems Repairer.

He completed Basic Training at Fort Ben-ning, Georgia in July. He continued and complet-ed AIT train-ing at Fort Eu-stis, Virginia in October.

The Aviation Branch shapes the student soldiers into mem-bers through the lessons of Aviation Safety, Army Values, Warrior Tasks, Battle Drills and a Solid Physical training pro-gram to continue to be “Above the Best”. He is the son of Ste-ven and Heidi Lovins and brother to Amanda and Sarah Lovins of Aurora, formerly of Harrison. His family wants to wish him Best of luck!

Derek BirkenheuerOn the 16th day of July, 2012, Derek Birkenheuer was pre-sented the appointment of Petty Officer by Jeffrey S. Ruth, Captain, U.S. Navy, Command-ing Officer. HT3 Birkenheuer’s appointment as a petty officer in the United States Navy makes him heir to a long and proud tradition of Naval lead-ership. By accepting this appoint-ment, HT3 Birkenheuer is charged with demonstrating those standards of perfor-mance, moral courage, and dedication to the Navy and the Nation which may serve as an enviable example of his fel-low Navy men and women.HT3 Birkenheuer’s desire to excel and to guide others must be boundless; his ap-pearance must be a model for others and his performance must be a continual reflection of his sincerity, attention to duty, and moral responsibility. By exhibiting unfailing trust and obedience toward superi-

ors, cooperation and loyalty to his peers, and understanding and strength to his subordi-nates, he will contribute great-ly to the effectiveness and good name of the United States Navy.Birkenheuer is the son of Dawn and Mike Birkenheuer, Bright, and the fiance of Ash-ley Helton, Harrison.

Alex LeurckNavy Seaman Apprentice Alex M. Leurck, son of Danielle R. Barret of Brookville, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.During the eight-week pro-gram, Leurck completed a va-riety of training which includ-ed classroom study and practi-cal instruction on naval cus-toms, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness.The capstone event of boot camp is “Battle Stations”. This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. “Battle Stations” is designed to galva-nize the basic warrior attri-butes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the prac-tical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commit-ment. Its distinctly ‘’Navy’’ fla-vor was designed to take into account what it means to be a Sailor.Leurck is the brother of Dyllan A. Leurck also of Cincinnati. He is a 2011 graduate of East Cen-tral High School.

Madison BelzerAir Force Airman Madison E. Belzer graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.The airman completed an intensive, eight-week pro-gram that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare

principles and skills.Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits to-ward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.Belzer is the daughter of Pat-rick Belzer of Fairfield, Ohio, and Michelle Becker of Brookville.She is a 2011 graduate of East Central High School.

Aaron JaegerNavy Seaman Aaron T. Jaeger, son of Kandi S. and Steve Jae-ger, Harrison, recently cmplet-ed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.During the eight-week pro-gram, Jaeger completed class-

room study and practical instruction on naval cus-toms, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and ship-board and

aircraft safety. An emphasis was placed on physical fitness.Battle Stations, the capstone event of boot camp, gives re-cruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. Battle Stations galvanizes the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through basic Navy skills and the core values of honor, cour-age and commitment. Its dis-tinctly Navy flavor is designed to take into account what it means to be a sailor.Jaeger is a 2012 graduate of Harrison High School.

Samantha JensenNavy Airman Recruit Saman-tha L. Jensen, daughter of Bradley A. and stepdaughter of Vonda J. Jensen, Lawrence-burg, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.During the eight-week pro-

gram, Jensen completed classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and ship-board and aircraft safety. An emphasis was placed on physical fitness.Battle Stations, the capstone event of boot camp, gives re-cruits the skills and confi-dence they need to succeed in the fleet.Battle Stations galvanizes the basic warrior attributes of sac-rifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through basic Navy skills and the core values of honor, courage and commitment.Its distinctly Navy flavor is de-signed to take into account what it means to be a sailor. Jensen is a 2012 graduate of Lawrenceburg High School.

Christina BroylesMarine Corps Pfc. Christina J.

Broyles, daughter of Cheryl and Greg Broyles of Cleves, Ohio, earned the title of Unit-ed States Marine after gradu-ating from recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C.For 13 weeks, Broyles stayed committed during some of the world’s most demanding entry-level military training in order to be transformed from civilian to Marine instilled with pride, discipline and the core values of honor, courage and commitment. One week prior to graduation, Broyles endured The Crucible, a 54-hour final test of recruits’ minds and bodies. Upon com-pletion, recruits are presented the Marine Corps emblem and called Marines for the first time. Broyles is a 2010 gradu-ate of Taylor High School .

Katherine JacksonNavy Seaman Katherine M.

Jackson, daughter of Shirly R. and Tom E. Jackson of Cleves, was recently promoted to her current rank upon graduation from recruit training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.Jackson received the early promotion for outstanding performance during all phas-es of the training cycle. The capstone event of boot camp is “Battle Stations.” This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. “Battle Stations” is de-signed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical appli-cation of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly “Navy” flavor was designed to take into ac-count what it means to be a sailor.Jackson is a 2011 graduate of Taylor High School.

10

They’ve served our country with courage and honor. They’ve left

behind loved ones to risk their lives in protecting our country. They’ve defended our freedoms and ideals.

They make us proud to be

HonoringHonoringHonoringHonoringHonoringHonoringHonoringHonoringHonoringHonoringHonoringHonoringHonoringVeterans

HonoringHonoringHonoringHonoringVeterans

HonoringOur

Wishing all of our veterans and soldiers a very happy Veterans Day.

They make us proud to be

Americans.Mayor Dennis Carr • City Council

Redevelopment - Grant HughesClerk Treasurer - Jackie Stutz

Director of Utilities - Mel Davis

We all feel the same commitment to care for our families. Helping you meet your insurance needs is part of my commitment to you.Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®

CALL ME TODAY.

0907504.1 State Farm, Home Office, Bloomington, IL

Family is why we do it all.

Danette Volpenhein, Agent451 Bielby Road

Lawrenceburg, IN 47025Bus: 812-577-0765

[email protected]

DUTY CALLS

Steven Lovins

Aaron Jaeger


11

We Celebrate Our CountryWe Celebrate Our Freedom

We Celebrate You

On this day, and each day forward, while you protect our precious freedom, we ask God to bless you and

keep you safe.

Thank You for your Gift of Courage

We Celebrate Our We Celebrate Our

We Celebrate

On this day, and each day forward, while you protect our precious freedom, we ask God to bless you and

keep you safe.

Thank You for your Gift of Courage

The City Of Aurora, Mayor Donnie Hastings, Jr.Main Street Aurora • Aurora Utilities • Indiana 811


12

“This nation

will remain

the land of the

free only so long

as it is the home

of the brave.” -Elmer Davis

Thank You,Veterans.

City of Rising Sun, Mayor Branden RoederClerk Treasurer, Rae Baker Gipson

Rising Sun City Council • Rising Sun Municipal UtilitiesRising Sun Community Foundation • Historic Downtown Main Street


Documents

A 2012 Veterans Day Salute