EX-POW BULLETIN · EX-POW Bulletin (ISSN 0161-7451) is published bi-monthly (six times annually) by the American Ex-Prisoners of War, 3201 E. Pioneer Pkway, Arlington, TX 76010. Periodical

EX-POW BULLETINthe official voice of the

American Ex-Prisoners of War Volume 69 Number 3/4www.axpow.org

Mar/April 2012

We exist to help those who cannot help themselves

Jacket Size______

Desired lettering under logo ($1.50/line; 14 characters/spaces per line)___________________

Check enclosed or VISA/MasterCard/AmEx______________________________________

Card security code(4 digits on front of AmEX card, three digits on back of others)___________

Expiration Date_____________Signature (CC only)_______________________________

Ship to: Name___________________________________________________________

Address________________________________________________________________

City_____________________________State__________________Zip____________

Mail to Lone Pine Embroidery, 32245 Lone Pine Way, Greentop, MO 63546

Or E-mail to [email protected]

Or call us at 660-627-0753

AMERICAN EX PRISONERS OF WAR

LIGHT JACKET

Wind & water-resistant Cratex™ Microfiber, navy with stone collar

Mesh-lined body for breathability and nylon-lined sleeves for easy on/off

Vented front capes with Velcro® closure perfect for breathability

Stand-up collar with stylish contrast-color on inside

Zippered side pockets & inside valuables pocket. Cuffs with snap closure

S-XL $79.00 (Call 660-627-0753 for pricing larger orders)

Add $1.50 per line for added lettering such as “State Commander” or “Next of Kin” (14 characters/spaces per line)

Plus $2.00 for each size above XL

$6.95 shipping each within Continental U. S.

Shipments to Missouri add 5.6% sales tax

A portion of the price is returned to American Ex-Prisoners of War

EX-POW Bulletin (ISSN 0161-7451) is published bi-monthly (six times annually) by the American Ex-Prisoners of War, 3201 E. Pioneer Pkway,Arlington, TX 76010. Periodical postage paid at Arlington, TX and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: send address changes to EX-POW Bulletin,AXPOW Headquarters, 3201 E. Pioneer Pkwy. Suite 40, Arlington, TX 76010-5396. Founded April 14, 1942, in Albuquerque, NM, then known as BataanRelief Organization, Washington State nonprofit corporation, “American Ex-Prisoners of War”, October 11, 1949, recorded as Document No. 133762,Roll 1, Page 386-392. NONPROFIT CORPORATION. Nationally Chartered August 10, 1982. Appearance in this publication does not constitute endorsementby the American Ex-Prisoners of War of the product or service advertised. The publisher reserves the right to decline or discontinue any such advertisement.© 2012 American Ex-Prisoners of War

PublisherPNC Maurice Sharp

9716 54th Street CT WestUniversity Place, WA 98467-1118

(253) [email protected]

EditorCheryl Cerbone

23 Cove View DriveSouth Yarmouth, MA 02664

(508) 394-5250(508) 760-2008 fax

[email protected]

Deadline for the May/June 2012issue is April 1, 2012.

Please send all materials to theeditor at the above address.

officers/directors 4commander/HQ 5NSO 6medsearch 7andersonville 11namPOW 12pow-mia 13civilian 14events, info, looking for 15news 17members forum 19convention news 21voluntary funding 29applications 30contributions 31new members 32taps 33raffle/Ads 39quartermaster 41

March/April 2012table of contents

Ex-POW BulletinMar/Apr 2012

3

Thank you to PNC Earl Derrington for clearing up a Medsearch Photomystery. After research, we verified that Private Joe Demler, Stalag XII-A,is in picture #6; Nick Mustacchia, Luft IV, is the POW in picture #9. Thecorrected photos are on page 10.

Summertime convention!PNC Earl Derrington was also the last host of a summer AXPOW conven-tion in Jackson, Mississippi in 1986. We’re really looking forward to hav-ing our national convention back in the summer so our members canbring their grandchildren and our NOK members can take vacation time.Mark the dates now for June 27-July 1 and plan to be in Texas for a greatconvention!

April 10, 1942USS Canopus Scuttled/SunkUpon the surrender of Bataan on 9 April, Canopus was ordered scuttledand sunk, to deny her use to the enemy. On 10 April, she was proudlybacked off into deep water under her own power, and the brave veteranwhom the Japanese could not sink ended a lifetime of service to the Navywhen she was laid to rest by her own men.

Happy Birthday, AXPOW!

April 9, 1942In the Philippines... American General King surrenders 75,000 men (12,000Americans) to the Japanese. A death march begins for the prisoners asthey are taken to San Fernado, 100 miles away. Many thousands of themdie on the march. Resistance continues in isolated areas of Luzon and otherislands. General Wainwright and his troops continue to hold out on Cor-regidor Island.

At home… Information was leaking out about the atrocities and subhu-man treatment that American prisoners of war were receiving in Japaneseprison camps in the Pacific. When wives and mothers heard about theirsons and husbands who had been taken prisoner, they started calling andwriting their congressmen in an effort to find help or get assistance fortheir loved ones. Finally, two mothers, whose sons were members of the200th Coast Artillery and had been captured by the Japanese, came upwith an idea. It was Mrs. Charles W. Bickford and Mrs. Fred E. Landonwho, on April 10, 1942, persuaded other parents and relatives to hold amass meeting. They formed an organization to get relief to the capturedboys on Bataan. On April 14th, the Bataan Relief Organization began withDr. V. H. Spensley, as Chairman.

Here’s a great idea: Grab your grandkids and have thembring you to a great convention!

axpow officers & directors 2011-2012National Headquarters - Clydie J. Morgan, Adjutant/Treasurer

3201 E. Pioneer Pkwy, #40, Arlington, TX 76010(817) 649-2979 (817) 649-0109 fax [email protected]

North East RegionFranklin R. Koehler243 Torrey Pines Dr.Toms River, NJ 08757(732) 244-4629; (732) 505-8702 [email protected]

Laura McIntyrePO Box 475Hardwick, MA 01037(413) 477-8260 (413) 477-0172 [email protected]

East Central RegionJudy LeePO Box 248Madisonville, TN 37354(423) 442-3223; (423) 442-4702 [email protected]

Paul E. Galanti21 Maxwell RoadRichmond, VA 23226(804) [email protected]

Southeast RegionEdward L. DeMent8735 Doral Oaks Dr., #1617Temple Terrace, FL 33617(813) [email protected]

Benny Rayborn459 Grady Brown RdLumberton MS 39455(601) [email protected]

North Central RegionJohn W Clark1201 S Johnmeyer LnColumbia MO 65203(573) [email protected]

David ClaypoolPO Box 38Hampton MN 55031(612) [email protected]

National CommanderCarroll Bogard, Ph.D275 N Taft #116Mason City IA 50401(641) 424-4870 – Voice(641) 512-4543 - Cell

National Sr Vice CommanderCharles Susino136 Jefferson StreetMetuchen, NJ 08840(732) 549-5775 phone & fax

National Judge AdvocateDavid Drummond1 Crane CourtManalapan, NJ 07726(732) [email protected]

National ChaplainPNC Gerald Harvey709 Baptist Home LaneChillocothe MO 64601660-646-4301

Jr. Vice CommandersWm “Bill” Jeffers -Eastern Zone3522 Millbrook way CrGreenacres, FL 33463(561) [email protected]

James L. Lollar -Central Zone292 VZ CR 3727Wills Point, TX 75169(903) 560-1734; (903) 560-1705 [email protected]

Milton “Skip” Moore -Western Zone2965 Sierra BermejaSierra Vista, AZ 85650(520) 459-7295; (520) 533-3757 [email protected]

Mid-Central RegionCordine McMurray18940 HamburgDetroit MI 48205(313) 371-0592; (313) 506-6680 [email protected]

Deanie Schmidt1001 Parkview Blvd. #316Columbus, OH 43219(614) [email protected]

South Central RegionPam Warner EslingerPO Box 117Hammon, OK 73650(580) [email protected]

Ben Garrido21083 S Forrest DrTahlequah OK 74464(951) [email protected]

Northwest RegionBonnie Sharp9716 54th Street CT WestUniversity Place, WA 98467-1118(253) [email protected]

Southwest RegionAlice Gollin37231 Turnberry IslePalm Desert, CA 92211(760) 610-1271;(760) 610-1752 [email protected]

Lewis “Lew” Sleeper6636 E Villa DoradoTucson, AZ 85715(520) 751-9628 Voice(520) 490-1082 [email protected]

DirectorsOfficers

Committee addresses appearwith their columns

Senior DirectorPNC Morris Barker710 Chapel ViewWaco, TX 76712(254) [email protected]


5

National CommanderCarroll Bogard

As Spring is beginning here in Texas,we are finalizing the National Con-vention. It is shaping up to be a greatevent.

We’re hugely excited to tell you thaton Thursday, June 28, The TexasRangers will host AXPOW night atThe Ballpark. The Oakland A’s are intown. We had invited owner NolanRyan to be our guest at Opening Cer-emonies; he was unable to make it,but he offered 100 free tickets to thegame! We figured the fairest way todistribute them was to have a raffle.When you register for the conven-tion, you will automatically be en-tered to win! There is free transpor-tation to and from The Ballpark. Somake sure you come to Arlington andmake sure you are registered!

The Hilton Arlington is located in theheart of Fun Central. Near 6 FlagsOver Texas, Hurricane Harbor, TheRanger Ballpark and The Cowboy Sta-dium it’s a good central spot to startyour site seeing. The free trolley sys-tem will pick you and your family upat the hotel and deliver you all to thefun destinations of your choice. Ar-lington is a great place to bring yourkids and grandkids.

The trolley system will also take youto the shopping areas and great res-taurants in the city. Try some of thatgreat Texas BBQ you hear about!

Look for more information on theconvention in the magazine.

Thank you to all the life memberswho stepped up with their donations.You are a huge help.

Clydie, Marsha & Donna

Dear fellow members, we are half-way through winter and I hope thisfinds you in good health.

In November, my wife and I had thehonor and privilege of attending theVeterans Day ceremony in Washing-ton, DC. About 150 guests attendedthe breakfast at the White House.When leaving the White House, Bar-bara got a big hug from the Presi-dent and his First Lady. At Arling-ton Cemetery, we were guests at theformal laying of the wreath at theTomb of the Unknown Soldier. Thenat the amphitheater, I was honoredto be on stage with the Presidentand nine other guests. It was allvery impressive. The reception af-ter the Arlington Cemetery eventwas held at the hotel where we werestaying. This was attended by

newsfromhq

around 400 people. Two very inter-esting guests, who we had a longconversation with, were “Redcoats”from England. Our taxi while wewere in DC was a granddaughterwho is in Colorado Senator Udall’soffice. Our son and daughter-in-lawwere also with us on this adventure.

The mid-year meeting will be in Ar-lington, Texas in mid-March. Themajor piece of business at this mid-year will be the budget – and wherewe stand with it.

I have asked Charlie Susino, SeniorVice Commander, to present ourthanks and suggestions to the JointHouse/Senate Veterans AffairsCommittee when they meet the fol-lowing week.

The National Convention will be inArlington, Texas this year. The com-mittee and headquarters have donea lot of work on activities. It lookslike we will be getting more for lessmoney than we have recently. Besure to plan to be there and bringyour family. The NOK will be play-ing a bigger role now that the great-est generation is thinning out.

Don’t forget to send your voluntarydonations for the magazine andgeneral funds.

This has been an interesting year,with calls from all over the US andNSOs still busy helping veteransand widows.

See you at the National Convention.

CarrollCarrollCarrollCarrollCarroll

National Convention RAFFLE!

Texas Rangers President Nolan Ryanhas donated baseball tickets to

AXPOW night at the Ballpark at Ar-lington. All you have to do to win is

register for the convention!

GO RANGERS!


6

Ruth Powell, Director - NSO191 Florence RoadWaltham, MA 02453781-899-0726

nso

This is my first report since myappointment on October 13, 2011as National Representative, Veter-ans Affairs Voluntary Services(VAVS), for American Ex-Prisonersof War. I want to thank NC CarrollBogard, AXPOW for his confidencein me, former AXPOW VAVS repre-sentative Tillman Rutledge and,Marty Naugher, Washington VAVSoffice, for their guidance in outlin-ing the responsibilities of the VAVSrepresentative. This report coversthe first quarter, (October-Decem-ber) AXPOW volunteer hours forfiscal year 2011-12 from sixty-six(66) VA facilities throughout theUnited States. During this firstquarter, AXPOW volunteers worked5,103 hours which is equivalent to$108,183 contributed to the facili-ties based on $21.20 per hour (In-dependent Sector Value 2011). Cur-rently, of the 279 VA facilitiesthroughout the United States,AXPOW has 192 volunteers in only66 of these facilities. This smallnumber of facilities in which volun-teers serve can be justified in someinstances, due to the location andsize of the facility. Since most fa-cilities have volunteers from 1 or 2of the other 35 service organiza-tions such as VFW, Military Orderof Purple Heart, American Legion,DAV etc, the facility is limited as tothe number of volunteers they canhave under the organizationalstructure. In order to increase thenumber of facilities (currently 66)with AXPOW volunteers where ap-plicable, my goal will be to workwith the Facility Representative inthis regard.

PNC Morris BarkerNational Representative710 Chapel ViewWaco, TX 76712(254) 732-5640

vavs

In the News...

VA Announces Changesto Emergency CarePayment PolicyOn January 12, 2012, The Depart-ment of Veterans Affairs an-nounced a change in regulationsregarding payments for emergencycare provided to eligible Veteransin non-VA facilities.

“This provision helps ensure eli-gible Veterans continue to get theemergency care they need when VAfacilities are not available,” saidSecretary of Veterans Affairs EricK. Shinseki.

The new regulation extends VA’sauthority to pay for emergency careprovided to eligible Veterans atnon-VA facilities until the Veteranscan be safely transferred to a VAmedical facility.

More than 100,000 Veterans areestimated to be affected by the newrules, at a cost of about $44 mil-lion annually.

VA operates 121 emergency depart-ments across the country, which

provide resuscitative therapy andstabilization in life-threateningsituations. They operate 24 hoursa day, seven days a week. VA alsohas 46 urgent care units, which pro-vide care for patients withoutscheduled appointments who needimmediate medical or psychiatricattention.

For more information about emer-gency care in non-VA facilities, visitwww.nonvacare.va.gov.

VA Launches PersonalizedHealth Benefits HandbookVeterans enrolled in the health caresystem of the Department ofVeterans Affairs have begun toreceive personalized booklets thatexplain their health care benefitsand contain other usefulinformation.

The new booklet, called a HealthBenefits Handbook, will provide apersonalized listing of health ben-efits based on each Veteran’s spe-cific eligibility. The handbook willalso have contact information fortheir local VA medical facilities,appointment scheduling informa-tion, guidelines for communicatingwith their clinical team and, as ap-plicable, information about copays.Distribution of the handbooks be-gan this month, with all 8.5 millionVeterans enrolled in VA’s healthcare system scheduled to receivetheir handbooks by 2013. Veter-ans will receive updates to theirhandbook to reflect changes totheir benefits or eligibility.

VA operates 152 medical centersand more than 800 community-based outpatient clinics. Lastyear, inpatient facilities treatedmore than 690,000 patients, whileoutpatient clinics registered morethan 79 million visits.

For more information about theHealth Benefits Handbook,visit www.va.gov/healthbenefits/vhbh or call VA’s toll-free numberat 1-877-222-VETS (8387).

pow medsearchMarsha Coke, Chairmane-mail: [email protected]

3201 E. Pioneer Pkway, Suite 40Arlington, TX 76010

(817) 649-2979


7

Thanks to NSO Director Ruth Powellfor this information

Gout

What Is Gout?

Gout is a disease that causes thesudden onset of intense pain andswelling in the joints, which alsomay be warm and red. Attacks fre-quently occur at night and can betriggered by stressful events, alco-hol or drugs, or the presence ofanother illness.

Before an attack, needle-like crys-tals of uric acid build up in connec-tive tissue, in the joint space be-tween two bones, or in both.

Uric acid is a substance that resultsfrom the breakdown of purines,which are part of all human tissueand are found in many foods. Earlyattacks usually subside within 3 to10 days, even without treatment,and the next attack may not occurfor months or even years.

Adult men, particularly those be-tween the ages of 40 and 50, aremore likely to develop gout thanwomen, who rarely develop the dis-ease before menstruation ends.

Sometime during the course of thedisease, many patients will developgout in the big toe. Gout frequentlyaffects joints in the lower part ofthe body such as the ankles, heels,knees, or toes.

Quiz

1. Gout attacks are only triggeredby uric acid buildup.

TRUE is the correct answer. Uricacid buildup is the underlying rea-son for all gout attacks. However,stressful events, alcohol or drugs, oranother illness can trigger gout at-tacks in people who already haveuric acid buildup.

2. Uric acid is a substance that re-sults from the breakdown of pu-rines.

TRUE is the correct answer. Uricacid is a substance that results fromthe breakdown of purines, whichare part of all human tissue and arefound in many foods such as liver,dried beans, anchovies, and gravies.

3. Gout does not usually affect thebig toe.

FALSE is the correct answer. Some-time during the course of the dis-ease, many patients will developgout in the big toe.

4. Months or even years can passbetween one gout attack and an-other.

TRUE is the correct answer. Earlygout attacks usually subside within3 to 10 days, and the next attackmay not occur for months or evenyears.

5. Gout occurs more frequently inwomen than in men.

FALSE is the correct answer. Menare more likely than women to de-velop gout. Men are most likely todevelop the disease between theages of 40 and 50.

Causes and Risk Factors

Researchers have discovered someof the risk factors for gout. Somepeople with gout have a family his-tory of the disease. In addition toinherited traits, diet, weight, andalcohol play a role in the develop-ment of gout. The disease is morecommon in men.

Most people with gout have toomuch uric acid in their blood, a con-dition called hyperuricemia. Theextra uric acid moves from theblood to the joints, which may trig-ger the inflammation seen in gout.

Quiz

1. Some people with gout have afamily history of the disease.

TRUE is the correct answer. Somepeople with gout have a family his-tory of the disease.

2. Diet, weight, and alcohol are riskfactors in the development of gout.

TRUE is the correct answer. In ad-dition to inherited traits, diet,weight, and alcohol play a role inthe development of gout.

3. Hyperuricemia occurs whenthere is too much uric acid in theblood.

medsearch continued...


8

TRUE is the correct answer. Mostpeople with gout have too much uricacid in their blood, a conditioncalled hyperuricemia.

4. Women are more likely to de-velop gout than men.

FALSE is the correct answer. Adultmen, particularly those between theages of 40 and 50, are more likelyto develop gout than women.

5. Scientists know very little aboutthe risk factors for developing gout.

FALSE is the correct answer. Re-searchers have pinpointed the ma-jor risk factors for developing gout.In addition to inherited traits, diet,weight, and alcohol play a role inthe development of gout.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Different types of arthritis havedifferent symptoms. In general,people with most forms of arthri-tis have pain and stiffness in theirjoints. Gout typically attacks onejoint at a time, and the attacks usu-ally begin at night.

Hyperuricemia — high levels of uricacid in the body — contributes toarthritis that develops in one day,producing a swollen, red, and pain-ful joint. Gout attacks usually be-gin at night.

Gout normally attacks joints in thelower part of the body, such as theknee, ankle or big toe. For manypeople the joints in the big toe arethe first to be attacked. In fact,sometime during the course of thedisease, many people will developgout in the big toe.

To confirm a diagnosis of gout, the

doctor inserts a needle into the in-flamed joint and draws a sample ofsynovial fluid, the substance thatlubricates a joint. A laboratory tech-nician places some of the fluid ona slide and looks for monosodiumurate crystals under a microscope.If crystals are found in the jointfluid, the person usually has gout.

Quiz

1. Gout attacks usually beginA. in the morningB. in the afternoonC. at night

C is the correct answer. Gout attacksmay begin anytime but frequentlystart at night.

2. Sometime during the course ofthe disease, gout usually affects thejoints in theA. thumbB. big toeC. knee

B is the correct answer. Sometimeduring the course of the disease,gout usually affects the joints in thebig toe. The big toe becomes swol-len, red, and painful.

3. The final step in confirming a di-agnosis of gout is toA. take x-raysB. get the patient’s medical historyC. examine a sample of synovialfluid from the inflamed joint

C is the correct answer. To confirma diagnosis of gout, the doctor in-serts a needle into the inflamed jointand draws a sample of joint fluidfor analysis under a microscope.

4. A person usually has gout if__________ are present in a sampleof joint fluid.A. monosodium urate crystalsB. proteinsC. red blood cells

A is the correct answer. If monoso-dium urate crystals are seen whenlooking at the fluid under a specialmicroscope, the person usually has

gout.

5. GoutA. usually affects young women.B. most often affects one joint at atime.C. always causes flu-like symptoms.

B is the correct answer. Gout usu-ally affects a single joint. In rarecases, many joints are affected atthe same time. Gout frequently af-fects a joint in the lower part of thebody such as a knee, ankle, or toe.Sometime during the course of thedisease, many people will developgout in the big toe.

Treatment and Research

With proper treatment, mostpeople with gout are able to con-trol their symptoms and live pro-ductive lives.

The goals for treatment are to easethe pain that comes from suddenattacks, prevent future attacks,stop uric acid buildup in the tissuesand joint space between two bones,and prevent kidney stones fromforming.

The most common treatments foran attack of gout are high doses ofnon-steroidal anti-inflammatorydrugs, or NSAIDs, which are takenby mouth, or corticosteroids, whichare taken by mouth or injected intothe affected joint. Patients oftenbegin to improve within a few hoursof treatment. The attack usuallygoes away completely within a weekor so.

Since NSAIDs are now available overthe counter, it is important to checkwith your doctor concerning thesafety of using these drugs and toverify the proper dosage.

When NSAIDs or corticosteroids failto control pain and swelling, thedoctor may use another drug,colchicine. This drug is most effec-tive when taken within the first 12hours of an acute attack.


9

medsearch, continuedScientists are studying whichNSAIDs are the best ones to treatgout. They are analyzing new com-pounds to develop safe, effectivemedicines. Current research is alsofocusing on the structure of certainenzymes to gain a better under-standing of defects that can causegout.

Scientists are studying the effect ofcrystal deposits on cartilage cellsfor clues to treatment. They are alsolooking at the role of calcium de-posits and how they contribute tothe development of gout in thehope of finding new treatments.

In addition, researchers are inves-tigating how genetics and the envi-ronment may influence the level ofuric acid in the blood.

Quiz

1. The most common treatment fora gout attack is to apply hot andcold compresses to the affectedarea.

FALSE is the correct answer. In theevent of a sudden attack of gout, aphysician will often prescribe highdoses of non-steroidal anti-inflam-matory drugs, or NSAIDs, which aretaken by mouth, or corticosteroids,which are taken by mouth or in-jected into the affected joint.

2. If NSAIDs and corticosteriods failto control pain and swelling fromgout, there are no other knowntreatments.

FALSE is the correct answer. IfNSAIDs or corticosteroids fail tocontrol pain or swelling from gout,the doctor may consider using an-other drug, colchicine. This drug ismost effective when taken withinthe first 12 hours of an acute at-tack.

3. One goal of treatment for gout

is to keep uric acid crystals fromforming.

TRUE is the correct answer. Onegoal of treatment for gout is to pre-vent the buildup of needle-like crys-tals of uric acid in connective tis-sue, in the joint space between twobones, or in both. One way to limitthis buildup is by eating fewer foodsthat contain substances called pu-rines. Examples of foods that con-tain purines are liver, dried beansand peas, anchovies, and gravies.

4. With proper treatment, mostpeople with gout are able to leadproductive lives.

TRUE is the correct answer. With theright treatment, most people withgout are able to control their symp-toms and feel better. Treatment canhelp ease the pain that comes fromsudden attacks, prevent future at-tacks, and stop kidney stones fromforming.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is gout?Gout is one of the most painfulrheumatic diseases. It occurs whenneedle-like crystals of uric acidbuild up in connective tissue, in thejoint space between two bones, orin both.

Adult men, particularly those be-tween the ages of 40 and 50, aremore likely than women to developgout. Women rarely develop thedisease while still menstruating.

Sometime during the course of thedisease, many people will developgout in the big toe. Gout frequentlyaffects joints in the lower part ofthe body such as knee, ankles, ortoes.

2. What causes gout?Researchers have discovered sev-eral key risk factors for developinggout. In addition to inherited traits,diet, weight, and alcohol play a rolein the development of gout. Some

people with gout have a family his-tory of the disease.

Most people with gout have toomuch uric acid in their blood, a con-dition called hyperuricemia. Uricacid is a substance that resultsfrom the breakdown of purines,which are part of all human tissueand are found in many foods. Hy-peruricemia occurs when high lev-els of uric acid build up in thebloodstream.

3. What are some common symp-toms of gout?Gout frequently first attacks thejoints in the big toe. The affectedjoint may become swollen, red, orwarm. Attacks usually occur atnight.

4. How is gout diagnosed?To confirm a diagnosis of gout, thedoctor inserts a needle into the in-flamed joint and draws a sample ofsynovial fluid, the substance thatlubricates a joint. A laboratory tech-nician places some of the fluid ona slide and looks for uric acid crys-tals under a microscope. If uric acidcrystals are found in the fluid sur-rounding the joint, the person usu-ally has gout.

5. What are the most commontreatments for an acute attack ofgout?Physicians often prescribe highdoses of non-steroidal anti-inflam-matory drugs, or NSAIDs, or ste-roids for a sudden attack of gout.NSAIDs are taken by mouth andcorticosteroids are either taken bymouth or injected into the affectedjoint. Patients often begin to im-prove within a few hours of treat-ment, and the attack usually goesaway within a week or so.

NIHSeniorHealth.govNational Institutes of Health(NIH), 9000 Rockville Pike,Bethesda, Maryland 20892

POW Photos Order FormThese black & white 8x10” photographs are available

from MedSearch. Please include a donation of $5.00

per picture, or $50.00 for the complete set of 12 with

your order. Fill out the form below with selections.

Fill in the number of copies

of each picture desired in the

blank beside the picture’s

identification number:

1._____5._____9._____

2._____6._____10.____

3._____7._____11.____

4._____8._____12.____

Set of 12 photos_______

Mail to:AXPOW National Headquarters

3201 East Pioneer Parkway, Suite 40

Arlington, TX 76010. PH: 817-649-2979; fax 817-649-0109

Name ___________________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip ____________________________________________________________

Credit Card: MasterCard ________ VISA _______

Card # ____________________________________ Expiration: ___________

Total Amount Enclosed or Charged

($5.00 per picture/$50.00 for set of 12) __________

1. Santo Tomas prison camp

internees Lee Rogers and

John Todd.

10. POWs at Cabanatuan

Camp 3 beaten with clubs.

11. Bilibid POW hospital

ward, Philippine Islands.12. Bataan Death March,

April 1942.

2. Pvt. Robert Collins & M/

Sgt. Woodrow Haines back

behind UN lines, Chechon,

Korea.

6. Private Joe Demler and

another POW are liberated

from XII-A, Limburg.

3. Pfc. Robert Brandon

rations Red Cross parcels,

Stalag IX-B.

4. Nichols Field Detail, PI,

taken at Pasay Schoolhouse.5. An American POW suf-

fering from dry beri-beri be-

ing treated in Bilibid.

7. Survivors of Suchon

Tunnel Massacre, Korea.

8. Three American POWS

released by the Viet Cong

near Tay Ninh City.

9. Nick Mustacchia. 100

days as a POW -- 100 lb.

weight loss. Stalag Luft IV.

Checks payable to AXPOW


10

andersonville


11

Andersonville NHS496 Cemetery RoadAndersonville, GA 31711(229) 924-0343Brad Bennett, [email protected]

Commemorating the CivilWar Sesquicentennial

2011 to 2015 marks the150th anniversary of theAmerican Civil War.

Through 2015, in programs,publications and specialevents, Andersonville Na-tional Historic Site will markthis important anniversaryand explore how the story ofAndersonville fits into thelarger Civil War experience.

Original POW/MIA

Banner Donated

to Andersonville NHSby Alan Marsh, Chief ofResource Management

The POW/MIA flag beganwith an idea and is now asymbol recognizedthroughout America andbeyond. The flag has flownover the White House andin the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.Legislation passed in 1998requires the flag to beflown in numerous federalfacilities on Armed ForcesDay, Memorial Day, FlagDay, Independence Day, Na-tional POW/MIA Recogni-tion Day, and Veterans Day.It all started with the wifeof a Navy pilot.

In 1970, Lieutenant Com-mander Michael Hoff wasdeclared Missing in Actionafter his A7 Corsair crashedin Laos. His wife, HelenHoff, joined other spousesin the National League of

Families determined to obtain anaccounting of prisoners of war andmissing in action from countries inSoutheast Asia. Mrs. Hoff recog-nized the need for a symbol tohonor the POWs/MIAs and to cre-ate public awareness of the POW/MIA issue. Recalling the Blue Starbanners of World War II, she wroteto the flag-making business Annin& Co., and asked their vice presi-dent Norman Rivkees to design abanner. In turn, the company con-tracted with graphic designer NewtHeisley, a World War II veteran, whocreated the symbol that we are allfamiliar with today.

Helen Hoff received the banner butdecided that the emblem would getmore use if it could be flown froma flagpole. She requested Annin &Co. to make flags instead. The restis history. Mrs. Hoff sold POW/MIAbracelets and used the money topurchase flags which she donatedto politicians, military personneland others.

What happened to the banner?Helen Hoff hung it on her front doorand never took it down until re-cently.

Thanks to a lead from WayneWaddell, Friends of AndersonvilleBoard of Trustees member and Viet-nam POW, Mrs. Hoff donated thebanner to the National Park Service,Andersonville National HistoricSite. Alan Marsh and Bridget Beers(Andersonville NHS Museum Cura-tor) traveled to Orange Park, Floridain December, 2011 to record an oralhistory interview with Mrs. Hoff andaccept the donation. Today, theoriginal POW/MIA banner is now be-ing preserved in the only nationalpark in America designated as me-morial to all American Prisoners ofWar.

Andersonville National Historic Siteoffers a variety of volunteer oppor-tunities including visitor services,living history, cemetery operations,resource management, and re-search.

For more information about oppor-tunities to volunteer, contact Chiefof Interpretation and Education EricLeonard at 229 924-0343 x.201

namPOW news

Paul E. GalantiNational Director, East Central804.389.1668 (cell)[email protected]


12

The NFO Drinking FlagTwo Vietnam POWs introducefun to a Navy training squad-ron!

CDR Ross Terry was the Skipper ofVT-10 basic training squadron forNaval Flight Officers - NavalAviation’s non-pilots who performcritical tasks on a variety of NavalAir platforms. LCDR John Heiligwas VT-10’s Ops officer. Both werelong-term ex-cons in Hanoi. They’ddecided that NFO morale was badand to fix it, they had to one-up thepilots. Heilig, a Hancock shipmateof mine, RF-8A driver, had beenbagged several weeks before I wasand we’d been cellmates more thanfive years. He knew Pulitzer Prizewinning cartoonist, Jeff MacNellyand I were friends so he asked meto find out if Jeff could design adrinking flag for VT-10 to helpsquadron morale. Jeff said, “Aye”and designed a great flag which wasreproduced zillions of times (seeaccompanying illustration!).

But I’m ahead of myself.

Skipper Terry decided to introducethe flag at a blowout dining-in withMacNelly as the featured speaker.The squadron wives got POd whenthey found out MacNelly was speak-

ing and, using that subtle means ofcoercion for which their gender isfamous (You want to be celibate forthe rest of your life?), quickly gotit turned into a dining-out. Rossnever let anybody pee - except theladies - and several Marines who’ddrunk too much beer before the bellrang had, uh, “accidents.” Aftergetting fined several Lincolns eachthey got to go to the little boys’room but it was too late by then.

This was the first time I’d seen thebeef paraded with bag pipes anddrums with all the pomp of theQueen’s Regiments. A quaking cheffollowed the beef to the head table,cut off a generous slice and offeredit to Mess President Ross Terry.Ross sampled the beef, made ahuge show of spitting it out, wipedhis mouth with his sleeve a la KingHenry VIII and roared, “Mr. Vice.This beef tastes like shit. Shoot thechef.”

Whereupon, Mr. Vice pulled out apistol and “shot the chef.” This,BTW, was inside the Mustin BeachO’Club’s Ballroom and it was theloudest sound I’ve ever heard in-side except when some Thuds weretrying to bomb the Paul DoumerBridge in August 1967 and a coupleof stray bombs landed in our court-yard!

The “chef,” a local actor, splatteredhis chest with stage blood just as asiren was heard outside. In came agurney with two corpsman whotook the “chef” away in an ambu-lance with siren blaring. Jeff gave

one of the funniest talks I’ve everheard - and showed several of hiscartoons. The grand finale was theunveiling in public for the first time,of the NFO drinking flag to tumul-tuous accolades!

It depicted an A-6 cockpit with VT-10 markings. In the right seat wasthis massive Incredible Hulk look-alike with bulging muscles, obvi-ously, in total control of the situa-tion; a lantern-jawed guy with“NFO” on his helmet. Next to himwas a baby in an infant seat with alittle steering wheel and on thecanopy rail was the word, “pilot.” Itwas used by squadrons for years onT-shirts and sweatshirts. I’ll betevery NFO who went through VT-10 in those days has one some-where...

At the conclusion of the evening,Ross read the Alcohol and DrugAbuse Prevention and ControlPolicy OPNAVINST 5350.4B thatdecreed that if anybody got hurtfollowing a squadron function atwhich alcohol was served, thesquadron CO would be summarilyhung. The skipper then said, “Mr.MacNelly and I are taking the flagdowntown to Trader Jon’s.Everybody’s invited.”

50 cars - mostly Corvettes andfaster except for the Marines’ CJ-7jeeps - roared out of the parking lotand headed the five miles to down-town P-cola where a great time en-sued. MacNelly and Trader Jon be-came lifelong friends and MacNellywas invited to the annual joint BlueAngels/Thunderbirds receptions atTrader’s after that.

More about the evening at Trader’slater. It concerns the scruffieststrippers ever seen by man any-where, Trader’s Korean Mamasanwaitresses and MacNelly’s plungeinto the depravity of Naval Aviation.In George Wallace’s Southern Ala-bama aka Pensacola.

But that’s another story...

pow-mia

PNC John EdwardsChairman889 Randall RoadNiskayuna, NY 12309-4815(518) 393-3907 phone & fax


13

Missing/CapturedUS Service member reported miss-ing or captured while supportingcombat operations:

Army Spc. Bowe R. Bergdahi, 25,June 30,2009, Afghanistan

AMERICANS IDENTIFIEDThere are now 1,677 Americanslisted by the Defense POW/MissingPersonnel Office (DPMO) as miss-ing and unaccounted-for from theVietnam War. Listed on the DPMOwebsite on February 9th was LtColCharles M. Walling, USAF, AZ,MIAin South Vietnam on 8/8/66.His remains were recovered on 4/13/10 and identified on 11/30/11.On November 15TH, DPMO addedone name to the list of accounted-for US personnel: Lieutenant Rob-ert E. Bennett, III, USAF, from NewJersey. 1LT Bennett was listed asKIA/BNR in South Vietnam on De-cember 13, 1967. His remains wererecovered April 13, 2010 and iden-tified November 15, 2011.

The number of Americans an-nounced as returned and identifiedsince the end of the Vietnam Warin 1975 is now 906. (Five moreAmericans previously listed as KIA/BNR in Cambodia (4) and Laos (1)have been accounted- for, thoughnot yet named/announced byDPMO.) Another 63 US personnel,recovered post-incident and iden-tified before the end of the war,bring the officially listed total re-covered and identified to 979. Ofthe 1,677 still missing or otherwiseunaccounted-for from the VietnamWar, 90% were lost in Vietnam orin areas of Laos and Cambodia un-der Vietnam’s wartime control:

Vietnam–1,286 (VN-472, VS-814);Laos–325; Cambodia–54; PeoplesRepublic of China territorial wa-ters–7; more than 450were over-water losses.

HOUSE RESOLUTION 485Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC)introduced H. Res. 485, calling forseveral important steps by the Sec-retary of Defense and, most impor-tantly, signaling the need for addi-tional funding to ensure that pri-ority on the accounting mission issustained and expanded. As ex-pected, it was not voted on beforeCongress recessed for the holidays;therefore, it is very important thatadditional House Members sign onto co-sponsor and register theirsupport.

ACCOUNTING COOPERATIONJPAC is continuing a newly testedrecovery process in Vietnam, withVietnamese Recovery Teams (VRTs)handling all logistic requirementsand advance preparation, beforebeing joined by a smaller numberof US personnel. This new recoveryconstruct is viewed as a way to ex-pand the pace and scope of fieldoperations, called for by Vietnam.Initial reports indicate the processis working well; therefore, it hasbeen continued.

Field operations are completed for2011Due to the lack of a helicop-ter contract for transporting teamsto remote locations, the Lao Gov-ernment has been asked to permitground transportation of jointteams to selected sites, with a dead-line of December 31st to enable theJanuary JFA (Joint Field Activities)to proceed.

A small US team successfully con-ducted recovery operations in Laosin November but, in early Decem-ber, JPAC Commander MG StephenTom, USAR, conveyed the messageto the Lao Government that costfactors and other conditions im-posed precluded extending the he-licopter contract. In fact, most LaoAviation helicopters do not meet

safety requirements for transport-ing US military personnel and, un-fortunately, the Lao Governmentdid not extend the existing contractwith the privately owned Lao WestCoast helicopter company. It willtake time to sort out the situationand try to reach agreement.

S/SGT ALTAIEThe remains of Staff Sgt. AhmedAltaie, the last American servicemember still missing in Iraq, havebeen positively identified.

Altaie was serving as an Army in-terpreter when he was kidnappedin October 2006, after he snuck offhis base in Baghdad to visit his Iraqiwife.

Ever since then, the Iraqi-born sol-dier from Ann Arbor, Mich., hasbeen listed as Missing-Captured bythe Defense Department.

Army spokesman Troy Rolan saidthat that on Saturday, Feb. 25, theArmed Forces Medical Examiner atDover, Del., “used scientific meth-ods on an unknown set of remainsand positively identified them asthose of missing-captured Staff Sgt.Ahmed Altaie.”

Army officials did not have furtherdetails about the circumstancessurrounding his death or how hisremains were discovered. One of-ficial said the remains had beenfound in Iraq earlier in the week.


14

ND Alice GollinChairman

civilians

Leonette Warburton Wishard, widowof Glenn P. Wishard, died at the ageof 109 on December 2, 2011 in herresidence at The Watermark inBridgeport CT. Born in Lawrence MAon October 11, 1902, Mrs. Wishardwas the eldest daughter of James andMargaret McGregor Warburton.Leonette graduated from LawrenceH.S. in 1919, received a Bachelor ofArts Degree from Colby College in1923. In 1927 she received her Mas-ters Degree in Religious Educationfrom Andover Newton TheologicalSeminary. In the fall of 1928 Leonettesailed from San Francisco to the Phil-ippines via Tokyo, Shanghai andHong Kong. In 1928 she was namedDirector of the Baptist Student Cen-ter and Dorm Matron in Iloilo, Phil-ippines and served in that capacityuntil 1932. From 1932-1933 Leonettetraveled to Singapore, the Suez Ca-nal and Europe returning to theUnited States to spend time with herfamily and friends at Hedding Camp-grounds in Epping, NH. In 1935 shewas named the delegate to the Na-tional Christian Council in China.Returning to the states in 1938 sheattended Union Seminary and Co-lumbia University Teachers Collegein NY. Leonette returned to the Phil-ippines in 1939 where she taught Re-ligious Education at Baptist Mission-ary Training School and Baptist Semi-

nary at Central Philippine College.During this time she met GlennWishard, who was Director of theAmerican and European YMCA inManila. Glenn and Leonette marriedin September 1941. Married justthree months when the Japanesetook the Phillipines, the Wishardswere taken as civilian prisoners andinterned separately for 3 years and3 months. They saw each other onlyduring the day as the men were seg-regated from the women and chil-dren. When freed by AmericanForces February 3, 1945, bothLeonette and Glenn weighed 95 lbsand were among the first taken byship to the states. Upon arriving inAmerica, they first stayed withLeonette’s parents in Lawrence, MAand spent their summers at the fam-ily cottage in Hedding NH. TheWishards came to Bridgeport in thefall of 1945 where Glenn served asassistant to Rev. Fred Hoskins atUnited Congregational Church.Leonette worked as a Home Mission-ary for the Baptist Church in whatwas then Yellow Mill Village; shetaught Religious Education in re-leased time programs in the publicschool system; was Religious Educa-tion Director at the First BaptistChurch and then Secretary of Reli-gious Education at United Congrega-tional Church both in Bridgeport.After Glenn’s passing in 1956,Leonette went to Athens Greece andtaught English at Pierce College un-der the United Church of ChristBoard of World Ministries. In 1962Leonette accepted a teaching posi-tion at the American School in IzmirTurkey which held a student bodyof 600. She was then named Dean ofResidence and teacher of English atthe American Collegiate Institute inIzmir Turkey again under the UnitedChurch of Christ Board of World Min-istries. In 1968 Mrs. Wishard retiredand returned to Bridgeport, CT. Inaddition to traveling twice aroundthe world by ship and to the Philip-pines, Leonette had visited Japan,China, Thailand, French Indo China,Egypt, Palestine, Iran and 12 Euro-pean countries before retiring. Afterher retirement, her love for travelcontinued and took her to Canada,Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, always re-turning to her beloved Hedding

Campgrounds in New Hampshire.Mrs. Wishard’s thirst for learning andeducation extended to her lifetimegift giving to institutes such as heralma mater, Colby College, UnionTheological Seminary Andover-New-ton Theological Seminary and theYMCA. In 1978 the YMCA presentedLeonette with its Endurance Award.In 2005 the American Association ofUniversity Women, honoredMrs.Wishard by having a FellowshipEndowment named for her. In 2006Mrs. Wishard was named ‘Woman ofDistinction’ by the Girl ScoutsHousatonic Council and in the sameyear the Connecticut Chapter of theAmerican Association of UniversityWoman named her as its ‘Outstand-ing Woman of theYear’. In the springof 2009, Leonette was one of sixwomen honored by The Watermarkfor living an extraordinary life. At herrecent birthday celebration, procla-mations and congratulatory letterswere sent by President BarackObama, CT. Gov. Dannel Malloy andin attendance proclaiming October11, 2011 Leonette Warburton Day,Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch. Thisamazing woman was in good healthand had her full intellectual capaci-ties right up to her recent passing.She read the CT Post daily -EVERYword!! She held membership in 2book clubs and according to clubmembers asked more questions thananyone else about the current bookselection. Until recently Leonette wasstill knitting and continued takingher meals in Watermark’s diningroom on a daily basis as she thoughtsocial interaction was important toone’s being. A lover of books, traveland people, Leonette Wishard’s foot-prints have been left on the hearts ofall her knew her. She is survived bynieces Margaret Newman of Atlanta,GA, Barbara Rappel of Everett WA,Patricia Herring of Athens, TX, hercousin Elizabeth Smith of Barrington,NH, a second cousin MargaretRedhouse of Leeh, NH as well as step-grandchildren, Sarah M. Taylor ofFalls Church, VA., Douglas McMillanand Gordon McMillan of Sedgwick,ME, seven great-grandchildren andsix great-great-grandchildren.

Published in Connecticut Post on January25, 2012

Oldest Civilian POW

laid to rest

March 17, 2012. The AXPOWMidYear Board of DirectorsMeeting will be held at theArlington (Texas) Hilton. For moreinformation, please contactNational Headquarters at 817-649-2979.

April 2012. Bataan and CorregidorMemorial. Sascha Jean Jansen willlead a tour to the Philippines tomemorialize the 70th anniversaryof the surrenders on Bataan andCorregidor and visit the POWcamps. Contact her at (530) 795-0411 [email protected].

April 17-21, 2012. Stalag Luft IIIreunion is being planned in Dayton,Ohio, right near Wright-PattersonAir Force Base. The hotel selectedis ten minutes from there. This re-union would be held at the sametime the Doolittle Raiders are hold-ing their reunion at WPAFB. We willdo our planning in a way that al-lows our attendees and those at theRaider event to interact and partici-pate in one another’s events—kindof a “two for one.” Contact: MarilynWalton, 1275 Fareharm Drive, NewAlbany, OH 43054;[email protected].

April 18 & 19, 2012. Dept. of Mis-souri State Convention will be heldin Columbia, Missouri. Hotel ac-commodations will be at the

eventslookingfor


15

Staybridge Suites located at 805Keene Street, Columbia, Missouri65201 (phone# 573-442-8600).Contact: John & Anne Clark, 1201S. Johnmeyer Ln, Columbia, MO65203; [email protected].

May 31-June 2, 2012, The Depart-ment of Arizona 30th State Con-vention will be held at Wild HorsePass Hotel & Casino, 5040 WildHorse Pass Blvd (exit 162) off the I-10, Chandler, Az.. 1-520-796-4900direct room reservations,discountcode: POW $79.00 standand and$119.00 suite plus tax. Room res-ervation cut off date April 30, 2012.Convention registration fee $50.00per person. Please contact Depart-ment Commander Lew Sleeper at520-751-9628, [email protected] orAdjutant Debby Lindhurst-Lollar602-841-9338, [email protected] convention paperwork or ques-tions.

June 8-9, 2012. Dept of WestVirginia Annual Convention willbe held at the Best Western(formerly Holiday Inn) Bridgeport,WV. For information, contact Cmdr.Annette Smith, 621 Front St.,Brownsville, PA 15417; 724-785-8536.

July 29-Aug 5, 2012. The KoreanWar Ex-POW Association annualreunion will be held at the MarriottRegency Hotel, 10220 RegencyCircle, Omaha, NE 68114; 402-399-9000. For more information, con-tact Bill Norwood, President at:[email protected].

My name is Nina Newton Pace. Myfather was Frank M. “Tex” Newtonwho was in Stalag Luft III. I amsearching for an extraordinarily kindgentleman in The Netherlands. I’velooked through mother’s addressesand cannot find his phone numberor address. His name is BenVanDrogenbeck, although I mayhave not spelled it correctly. I havean original Stalag Luft book whichwas given to my dad and I’d like Bento have it. Also, to tell Ben that mymother passed away on January 14,2012. Anything you can do to con-nect me with Ben would be appreci-ated. My home phone is 512-524-2018. Sincerely, Nina Newton Pace;[email protected].

Would you have any records show-ing who is the oldest WWII POW,who also served in Korea and Viet-nam? I spoke with the daughter ofLawrence Lee Russell — who will be89 Jan. 7, 2012. She believes he maybe the oldest. Thank you. MarkMuckenfuss, The Press-Enterprise,3450 14th Street, Riverside, CA92501; 951-368-9595;[email protected].

I am looking for a B-17 Bomber, air-craft no. 980, 532nd Bomb Sq.#8232;, 381st Bomb Group (H)which was shot down on June 21,1944. My research concentrates nowon the fate of the whole crew, but Iam especially interested if there wasa crew member - it might have beenSgt Elmer C. Meier or Sgt Howard C.Corum - , who was killed after hisparachute jump and where. Was thisa little village named Groß Luckow?The crew-members were - presum-ably -: 2nd Lts Roger L. Dussault, Ber-nard Segman, Valerio Magnabasco; S/Sgts Ralph H. Holcolm (toggler),Elmer C. Meier, Wendell B. Lawing;Sgts Howard C. Corum, Alonzo L.

June 27-July 1, 2012. The American Ex-Prisoners of WarNational Convention will be held in Arlington, Texas at the

Hilton Arlington Hotel.Meet old friends and new!

Attend AXPOW night at the Ballpark in Arlington!Take your grandkids to 6 Flags Over Texas!

We’ve got a great convention planned, so now it’s your turnto start planning to attend...

Fill out the registration form on page 22 and get out yourroadmaps!

See you in Texas!


16

looking for,cont’d...Ehler Jr, John H. Mahar Jr. Thank youhonestly for your help, yours sin-cerely, Jutta Ditfurth, Neuhofstr. 42,D-60318 Frankfurt am Main; Tel./Fax:+49/(0)69/55 03 09; eMail:[email protected].

I am looking for an ex-POW. Firstname: Dick. Last name, unknown.From Naugatuck CT who was a dearfriend of Casey Uszakiewicz. Thisman was very instrumental inintroducing me to AXPOW and thewidows’ benefits. Elsie Valeski, 23Frances Dr., Seymour, CT 06483.

My name is Sandy Glascoe,Alpharetta, GA. I am writing on be-half of Roy E. Glascoe who was aPOW in Romania in 1942. Roy wasmy father-in-law who passed away inNovember 2011. While going throughsome of his papers I saw where hehad copies of a newsletter and pic-tures of reunions of the “Associationof Former Prisoners of War in Roma-nia”. I am trying to contact them tolet them know of his passing. If youknow of this organization and couldsend me their contact information, Iwould greatly appreciate it. Kind re-gards, Sandy; [email protected].

I am the daughter of a former POW,Battle of the Bulge. His name wasVincent J. Byrnes, with the 106thDivision, 423 regiment/servicecompany. Thus far this is the infor-mation I have obtained through CampAtterbury, and Indiana Military.org. (See Below) Which does not tell memuch as to my Father’s time in com-bat. What I do know is my Father wasdriving a truck, when gunfire erupted,the soldier sitting next to my Dad wasshot, and died instantly. I do not knowhis name, my Dad never said. Fromthat point, little else is known, otherthan he left the truck, and groupedwith some other soldiers. I am search-ing for further information as to his

involvement in the battle, capture,the exact date etc.. He is listed as cap-tured on Dec 19, 1944. But, my ques-tion, is this his actual date of cap-ture, at the time of the surrender perCol. Cavender. Or was this the datehe was registered as a POW at thefirst Stalag he entered? From here hewas moved around according to hisaccounts, at best the info providedwas very limited. He spoke very little,and not often regarding his time inservice. He eventually was perma-nently encamped in Stalag IIIA,Luckenwalde. There are a few thingsI am interested in finding out to com-plete my Dad’s story. (a) Did he avoidcapture on the first date of this Battleand carry on with the rest of the menfrom the 422 & 423 regiment?? (b)Is there any actual history or storiespertaining to him and the men hewas imprisoned with. IE: where theywere quartered, who he was with etc.(c) On my Father’s insistence hewould often tell us he was not a Hero.To us his 6 children, he was. As perinformation we were recently pro-vided with, from stories told by otherPOW’s, and articles we have read. Wehave these few details: First they weresurrounded and left to fight withoutany reinforcement. Another wordsquite literally abandoned. They wererapidly running out of supplies andammunition, with no chance of re-ceiving any more. With little to nochoice this led to their surrender perCol. Cavender, in his best judgmentto many men were killed or beingkilled. (d) Correct me if I am wrong,but I have found several articles , andstories from former POW’s. statingthese POW’s were told not to speakof their time in, and events surround-ing their involvement in the Battle ofThe Bulge. These men being capturedunder surrender were considered adisgrace, and eventually stripped oftheir company colors. These are bitsand pieces of speculation gleamedfrom other POW’s. (e) It is stated,and recorded my Dad was repatriatedon April 15, 1945, and returnedhome by April 29, 1945. This doesnot correspond with other informa-tion we have. We have letters sentto my Grandmother, dated in May1945 stating he could not receivepackages, his whereabouts was un-known. What is unusual about this

is other POW’s were held until Maymid month at Stalag IIIA, app thenreleased.. One of these letters datedin May 1945 states he had been re-patriated and once again his where-abouts was unknown. One story tellswhen they knew the Russians wereon the way, The German’s began toleave, and some Soldiers tried to walkaway, and were immediately shot andkilled. This was in early to late April1945. ( f ) What I wonder is. Howmany were able to get away earlierthan May, and is it certain my Dadwas one of them? As well how theymanaged to do so? What happenedto him from his date of repatriation,where he went, what locations, untilhis time of discharge at the conve-nience of the military. What hap-pened to him in all this time.?? Allwe have is he was discharged HON-ORABLY from Ft Fanning from the432 Co. In Nov 1945. ( g )Also wouldthere be any possibility as to how wemight obtain any history at all as tothe location of his POW photograph.I would more than appreciate any-thing you may be able to help within completing the story of my Dad’stime in service, in country, in com-bat, and some events as close as pos-sible to his life in Stalag 111a. My Daddid not talk of this time, We as hischildren are doing all we can now tofind out. He was a good and decentman, father of 6, hardworking in con-struction and contracting all his life,a quiet soft spoken Irish descendant,but a bull of a man when necessary,and above all Our Hero. Sadly, hepassed on Nov 25 2009 at the age of87. In his memory ,we would like todocument his story for us, his 6 chil-dren, and the next and upcominggenerations of our family. If there isanything further I can do, in research-ing further please let me know.Karen M. ( Byrnes) Fuoco, 120Twinbrook Lane Bellingham, MA02019. 508-657-1132


17

NewsBriefs

Veterans in Congress

At the beginning of the 112th Con-gress, there were 118 Members(21.8% of the total membership)who had served or were serving inthe military, 2 fewer than at the endof the 111th Congress, and 8 fewerthan in the 110th Congress. Ac-cording to lists compiled by CQ RollCall, the House has 92 veterans (in-cluding 1 female Member, as wellas a Delegate); the Senate 26.

US Treasurer Kicks off

One-Year Countdown toAll-Electronic Social Secu-rity Payments Encourages remaining check recipi-ents to switch now to the safety andconvenience of electronic paymentsand help save taxpayers $1 billion

Treasurer of the United States RosieRios started an official countdownclock, marking one year until theMarch 1, 2013 deadline when allfederal benefit recipients must re-ceive their Social Security and otherfederal benefit payments electroni-cally. Treasurer Rios urged remain-ing paper check recipients to switchnow and help taxpayers save $1 bil-lion over 10 years.

Currently, about 90 percent of So-cial Security and Supplemental Se-curity Income (SSI) payments arebeing made electronically. For thefirst time in recent history, thenumber of monthly paper checkpayments for Social Security, Vet-erans Affairs and other federal ben-efits has dropped to approximately7 million – down from a high of 11million in 2010.

“As this deadline approaches, we’reurging the remaining 10 percent offederal benefit recipients who stillreceive a paper check to make theswitch to electronic payments assoon as possible,” said TreasurerRios. “The switch to electronic pay-ments is a win-win for federal ben-efit recipients and for taxpayers. Itprovides a safer, more secure, moreconvenient way for Americans toaccess their federal benefits, whilealso improving government effi-ciency and delivering more than $1billion in savings. The sooner every-one makes the switch, the soonerwe’ll realize those benefits.”

The Treasury Department pub-lished a final rule in December 2010to gradually phase out paperchecks for federal benefit pay-ments. Since May 1, 2011, all peoplenewly applying for federal benefits,including Social Security, Supple-mental Security Income (SSI), Vet-erans Affairs, Railroad RetirementBoard, Office of Personnel Manage-ment benefits and other non-taxpayments, have had to choose di-rect deposit or the Direct Express®

Debit MasterCard® card at the timethey sign up for their benefits.March 1, 2013 is the final deadlineby which all remaining federal ben-efit check recipients must receivetheir money electronically.

Public education campaign helps re-maining check recipients throughthe change

The Treasury Department’s Go Di-rect® public education campaign ishelping people understand whatthey need to do to get their moneyelectronically.

“We’ve come a long way in inform-ing Americans that direct depositis a faster, easier and more reliableway to receive their money, butthere is still more work to do,” Riosadded. “We are continuing thatstrong commitment to public edu-cation, aggressively reaching out tocheck recipients with information

about how to easily make the tran-sition and helping them throughthe change.”

The Treasury Department will in-clude information in all check re-cipients’ March 2012 payments,reminding them to switch ahead ofthe deadline and offering them in-formation about their electronicpayment options. Additionally, theGo Direct® campaign is now work-ing with more than 1,800 partnerorganizations throughout the coun-try to spread the message, devel-oping a new series of public serviceannouncements and providingother supportive materials such asan instructional video about how tomake the switch online or over-the-phone and about how electronicpayments work.

Federal benefit recipients canswitch to electronic paymentsonline at www.GoDirect.org orthrough the U.S. Treasury Elec-tronic Payment Solution Center toll-free at 1-800-333-1795. Check re-cipients should have the followinginformation on hand when makingthe switch to an electronic paymentoption, including the Direct Ex-press® card:

·Social Security number or claimnumber·12-digit federal benefit checknumber·Amount of most recent federalbenefit check

If signing up for direct deposit toan existing financial institution ac-count, individuals will also need:

-Financial institution’s routing tran-sit number – often available on apersonal check- Account number and type (check-ing or saving).


18

news, continued

National Museum of the

Marine Corps ExpandsContent of VirtualExperience

Marine Corps Heritage FoundationAdds Three New Galleries and Ac-companying Docent Lectures toCutting-Edge, Interactive Web Mu-seum

The Marine Corps Heritage Founda-tion has added three galleries withaccompanying docent lectures tothe National Museum of the MarineCorps Virtual Experience. Launchedin June 2010, Virtual Experienceallows Marines and civilians fromacross the world to experience acutting-edge web version of the realNational Museum of the MarineCorps (NMMC) located nearQuantico, Virginia.

The additions to Virtual Experience,which include the Museum’s new-est galleries opened to the publicin June 2010, comprise the firstexpansion of the Museum’s onlinecomponent. The galleries chroniclethe founding of the United StatesMarine Corps in 1775, the Civil Warand the U.S. Global Trade expansionin the 19th century and World WarI. These new galleries comprise12,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, andare filled with 250 artifacts, includ-ing early Marine Corps uniforms,weaponry and artillery. The firstAmerican armored car and the firstknown Marine Corps artifacts arealso included.

The docent lectures that accom-pany each of the new galleries addrichness and detail to the onlinevisitor’s experience. For example,the World War I gallery includes

background on the Marine Corpsbulldog poster from the Battle ofBelleau Wood featured in the ex-hibit. The World War I battle marksthe first time the bulldog was usedin advertising as a mascot for theMarines.

Through a series of high-definition,360 degree panoramic tours, audionarratives and extensive multi-me-dia presentations, visitors to thewebsite experience the NMMC as ifthey’re actually there.

Unable to visit the Museum fromhis home in Beverly Hills, Calif,Marine Steven Wallace, who hassince passed away, conceived of theNMMC Virtual Experience. Withmany Marines deployed around theworld and the economy as uncer-tain as ever, Wallace wanted to en-sure that all Marines had the op-portunity to visit their Museum.

Virtual Experience was realized asa result of Wallace’s generous finan-cial contribution. The Virginia-based eBusiness and technologyconsulting firm, Dynology Corpora-tion, created the site.

Take a tour of the NMMC VirtualExperience by visiting http://www.virtualusmcmuseum.com

Dedicated to the preservation andpromotion of Marine Corps history,the Marine Corps Heritage Founda-tion was established in 1979 as anon-profit 501(c) (3) organization.The Foundation supports the his-torical programs of the MarineCorps in ways not possible throughgovernment funds, providinggrants and fellowships for researchand the renovation, restoration andcommissioning of historical MarineCorps artifacts and landmarks. Se-curing the necessary funding forthe complete construction of theNational Museum of the MarineCorps and Heritage Center is theFoundation’s current primary mis-sion while continuing to provideprogram support for the Corps’ his-torical, museum, and educationalactivities.

The Few, The Proud:

Semper Fi!by Alice A. Booher

The U. S. Marine Corps has a repu-tation for having some of the mostwonderful birthday parties, andtheir 236th was no different. Cel-ebrated throughout the world, onespecial party was the Birthday Ballat the Oldest City Detachment, 383Marine Corps League in St. August-ine, FL on 12 November 2011.Sponsored by a glorious panoply offellow Marines, and groups withinthe community, the Marines askedformer Vietnam POW CAPT Giles R.Norrington, USN (Ret) to be theirkeynote speaker. Giles was a logi-cal choice, having enlisted in theUSMC in January 1954. He servedin the 3rd Marine Division in Japanand the 1st Marine Division in CampPendleton, CA. Norrington wascommissioned in 1958 and receivedhis wings as a naval aviator in 1960.While assigned to the Reconnais-sance Attack Squadron ONE (RVAH-1) from December 1965-May 5,1968 when he was shot down onhis 22nd combat mission overNorth Vietnam. He was capturedand spent nearly five years prima-rily at Hoa Lo in Central Hanoi, withreturn to freedom on March 14,1973.

He was to serve in various Navypositions until retirement in July1988 after more than 34 years ofservice, for which he was awardednumerous awards. In his well re-ceived recent birthday party pre-sentation, Norrington proudlynoted to the aggregate audiencethat his first personal award wasthe Marine Corps Good ConductMedal. After retirement, he mar-ried Navy chaplain Eileen O’Hickey,who became the Navy’s first womanchaplain to rise to the rank of CAPT.Eileen retired in 2001 after morethan 22 years in service, includinga Marine Corps tour at CampPendleton, CA. Semper FiNorringtons.


19

forum

members’

In the article that appears in theJan/Feb 2012 Ex-POW Bulletin, itstates that Frank Buckles spent 3years and 2 months in Santo TomasInternment Camp during WorldWar II. That is false. Frank Buck-les was originally interned in SantoTomas, as I was, but was trans-ferred to Los Banos InternmentCamp, where he was liberated bythe 11th Airborne on February23rd, 1945, along with 2,141 oth-ers who were still alive. By the way,there were 2,142 of us who werestill living when the “Angels” came,not 2,147 (the false number whichis commonly used). There were2,147 on the last typed roll, but 6persons had died and a new babywas born after the roll was typed.As a student of the actual facts re-garding the Los Banos Raid, I havefound numerous myths (if all of theparatroopers who claim to havejumped at Los Banos, had actuallydone so, they would have neededseveral more planes) which I havehelped to discredit. Cordially, Rob-ert A. Wheeler Napavine, [email protected].

Clydie/Cheryl;

thank you very much for the won-derful attention paid to our ship inthis edition including coverage ofthe ship model unveiling. We hopethat your readers will take advan-tage of the opportunity if/when inthe Washington DC area, to visit themuseum and see the CA-30 model,it is well worth seeing as is the en-tire museum. Thanks again,

John Keith Schwarz, Executive Di-rector- USS Houston CA-30 Survi-vors Association & Next Genera-

Fisher House Foundation

Chairman & CEO Receives‘Distinguished CivilianService Award’ from DoD

Fisher House Homes Have ProvidedCare for More Than 160,000 Mili-tary Families

Ken Fisher, Chairman and CEO ofFisher House Foundation, whichconstructs comfort homes to pro-vide free, temporary housing to thefamilies of service members receiv-ing medical care at Veterans Affairsand military hospitals around theworld, received the Defense Distin-guished Public Service Award, thehighest civilian award given by theUnited States Department of De-fense.

The award was presented at a spe-cial ceremony in Anchorage, AK onFebruary 16, 2012, one day beforeFisher House dedicated its newestfacility at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. “I am deeply humbled by this honorand am thankful to the Departmentof Defense for recognizing the im-pact that the Fisher House programhas had on more than 160,000 mili-tary families in the last 20 years,”said Mr. Fisher. “As proud as I amof our work, it still pales in com-parison to the dedication, commit-ment and sacrifice our military andtheir families demonstrate eachday. They are the true heroes.” The award is presented to thosewhose career has impacted the De-partment of Defense through ex-traordinary and prestigious contri-butions on a broad scope. Mr.Fisher is recognized for his leader-ship, dedication and vision of en-suring service members and theirfamilies the best care possible whenreceiving medical treatment.

news, continued tions, [email protected]; PH.202-268-2261 /703-867-0142;[email protected].

Dear Ms. Cerbone:

In the Sept/Oct 2011 EX-POW Bul-letin, there was an article “Paws andStripes”. Can you furnish me withan address or phone number forthis organization? I am very inter-ested in these kind of services forveterans and would possibly makea contribution if I knew more aboutit. Any help you can give me will begreatly appreciated.

Marilynn B BraunOld Fort, NC

EDITOR’s NOTE:Paws and Stripes™ is a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization for woundedveterans of our United States mili-tary that works to provide servicedogs for Post Traumatic Stress Dis-order and Traumatic Brain Injury. The service dogs are obtained onlyfrom shelters, and are trained byprofessionals specializing in servicedogs. It is the aim of this organi-zation to provide these dogs andtraining for no cost to the veteran.

P.O. Box 46253Rio Rancho, NM [email protected].~Cheryl


20

Retiring with a

Remarkable Legacyby Alice A. Booher

The man himself says he plans on“sleeping late, reading, writing thegreat American story and taking afew pictures….but whatever he de-cides to do after his April 2012 “re-tirement”, the head of the Robert E.Mitchell Center (REMC) for POW Stud-ies, Bob Hain, has earned every bitof it.

A native New Yorker, Robert E. Hain,CAPT, MC, USN (Ret), capped his for-mal education with Bachelors andM.D. degrees from New York Univer-sity (Belleview Medical Center); tooksurgical internship and residency atUniversity of Michigan; received aMaster of Public Health from Univer-sity of Texas; and graduated from theNaval War College with Highest Dis-tinction with a MA in National Secu-rity and Strategic Studies.

Commissioned in the U.S. Air Forcein 1967, Hain served one year in DaNang, Republic of Vietnam where hewas in charge of aeromedical evacu-ation of patients from the northernportion of South Vietnam from 1967-1968, returned CONUS to McDill AFBin Florida, and then embarked onmedical school.

After a stint with a professorship atSouthern California School of Medi-cine and as general surgeon withKaiser Permanente Medical Group inLos Angeles, he accepted a commis-sion in the U.S. Navy in 1978. From1981-1983, he served as the seniormedical officer aboard the USS EN-TERPRISE (CVN-65) and then as a se-

nior medical officer in Okinawa. Af-ter Naval War College, he reportedto HQ, U.S. Marine Corps as Director,Medical Programs and Deputy Medi-cal Director of the Marine Corps. Forfour years, he was Director of theAerospace Medicine Division for theChief, Bureau of Medicine and Sur-gery; the Surgeon General’s Aero-space Medicine Advisor; and Com-manding Officer and Director, NavalAerospace and Operational MedicalInstitute and Science &Technology ofthe Research Laboratory. respectivelyin Pensacola. He and his wife Phyllisstayed in Pensacola to join REMC,serving from April 2001-April 2012.

Bob Hain is an extraordinary friendand patriot, often recognized for hisprofessional contributions. In 1999he received the Theodore C. LysterAward, established to honor the firstSurgeon General, Aviation Section,US Army Signal Corps, and given an-nually for: “outstanding achievementin the general field of aerospacemedicine” [sponsored by various cor-porations, e.g., Lockheed MartinSpace Operations (1993-2009), andcurrently by Eagle Applied Sciences,LLC]. He has long advised the DVA’sCommittee on Former-POWs.

In describing the work of the MitchellCenter, Bob was recently quoted in aNavy publication: “Remembering thesacrifice these service members havemade is with us on a daily basis…somany have suffered terribly. Theyare our true heroes”. Hain furtherstated: “A question that constantlyis on our collective minds deals withthe fact that so many of our peoplewent through a truly terrible experi-ence but emerged at the other end abetter, stronger person. Answers tothis question of why ultimately helpsus contribute to the body of knowl-edge that pre-pares presentday fighters to bedeployed to awar zone”.

Bob Hain is aman who com-p a s s i o n a t e l yputs his wordsinto action. TheMitchell Center

provides unique services to all POWsand their families regardless of thedates and time imprisoned or branchof service. It provides an Annual Ex-tensive Evaluation and assists nearly600 former POWs yearly, with les-sons learned from voluntary partici-pation of former POWs which hasdirectly impacted the Survival, Eva-sion, Resistance and Escape (SERE)courses taught to U.S. service mem-bers. The Mitchell Center’s researchhas helped the VA with regard to pre-sumptive diagnoses, aided in under-standing disease processes and in-puts continued improvement of therepatriation process. Hain has en-couraged the publication of severalsignificant papers on such mattersas posttraumatic growth in formerVietnam POWs. He states that fu-ture studies from REMC will includebone density, premature aging, pro-static cancer and epidemiology, andevery service member, former POWor not has and/or will directly ben-efit from these efforts.

To his peers, who is Bob Hain -Fromthe Chairman of the VA Secretary’sformer-POW Committee USAF Colo-nel Thomas McNish, M.D. (Vietnam)comes the following assessment:“Bob Hain is a shrewd leader andmanager of the Robert E. MitchellCenter (REMC) for POW Studies aswell as an outstanding physician/sci-entist who is respected as a friend byall Vietnam XPOWS.”

Former Persian Gulf POW, ArmyBrigadier General, physician RhondaL. Cornum, (Ret), also a member ofthe DVA’s former POW Committee:“Under Bob Hain’s leadership over thepast decade, the Mitchell Center hasmatured significantly. Bob Hain is anoutstanding physician to be sure, andthe Mitchell Center has continued to

carefully document the psychologi-cal and physical health of formerprisoners of war since Viet Nam. Buteven more importantly, under hiswatch, the quantity and quality ofresearch on the impact of the POWexperience on subsequent health re-ally has expanded significantly inimportant ways.” So to Dr. Hain,from his vast, grateful constituencywe say “ Fair Winds and Following

Seas”.

PREPARED BYCLYDIE J MORGAN

NATIONAL ADJUTANT


21


22


23

Our Hotel:Hilton Arlington2401 East Lamar Boulevard, Arlington, Texas 76006-7503Tel: 1-817-640-3322, Fax: 1-817-633-1430Room Rate $109 night/free airport shuttle/free parkingHilton Arlington is located 10 miles south of DFW Int’l Airport in the entertainmentdistrict of Arlington.

Attractions:Area attractions include the new Cowboys Stadium, Ranger Ballpark in Arling-ton, Six Flags and the Arlington Convention Center. Situated in a suburbanbusiness area, the Hilton Arlington is located within walking distance of manyarea restaurants.

Short Agenda:

JUNE 27 WEDNESDAYBOARD MEETING

JUNE 28 THURSDAYOPENING CEREMONYMEDSEARCH SEMINARTOURSTEXAS RANGERS BASEBALL

JUNE 29 FRIDAYNSO TRAININGCONVENTION CALL TO ORDERCOMMANDER’S RECEPTION

JUNE 30 SATURDAYCONTINUE BUSINESS MEET-

INGS(NEW BOARD MEETING)BANQUET

AD Order FormPage size is 8 ½ x 11/due date May 15, 2012

Black & White ColorFull Page ….. $250 $500Half Page… . $175 $300Quarter Page… $125BusinessCard. .$50

Name:____________________________________________

Organization: ______________________________

Address:__________________________________

City: ____________ _______State & Zip: _______Telephone: _____________________

Ad Size: _______________________Amount Enclosed $_______________Checks Payable to:AXPOWMail Form with Ad materials and check to:National Headquarters, 3201 E. Pioneer Pkway,Suite 40, Arlington, TX 76010


24

American Ex-Prisoners of WarCandidate for National Office

2012

Candidate for office of:

Name:

Address: Telephone:

Member Chapter:

Military Service Organization (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines or civilian):

Date and Place of Capture:

Places of Internment:

Date and Place of Liberation:

Biography (Please attach, including picture):

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

To be eligible to run for a national office, a candidate must have been a member for the 3previous years.

Submit to: Milton M Moore, Jr., Chairman, 2965 Sierra Bermeja, Sierra Vista, AZ 85650email: [email protected] Phone: (520) 459-7925


25

RESOLUTION 2012-1

JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Whereas, the American Ex-Prisoners of War organization was established with a Constitution, Bylaws,Codes of Procedures and Job Descriptions by the membership, and

Whereas, through the years with the membership approval we have narrowed it down to Bylaws,Codes of Procedures and Job Descriptions, and

Whereas, the Job Descriptions section was deleted without the membership approval and it containsmore detailed information on procedures within the organization: therefore be it

Resolved that the Job Descriptions portion of this organization be put back in the Bylaws, Codes ofProcedures book.

Submitted by:Debby Lindhurst-Lollar3620 W. Ruth AvenuePhoenix, Arizona 85051602-841-9338

RESOLUTION 2012-2

UNIFORM CODES OF PROCEDURESSECTION IV - NATIONAL MEETINGS

Whereas, at past National Conventions, the National Adjutant and National Treasurer would have alot of paperwork to bring to our Conventions and that took up a lot of space in theirindividual rooms at a hotel and they were given suites at the cost of the organization;and

Whereas, the Convention staff also had a suite at the cost of the organization when rooms had alreadybeen set aside for meetings during the Convention; and

Whereas, with modern technology such as laptop computers, compact discs and flash drives withnecessary information to conduct our Conventions today; and

Whereas, our Convention attendance has dropped dramatically and we are always looking for ways tocut expenses in the budget; and

Whereas, the current National Commander and National Senior Vice Commander are to share a suitesupposedly; therefore be it


26

Resolved, that under Uniform Codes of Procedures, Section IV, National Meetings, Paragraph C., shallread:

C. The National Commander, National Adjutant and National Treasurer shall attendthe National Convention. No reimbursement will be made for meals, refreshments orentertainment. The National Treasurer will pay their travel expenses at the leastexpensive air coach rate. The Convention staff is required to make reservations forthe National Commander in a suite, to be shared with the National Senior ViceCommander. Appropriate size rooms, not suites to accommodate the NationalAdjutant, National Treasurer and Convention committee chairperson shall bereserved.

Submitted by:Debby Lindhurst-Lollar3620 W. Ruth AvenuePhoenix, Arizona 85051602-841-9338

RESOLUTION 2012-3

Resolution to change Article X of the National Bylaws.

Whereas; the organization is suffering from a shortage of volunteers and the Next of Kin couldprovide some help in this matter; and

Whereas; Article X, Conflict of Interest, prevents members of the same family from holding officetogether thus preventing the organization from benefiting from NOK efforts, therefore beit

Resolved: That Article X be amended to read:

Only one member of a family can serve on the Board of Directors at any one time.

Family shall be defined, for these Bylaws, as spouses or members living at the same address as theBoard member.

Submitted by:SVC Charles Susino136 Jefferson StreetMetuchen, NJ 08840732-549-5775


27

AMERICAN EX-PRISONERS OF WARDELEGATE VALIDATION FORM2011 NATIONAL CONVENTION

JUNE 27, 2012 – JULY 1, 2012ARLINGTON, TEXAS

Chapter / Department / Members At Large (Please Print)__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Head Delegate: (Please Print Name & Address) Validated list will be mailed to Head Delegate

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________Alternates & Delegates (Please Print Name & Address)

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter voting with their State Department, do not return this form.

MAIL THIS FORM TO:

AMERICAN EX-PRISONERS OF WARNATIONAL ADJUTANT - CREDENTIALS3201 E. PIONEER PARKWAY #40ARLINGTON, TEXAS 76010-5396

POSTMARKED BY: JUNE 1, 2012


28

GUIDELINES FOR CREDENTIALS & VOTING 2012

1. THERE IS NO PROXY VOTING IN THIS ORGANIZATION.

2. THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO CAST VOTES: STATE DEPARTMENT, CHAPTER OR MEMBER

AT LARGE.

3. THE STATE DEPARTMENT OR CHAPTER ADJUTANTS MUST SUBMIT THE CREDENTIALS

LETTER TO THE NATIONAL ADJUTANT WITH THE LIST OF DELEGATE(S) ATTENDING THE

CONVENTION. PER THE BYLAWS, THIS WILL BE SENT TO NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS NO

LATER THAN TWENTY DAYS PRIOR TO THE FIRST BUSINESS MEETING OF CONVENTION.

4. THE NATIONAL ADJUTANT WILL VALIDATE THE MEMBERSHIP LIST FROM EACH STATE

DEPARTMENT, CHAPTER OR MEMBER AT LARGE. ONCE VALIDATED, A COPY WILL BE

MAILED TO THE HEAD DELEGATE AND THE ORIGINAL WILL BE GIVEN TO THE CHAIR OF

THE CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE. BRING YOUR COPY TO CONVENTION.

5. PER BYLAWS, THE STATE DEPARTMENT MAY REPRESENT A MEMBER OF THAT STATE WHO

IS NOT REPRESENTED BY A CHAPTER.

6. VOTING CHAPTERS, PER BYLAWS SHALL LIST BY NAME, ALPHABETICALLY, EACH MEMBER

THEY ARE REPRESENTING AT THE CONVENTION. THIS WAY OUR NATIONAL ADJUTANT

KNOWS HOW MANY PEOPLE TO SUBTRACT FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT COUNT.

7. EACH VALIDATED CREDENTIAL LETTER MUST BE PRESENTED TO THE CREDENTIALS

COMMITTEE NO LATER THAN THREE (3) HOURS PRIOR TO THE FIRST CALL TO ORDER

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING OF THE NATIONAL CONVENTION.

8. NO SHOW, NO VOTE - PLEASE MAKE SURE IF YOUR HEAD DELEGATE CANNOT ATTEND THE

CONVENTION AFTER RECEIVING THEIR COPY OF THE VALIDATED CREDENTIAL LETTER IN THE MAIL, THAT

THEY GIVE IT TO AN ALTERNATE ON THE DELEGATION LIST.

Debby Lindhurst-Lollar, Chairperson

Credentials Committee

3620 W. Ruth Ave

Phoenix, Az 85051

AMERICAN EX-PRISONERS OF WAR2012 NATIONAL CONVENTION

JUNE 27, 2012 – JULY 1, 2012ARLINGTON, TEXAS


29

AMERICAN EX-PRISONERS OF WARVOLUNTARY FUNDING PROGRAM

The AXPOW Voluntary Giving Program parallels that of other VSOs, whereby the entiremembership, including life members, is given the opportunity to contribute to the operation

of our organization, based on ability and willingness to contribute.

All contributions are to be sent directly to National Headquarters to be used for theoperation of the organization. A complete accounting of contributors will appear in the

Bulletin each month.

I am enclosing my contribution to support the operation of the American Ex-Prisoners of War.

$20.00 $30.00 $40.00 $50.00 $100.00 Other

Please circle one category:

Individual Chapter State Department(If chapter or department, please give name)

Name

Address

City/State/Zip

Phone #

Chapter/Department (if any)

Please make checks payable toAmerican Ex-Prisoners of War - Voluntary Funding

Mail contributions to:National Headquarters

American Ex-Prisoners of War3201 E. Pioneer Parkway, Suite 40

Arlington, TX 76010


30

Suitable for framing, thiscertificate of captivity, printed on8½” x 11” quality paper, proudlydisplays your history as a prisonerof war. Each certificate backgroundis personalized to the theater ofoperation. To purchase thiscertificate from AXPOW, send yourname, service number, branch ofservice, unit when captured, POWnumber (if known), camp namesand locations, along with your

payment of $25.00. You may

include a picture with your order.

Please order from NationalHeadquarters. If you are orderingat Convention, you can place yourorder in the Merchandise Room.

Certificate of Captivity

request for membership applicationAmerican Ex-Prisoners of War

Name: _____________________________________________________________________Address:___________________________________________________________________City/State/Zip:_____________________________________________________________

Membership is open to US Military and Civilians capturedbecause of their US citizenship and their families.

Do NOT send dues with this request for an application

Mail to:

American Ex-Prisoners of War3201 East Pioneer Parkway, #40Arlington, TX 76010-5936(817) 649-2979 voice(817)649-0109 faxe-mail:[email protected]

MembershipRates

Single Membership$40

Husband & wife$50

Please send donations to:National Headquarters, 3201 EastPioneer Parkway, Suite 40,Arlington, TX 76010.

Checks must be made payable toAXPOW or American Ex-Prisonersof War You can also make adonation with a credit card(MasterCard or Visa). Just call 817-649-2979. Thank you!

contributions


31

Please be sure to mention the$1000 donation to VoluntaryFunding from the TacomaChapter in the next bulletin.

GENERAL FUNDMahoning Valley Chapter, OhioIn memory of Carl Moss, byRobert EmickIn memory of Dorothy Petty, byJimmy PettyIn memory of Dr. Harry ‘Doc’McLane, by M/M Loren NoeldnerIn memory of Dr. Harry ‘Doc’McLane, by M/M Paul ShullIn memory of Floyd Dahl, byRobert and Jeanette KnobelIn memory of Jacques Bloch, bythe ExPOW Group @ JJ PetersVAMC, The Bronx NYIn memory of James Hurley, byAmerican Sensor TechnologiesIn memory of James Hurley, byAnn SockolofIn memory of James Hurley, byCarolyn & John GilliganIn memory of James Hurley, byCarrie GriffithIn memory of James Hurley, byCatherine JurgensenIn memory of James Hurley, byDan & Diane WalkerIn memory of James Hurley, byDataramIn memory of James Hurley, byEdward Funkhouser

In memory of James Hurley, byEileen & Barry SmithIn memory of James Hurley, byErin ValentineIn memory of James Hurley, byFMI Insurance CompanyIn memory of James Hurley, byGarner ‘Buzz’ HillIn memory of James Hurley, byHarry & Carol KeefeIn memory of James Hurley, byHarry ChadwickIn memory of James Hurley, byHolland Mfg. Co.In memory of James Hurley, byKevin & Janet HeinleIn memory of James Hurley, by M/M Robert SutherlandIn memory of James Hurley, byMarcia & Paul WertherIn memory of James Hurley, byNora MageeIn memory of James Hurley, byPatricia O’NeillIn memory of James Hurley, byRobert & Dianna CarterIn memory of James Hurley, bySteamfitters Local Unoin #475In memory of John Oliphint, byRocky Mountain ChapterIn memory of Katherine Pearson,by Lyle PearsonIn memory of Larry Pifer, byHenry ZinnIn memory of M.A. & PatriciaWebster, by Murray Webster, Jr.In memory of my father, WilliamStephenson, by Roberta LeeIn memory of William Paul Farris,by Alfred & Carolina WillisIn memory of William Paul Farris,by Mary AldenIn memory of William Stephenson,by Gail BakerIn memory of William Stephenson,by Helen StephensonIn honor of Peggy Campbell, byHarold GournayIn memory of Henry ‘Hank’ Stone,by Bernice StoneIn memory of James Hurley, byBernardsville Rotary CharitiesIn memory of James Hurley, byDenise keevilIn memory of Maj. HowardZeman, by Jane ZemanIn memory of Norris RichardStewart, by Paul Stewart Simon

In memory of Rev. Fred Campbell,by Harold GournayIn memory of Tootie Ney, by Lew& Jan SleeperIn memory of Uncle Lawrencepifer, by Norma Jean Wetzel,Pamela Marie Housel and RichardHousel

BULLETINBrooklyn ‘Key’ Chapter, NYFernando Medeiris, Taunton MAFrank & Mae Koehler, Toms RiverNJIn memory of my past Buddiesand Friends, by Lincoln & MaryHanscomIn memory of Ruth Lucille Lerner,by Irving LernerIn memory of Mom & Daddy, fromthe Galloway family

VOLUNTARY FUNDINGAlbert Kosow, Ft Lauderdale FLCharles Ferbuson, Crossville TNDorris Kelley, Tulsa OKEdward Wallner, Edison NJEllison Outen, Cheraw SCEugene OstrowskiGerald Hanus, Milwaukee WIGladys Rask, Woodbridge NJHarry Hinkle, Barnesville OHHarry Osborne, Henderson KYJ Craig Grover, Harlingen TXJohn Keith Schwarz, Arlington VALinda Humbel, Gilbert AZLoretta Chavez, Geneseo ILMarjorie Miller, Gerard OHPNC Morris Barker, Waco TXRobert P West, Brookville OHTacoma Chapter, WATimothy Dyas, Ridgewood NJVictor Breite, St Louis MOWanda Jahnke, DeWitt NEWilliam Blaher, Flemington NJWilliam D Williams, Key Largo FLDonald Petersen, Pleasant Hill IAJohn & Phyllis Hutchins, Centen-nial COJohn F Reed, Toms River NJJudith Tsuki Peterson, Kersey COPaul Leahey, Worcester MAPeter Fantasia, Somerville MAWilliam Busier, Essex Junction VT


32

National Headquarters3201 East Pioneer Parkway, Suite 40Arlington, TX 76010; (817) [email protected]

new members

New Members“Welcome Home”

ZENETTA NELSON-BRIGGSLOS OSOS CADAUGHTER OF ZENNETHBROOKER, ETO

ROBERT J WELLENMARY JTRENTON ILNOK TO WILBERT ROLVES, ETO

LEE ANN BRYANALLEN PARK MIDAUGHTER OF BRUCE R BRYAN,ETO

JOHN RUSSELL FRANKMONTREAT NCSON OF SAM B FRANK, CIVILIAN,SANTO TOMAS

CAROLINE A POOREBLANCO NMDAUGHTER OF TELASTOROARCHULETA, PAC

JILL DRAKESAYRE OKDAUGHTER OF E L FOWLER, ETO

DOUG FOWLERSWEETWATER OKSON OF E L FOWLER, ETO

ELIZABETH MICHAEL COKEGRAND PRAIRIE TXGRANDDAUGHTER OF SALLYMORGAN, CIV CPI

Special POW

DocumentaryBy Alice A. Booher

Ken Burns may the most well-knownfilm chronicler of veterans’ documen-taries, but he has nothing on a non-profit (501c3) organization, TheFlorida Veteran Program, andProjects, Inc. (FVP&P) which has com-pleted the fifth in a series, a remark-able “Prisoners of War: Stolen Free-dom”, featuring four former POWs:CPO William Ingram, USN; Cpl Rich-ard Bassett, USA; COL Hal Kushner,

USA (Vietnam) and CAPT GilesNorrington, USN (Vietnam).

An event initially showcasing the POWdocumentary was held at theAnastasia Baptist Church inSt. Augustine, FL on Novem-ber 6, 2011, under the spon-sorship of the FVP&P, TheVeterans Council of St. John’sCounty, Allied Veterans of theWorld, and Rolling ThunderFlorida Chapters 3 and 4. Thefilm also aired on PBS in Jack-sonville on November 13.Chief Ingram enlisted at age17 on the USS HOUSTON, and

was taken POW when the Japanesesunk the vessel in March 1942. He wasput to work on the railroad project tobuild the Bridge on the River Kwai inThailand for 3 ½ years. On repatria-tion, he discovered his brother hadalso been a POW.

Corporal Bassett, author of “And theWind Blew Cold: The Story of AnAmerican POW in North Korea”, washeld during the bitter winter of 1950-1951 in the North Korean POW Camp5. He would later teach history formore than 20 years at St. AugustineHigh School.

Colonel Kushner, sole survivor of hishelicopter crash, was befriended by afarmer who betrayed him to the VietCong shortly after feeding him.Moved from camp to camp for 5/1/2years, he ended up in the HanoiHilton.

Captain Norrington, shot down dur-ing a bombing mission in May 1968,and severely injured, was held in iso-lation until moved where twocellmates could help him addressbasic human needs, and then into alarge room with 56 other navigatorsand pilots during his nearly 5 yearscaptivity.

Norrington was the keynote speakerfor the St. Augustine program andprovided pen and ink drawings ofcaptivity for the program cover as wellas for the documentary itself.

The FVP&P’s next production in asso-ciation with Dr. Corey Thayer and stu-dents at the Douglas Anderson Schoolof the Arts in Jacksonville, will tell thestories of many returning troops fromIraq and Afghanistan, as part of a re-markable ongoing educational out-reach to both civilian and veterancommunities.

taps Please submit taps notices to: Cheryl Cerbone, 23 Cove View Drive, South Yarmouth, MA 02664


33

ANGIER, Madeleine B, of Williston,VT died on Christmas Day, 2011.She was a member of the VermontChapter, AXPOW. She is survived byher husband of 65 years, J Francis,a POW in Stalag Luft III.

AUSTRIA, Benjamin C, of San An-tonio, Texas, died November 9,2011. He served with the 12th MedBattalion, Philippine Scouts andserved during the Battle of Bataan.Captured by the Japanese forces, heescaped while on the infamousBataan Death March, joined thePhilippine Guerrillas and later theFirst Cavalry Division for the libera-tion of Manila. He is survived by hiswife of 66 years, Irene.

BAKER, Dewey O, 86, of Jackson,TN passed away Aug. 11, 2011. Hewas serving in the 78th (Lightning)Infantry Division when he was cap-tured in the Battle of the Bulge; hewas held until liberation. His wife,Frances, predeceased him by 7months; he leaves 1 daughter, 2grandchildren and 3 great-grand-children.

BENALLY, Kenneth Lee , ofWaterflow, NM passed away Jan. 13,2012. He was 92. He was capturedby the Germans in Oct. 1944 andheld in Stalags XIIA and IIIC. Whileon a forced march, he escaped with12 others, walked across Polandand boarded a ship for the US inOdessa. He leaves 3 daughters, 1brother, 4 grandchildren and 10great-grandchildren.

BLACKFORD, Lloyd N, 88, ofHeath, OH passed away Nov. 20,2011. During WWII, his plane wasshot down and he was captured; hewas held in Stalag Luft IV. He andseveral others escaped during amarch. They were recaptured, ques-tioned and released. They walkedtheir way to liberation.

BLACKFORD, Ethel died Dec. 23,2011. Both were life members ofAXPOW. Survivors include 2 daugh-ters, 1 son, 3 sisters, 6 grandchil-dren and 5 great-grandchildren.

BRADLEY, Joseph Harrison, 88, ofNew Braunfels, TX died Oct. 3,2011. He was captured when hisplane, the “Dry Run” was shot downover the Ploesti oil fields; he wascaptured and held until liberation.Joe leaves his wife of 64 years,Jenny, 2 daughters, 7 grandchildrenand 3 great-granddaughters.

BRICE, Elmer A, Sr . , 87, ofDillsburg, PA passed away Dec. 24,2011. During WWII, he served in theArmy; he was captured in the Battleof the Bulge and held in Bad Orbuntil liberation. Survivors includehis wife of 66 years, Janet, 1 son, 2daughters, 1 brother, 2 sisters, 8grandchildren, 20 great-grandchil-dren and 2 great-great-grandchil-dren.

BRYAN, Bruce R, of Allen Park, MI,died October 18, 2011. Bryan wasa B-24 pilot with the 15th AF, 449th

BG 716th BS and was held in Luft1, Barth after capture. An AXPOWlife member since 1986, he was amember of the Wolverine Chapter.His wife, Marjorie (also a life mem-ber), 4 children, 4 grandchildrenand 2 great-grandchildren survivehim.

CONARD, Georgina, of Lakewood,CO passed away Jan. 29, 2012. Shewas the widow of ex-POW John anda member of the Mile High Chap-ter, AXPOW. She leaves 1 daughter,1 son, 1 brother and grandchildren.

COPELAND, Lawrence G, of Boul-der, CO died Jan. 26, 2012 at theage of 89. He was a member of theNortheast Colorado Chapter,AXPOW. During WWII, he served

with the 15th AF, 459th BG. Aftercapture, he was held in Luft 1,Barth. His wife, Mary, 2 sons, 1daughter and 7 grandchildren sur-vive him.

CUMMING, James F, 87, of Erie, PAdied Oct. 29, 2011. He was capturedwhile serving with the 36th Div.,141st Inf. Reg., 2nd Bn, Co E in Italy.He remained a POW for 15 monthsuntil liberation in April 1945. Jimwas a member and past com-mander of the Barbed Wire Assoc.of NW PA. He leaves his wife of 65years, Betty, one son, one daugh-ter, four grandchildren and threegreat-grandchildren.

CURRY, Loyal B, of Birmingham,AL passed away Oct. 5, 2011. Hewas 89. He served with the AirCorps during WWII; he was shotdown over Nuremburg, capturedand held until liberation. Survivorsinclude his wife of 66 years, Jean,1 son, 1 daughter, 4 grandchildrenand 5 great-grandchildren.

DUBINSKI, Charles, 94, of Los Ve-gas, NV died Nov. 30, 2011. DuringWWII, he served with the AAC; hewas captured and held as a POW inGermany for 18 months. Chuckleaves his loving wife of 68 years,Alice, 1 son, 1 grandson, 1 brotherand a host of extended family andfriends.

ENDECOTT,Delta Joanpassed awayFebruary 14,2012. Sheand her hus-band, Tomhad beenmarried for


34

taps continued...69 years. Delta was a life memberof AXPOW and was Adjutant/Trea-surer for the Department of MO forseveral years. National Conventionattendees always saw Delta walk-ing, talking and smiling at everyone.In addition to her husband, onedaughter, two sons, seven grand-children, sixteen great-grandchil-dren and many friends and relativessurvive her. She will be missed byeveryone who knew her.

FARRIS, William Paul, 89, of PostFalls, ID died Jan. 6, 2012. He wasa navigator on a B-17 shot downover Europe; he was captured andheld for 15 months. Bill was a mem-ber of AXPOW. Survivors includehis wife, Winona, 2 daughters and3 grandsons.

FAULKNER, James O , 90, ofMuldrow, OK died Nov. 23, 2011.In 1940, “J.O” enlisted in the Ma-rines. On April 9, 1942, his troopwas captured on Little Baguio,Bataan. He endured the BataanDeath March and 3 ½ years impris-onment by the Japanese. He leaves1 daughter, 1 son, 2 granddaugh-ters, 1 great-granddaughter and awarm and loving extended family.

FOUGA, Adolfo “Bud” of Katy, TXpassed away Dec. 20, 2011. Heserved in the AAC on a B-17; hisplane was shot down over Germany,he was captured and held in Lufts1 and 4. Bud is survived by his wife,Grace, 1 son, 1 daughter and 3grandchildren.

FOUKE, Vincent A, of Fayetteville,NC died Nov. 16, 2011 at the age of90. He was serving in the AAC whenhe was shot down over Leipzig; hewas captured and held in severalPOW camps, including Luft III. Af-ter retirement, he became involvedwith the SERE program. He leaveshis loving wife of 64 years, Belle, 7

children 17 grandchildren and 2great-grandchildren.

FURNIVAL, Joseph A, of ChippewaTownship, PA died Jan. 11, 2011.He was 95. He was captured whileserving with the 110th Inf., 28th Div,Co B, USA in the Battle of the Bulge.Joe was a member of AXPOW. Sur-vivors include 2 daughters, 1 son,6 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchil-dren and 1 sister.

GEARHART, Richard H of St. Louis,MO passed away December 18,2011. He was a Past Missouri Dept.State Commander and a PastGreater St. Louis Area ChapterCommander. He served with B Com-pany, 141st Infantry, 36th InfantryDivision in Italy, and was capturedat the Rapido River in January 1944.He was a POW for 15 1/2 monthsin Stalags 4B and 2B. He is survivedby his wife of 64 years, Mabel, 2daughters, a sister and a brother, 4grandchildren, and 3 great grand-children.

HALLORAN, Ray F “Hap” of MenloPark, CA died June 7, 2011. Heserved with the “Rover Boys Ex-press” of the 73rd Wing on Saipanin WWII; he was captured and heldin the Kempei Tai and Omori POWcamps until liberation. After thewar, he made many journeys ofhealing to Japan, where he met bothcivilian survivors and former Japa-nese soldiers. Hap is missed by his3 children and many friends onboth sides of the Pacific.

KABBE, Helmet of Huntley, ILpassed away Jan 12, 2012. DuringWWII, he served with Co C, 48th Div.,9th Armored. He was held in StalagsIIIA, IIIB. Helmet is survived by 3children, 7 grandchildren and 4great-grandchildren.

KENNEDY, Duane S Sr, past mem-ber of the Agua Fria Chapter,AXPOW passed away Dec. 16, 2011.During WWII, he served with Co L,39th Inf., 9th Div. Duane is survivedby 1 son, 1 daughter, 2 grandchil-dren and 6 great-grandchildren.

KING, Pearl, member of the MiddleGA Chapter, AXPOW, died Jan. 2,2012. She was the wife of Koreanex-POW John. In addition to herhusband, Pearl leaves 1 son and 3grandchildren.

KLOPCHIN, Andrew G , ofRockland, NY died Oct. 14, 2011.He was 87. He was shot down overRomania in 1944 while serving withthe 743rd BS, 15th AF; after capture,he was held in Bulgaria until libera-tion. Survivors include 1 daughter,1 son and 2 grandchildren.

LUTTERBIE, Carlton , 91, ofGreenfield, WI passed away Oct. 24,2011. He was stationed in KunmingChina with the 14th AAC, Flying Ti-ger unit. Their B-24 was disabledand they were forced to bail out;Carl and 3 others landed in terri-tory held by the Black Lolos (re-puted to be headhunters). Theywere marched for 28 days until ran-somed by the US. Carl leaves hisloving wife of 69 years, Johanna, 4sons, 8 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and many friends.

MARTIN, Walter W “Wally”, ofSpring Hill, FL passed away Jan. 17,2012. He was 86. During WWII, heserved with the 106th Inf., Co E,423rd Reg. He was captured in theBattle of the Bulge and held inStalag IVB until liberation. Wally issurvived by his wife of 63 years,Marguerite (Peggy), 1 son, 1 daugh-ter, 2 grandchildren and 1 great-grandson. He was a proud Ameri-can who loved his country.

MAZZACANE, Robert W, 87, ofTrumbull, CT died Dec. 30, 2011.He served with the 100th BG, 418th

BS, and was shot down near Frank-fort. After capture, he was held inLuft IV, and then marched acrossGermany. He was a life member ofthe CT Chapter, AXPOW.MAZZACANE, Louise L, 84, diedJan. 26, 2012. Survivors include onedaughter and one sister.


35

taps continued...MORFORD, Robert Murl, 87, ofSauk Rapids, MN died Dec. 2, 2011.While serving with the 5th Inf. Div,he was captured in France; he washeld in Stalag IIA and a labor campuntil liberation. Bob was a memberof the Central MN Chapter, AXPOW.8 children, 18 grandchildren, 22great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren survive him.

MORNINGSTAR, Clayton E, ofMaple Lake, MN passed away Feb.4, 2012. He was shot down overGermany during WWII, capturedand held 14 months. He was a mem-ber of the Central MN Chapter,AXPOW. Marilyn, Clayton’s wife of65 years survives him; he alsoleaves 3 sons, 6 grandchildren and13 great-grandchildren.

MOSS, Carl of Summerfield MI, diedJanuary 2, 2012. He served with the8th AF, 389th BG, 564th BS and washeld in Luft IV. A member of theCentral Michigan Chapter, he is sur-vived by his wife, Mary, 2 sons, 1daughter and 1 granddaughter.

NEY, Winona L, 83, of Tucson, AZpassed away Dec. 28, 2011. Tootiewas the widow of ex-POW Zane(12A and 2B). She and close friendEva Moore (deceased) were activeat nearly all national conventions.Their road trips made for some veryfunny stories. All her friends atAXPOW will miss her.

NONN, Leo, 93, of Northridge, CA,member of the San Fernando Val-ley Chapter, AXPOW, died Nov. 28,2011. He was captured on WakeIsland in Dec. 1941. He and othersworking at the airfields fought val-iantly with the Marines for 15 daysagainst overwhelming odds. Leospent 3 ½ years in prison laborcamps in China, Manchuria, Siberia,Korea and Japan.

OLIPHINT, John H, of ColoradoSprings, CO passed away Dec. 19,2011. He was shot down overFrance and captured by the Ger-

mans; after escape, he joined theFrench Underground who got himback to England. In Korea, he wasshot down, captured by the Chineseand later escaped. John is survivedby his wife, Ruth, 1 son, 2 daugh-ters, 8 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.

PALMIERI, Patsy, 90, of Westover,WV died Jan. 28, 2012. DuringWWII, he was captured in the Battleof the Bulge; he was held until lib-eration. Patsy was a member of theBarbed Wire Mountaineers Chapter#1, AXPOW. He leaves his wife of69 years, Virginia, 1 daughter, 3grandchildren, 4 brothers and 1 sis-ter.

PIKE, Murray, 92, died February 9,2012. He served in the EuropeanTheater of Operations in the Army,K Co, 142nd Infantry, 36th Division.He was held in Stalags IIB, VIIA, andMontova, Italy. He was a formermember of the Florida Gulf CoastChapter.

SCHERMER, Eugene B, of Elk Park,NC passed away Oct. 29, 2011. Hewas shot down while serving withthe AAC during WWII; he was heldin Stalag 17B until liberation. Hisbeloved wife, Joy survives him; healso leaves two sons.

SHAY, William, of Punta Gorda, FLdied December 28, 2011. He was amember of Florida’s Peace RiverChapter in Port Charlotte,FL. Survivors include his wife, Sallyand 2 sons.

SPARKS, Oscar W, of Pryor, Okla-homa, died October 16, 2011. Heserved with the 324 Fighter Groupand was held in Luft 1. A memberof the Tulsa Chapter, he is survivedby his wife of 67 years, Amy.

STEPHENSON, William J, of Jack-sonville, FL died Nov. 27, 2011. Hewas 92. During WWII, he was cap-tured in the Battle of the Bulge andheld. William leaves his wife of 69years, Helen, 1 son, 3 daughters, 7

grandchildren and 11 great-grand-children.

STEWART, Norris Richard “Dick”,age 89, member of the Barbed Wire“Buckeye” Chapter, AXPOW passedaway recently. He was 89. Dick wascaptured while serving with theAAC during WWII. Survivors in-clude 2 sons, 1 daughter, 7 grand-children, 8 great-grandchildren and1 great-great-grandchild.

STONE, Henry “Hank” of Oakham,MA died Feb. 5, 2012. He was 93.During WWII, he served with the30th Inf., Div., 120th Bn, Co D. He wascaptured at Mortain and held untilliberation. He leaves his wife,Bernice; his first wife, Josie, prede-ceased him.

SUMNER, Paul Edwin, 95, of Den-ver, CO passed away Dec. 9, 2011.He was captured while serving withthe 429th BS, 8th AF and held inStalag Luft III until liberation inMay, 1945. Paul is survived by twosons.

SWIDARSKI, Steve, 91, of MapleHeights, OH passed away recently.He was a POW in Germany for twoyears after being shot down whileserving with the AAC. He was amember of the Barbed Wire “Buck-eye” Chapter, AXPOW. Steve is sur-vived by his beloved wife, Lena, 4sons, 2 daughters, 15 grandchil-dren and 2 great-grandchildren.

VELA, Amador, 86, of Brownsville,TX passed away Oct. 22, 2011, oneweek before his 87th birthday. Heserved with the 3rd Inf. Div. in Eu-rope where, after a year in combat,he was captured and held as a POWby the Germans. Amador was a fre-quent past commander of theSouth Texas Chapter, AXPOW andformed many lasting friendshipsthrough the organization. He leaveshis beloved wife of 64 years, Elvira,


36

taps continued...

national chaplain

PNC Gerald Harvey

We read the words of the Psalmist:“As a deer pants for streams of wa-ter, so my soul pants for you OhGod.” Psalm 42:1

When we lived in Africa, we wouldoften visit the game parks. This timeof year there was very little rain.Places where animals could find wa-ter were few in number. The roadsin the park lead to these wateringholes. There would be a platformfrom where you could see everything. You would go early in themorning and wait to see the animalscome to drink.. They needed water,but it was also dangerous. Theywould very cautiously come andmake sure there were no enemynearby.

God gives us a natural thirst for agood drink when we are parched anddry. He also created within us a natu-ral thirst for goodness, for right liv-ing, and a desire to know Him, thesource of true righteousness.

I remember when I was a prisoner inGermany, riding all day in a lockedbox-car on a train. We were crammedin tightly. Finally the train stoppedand they let us out for a short time.We were so hungry and thirsty, butthey did not bring us anything. Wewere close to a small village. A veryold German man came by with hisbucket of beer that he was takinghome. He was so moved by us thathe gave his bucket for us to share.We were humans in need. He caredfor us. Even though no one had morethan a sip from his bucket, we wereall grateful.

Today, are you thirsty, really dyingof thirst in spirit and soul? Do youseek to quench an inner thirst fromso many different wells: Money, sta-tus, fame, pleasure, material goods,and relationships? Then you realizethat you have paid an exorbitantprice for something that gave no trueand lasting satisfaction. Soul satis-faction has only one source: God.

As we seek out a cool drink to sat-isfy us, let it be a reminder to us thatGod is ready and able to satisfy oursouls.

3 children, 5 grandchildren and 6great-grandchildren.

WALKER, Robert F, 85, of Cincin-nati, OH died Sept. 14, 2011. Dur-ing WWII, he served in the USA,422nd Reg., Co D, 106th Inf. Div. Hewas captured in the Battle of theBulge and held in various POWcamps and work details. He wasformer commander of the OKIChapter, AXPOW; he also served asPresident of the 10th Inf. Div. Asso-ciation.

WOTZ, Albert A, of Boardman, OHpassed away Dec. 16, 2011. He was87. He was captured while serving

with the AAC during WWII and heldfor 11 months. Albert was a mem-ber of the Steel Valley Chapter #13,AXPOW. He is survived by 3 daugh-ters, 2 grandsons, 1 great-grand-daughter and 2 sisters.

YANO, Albert J, 87, of Parma, OHdied Feb. 12, 2012. He was a mem-ber of the Barbed Wire “Buckeye”Chapter, AXPOW. Albert was cap-tured in Germany while serving

with the AAC; hewas liberated byGen. Patton. Heleaves 5 sons, 1daughter, 17 grand-children and 11great-grandchil-dren.

The Legacy of your lovecan live on after…An important way you can help en-sure that the American Ex-Prisonersof War is always there for returningPOWs, their families and their de-pendents is through your will or liv-ing trust. It’s very simple to make abequest to the American Ex-Prison-ers of War. Just add the followingto your will or living trust: “I give,devise and bequeath to the Ameri-can Ex-Prisoners of War, 3201 E. Pio-neer Parkway, Suite 40, Arlington,TX 76010, the sum of $_______ or______percent of the rest, residueand remainder of my estate.”

Please take a few minutes of yourtime to help.

TOP 10 SIGNS YOU MAY NOT BEREADING YOUR BIBLE ENOUGH

—10 The Preacher announces thesermon is from Galatians ... andyou check the table of contents.—9 You think Abraham, Isaacand Jacob may have had a fewhit songs during the 60’s.—8 You open to the Gospel ofLuke and a WWII Savings Bondfalls out.—7 Your favorite Old Testamentpatriarch is Hercules.—6 A small family of wood-chucks has taken up residence inPsalms.—5 You become frustrated be-cause Charlton Heston isn’tlisted in either the concordanceor the table of contents.—4 Catching the kids reading theSong of Solomon, you demand:“Who gave you this stuff?”—3 You think the minor proph-ets worked in the quarries.—2 You keep falling for it everytime when pastor tells you toturn to First Condominiums.

And the No. 1 sign you may notbe reading your Bible enough:

The kids keep asking too manyquestions about your usual bed-time story: “Jonah the ShepherdBoy and His Ark of Many Colors.”


37ALL CHECKS MUST BE MADE PAYABLE TO AXPOW OR

AMERICAN EX-PRISONERS OF WAR

50/50 drawingSeptember 2011

Dayton, Ohio

1st Place Skip Moore, AZ $308.20Donated back to AXPOW

2nd Place Gloria Hicker, WA $231.15

3rd Place Jay Johnson, OK $154.10Donated back to AXPOW

4th Place Bonnie Weatherford, TN $77.05

These drawings help raise money needed for our operating ex-penses. They allow our members to participate in a very worth-while project, while giving them a chance to win. 50% of thedonations will be given to the General Fund and the other 50%are awarded as prizes. The amounts are determined after alldonations are received. You do not have to be present to win.Please make copies of the tickets on the other side and offerthem to your Chapter members, family and friends. We are ask-ing $5.00 for 6 tickets. These donations are not tax deductible.Fill out the tickets and send them and your donations to:National Headquarters ~ 50/50 Drawing3201 E. Pioneer Pkway, #40Arlington, TX 76010-5396


39

The 106th InfantryDivision Association

Organized atCamp Lucky Strike 1945 active since

1946

If you are a former 106th Infantry Division vet, wereattached to the 106th,a relative of a 106th veteran, you

are eligible for membership in the Association.

The CUB Magazine is published three timesper year. Published since 1946.

Annual Reunions held yearly since 1947.

Harry F. Martin, Membership Chairman121 McGregor Ave.

Mount Arlington, N.J. 07856973-663-2410

[email protected]

Bean Camp to Briar PatchBean Camp to Briar PatchBean Camp to Briar PatchBean Camp to Briar PatchBean Camp to Briar PatchLife in the POW Camps of Korea and VietnamLife in the POW Camps of Korea and VietnamLife in the POW Camps of Korea and VietnamLife in the POW Camps of Korea and VietnamLife in the POW Camps of Korea and Vietnamby John N. Powers

The majority of booksabout POWs concentrateon the experience of oneindividual. However,there were thousands ofprisoners during the Ko-rean and Vietnam Warsand over thirty major sites atwhich they were held.Conditions varied fromcamp to camp and evenwithin sections of a single camp.Bean Camp to Briar Patch is unique in that itdescribes all the major POW camps from both theKorean and Vietnam wars. In one single source,EX-POWs and family members now have informa-tion on the location of the camps and the condi-tions in those camps.The book has 214 pages withover thirty maps, photos, and diagrams.

$17.20 including shipping. Can be ordered atwww.croninbooks.org or by sending a check toCronin Publications, Box 151, Wittenberg, WI 54499

American Ex-Prisoners of War50/50 Drawing

PLEASE PRINTName:_______________________Telephone: ( )_______

Address:_________________________________________

City/State/Zip:____________________________________

Here is my donation of $5.00 for 6 chances to win the drawing.Prize amounts are determined by the total amount donated.

Mail your donation American Ex-Prisoners of Warand entry to: 50/50 Drawing

3201 E. Pioneer Parkway, Suite 40Arlington, TX 76010-5396

You do not have to be present to win. Your donation is not tax deduct-ible. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Donation not required to enter.Thank you for your support. (6/12)



Address:_________________________________________

City/State/Zip:____________________________________







Address:_________________________________________

City/State/Zip:____________________________________Here is my donation of $5.00 for 6 chances to win the drawing.

Prize amounts are determined by the total amount donated.Mail your donation American Ex-Prisoners of Warand entry to: 50/50 Drawing


You do not have to be present to win. Your donation is not tax deduct-ible. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Donation not required to enter.

Thank you for your support.



Address:_________________________________________

City/State/Zip:____________________________________







Address:_________________________________________

City/State/Zip:____________________________________







Address:_________________________________________

City/State/Zip:____________________________________Here is my donation of $5.00 for 6 chances to win the drawing.

Prize amounts are determined by the total amount donated.Mail your donation American Ex-Prisoners of Warand entry to: 50/50 Drawing


You do not have to be present to win. Your donation is not tax deduct-ible. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Donation not required to enter.Thank you for your support. (6/12)Ex-POW Bulletin (6/12)

Mar/Apr 2012

40

TheQuartermaster’s Shop

AXPOW Pocket Knife11 function pocket knifeincludes a stainless steelknife, screwdrivers and

much more! AXPOWimprint is protected by an

epoxy dome, lasting alifetime. Rubber grip

ensures easyhandling...individually

gift boxed...folded knifemeasures 3 3/4”x1”$13.00 plus s/h

Bronze GraveMedallion

with AXPOW LOGOThe Medallion is 4", Bronze/Brown with Lacquer, weighsapproximately 1lb 4oz,containing 84% copper,balance in other metals. Thehardware for mounting isincluded in each packet.

check with your localcemetery before ordering to

see if medallions arepermitted.

$75.00 plus s/h/i($15.00 for one; $20.00 for

two or more)

AXPOW Vests!The uniform of the American Ex-POWs consists of the military cap and the vest. These vestsare custom-made with your name on the front, and yourchapter and logo shield on the back. Orders take approxi-mately six weeks to complete.

$55.00 each includesshipping/handlingFor pins, vest guards and otheritems to “dress up” your vest, or-der from the merchandise page.

Jeweled FlagYou love your country. Our

Austrian Crystal Flag and USApins are beatuiful ways to show

your patriotism. They makewonderful gifts ~ for yourself

or someone you love.

American Flag ~

$30.00 plus s/h

order on page 42

AXPOW FlashlightsBright safety light whenyou need it! AXPOW logo

in color...individuallygift-boxed.

$12.00 plus s/h


41

AXPOW Vest Order Form(For members only)Name________________________________________________________

Address______________________________________________________

City, State, Zip ________________________________________________

Size (Men/coat, Women/chest measurement) __________________________

Long, Regular or Short_________________________________________

Name on front of vest __________________________________________

Chapter Name (back of vest) _______________________________

Price: $55.00, includes shipping/handlingPlease allow 8-10 weeks for delivery.

Mail orders to:AXPOW NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS3201 East Pioneer Parkway, Suite 40Arlington, Texas 76010-5396

Official AXPOW Cap (specify size) 40.00Vinyl Cap Bag 3.00Maroon AXPOW Sport Cap 8.00Black Eagle Sport Cap 9.00Canvas Sport Cap (offwhite or tan) 10.00AXPOW Pocket Knife 13.00Necktie w/logo 30.00 (specify regular or pre-tied)AXPOW Logo Bolo Tie 25.00U.S. Flag Bolo Tie 20.00Mini POW Medal Bolo Tie 30.00Barbed Wire pin 3.00Life Member pin 5.00Crossed Flags Lapel pin 5.00Brooch pin 5.00EX-POW pin (goldtone) 5.00Logo pin 5.00POW Stamp pin 3.00Past Chapter Commander pin 5.00Past Department Commander pin 5.00AXPOW Pocket Knife 13.00Magnetic Ribbons 5.00

Eagle pin w/Barbed Wire 8.00(specify gold, silver or antique gold)Jeweled Flag Pin 30.00USA Jeweled Pin 15.00Logo Necklace 5.00 Logo Earrings (pierced or clip) 5.002” Medallion (for plaque) 5.00Vest Chainguard w/eagles 8.003” Blazer Patch 4.004” Blazer Patch 4.008” Blazer Patch 10.00CLOTH STRIPES (specify which title) 3.00Life Member · Chapter CommanderPast Chapter Commander · Chapter Adj/Treas ChapterAdjutant · Chapter TreasurerState Department CommanderPast State Dept. Commander · Department AdjutantDepartment Treasurer · Sr. Vice CommanderJr. Vice Commander · Chaplain · HistorianService Officer · Legislative OfficerPast Chapter Officer · Past Department Officer

QUANTITY ITEM SIZE / COLOR PRICE

For orders up to 4.00, add $3.00; For orders 4.01 to 7.99, add $4.00; For orders 8.00 to 25.00,add $8.00, For orders 25.01 to 49.99, add $13.00; For orders 50.00 to 99.99, add $15.00For orders over 100.00, add $20.00 Checks/Money Order/Credit Card Accepted.

For credit card orders: Card # _________________________________ Expiration: _________

(Check one) Master Card ___________Visa____________Name _______________________________________________________Address _____________________________________________________City, State, Zip ________________________________________________Phone _____________________________

Shipping/Handling/Insurance:

Total: $

MAIL TO:AMERICAN EX-PRISONERS OF WAR

3201 East Pioneer Parkway, Suite 40Arlington, Texas 76010-5396

[email protected]

We accept Master Card/Visa

Name Badge Order Form(for members only)Actual size of badge issize of a credit card

PLEASE PRINT:Name __________________________________________Line 1 __________________________________________Line 2 __________________________________________

Name Badge with name & chapter and city: $6.00(includes shipping and handling)Ship to:Street ____________________________________________

City/State/Zip ______________________________________

Mail orders to:AXPOW NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS3201 East Pioneer Parkway, Suite 40Arlington, Texas 76010-5396

12x18 AXPOW Graveside Flag 10.003x5 ft. AXPOW Flag w/3-color logo with fringe, indoor use 60.00 with grommets, outdoor use 60.003x5ft. blackPOW/MIA flag, outdoor use 25.00AXPOW Metal License Plate Frame 10.00Aluminum License Plate 5.003” Vinyl Decal 1.003” Inside Decal 1.008” Vinyl Decal 6.0012” Vinyl Decal 10.00Bumper Sticker “Freedom – Ask us” 2.00AXPOW Wall Clock (includes battery) 20.00AXPOW Notecards (pkg of 25) 6.00Special Prayer Cards (pkg of 25) 6.00AXPOW Prayer Book 2.00Ladies Prayer Book 1.00AXPOW By-Laws 5.00POW Videotape – ETO or Pacific 11.00“Speak Out” Education Packet 6.00Canvas Totebag w/4” logo 15.00AXPOW Flashlight 12.00

To apply by mail, callAXPOW National Headquarters

817-649-2979

American Ex-Prisoners of War

Please print:Name_____________________________________Address___________________________________City/State/Zip______________________________Phone ( )_________________________________Please allow 4 weeks to make address corrections.

Mail to: National Headquarters, AXPOW, 3201 E. Pioneer Parkway,Suite 40, Arlington, TX 76010-5396Or fax: (817) 649-0109e-mail: [email protected]

All orders for products sold byAXPOW National Organization,

including dues/subscriptionsshould be mailed to:

American Ex-Prisoners of WarNational Headquarters


(817) 649-2979/ (817) 649-0109 faxe-mail: [email protected] collect calls, please

Subscription Rates -- non members$40.00 per year

Foreign subscriptions$50.00 per year

Now accepting MasterCard/Visa

Thank you for supporting the American Ex-POWS with your purchases of National Merchandise.

change of address formInclude your mailing label for address change or inquiry. If you are receiving duplicate copies,please send both labels. If moving, please give us your new address in the space provided.

AXPOW Pocket Knife11 function pocket knife includes astainless steel knife, screwdrivers

and much more!AXPOW imprint is protected by an

epoxy dome, lasting a lifetimeRubber grip ensures easy handling

individually gift boxedfolded knife measures 3 3/4”x1”

$13.00 plus s/h

Documents

EX-POW BULLETIN · EX-POW Bulletin (ISSN 0161-7451) is published bi-monthly (six times annually) by the American Ex-Prisoners of War, 3201 E. Pioneer Pkway, Arlington, TX 76010. Periodical