THE

412 Gregory Ave. Weehawken. N. J. 01087

Volume XXXI Number 6

THE NINTH INFANTRY DIVISION ASSOCIATION A"""riAtion Dues: $5.00 per vear - $ 1.50will b. "rm.rked to pay tor the Or-totoil..

Nov-Dec 1976

CHICAGO NEXT BIG EVEN T

Leading the marches to the Memorial Services - l-r - Presidentof the Association Charles Koskie, General Westmoreland, Rev.Edward T. Connors and Rev. Ralton Spears.

CHICAGO TRANSPORTATION CENTER OF THE USA

+++PAY YOUR 1977 DUES NOWIf you have not already done

so, please remit your 1977 duesat once in order to save yourAssocia tion time and expense ofmailing out dues notices andreminders.

All Amtrak trains come intoChicag'o's Union Station. Thehotel is a short taxi ride from

- the station to the Hyatt RegencyChicago.

Interstate Highway Routes 1­80,1-90, 1-94, and I-55 go throughChicago or connect with anotherInterstate route into Chicago. 1­94 and 1-90 from the east arerouted on the Dan RyanExpressway. 1-94 from thenorth and west comes in on theKennedy Expressway. 1-90 fromthe west is routed on theEisenhower Expressway. I-55from the southwest is on theStevenson Expressway. 1-80passes to the south of Chicago.You can't miss it.

Chicago's behemoth in the sky - Sears Tower -- is a $150 million"building that works!"Though Sears soars to 110 stories, 1454 ft., (observation level,103rd floor, 1,350 ft.) making it the world's tallest building,contained within its nine modular tubes -- stacked three square _- are solutions to transportation, fuel and people problems. Thebuilding's designers included an efficient elevator and escalatorsystem serving 16,500 building occupants, an electric heat andlighting operation alleviating severe burdens on fuel and aviable use of open space for plazas and sculpture along withrecreations, shopping and restaurant facilities.

32nd Annual ReunionJuly 28-30, 1977

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago is the transportationcenter of the United States.O'Hare airport is the busiest inthe world. Amtrak uses Chicagoas the hub of its passenger railservice. Numerous InterstateHighway routes converge on thecity.

O'Hare Airport has morepassengers per year than anyother airport in the world.There are direct air flights fromevery major city in the UnitedStates and also from manysmaller cities. The OldReliables attending the 1977Reunion may take the Con­tinental Air Transport busesdirectly from O'Hare to theReunion Hotel, the Hya ttRegency Chicago. (There isalso a Hyatt Regency atO'Hare) The bus fare is $3.15one way. Take the North WestLoop bus.

SEEING CHICAGOCHICAGO - Chicago makes

sightseeing easy for NinthDivision members. Both GrayLine and American sightseeingoffer air-eondi tioned bus toursof varying lengths not only ofthe city but also ,the entiremetropolitan area. Gray Linetours begin at 400 N. WabashAvenue, and AmericanSightseeing begins at theConrad Hilton Hotel. Bothcompanies pick passengers upat key locations throughout thedowntown area such as theHyatt Regency Hotel, site of theNinth's 1977 reunion.

Boat tours through theChicago River canal systemand on Lake Michigan are animportant part of a visit hereduring May through September.Mercury Sightseeing boats andWendell a Sightseeing boatsdepart from the MichiganAvenue bridge one block fromthe Hyatt Regency Hotel.They offer one and two hoursightseeing tours of the city asseen from the river and lake.Other boat sightseeing comp­nies offer tours from variouspoints in the downtown area.

Another exciting way to seethe city is from the observationdecks of Sears Tower or theJohn Hancock Center. Theskydeck on the 103rd floor ofSears Tower, world's tallestbuilding, offers a spectacularview where photographers cantake shots of the city andsuburbs, Lake Micnigan andneighboring states. The ob­servation deck on the 94th floorof the Hancock building offers abreathtaking view day or night.Adult admission to both ob­servation decks is $1.50; $1 forchildren under 12, and bothbuildings' observation decksare open daily from 9 a.m. tomidnight.

Many visitors choose to take awalking tour for a close-up lookat some of Chicago's famouslandmarks. The Chicago Schoolof Architecture conducts 15different architectural walkingtours of the Loop, northshoreand south side.

The Chicago Park Districtmaintains 20 miles of publicbicycle paths along ~he

lakefront and 35 miles of bIkepaths through city parks. Thebicycle tour provides a uni~ue

view of the city's fast-changmgskyline from both northern andsouthern vantage points. Amplebike rental facilities areavailable throughout the city.

Many establishments ofdifferent kinds offer interestingtours. Among them are theChicago Board of Trade,Chicago Mercantile Exchange,Chicago Post Office (world'slargest), Chicago Sun-Timesand Chicago Daily News,Chicago Tribune, Jane AdamsHull House, Midwest StockExchange, Quaker Oats TestKitchens, Sears Roebuck & Co.,and the University of Chicago.Almost all of these tours arefree.

Tip Of The HatEvery year at the Holiday we

receive a beautiful card fromJOHN THORNTON of Chicagoand besides submitting his dueshe always includes a mostgenerous donation to theMemorial Fund. But whatreally gives the secretary a bigpick up (cause there are timeswe too wonder what's it allabout> is the extra dollar incash that John sends - "buyyourself a drink Dan". NowJohn you ought to know that Iam not a drinking man butthanks a million - I thank youand the association thanks you.

The association is alsograteful to the New YorkChapter members who traveledby bus to Worcester anddonated $125.00 to the MemorialBuilding Fund. WALTERO'KEEFE and BILL KLAUZadded $100.00 to this amount.

Many thanks to all.

********~ap,

~OUnb2b

He was always very proud of hismembership in the Associationand his memories of all thewonderful men he served with.

Debra Haber

It is our sad task to announcethe passing of these "OldReliables"

Lloyd C. Wofford Co B 15thEng.

Albert Haber Hq 2nd Bn. 47thInf.

John Agosta A Co. 60th Inf.May they rest in peace. To theirloved ones we share your grief.

* * *I am sorry to inform you thatmy father Albert Haber passedaway on September of this year.

THE 32nd ANNUALMEMORIAL IN WORCESTER

"AS WE SAW IT"There was no Michigan

Chapter bus or train heading forthe Memorial Week-end in Wor­cester. However, there were 20from the Chapter who madethat Pilgrimage on their ownand it was a fine turn-out.

Both Board members, Pres.Elmer Wagner and V.P.Everett Tapp flew together andthe weather was ideal for them.The rest of us: V.P. Ed & MargeWisniewski; Fred, Jane &Randy Josey; Floyd & LeoraHennessey; Tom & GerrieHa tton; Jim & Louise Rushlow;Bill, Barb & Don Meadows;John & Thelma Obermiller;Rose and I have encountered allkinds ofweather along the way.Everyone took their own route.PLEASANT FOR EVERYONE

Again, we are grateful toFranny Maher for the coun tlesshours that he spends on theroom accommodations, yearafter year. His efforts go a longway in making that Week-end sopleasant for everyone.

After checking in a t theSheraton-Lincoln or theHoliday-Inn, the place to meetmost of the Gang was at FatherConnors' C.P. Room. It wasgreat to see so many familiarfaces as the big week-end wasbeginning to unfold.

The final Board Meeting ofthe year took place on the upperlevel at the Shera ton onSaturday, Nov. 6, 4:30 PM. Herewe had the first hand reportfrom Emil Langer, Co­Chairman with Frank Fazio onthe New York Convention. Around of applause was given foreveryone who worked on thevarious committees that madethe Reunion so great lastSummer.

(Please turn to Page 3)

OCTOFOIL

Board Member Emeritus

Name...............•••_ Serial No .

Enclosed please find 1977 dues for:

$31.00$31.00

$31.00$95.00

$130.00

State Zip .

Departure date

Arrival date

Convention Room rates

City

Single (I person)Double (2 persons-l bed)Twins(2 persons-2 beds)Executive SuitesRegency Suites

Reservations must be received 21 days prior to opening date ofConvention.

Some of the Happy faces at the 1976 Worcester MemorialDinner.

Reunion July 28-31, 1977Hayatt Regency Chicago

151 East Wacker DriveChicago, Illinois 60601

The Memorial Fund of the Ninth Infantry Division Associationwas established by the members of the association to com­memorate the memory of their comrades who paid the supremesacrifice in battIe. As a part of this fund the associationestablished a scholarship program. Scholarships are awardedeach year to relatives of men ....ho served in The Ninth InfantryDivision. Each scholarship is for one year.

APPLICATION PROCEDUREThe following procedures must be followed by those wishing to

apply for the scholarships:1. Send a letter of application, written in expository form, to the

chairman of the scholarship commi ttee stating the following:name, address, age, and sex of the applicant; name, address,and occupation of the applicant's parents or guardians; thename and address of the secondary school the applicant isattending or has attended and graduated; the name andaddress of the college the applicant expects to attend; thevocational goal of the applicant; and the name of and degreeof relationship to a former member of the division. The unitand dates of service in the division of the former membermust be included.

2. A transcript of the applicant's high school record must beincluded with the letter of application. The transcript mustinclude at least the first seven semesters of the applicant'srecord.

3. The applicant must have a counselor or principal of the highschool he or she is attending write a letter of recom­mendation to the chairman of the scholarship committee.

4. The applicant must take the PSAT which is given everyOctober. The applicant must see that the results of the PSATare sent to the chairman of the scholarship committee. Theseresults may be included with the high school transcript orsent to the chairman from the College Entrance ExaminationBoard. The SAT of the CEEB may be submitted in lieu of thePSAT.

5. THE APPLICATION MUST BE SENT TO THE CHAIRMANOF THE SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE BY MARCH 15.Applkations received after March 15 will not be considered.

6. All applicants must accept the decision of the ScholarshipCommittee as final.

7. Information to determine financial need will be requested bythe Scholarship Committee after the applications have beenconsidered.

8. Recipients of the scholarships may apply for renewal of thescholarship each year. A copy of the student's college grades,a financial statement, and a letter requesting renewal of thescholarship should be sent to the chairman by March 15.

9. All applications must be sent to: John J. Clouser, ScholarshipChairman, Ninth Infantry Division Association, 901Graceland St., Des Plaines, Illinois 60016.

Address ..... - _

Name

ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONA person who wishes to apply for a scholarship must be

related to a man who served with The Ninth Infantry Division.Children of former members of the division will be given firstconsideration, but children of men killed in combat given firstpreference. Applicants who are not children of former membersof the division will not be considered unless no child of a formermember qualifies.

RESERVATIONS NINTH INFANTRY DIVISION ASSOCIATION

THE MEMORIAL FUND OFTHE 9TH INFANTRY DIVISION ASSOCIATION

SchokJrsltl" 'nformation

·.4..;;flACTIVE PATROLLING

For the remainder of themonth, the Regiment main­tained the same defensivepositions and experienced nolarge scale aggressive action bythe enemy. Active patrollingwas carried out by all Bns.,including contact patrols to the3rd Arm'd Division on our left.The enemy also attempted toinfiltrate patrols behind ourlines and on several occasionssustained casualties from ourbooby traps. Intermittent ar­tillery and mortar fire fell on allBns. but to a lesser degree thanwas experienced when thepositions were first occupi~d.

Casualties for the penodtotaled 468 - wounded officers15 enlisted men 304, 55 en!' menkilled, 1 off. and 83 men missingand 1 off. and 9 men died ofwounds.

77REUN10N

in CHICAGO

+++

47th HISTORY CONT.SEPTEMBER 1944

One PW stated thathis company was practicallydecimated by their own ar­tillery and mortar fire.

It was estimated that theenemy had lost at least 50percent of the attacking force.About 135 enemy dead werepicked up in SCHEVENHUT­TE, 35 wounded were evacuatedby out Aid Station and 37prisoners captured. Includedamong the dead and woundedare casualties which occurredwhen an enemy shell landed inthe PW enclosure. The 3rd Bn's.casualties amounted to 7 menkilled and about 40 wounded.

On Sept. 23, Co. "C", who onthe previous day had been sentto assist the 3rd Bn., movedback to their former positionsEast of KREWINKLE. The 1stBn. of the 39th Inf. was attachedto the 47th Inf. and took uppositions to the West of themain road running SE fromSCHEVENHUTTE. Numerouspatrols were sent out during theday and night and in someplaces the enemy was contactedno more than 100 yds. from ourforward positions.

The following day, the 2nd Bn.was relieved from occupation ofthe high ground West ofGRESSENICH by elements ofthe 3rd Arm'd Division, andmoved to an assembly areabehind the 1st Bn. of the 39thInf. preparatory to taking overtheir positions. Contact patrolswere maintained by theRegimental I&R platoon be­tween their position atKREWINKLE and the 3rdArm'd. Division.

Considerable activity wasobserved in GRESSENICH bythe Regimental OP and ourartillery shelled the town,starting several large fires.

On Sept. 25, the 2nd Bn.relieved the 1st Bn. of the 39thInf. who rejoined theirregiment. Several patrolclashes occurred during the dayand night and one enemy patrolset off booby-traps in front ofCo. "A".

Nov-Dec 1976

1979Charles KoskieSchiller Park, Ill.

George BakoBronx, N.Y.

Francis MaherWorcester, Mass.

Pat DeColliPhiladelphia, Pa.

Greater New York 0Washington, D. C. 0

Michigan 0fayetteville· Fort Brag. N. C. 0

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

1977Walter O'Keefe, Ridgewood" N.Y.Everett Tapp, Dearborn, Mich.Dominick Greco, Tiltonsville, OhioAnthony -chaconas, Washington, D.C.Paul Clark, Chicago, III.

1978William Klauz, New York, N.Y.Ralph Carci, Cheverley Manor, Md.Herbert Olsen, Randolph, Mass.Elmer Wagner, Bay City, Mich.Albert Perna, Philadelphia, Pa.

Volume XXXI Number 6

Please credit the follOWing chapter:

Philly·Delaware Valley 0Illinois 0New .fngland 0Ohio G

Harrison Daysh, Judge AdvocateKennsington, Md. 20795

Thomas Boyle, Treasurer39 Hall Avenue,Somerville, Mass. 02144

Daniel Quinn, Secretary412 Gregory AvenueWeehawken, New Jersev 070R7

The official publicatIon of the Ninth Infantry Divi~ Association Single copy priceis 25 cents per issue or by mail. Sl.SO per year payable in advance when dues are paId.Dues are (S5) per year with Sl.SO of the (S5) earmark~ for six issues of The Octofoil.Members should notify the National Secretary. Daniel Quinn. 412 Gregory Ave.Weehawken, N.J. of any change in address.PUblish~ six times a year, July·Augll5t, September·October, November·December.

January·February, March·April, May·June by and for the members of the Ninth Infan try Division Association: News items, feature stories, photographs and art matenalfrom members will be apprecit~.Every effort will be made to return photographs andart work in good conditions.

An extract from the certificate of incorporation Of the 9th Infantry DIvisionAssociation reads: "This Association is formed by the officers and men of the 9th Infantry Division in order to perpetuate the memory of their fallen COmrades, to preservethe espirt de corP5 Of the division, to assist in promoting an everlasting world peaceexclusively of means of ~ucationalactivities and to serve as an information bureau toformer members Of the 9th Infantry Division."

Copy must be receiVed on or.before the 10th Of each month to guarantee publicationon the 20th. PhotOllraphs must be receiVed on or before the 5th day of pUblication month.

SeclJld·Class Postage paid at Union City, N.J. AuthoriZed as of OctOber 1, 1967.

Stre~t Addrea .

City , Zone State .

NINTH INFANTRY DIVISION ASSOCIATIONMEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

I was a member of:

Battery ; Company , Regiment ~th.Di~

I wish to sign up for the following:

Regular Member. per year $5.00 ClDonation Memorial Scholan}1~p Fund [J11iREE·YEAR MEMBER $ 13.00 CJLife Mem&ership $50.00 [JOctofoil Automobile License Disc $ .50 ClDecals. 2Sc; (5) fIVe for $ 1.00 Clladies' Auxiliary Member .. $ 1.50 ClCombat Route Map. : $ .50 a60th Infantry History $ .50 0

•••

32nd Annual ReunionJuly 28·30, 1977

Chicago, IllinoisRequest for Space

in Souvenir ProgramPrices

Full Page $30.00Half Page 15.00Quarter Page 7.50Back Cover Page 50.00Booster ads $1.00 per name and unitMake out checks to Reunion Committee, NinthInfantry Division Association. Mail Copy andchecks to: Mr. Frank Ozart, U.S. Route 45 andLaraway Road, Frankfort, Illinois 60423

Maj. Gen. LouisA. Craig (Ret.'Honorary Member Emeritus

Rev. Edward Connon, Worcester... Mass.

Dan Quinn, National Secretary, 9th Infantry Division Assn.412 Gregory Ave., Weehawken, New Jersey 07087

THE OCTOFOILForm 3579 should be sent to 412 Gregory Avenue, Weehawken,

SiTg~~~L ASSOCIATED EDITORS Walter O'Keeffe andDaniel Qui....

Charles Koskie, President4334 HirschbergSchiller Park, Ill. 60176

Vincent Gugliemino, 1st Vice-Pres.114 Charles StreetFloral Park, N.Y. 11001

William Bongiorno, 2nd Vice-Pres.3 Cedar Ridge Ter.Bedford. Mass. 01730

Leonard Tomassone, 3rd Vice-Pres.4448 Witherspoon Ave.Pennsuaken, N.J. 08109

THE OCTOFOIL

»

TRADITIONAL PARADE. S~nday morning, after en­Joymg that cup of coffee anddough-nuts back at ConnorsCoffee Shop, ~e found our way?own to the FIre-station about analf mile away. Here the troopsassembled for what is now atradi~ional parade. TheAmerIcan Legion Vernon HillPost Band led the march to theImmaculate ConceptionChurch. The Memorial Mass at10:00 AM was once againconcelebarted by FatherConnors and Father JerryRowan with Tom Boyle asCommentator.

REDEDICATIONImmediately after Mass the

scene moved to the out-doorShrine. This year it wassomething special. There was apresentation of the Flag fromFort Lewis, Washington and theraising ceremony by GeneralWestmoreland and PresidentKoskie assisted by the ColorGuards of the Worcester PoliceDepartment. Taking part in thetraditional service were FatherConnors, Ralph Witzkin, Rev.Speers, Gen. Westy, Pres.Koskie, Franny Maher, CityMngr. Francis McGrath, MayorThomas Early, Congessman, ­Joseph Early and FatherRowan. Former Congressman,Harold Donohue was also inattendance. The rededicationwas like turning back the pagesof time. The names of our 4581Fallen Comrades were sealed ina microfilm container and onceagain placed into the Shrinewalls by General West­moreland. Placing of thewreath by the President, Vollyby the Vernon Hill Post HonoredRiffle Squad, Taps andBenediction concluded thismost impressive ceremony.

P.F.C.From there, we were back at

the Sheraton-Lincoln for thefinal event of the MemorialWeek-end. The Banquet Roomwas filled to capacity andFather Connors was at his bestwith his grand Irish humor. Wewere honored to hear the MostRev. Bernard J. Flanagan,D.D., Bishop of WorcesterDiocese; a representative of theImmaculate ConceptionParish; our Secretary DannyQuinn !lnd the other dignitariesthat took part in the Out-doorCeremony. - We also learnedfrom Danny, what P.F.C.means. If Father Connors everaddresses you as such, as he didGen. Westy, take pride for youhave been given a great com­pliment, - "Personal Friend ofConnors."

(Continued fro'1ll PageREUNION

Pres. Chuck Koskie andFrank Ozart presented' theirprogress reports on the comingReunion in Chicago next July.The Souvenir Journal is openfor Ads and the surprisingly lowrates are printed elsewhere inthis issue. The MichiganChapter has already set its goalfor a record hundred Boostersand we know that we can do it.OPPORTUNITY TO CON­TRIBUTE

Board Member and Chairmanof a special committee, FrannyMaher, reported that theMemorial Shrine has beencompletely rebuilt and thestructure retains the sameappearance as it did at the timeof its dedication in 1962. Allcorrective measures have beentaken in the process to makethis monument less susceptibleto. the severe New Englandwmters. The Association ap­proved to finance therestoration of this beautifulShrine in honor of our FallenComrades and we all have theopportunity to contribute to theMemorial Shrine Fund.

...) MERGERPros and Cons were discussed

on the merger issue as well assome future Convention sites.The Meeting was adjourned intime for the big get-together atthe Immaculate ConceptionParish Hall.WONDERFUL PARISHION-ERS

This was a great night atFather Connors' Coffee Shop, aswe got to call it. The place wascompletely filled and it seemsas if the crowd is getting largeras time goes on. The wonderfulParishioners took care of thefood and refreshments andmade sure that no one wentaway hungry. In General West­moreland's own words, "I'venever seen so much food at onetime in my entire life.:' And so itwas.

The music and friendly at­mosphere was as pleasant asever. The entire congregationfrom the Michigan Chaptermanaged to sit together at thesame table and it was a mostenjoyable occasion. We weretreated to a real surprise whenJohn & Thelma Obermiller~alked in late that evening. WedIdn't expect them to make itthis year after John was ad­mi tted to the Cleveland Clinicearlier in the week. It took agreat deal of determination ton~ake that trip after beingdlsch~rged in the morning.They Just weren't going to missthat Memorial Week-end if atall possible and we admire themfor it. The Party was coming toan end when I offered to showThe Obermillers a short cutback to the hotel if they wouldjust follow me. Paul Revere'smid-night ride did not haveanything on us. We arrivedabout.. 45 minutes later at TheSheraton with Thelma leadingthe way. (This is another pageof humorous experiences in ourbook of memories.)

C~icago

1977In

MUCH TO BE THANKFULThe afternoon went by very

quickly and after the last"Farewells" everyone was ontheir way. For Rose and I, itwas only a short drive of about35 miles to the West. We'vespent a couple of days with ourCousins in Three Rivers, Mass.where we've left my mother andtwo sisters on the way to theMemorial. Their hospitalitywas out of this world as wes~ared an early ThanksgivingDmner. The enjoyable trip backhome included a stop at theMarion Fathers Monastery inWest Stockbridge, Mass. andthe Lady of Fatima Shrine inLewiston, New York. There wasso much to be thankful for.

John BonkawskiMichigan Chapter

Worcester Recollections;As per usual the Greater New

York Chapter was wellrepresented at Father Connors'Memorial Mass and BuffetSupper over the week-end ofNovember 6, 1976 andNovember 7, 1976.

The story start~ on theevening of November 5th whenthe Chapter held it's regularmeeting at the 69th Armory,East 26th Street and 7thAvenue, New York City. Waltero'Keeffe reported that he had 44people signed up for the BusTour to Worcester,Massachusetts the next mor­ning. He told us the bus wouldbe leaving at 9:15 A.M. fromWest 32nd Street and 7thAvenue, New York City. Walterhad made motel reservationsfor all of those going by bus.Most of the members left themeeting early because theywanted to go home and get somerest before boarding the bus.About five of us accepted theinvitation from William Klauzto have a drink at the 69thRegiment Officer's Club, whichwas having a party in the MuralRoom next door. There was DanQuinn, Lou Almassy, Ed Tobinand myself. I didn't get hometill 1:30 A.M. Some of therefreshments from the meeting,including beer and possiblysome other liquids, were to beloaded onto the bus for con­sumption on the trip to Wor­cester.

The writer did not go on thebus tour as he was driving upwith his friend, Charles Wider.The latter is the cousin ofCharles Hoffmann, Co. B, 125thEngineers. Dan Quinnremembers the story of how ona previous trip Art Schmidt wasaccused of stealing Wider'swallet and putting his money inhis artificial leg. The truth isthat Wider had left his wallethome and Art had to foot thebills for both Wider and himself.

Li~e the last time Schmidt andWIder made a stop in WebsterMass.achusetts to visit Wider'~COUSIn before going on toWorcester.

CamaraderieWider and I arrived at Father

Connors Coffee Shoppe about7:30 P.M. on November 6th.There was still plenty ofdelicious food left. Since I hadwarned Wider not to eatanything before getting toWorcester,he fortifiedhimselfbyordering a double order of hamand eggs and potato pancakesfor breakfast at a HowardJo~nson's. We had good ap­petItes when we arrived inWorcester and were able to dothe delicious food justice.Dancing followed the buffetsupper, but the writer enjoyedmost the camaraderie betweenhimself and his buddies from BCo., 15th Engineers. To mentiona few there were TonyMadonna, Tony DePetrie, Sid

Levenson, Jimmy KeohanePeter P. Thomas FredD'Amore, Pat DeColli' GeorgeWilliams. Al Ferrant~, JamesM~llen, Jimmy Davison, andWImpy from Bethel, Maine. Theonly depressing thing is thatthere wasn't near enough timeto t~lk over all of our past ex­p~rIences. Father Connors washIS usual cheerful self.

INSPIRING

Father Connors was his usualcheerul self.

On Sunday morning Schmidtintroduced Wider to the freedoughnuts and coffee at Con­nors Coffee Shoppe. We thenwaited to view the parade ofmarchers come up to thechurch. Everyone was in step.It was very inspiring to see themen come marching up the hillto the church. Although thiswas the 32nd Memorial Mass, itwas still impressive. The wordsand prayers always bring backsad memories. After the servicethere was a Dedication Serviceto rededicate the Memorialoutside of the church. Amongthe speakers, Ralph Witzkinsaid the Jewish Prayer. Acorporal in the active 9thInfantry Division, who waschosen the soldier of the monthpresented Father Connors withan American flag, which he saidhad flown over DivisionHeadquarters in Fort LewisWashington. He assistedGeneral Westmoreland inraising the flag. GeneralWestmoreland placed themicrofilm of the names of our4,581 dead in the Memorial.After the services everyonewent to Sheraton-Lincoln Motelfor the dinner.

32nd Annual ReunionJUly 28-30, 1977

Chicago, Illinois

WELL REPRESENTEDThe New York contingent was

well represented at the dinner.. We occupied at least four

. : tables. There were the usual1~,,*~ speeches and jocular fisticuffs~~~~ between Father Connors and\_ Generall Westmor~land. The

.::~ la tter was the mam speaker.1: Several prizes were given out·

many of which were won b;members of the New YorkContingent, inclUding the writerand Charles Wider. The stuffedc.hi.cken dinner with all thefI.xmgs was delicious. At thedmner I sat with the New Yorkcontingent. Later, I learned thatthe Engineers had reserved aseat for me. I missed out on anopportunity to talk to some ofthe Engineers. As he promised~ather Connors saw that th~dmner was over by 3:00 P.M. sothat we could all get an earlystart home. There was a sadnote at the dinner in thatEdward Egan and Betty Rizzowere unable to attend becauseof illness. Get-Well Cards werep~ssed around for everyone toSIgn and the cards were to besent to Eddie and Betty.

The writer had occasion tospeak to Mr. and Mrs. BruceJohnstone of Rochester, NewYor~. Bruce was with Co. C, 9thMedics. Bruce is a member ofthe Greater New York Chapter.Also present were Mr. and MrsSabba tino Agostinellli ofRochester, New YorkAgostin~lli wa~ with Hqs. Co.:9th MedICS. He IS a Life memberof the New York Chapter. AldorCook, 1st Sergeant, C Co., 9thMedics, was also present. Hecomes from Schenectady, NewYork.

Everyone was delighted tohear Father Connors say that hewould hold another MemorialMass next year. The writer andCharles Wider arrived homeabout 9:30 P.M. Wider hasalready made reservations tomake the trip with me againnext year.

Arthur R. SchmidtChapter Secretar~

DID YOURECEIVE YOURMEDALS?

For each ribbon you earnedth.ere i.s a medal that goes alongWIth It. That includes GoodConduct, Victory Medal,Combat Infantry Badge, UnitCitation, etc. All those medalsbadges and ribbons you earnedby your service with the 9th arewaiting to be sent to you if youhave not already received themformally from the U.S.government. There is littleeffort on your part to have them

- ·delivered by mail to your home.Simply send your name,

address, Army Serial Numberand the dates you enteredservice and were dischargedfrom service. That's all! Noother details are needed.Merely say that you arerequesting the decorations youare entitled to. Keep it brief.The address to send yourrequest is:

Commanding OfficerArmy Records9700 Page Blvd.St. Louis, Mo. 63132

NOW IS THE TIME FORCONCERNED VETERANS tocheck the beneficiary listings ontheir GI insurance. The VA canpay the proceeds only to thoselisted. Do you still list some longforgotten friend instead of yourwife and family?

Early to bed and early to riseis a give-away that you don'tgive a hoot for television.(Right?)

THE OCTOFOILa. ..

Any youngster will run anerrand for you if you ask him atbedtime.

SAD NEWSThe sad news came from Mrs.

Edna Berdinski, informing usthat Tony passed away just afew days before the OutstateMeeting.

We never get to see Jim &Louise Rushlow except duringthe Memorial Week-end. Thebig surprise was when we sawJohn & Thelma Obermiller asthey walked in along 10: 30 PM.John was admitted to theCleveland Clinic on Mondaybefore the Memorial. He un­dertook extensive tests for hisheart condition while Thelmaremained near-by. He wasdischarged that Saturdaymorning until further treatmentwill be arranged. From there,he and Thelma drove all theway to Worcester to join theGang. This is dedication anddetermination and we all ad­mire them for it.

The Memorial Shrine hasbeen completely rebuilt andappears just as it did when itwas first dedicated in 1962. TheAssocia tion undertook the costof this project and if .anyonewishes to donate to this cause,may send his contribution to theMemorial Shrine Fund.

Before we close this note,John Al & Jane Young have justcompleted their move to theirnew retirement home. Here istheir address, drop them a lineor give them a call, they'll behappy to hear from you.

John Al & Jane YoungP.O. Box 504

Lewiston, Mich. 49756

The Editors of the Octofoilwish to thank all those who sentthe beautiful Christmas Cardsand best wishes for the NewYear. We would like to wish allthe members and their families aMerry Christmas and a HappyNew Year.

NEW-COMERSThe New-eomers in the crowd

were: Jack & BarbaraRobinson, Frank MorbitzerClark & Dorothy Davidson, Ra;& Dorothy Poirier and WilliamZimmerman. Some of themmay have made a NationalConvention or two, but this wastheir first Chapter event. We'llbe looking forward to seeingthem a t our future doings alongwith all the Members that wehaven't met yet. The ChristmasParty on December 11th wouldbe an ideal time.

Fred Josey did a great jobpromoting the Raffle and wethank everyone who tookchances on the Drawing. Ourcongratulations to WilliamZimmerman, the lucky winneron his first night with theChapter.

Bruno, Cheryl & Stacy Zmiklywere guests of Chap. JohnZulkiewski. Richard & JoanBacashihua came along withVice Pres. Everett & IreneTapp and it was nice having allof them with us.

There were a few Regularsmissing in the crowd and weknow that if at all possible theywould be there: Bob & FloDeSandy returned a day latefrom their vacation inCalifornia. The John Al Youngsflew in that very night fromtheir Western trip. Charlie Foxwas ill again so they had tocancel their reservation. Therewas a family wedding for TheLewis' but Don was sick andmissed both events.

Mr. & M~s. J. Clouser901 Graceland

Des Plaines, Ill.60016

Michigan Doings

NEWS-NOTESOctober 2, '76 will long be

remembered. The OutstateMeeting in Frankenmuth, Mi.was an outstanding success.Chairman, Elmer Wagner had asplendid program arranged inthe Garden Room at the famousZehnders on a most beautifulAutumn day. They came fromall over. There were 45 presentincluding our NationalPresident, Chuck & IrmaKoskie.

The Cocktail Hour at 6 PMwas followed by a deliciousChicken and Ham Dinner. Thiswas great but the night was stillyoung. The informal in­troductions by the Chairman,remarks by the President,friendly conversations andslides of that grand Conventionin New York last Summer wereenjoyed by all. Those that werethere really have a night toremember. We are thankfulthat there were so manynewcomers in the crowd andnow they know what thisAssociation is all about. Ourgratitude to everyone who cameto help make this such a greatevent.

Our thanks to Tom & GerrieHatton for a job well done on theReception Committee and DorisWilliams who took care of theDecal sales.

For Pres. Chuck Koskie andRodger Alsgaard, it certainlywas a day that they'll neverforget. The two buddies from FCo. 47th met for the first timesince the war ended. An oldfriendship has been rekindled.

This was the first time thatwe've seen Dale & Lucy Demskiin quite a while and we werepleased to have them back. Thesame to Earl and Faye Hyde.

The final event of a verysuccessful year took place onSaturday, December 11, at 8PM. The occasion was theAnnual Chapter ChristmasParty at Bob & Flo DeSandy'shome, 23430 Colonial Crt. in St.Clair Shores, Mich. 48080.. Everyone who has been there

knows of their wonderfulhospitality.

PlanningThe fall monthly meetings

ha ve been devoted topreliminary planning and theflinging about of ideas for thethree evening affairs.

Reports of the MemorialService and Board of Governorsmeeting at Worcester weremade by President Koskie andPaul Clark. Chuck's wife Irmaand Frank. Ozart also attended:All were extremely impressedand inspired by the service. Thetravelling Koskies also reportedon their trip to FrankenmuthMichigan where they wer~guests of our neighboringMichigans annual Out-statemeeting. They had a wonderfultime and were royally receivedby their hosts.

Kris KringleKomes to Koskies

You wouldn't believe the loadof goodies which appeared onthe snack tables for our Christ­mas Party at the Koskies. Andit must be added that quite anassortment of bubblies gracedChucks well decorated bar. AnnBelmonte was the gamedirector. We finally were able toprove what we knew all along -­Paul Clark and GeorgineWinkelman were the finalists ina "Feather Blowing" contest.Draw your own conclusions!!!Bill Hennemuth was the officialtime-keeper and umpire for thedice game in which manypeople rid themselves of scadsof "white-elephant" gifts. Thegrand prize of the eveningcontributed by the Bob Pappas:was won by Bud Remers guest,Martha Watts. This was a grandevening and a great opening forthe approaching Holidays.President Chuck and his FirstLady of the Ninth, we thank youfor opening your doors to us! ! !

A SAD NOTEWe are saddened to report

tha t the fa ther of BobWinkelman passed away inSeptember and in Mid­December his mother passedaway. We wish to express oursincere sympathy to you, Boband Georgine.

Busy ChapterOn this busy week before

Christmas as I sit athusband'sdesk (after a goodly amount ofpushing papers aside to makeroom), looking at the snowcovered ground, my thoughts"naturally" turn to the reunionin July. I must admit, this hasbeen prompted by the arrival ofour Octofoil, the clutter on thedesk of letters and brochuresfrom the reunion hotel, theChicago Convention Bureau,sight-seeing promoters, airlinesand travel information andnumerous promotional fliers.The Illinois Chapter has indeedbeen busy. The planningcommittees and generalmembership will meet at thehome of Chairman John Clouserin January to get down to thenitty-gritty for what promises tobe a most exciting reunion.

©[}{]ill[PlY~OO rn~W@The Jack Scully Scholarship. Cheers to Bill

fund was increased with I belIeve It can safely be said Joe and Bud'donations by William Klauz that anyone who attended the Chapter President BillEmil Langer and Hugh Lee.' Party went home feeling happy Hennemuth recently was

. that he attended. . . . .WilHam l\.laUZ opened a pr~mote~ In hIS posItIon at

discussion on ways and means Before I forget I must men- Umted 011 Products. Joe Lacicof the New York Chapter tion that Salvatore Longo, Jr. has been promoted tomembers helping to reimburse and Martin Feinberg were the Operations Manager for Kesterthe Association for the monies winners of the Jack Scully Solder Company in Chicago.spent on the Memorial Scholarship Awards. Each was The celebration following one ofMonument in Worcester. The awarded $100.00. They were the fall Chapter meetingsChapter members who used the chosen from the eleven ap- produced almost as manychartered bus to Worcester had plications received. headaches as the promotionsdonated $125.00 to this project. Signed: Arthur R. Schmidt, have. All kidding aside, we(It should be noted that Walter Chapter Secretary know you guys of the Ninth areO'Keeffe and Bill Klauz added more than capable of handling$100.00 to this amount). The your added responsibilities.subject was tabled till another Bud ~emer is hanging up hismeeting. Illinois Chapter steam-fItters tools and retiring

as of January first. He has spenta number of years on aGovernment assignment at theO'Hare Complex. HappyRetirement and GoodTraveling, Bud!!

AFinal ThoughtThe Illinois Chapter families

extend to all their comrades ofthe Ninth a wish for a Happyand Rewarding 1977!!! Wewould like to share a part of thatJoy with you at the reunion inChicago. Make it one of yourNew Years Resolutions to get

.together in 1977!

On December 12th, 1976, theNew York Chapter held itsAnnual Christmas Party at the69th Regiment Armory MuralRoom. Festivities were to beginat 1:00 P.M., but Frank Fazioand his crew had arrived hoursbefore to set up the bar andtables. The writer arrived at12:30 P.M. and they were stillworking feverishly. Theirlabors were well paid off as wehad the largest crowd ever toattend the Christmas Party,despite the rainy weather.

It was the writer's job tocollect money for the 50-50 ClubRaffle and another raffle foradditional prizes. I am happy toreport that we did better oneach raffle this year than we didlast year. The names of thewinners of the 50-50 Club wereAndy Andriola, John Mutchko,Rev. Hugh Whitaker, J.Albanese, C. V. Maraldo, JoeO'Brien, W. Raymond, MillieGraziano, Anthony J. Carmeci,M. Kaczynski, Ed Tobin,Edward J. Maher, and PeterMezzapelli. John Mutchko won1st Prize. Therewere 27 winnersof prizes on the second raffle.Top prize was an afghan knittedby Mrs. Betty Rizzo. The namesof the winners are availableupon request. I have to thankHarry Meltzer for helping meout. It would have been a pity ifI had to go without partaking ofthe delicious food which wasavailable.

The bar. was kept busy untilthe last die-hard left the party.Drinks were on the house as wasthe food. I know I will get in,trouble for not listing the namesof all of the people who workedhard to make the party a greatsuccess. All I can say is,"Please forgive me." Never­theless, I will try to name a few.At the Bar there were Al Orletti,George Bako, Frank Duffy,Vincent Guglielmino andWilliam Klauz. At the buffettables there were George Bako,Frank Fazio and WilliamKlauzx. Emil Langer and FrankFazio conducted the drawingsfor both raffles. William Klauzand John Parisi worked on theclean up detail.

We had good music fordancing from 2:00 P.M. through6:00 P.M. We have to thankGeorge Bako for arranging forthe band. Everybody had all thefood and drink they wanted. Theprizes were piled high at theChristmas tree, and as a personwon a prize they were free to goto the tree and pick up any prizethey chose Winner of theAfghan was Phylis Polucci.

President Emil Langerthanked everyone for attendingthe party. He gave specialcredit to Frank Fazio for doinga fine job as Chairman of theChristmas Party Committee.Emil gave special praise to thepeople who went from table totable selling tickets on thechances. Without them wewould not have gone over lastyear's record. Emil alsothanked all of the people whoworked to make the party asuccess ..

NotesVal DeMaria is recovering

from his recent accident andwas able to attend the Christ­mas Party held on December12th.

Ed Egan is on sick call andthe gang misses him at themeetings.

Harold Jaffe has been at­tending the meetings after anabs~nce of a few years.

Wild Bill Zwill came out of re­tirement and has a Taxibusiness in Matawan, N.J. Hiswife Betty runs "The StitchingPost" (Art Needlework) inMorganville, N.J.

Taps Sounded.

Several members led byVincent Guglielmino and ArtSchmidt visited the funeralhome where John T. Agosta waswaked, to pay their respectsand that of the association. Johnhad served with Company A­60th J,pfantry. He was laid torest on December 7, 1976 atLong Island National Cemetery.

President, Harry Meltzer; 1stVice-President, Nick Palega;2nd Vice-President, Al Orletti;Secretary, Arthur Schmidt;Treasurer, Irving Feinberg;Judge Advocate, EdwardEgan; Chaplain, Ralph Witz- .kin; Sugeant at Arms, GeorgeBako.

Elect OfficersAt the December 3rd meeting

Charles Warner, Chairman ofthe Nominating Committeenamed the slate of Officers hiscommitt~e had chosen for 1977.A motion was made to have thesecretary cast one ballot for aunanimous vote. The followingwill lead the Chapter for thenew year:

The New York Chapter meetsthe 1st Friday of the Month atthe 69th Regiment ArmoryLexington Avenue and East 26thStreet. The November andDecember were well attended.Very few members live in theCity, that is Manhattan, but thegang turns up faithfully everymonth with Guys like ValDeMaria driving about an hourto come in from Connecticut.

The meetings were openedthis past year by PresidentEmil Langer who starts theproceedings with the Pledge ofAllegiance and a moment ofsilent prayer for our departedcomrades.

Arthur Schmidt who has beenSecretary of the Chapter sinceDom Miele retired tries his bestto keep the minutes up to datebut when Irv Feinburg gives theTreasurers report this is a sightto behold. Most times he has theChapters financial matterswritten on the back of a book ofmatches but once in awhile hecomes up with a detail writtenreport -- No matter - the reportsare always accepted.

After the business part of themeeting, the gang adjourns tothe refreshment stand whereFrank Fazio and his committeeof Al Orletti and John Parisihave the goodies and spirits ontap.

lEW YORK CHAPTER

Board of Governors: Her­minio Suarez, 39th Inf; AlMunatore, 47th Inf.; JohnMorris, 60th Inf.; Arthur Sch­midt, Special Troops; CalvinPolivy, Division Artillery.Remaining on the Board wereJohn Parisi, 39th Inf.; FrankFazio, 47th Inf.; Edward Tobin,60th Inf.; Adolph Wadalavage,Special Troops and JamesHaroutanian, DivisionArtillery.

The new Officers will be in­stalled on January 7, 1977.

THE OCTOFOIL

DUREN TO ESCHWEILERThe Regimental O.P.:: ob­

served traffic on the railroadrunning East and West fromDUREN to ESCHWEILER. Theenemy was apparentlyevacuating factories in thedistrict and the activity con­tinued for several days.

At 0615, on 22 Sept., the reportwas received by radio, fromMajor _. Tanner, ExecutiveOfficer of the 3rd Bn., that avery formidable counterattackwas being directed against theirposition. The attack whichstarted about 0600 waspreceded by a particularlyconcentrated artillerypreparation according to MajorTanner's radio report, and wasdescribed as the biggest showthat Jerry had ever put onagainst them. At the time of thereport, the main effort seemedto be coming from the East,while a force of undeterminedstrength had worked its wayaround to the SE of the position,thus threatening the South flankand lines of communication. Itwas requested that all defensiveartillery fires prepared for theEast of the 3rd Bn. position beimmediately fired.

At the time of this report, theattack was in its early stagesand it could not be definitelydetermined whether ad­ditional assistance would beneeded in the 3rd Bn. sector.However, the 1st Bn. was im­mediately alerted to beprepared to move in thatdirection should the situationdemand it.

POSITION OVER RUNAt 0640, a radiomeassage from

the 3rd Bn. stated that theirposition had been overrun andrequested that help be sent asquickly as possible. "C" Co.was immediately ordered tomove to the East on the Southflank of the 3rd Bn., to clear andprotect the line of com­munications, and to assist the3rd Bn. on their right flank.

After the CommandingGeneral was informed of thesituation, the 3rd Bn. of the 60thInf. was ordered to move tovicinity of 00548 to assist the 3rdBn. The 1st Bn., 47th In£. , wasdirected to send a represen­tative to 994388 to contact 3rdBn., 60th In£., and inform themof the situation. A wire line wasimmediately laid to NutmegBlue, to provide direct com­munication with RegimentalHeadquarters.

Rep'orts reachingHeadquarters from varioussources confirmed the fact thatthe lines of communication inrear of the 3rd Bn. had beenoverrun after the road blockcovering the South flank of theBn., was broken through. Oneplatoon of the Cannon Co. inposition at 008422, found it'sposition untenable, and wasforced to abandon the guns dueto heavy, direct machine gunand mortar fire. The firingblocks were removed and thepersonnel withdrew to coveredpositions. These guns, however,were later recovered in goodcondition.

HEAVY CASUALTIESAt 0900, the 3rd Bn. reported

that the enemy was with­drawing to the East afterhaving suffered extremelyheavy casualties, and at 1000 Co."C" retook the bridge on the 3rdBn's. supply which the enemyhad held for a time.

From PW's captured duringthe action, it was learned thatthe attack was launched by afull-strength bn. whose missionwas to retakeSCHEVENHUTTE at all costscmd that they had marched allnight in order to get around ourleft flank.. 2

Cont Pg.

The 2nO and 3rd Bns. con­tinued to receive extremelyheavy artillery, mortar and SAfire throughout the day andnight and suffered the highestnumber of casualties in a singleday since crossing the MeuseRiver, 45 wounded and 14 killed.Four of the Bns. jeeps and one57mm AT gun were knockedout. Several times all of theirlines of communication werecut by artillery fire.

GRESSENICHAt 0130 on Sept. 18, the 3rd Bn.

was again counterattackedlocally from the vicinity ofGRESSENICH. An "I" Co. roadblock was overrun but by 0330the attack was stopped and theroad block restored. The enemywas seen to have at least oneflamethrower, and one of thenine prisoners captured statedthat they had orders to takeSCHEVENHUTTE andMAUSBACH at all costs.

The 2nd Bn. was still under arelentless artillery bom­bardment from londistanceheavy calibre guns. Strongenemy patrols had also in­filtrated into their lines. At 0340,the Regimental Commanderordered the 2nd Bn. to moveback due South about a mile, tothe vicinity of the 1st Bn. C.P.,in order to get out of the impactarea of the hostile artillery andto reorganize. In the afternoon,they took up positions on thecommanding ground to theSouth and SE of MAUSBACH,relieving Co. "C" who rejoinedthe 1st Bn. The 1st Bn. extendedtheir flank to the West to takeover some of the positionsformerly occupied by 2nd Bn.

Enemy patrols continued tobe very active in the 3rd Bn's.sector until obstacles wereerected to hinder their ap­proach. Concertina and barbedwire were laid and trip-wirebooby traps set up in both the1st and 3rd Bns. areas.

On Sept. 19, the Regimentconcentrated on consolidatingand strengthening positions.There was no significant ac­tivity on the part of the enemy,except that at 0730 the heaviestenemy artillery barrage everheard fell to the North and Westof our positions, emphasizingthe amount of artillery theenemy had at his disposal.

Concentrations of mortar andartillery fell in the bn. areasthroughout the day, causing theRegiment a total of 33casualties, 2 of whom werekilled.

On the morning of Sept. 20,the 3rd Arm'd. Division laun­ched an attack on our left,seizing the highgroung about 2miles West of GRESSENICH. Inthe afternoon the 2nd Bn. of the47th In£. , less Company "G",was moved over to occupy thisposition in order to relieve thearmored infantry so they couldcontinue the attack. Co. "G"remained in defense ofMAUSBACH.

During the night and in theearly morning of Sept. 21, the2nd Bn. heard indications ofenemy activity to their front,such as tanks moving about,but no aggressive actionresulted. The 3rd Bn. wasshelled by a railroad gunreported to be in the vicinity ofJUNGERSDORF, about 4 milesNE of their positions. Thisheavy shelling continuedthroughout the day and causednumerous casualties among thecivilians in SCHEVENHUTTE.About 20 of them were trea tedby the 3rd Bn. Aid Station onthis date, bringing the totalnumber of civilians treatedsince the occupation of the townto about 65. At the request of the3rd Bn. C.O., most of residentsof the town were evacuated thatevening and the - followingmorning by Military Gov't.personnel.

SCHEVENHUTTEThe 3rd Bn. moved North

towards SCHEVENHUTTE.About 400 yds. short of the townthey were fired on by smallarms but succeeded in fightingtheir way to the objective. Theymoved through the town ontheir way to GRESSENICH butjust outside ofSCHEVENHUTTE, werebrought under heavy shell firefrom enemy tanks. The bridgeleading fromSCHEVENHUTTE was blownand the approaches mined,which prevented the 3rd Bn.from bringing up their tanks.The enemy was apparently inconsiderable strength andstrongly entrenched atGRESSENICH, so the 3rd Bn.established defensive positionsaround SCHEVENHUTTE andprepared to continue the attackon the following morning.

All three Bns. experiencedintermittent mortar and ar­tillery fire throughout the night.

It was planned on Sept. 17 tomove the 1st Bn., less oneplatoon of Co. "C" and the Bn.AT platoon, from MAUSBA CHto seize the dominating groundto the South of GRESSENICH,preparatory to capturing thetown itself. But before the plancould be put into effect, the 2ndand 3rd Bns. were counter­attacked, the 2nd Bn. ratherheavily.

The attack in the 3rd Bn.sector started about 0610 andcame from the East and North.Some of the enemy succeeded ingetting behind the Bn., but noserious envelopement wasaccomplished.

At 0730, the 2nd Bn. wascounter-attacked by infantry,advancing in groups of from 15to 20 men and supported byheavy mortar and artilleryconcentrations. Some of themwere within 200 yds. of the 2ndBn's. positions before beingstopped and driven back by ourartillery, mortar and SA fire.Although the attack wasbrought to a standstill, theenemy still continued agressiveaction and a detachment of 10tanks was dispatched from 3rdArm'd. Division to assist theRegiment. However, 5 of thesetanks were disabled by enemyaction while en route and only 5reached the 2nd Bn.

At 0820, the 1st Bn. beganmovement to the high groundand at 1040 had reached it anddug in. A platoon of Co. "C" anda platoon of AT guns were left todefend MAUSBACH as planned.

ZWEIFALLThe 39th Infantry, mean­

while, who were on our im­mediate right flank, were heldup by numerous pill-boxesemplaced in heavily woodedareas. The .47th Infantry, bytheir continued advance, werewell out in front of any friendlyelements, including the 3rdArmored Division on the left,and were forced to consolidatewhere they were to a voidweakening the salient byoverextension. The 1st Bat­talion was at ZWEIFALL, the2nd Battalion was at a RJ aboutthree miles SE of ZWEIFALLand the 3rd Battalion about sixmiles NE of ROETGEN.

The concrete pill-boxes andbunkers which were passedduring the day were unmannedby the time they were reachedbut bore evidence that they hadvery recently been vacated.Lighted lamps, burning woodfires and freshly prepared foodpointed to the fad that theoccupants had fled in someinstances a matter of minutesbefore our approach. They werefor the most part well stockedwith food and ammunition.

At 0630, an enemy forceestimated to be about 350 men,attempting to withdraw fromthe SW, encountered the 3rdBattalion. In the ensuing fight,the majority of the Germanswere taken prisoner and thebalance dispersed through thewoods. At 0900, the 2nd Bat­talion was counter-attackedfrom the Nand NE by an un­determined number of infantryand at least one tank. The 3rdBattalion was moved N to assistthe 2nd Battalion. At 1330, thesitutation was cleared up whenthe enemy wi thdrew, after wehad destroyed one Mark V tankand captured mahy prisoners.The 1st Battalion was held atZWEIFALL pending the out­come of the attack of the 2ndBattalion. As soon as the routewas clear, the 1st and 3rdBattalions continued the ad­vance while the 2nd Battalionremained in posi tion to protectthe flank and line of com­munication.

The concrete fortificationsencountered on this day weremanned but by distinctly in­ferior troops who surrenderedsoon after being fired on. Smallgroups of enemy infantry, whowere attempting to infiltrateback to their lines after having

At 1030, the 1& R patrol on theright route encountered hostilesmall-arms fire from a smallenemy force and succeeded incapturing two prisoners anddispersing the rest. The 1stBa ttalion encountered noresistance and advanced toZWEIFALL where they wereheld up by a blown-out bridge.One platoon was sent beyondthe bridge-site and met small­arms fire just N of town.

The 3rd Battalion advancedabout three (3) miles when itcontacted the reconnaissancepatrol preceding them, whowere engaged with the enemy atthat point. They captured forty(40) prisoners in this vicinityand proceeded on. They hadadvanced less than 1000 ydswhen they encountered two47mm guns (AT), both of whichwere knocked out with littledelay. In this encounter one ofthe Tank Destroyers attached tothe 3rd Battalion was disabledby a mine, causing somecasualties.

A patrol sent out by the 2ndBattalion encountered anenemy truck which theydestroyed, killing three Ger­mans.

Part II - History of the 47th Infan~ry-September 1944.

Traveling down road 01 historybeen by-passed, were en­countered and captured. Thetotal number of prisoners takenduring the day amounted to 425,including a colonel, a major,and 3 other officers. Thecolonel, incidentally, was thecommanding officer of themilitary police organization inthe district.

The following day, the 1st Bn.was directed to proceed toVICHT, the 2nd Bn. toMAUSBACH and the 3rd Bn. toSCHEVENHUTTE, then NW toGRESSENICH.

The 1st Bn. reached VICHT at1530 after cleaning out manypill-boxes and capturing over100 prisoners. At 1730, they wereordered to move toMAUSBACH, formerly theobjective of the 2nd Bn., whowere instructed to proceed toKREWINKLE (9841) At 2100,the 1st Bn. had reachedMA USBACH and werepreparing defensive positionsaround the town.

The 2nd Bn. reachedKREWINKLE at 1845. They hadcaptured about 95 prisoners, 38of whom were taken in a smallarms fight.

ROETGENAt daylight, patrols from the

Regimental I & R platoonmoved out to precede theRegiment on routes of advance.At 0830, they crossed the Ger­man border at ROETGEN,without having contacted anyenemy. The Battalions beganthe attack at 0830 and justbeyond ROETGEN, en­countered the first line ofprepared defenses consisting ofpill-boxes, anti-tank ditches,and dragons'-teeth obstacles. Atthe previously mentioned RJ,the 1st Battalion proceeded,followed by the 2nd Battalion,while the 3rd Battalion turnedE.

VERVIERSOn September 12th, the

Regiment remained in theassembly area vicinity ofVERVIERS. Reconnaissanceparties from all Battalions weresent to reconnoiter routes to thehigh ground E of EUPEN inpreparation for the con­templated move the followingday.

The next morning, movementto the new area, the high groundE of EUPEN, was begun at0800.

The shortage of gasoline,resulting from the Armys' swiftadvances and consequent ex­tension of supply lines, had forsometime been acute. All therecent moves had been madewithout fuel reserve, and quiteoften, enough gasoline for thedays' advance was receivedonly an hour or so before thetime set for departure. Everyeffort was made to conserve thesupply, as, for instance, on themovement being made onSeptember 13th, when thetroops were forced to march tothe new area to save thegasoline that would otherwisebe used to shuttle with theorganic transportation.

The occupation of the highground E of EUPEN wascompleted by 1300 without anycontact with the enemy.

EUPENEUPEN, though Belgian

territory prior to the war, waspopulated - in the main byGerman-speaking people, and itwas here that the firstnoticeable change in the civilianattitude was apparent. Whereasbefore all the towns hadprofusely displayed the flags ofthe Allied Armies, here one wasvery seldom seen. Most of thepeople were extremely cool,barely noticing the troopspassing by.

The Regiment was now poisedat the very citadel of the enemy,the border of Germany itself; afurther advance would take itinto the highly vaunted defensesof the Siegfried Line and on toGerman soil.

The Field Order received foroperations on September 14thdirected the RegIment to attackat 0830, outflanking from theEast the towns of ZWEIFALLand VICHT and be prepared toassist the 3rd Armored Divisionon our left. Otherwise we wereto proceed in our zone and assistthe 39th C.T. in the seizure ofroad centers in the vicinity ofDUREN. The Regimentalplan of attack was for theBa ttalions to move out incolumn. At the RJ lf2 mile N ofROETGEN, the 1st Battalionwo~ld continue on the roadgoing N while the 3rd Ba ttalionturned off to the E. The 2ndBattalion would follow the 3rdBattalion on the right route,prepared to continue the attackin that sector should it benecessary for the 3rd Battalionto render assistance to the 1stBattalion on the left route.

THE OCTOFOIL

JOHN J. eL:01l8n901 GRACELAtfD STREETDES P LA IRES. I LLllfOIS600Sc6

Name

was withgive company, regiment, battery. attached unit, etc.)

State

Brig. Gen. Edwin H. Randle503 Althea Rd., BelleairClearwater, Fla. 33516

Knowing that you're rejoicing,

too! Agnes Randle

Love and joy are everywhere.

So our thoughts fly out to you

Children's laughter fills the air,

Jewelled with lights for all tosee;

Co. D 60th Inf.

1st Bn. Hq. 60th Inf.Anthony Klimasz224 Arcadia AvenueUniondale, N.Y. 11553

Enclosed please find checkcovering my dues for 1977.

Sorry I can't be an activemember but I do enjoyreceiving the Octofoil and amlooking forward to the nextissue.

Good luck to all.

James CanadaP.O. Box 434Shannon, Georgia 30172

I thought I had better send mydues for 1977 before thedeadline. It almost slipped byme this year.

I retired in July and havebeen so busy trying to catch upon my work that I don't havemuch time to think of anything.I had a call from one of theNinth men that lives in my areabut I can't remember his name.He has had a heart attack andhe isn't able to drive. He wantedto know if I was going to thereunion. He wanted to go withme but I couldn't get away.

I retired at sixty-two. ThoughtI would put me up a woodworkshop to have something to dobut haven't had time to get itgoing yet. Would like to hearfrom some of myoid buddies ifthey have time to drop me aline.

Will close for now. I enjoyreading the Octofoil andreading all the letters from allthe old Ninth Div. buddies.P.S. Keep up the good work.

•••

THEOCTOFOIL412 G,egpry Ave Weeh.wken. N. J. 07017-

.......0- .......~.UftteftCily. N. J.•u........otOc,... 1. lM1

City

Street

Holly wreath with bright redbow,

Gleaming star at tip of tree;

TO YOU FROM ELDNAR

Carol-singing in the snow,

In every land a glad "Amen"

Welcomes Christmas onceagain,-

LADIEI' AUXIUARY..&lie

NlNftI~TRYDIVISION AIIOCIATION

I would like to become a member of the Ladies' Auxiliary to theNinth Infantry Division Association. Enclosed is check ormoney order for $1.50 for 1977 dues. Please mail my mem­bership card to-

While attached to the 9th Infantry Division (staterelationShip, whether the Ninth Division man was a husband,father, brother, son, etc.>

~~.~.~. ... .....

Hq Bty, 26th F.A.Robert Mason2818 Garbett Ave.McKeesport, Pa. 15132

Bob sends a beautiful Christ­mas card and adds "Reallyenjoy reading the Octofoil" ­regards and best wishes to all.

Make checks or money orders payable to Ninth InfantryDivision Association. Mail to

Mrs. Lillian Krasovetz107 USA EastGibbsboro, N.J. 08026

Mrs. Helen Lagattuta352 D Hackensack St.Woodridge, N.J. 07075

Helen, widow of JosephLagattuta 1st Soldier of Com­pany K, 47th Infantry writes"Hope you and family are well.Reading an interesting book ofWW2 by James Jones. It bringsback many memories of ourdays there. I believe you wouldfind it interesting. It's like alarge paper back with manypictures, cartoons etc. Itmentions the Ninth but notenough - but all the areas wherethe Ninth was at.

Best wishes to all for HappyHoliday Season.'"

3rdBn. MedDet-39th Inf.

Robert C. RushingImboden, Ark. 72434

Bob writes "I served in the39th Inf. in forty-four and fortyfive as a Company Aid man. I

. am now sixty three years oldand trying to get a pension. Ihave heart trouble and haven'tworked in teit years. Have asmall income but it doesn't gotoo far any more. I wrote to Dr.Brooks, he said he would helpbut need more information fromsome of the men I served with.If you can give my any in­formation I would appreciate it.

Regards to all."

Co. K -47th

60th Inf.

Roger Gartland255 Charles StreetWatertown, N.Y. 13601

Roger sends his dues andwrites "Soon after the first ofthe year, we'll leave for thesunny South where the sun willshine on us for three months.

Best of Holiday greetings toall. "

47th Inf.

Roger Schaeffer1664 Sunset AvenueAkron, Ohio 44301

Once again it's "dues" time ­enclosed you'll find the usualcheck. The current Octofoil wasenjoyed, especially Al Hodgesletter. He's a real "salt of theearth" type - the kind of manwe'd like to see more of!

Nothing much is new here athome. I'm still active inprofessional music - my owndance band; directing the YusetKhan Grotto Band here inAkron; playing as much aspossible - although I've retiredfrom school music teaching.

Best regards to all and here'sto another successful year in1~7.

John H. MrugulaBox 11 - Rd. No. 1Barnesboro, Pa.

I am enclosing a check tocover my dues for the year 1977.

I am back at my job since lastFebruary. I had my lastcheckup in May of this year. Mydoctor told me I was fit enoughto go on a hike with a full fieldpack. I feel good but I have towatch my diet so I do not gainweight. I guess God was watch­ing over me.

I read in the Octofoil that theMemorial Mass was onNovember 7th in Worcester. Icould not make it but I wasthere in my thoughts. That weekI had a Votive Lamp put up inmy home parish for all the deadof WW II that served with the9th.

Every now and then I lookthrough my two books, "Historyof the 47th Inf. Reg." and"Eight Stars to Victory" andthey bring back the memoriesthat to me are very dear. It justseems as if it were onlyyesterday and I can stillvisualize the fellas that I servedwith from North Africa toGermany. It is a part of my lifethat will always remain withme. Itwas, also a time of myyouth for I was only twentywhen I joined the 9th in NorthAfrica in the early part of '43.When I think back I was for­tunate to have served with anoutfit that was made up of suchexcellent men. In my mind andheart I feel even till this day wewere the best. To all myoidbuddies with whom I served Iwish only the best and God'sblessings.

P .S. Mayall of you have thebest for the holidays.

47th Inf.George BerdayDeSoto Trailer ParkLot 286Homestead, Fla. 33030

George sends his dues andwrites "Hope this finds all ofyou doing well. I'm having it alittle rough right now. I was upat Walter Reed from April to thelast of July taking Radiationtreatments for cancer and thismonth I was in the hospital hereat the Air Base. I couldn't movemy right leg. I'm glad it finallycame around again or I wouldhave been in Reed again.

John and Stephanie Dolakwere here about a year agolooking for a place. They'll bedown after the first of the year.

Say "Hello" to the gang."

B. Btry, 376AAAGeorge F. Long714 Penny DrivePittsburgh, Pa. 15235

I received my Octofoil paperand while reading the paper Ithought I had better get my '77dues mailed in while I have amind to do this. I may put itaway and forget. Best of Luck toyou and a Happy and EnjoyableLife.

Serv. Co. 47th Inf.John Kimerle15 Evelyn Rd.Roseland, N.Y. 07068

Enclosed my dues for the nextthree years.

I sure wish to express mysincere appreciation to all theofficers, and committeemembers who made our 1976New York convention so en­joyable. While we wereregistering, Pres. Emil Langerreceived a call from the WestCoast; and none other than ourold 47th Infantry artist GeorgeMorgan was expressing goodwishes to all his old buddies.Seeing and enjoying the goodcomradeship ofaconvention likethat was wonderful. The NewYears party was tops - music bythe band was just perfect - thedraft beer hm - good.

General Westmoreland's visitwas sure one of the highlightsand a real pleasure to see andtalk to him once again.

I'm closing. I know I'll belooking forward to the nextreunion along with my wifeDoris.

Hq. 9th Div.Bill Cardoza, Sr.17 Jones Terrace - Apt. 5Stoughton, Mass. 02072

It was real nice to see oldreliables of the Ninth InfantryDivision at the Memorial Serv­ices in Worcester.

My wife Sally and I had a verynice time. Sally was pleased tomeet you and some of the othermembers. Also, Father Con­nors.

The Memorial Mass was verynice, and also the dedica tion ofthe monument. We hope tocome there again next year,"God Willing". This was thefirst time I attended theMemorial since 1966. I shall tryto attend a meeting in Wor­cester some time. Pray that youand Mrs. Quinn are in goodhealth. Happy Holidays to all.

Can. Co 60th Inf.Oscar Richards467 Sharon DriveWayne, Pa. 19087

Sorry I could not attend theMemorial Mass and Services inWorcester. I have been busysince June as DepartmentD.A.V. Commander.. here inPenna.

Give my regards to all ourfriends in the Ninth and ex­pecially to all my formerbuddies in Cannon Company60th Infantry. I receivedGeneral Westmorelands bookfrom North Carolina andautographed. Thank your wife,Marie, and Howie Waldman forhandling the orderat the N.Y.reunion. If everything goes ashoped and planned I expect tomake the next reunion inChicago.

Happy Holidays to friendsand all Ninth men everywhere.

77 REUNION

in CHICAGO

To me, every baby resemblesevery baby I ever saw.

47th A.T. Co.Howard G. WaI~'TIan

26 Newman StreetMetuchen, N.J. 08840

"First-Warm es t greetingsand best wishes to all. Thisshort note is to inform themembers that Books 'N Things,a Boone, N.C. bookstore, afriend and acting as an agent ofGen. W.C. Westmoreland, in­formed me that they had mailedJut all the books, autographedand inscribed by the General ofa "Soldiers Report". Thesebooks were ordered by themembers at the New Yorkreunion because of the fact thatthey were unable to purchasesame as the New Yirkbookstores were sold out early:Friday morning of that week.

The book requested by thedaughter of Victor Butswinkus,for her fa ther was alsoautographed and the Generalpersonally saw to it that it wasdelivered promptly. (TheGeneral is really a great guy).Mrs. Butswinkus confirmedthat Victor was pleased andoverjoyed with his inscribedc~py of a "So!die!'s Report" ­which leaves me to say - that Iam just that much more proudto have served with that "GoodAuthor".

Co. M 47th Inf.Wilton M. TaylorStar Route Stop 6Lost Hills, Calif. 93244

Enjoyed the Octofoil,especially Dom Miele's cheeryletter. Also saw the names of CoB 15th Engineers members whowere at the reunion. I would liketo take this opportunity to askthem if they knew LloydChester Wofford of Co B. 15thEngineers'? He passed away inOctober in a Veterans Hospitalin Los Angeles. A letter fromthese members to his wifewould be appreciated. Mrs.Bernice Wofford lives at 517Rose Street, Taft, California. Iworked with Lloyd at Mobile Oil- he was a hard worker.

Also would like to say "hello"to General Randle. Read thenice letter from General Hoylewho is 93. I believe he was theC.O. at Fort Bragg when Ijoined the 47th Infantry in 1942.

Best wishes to all you 47thmen wherever you are and theNinth Division members and tothe New York Chapter mem­bers for a nice convention. Ihope some day we can hold areunion in Texas, Colorado orsome Central location wherebyus Western members would nothave so far to travel.

Kindest regards to FatherDeLaura and a speedy recoveryf~om his last attack. Bestwishes for a Merry Christmasand a Happy New Year to all.

Mrs. James McInerney204 Pennyslvania AvenueMatamoras, Pa. 18336

Mrs. "Mac" as she is knownaffectionately by our membersand Gold Star mother informsus that she has moved toMatamoras, Pa.

"The welcome mat's out justas before -- Although it's in frontof a different door" - Regards toall.