Salute to Veterans 2014

BY CHRISTA NIANIATUS

Press Reporter

On Nov. 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. On Nov. 8, 1941, Helen Bierfeldt, then

Helen Horvath, marched into the U.S. Army office to enlist as a nurse.

Born July 10, 1919, Mrs. Bierfeldt was raised in Kent, Ohio. She graduated Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent as the valedictorian of the Class of 1937, and graduated from St. Vincent Charity Hospital as a registered nurse in 1940.

As Mrs. Bierfeldt said, “the flags were flying,” the day after Pearl Harbor.

“Everywhere you looked you saw Uncle Sam, ‘I want you,’” she said, point-ing her finger. “I rushed right away and volunteered. I was inducted at Columbus (Ohio) at Fort Hayes and from there sent to Indiana Billings General Hospital, which was right alongside Fort Benjamin in Harrison (Ind.). It was a new structure just for training medics and I was there a year.”

Then it was on to Camp Bowie, Texas, where she was assigned to the 12th Field Hospital — and was also where she met her future husband, Staff Sgt. Leonard Bierfeldt, a Salamanca native.

Salute to Veterans ■ C1The Salamanca Press ■ Nov. 6-12, 2014

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Press Reporter

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Helen Horvath, marched into the U.S. Army office to enlist as a nurse.

Born July 10, 1919, Mrs. Bierfeldt was raised in Kent, Ohio. She graduated Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent as the valedictorian of the Class of 1937, and graduated from St. Vincent Charity Hospital as a registered nurse in 1940.

As Mrs. Bierfeldt said, “the flags were flying,” the day after Pearl Harbor.

“Everywhere you looked you saw Uncle Sam, ‘I want you,’” she said, point-ing her finger. “I rushed right away and volunteered. I was inducted at Columbus (Ohio) at Fort Hayes and from there sent to Indiana Billings General Hospital, which was right alongside Fort Benjamin in Harrison (Ind.). It was a new structure just for training medics and I was there a year.”

Then it was on to Camp Bowie, Texas, where she was assigned to the 12th Field Hospital — and was also where she met her future husband, Staff Sgt. Leonard Bierfeldt, a Salamanca native.

Salute to VeteransSalute to Veterans

VETERAN, C4

Local veteran answers call to serve after

Pearl Harbor attackOhio native uses skills as nurse to

save soldiers’ lives in the field

Helen Bierfeldt, then Helen Horvath, in London, England

C2 ■ Salute to Veterans Nov. 6-12, 2014 ■ The Salamanca Press

Hometown HeroesHometown Heroes


The military section of the Salamanca Area Historical Museum is a great place to bring the family; Veterans, their families and friends. Children will also enjoy looking at the displays throughout the museum and will get a sense of the local history.

There are uniforms of local veterans donated and on display along with many pictures, artifacts and other items of interest and very educational. The uniforms show the changes from World War I, World War II, up to some current military uniforms. There is even a USMA uniform from West Point (Cadet Greg Banner) which is a good discus-sion item, especially with young men and women who are getting close to graduating from high school and might be looking for a career in the military and was given to the Salamanca Historical Society Museum by the Banner Family

Many photographs of military personnel are on display and who knows, you may find someone you know or knew at one time. Perhaps even a family member.

One section of the displays include pic-tures from 1917 of thousands of military

personnel including soldiers and nurses form-ing a figure of an eagle, the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty Bell. You will ponder these photographs, asking yourself how were they taken? How did they get thousands of people to stand still until the picture was taken? Where was the photographer? On a very tall platform, in an airplane?

There are numerous other items in the military section of the third floor of the museum. Come in and see for yourself.

While getting to the military rooms, you will be going by other areas of interest you will want to check out. The Wall of Distinction contains the story of many of the nationally famous citizens of Salamanca. There are also displays on fire and police departments, civic groups, Boy and Girl Scouts and much more on the second and third floors.

Stop in soon for a memorable trip through our local history. You can also schedule a tour of the museum for a group.

Roger LordSalamanca Area Historical Society and

Museum

Take a trip through local military historyLetter to the Editor

BY CHRISTA NIANIATUS

Press Reporter

SALAMANCA — The Salamanca Historical Museum provides residents with the opportunity to observe and appreciate local veteran memorabilia in honor of this national day of remembrance.

Many artifacts, uniforms and photo-graphs have been donated to the historical society over the years and have found a home on its third floor.

Cindy Feldbauer, curator of the museum since April, took The Salamanca Press on a tour of the memorabilia.

“I really think there’s a lot to see here,” she said.

Still relatively new to the museum, Feldbauer said she enjoys discovering new information about the community and the people in it.

“This gentleman was actually my post-man at one time,” she said, gesturing to an army uniform belonging to Cpl. Paul J. Prusinowski.

“It was from a long time ago when I lived on West Avenue. I believe his route included State Park (Avenue), West Avenue, Pimlico (Street), that area,” she said. “It’s almost like some people had a past life that you discover and just say, ‘Wow.’”

The veteran area of the historical muse-um gives many insights into the lives of local veterans, such as two photo boards which previously hung in the barroom of the Torge Hotel, until it was torn down in 1971. Most recently, it resided in the Salamanca American Legion until 2010, when legion members donated the photos to the historical society.

“From what I can tell, all or most of these people served in World War II,” said Feldbauer. “It’s a pretty neat thing. A lot of people can come in and relate to the people they’re seeing, or maybe even find their grandfather.”

Among the memorabilia are many uni-forms donated by local veterans or their families, allowing them to be taken out of the attic and serve a purpose once again.

“This particular uniform was brought in by two guys, it was their father’s and he had passed,” said Feldbauer. “They were trying to go through his things and they didn’t know what to do with it, which is a good thing for us most of the time.

“They felt uncomfortable at first, because they’re letting go of something that was important to their dad. But I think once they know it has a place and serves a pur-pose, it makes them feel better.”

The museum curator said some of her favorite pieces are those from World War I, although they are few in number.

“There are some World War I pieces here, which I think are great,” she said. “I remember reading the Allegany Historical Society had gotten some World War I pieces and they were so excited about it, and that was just recently. We’ve had these for a long time.”

These days, new World War I memora-bilia being donated is hard to come by, and the museum’s collection centers mostly around World War II.

“We also don’t have much at all of the Vietnam or Korean wars,” said Feldbauer. “Interestingly, we have more from the more recent wars,” like Iraq and Afghanistan.

On this day meant to honor the brave men and women who fought for our coun-try and continue to fight today, the mem-bers of the historical society invite the community to come in and take a look at Salamanca’s part in that history.

“They’re people in our everyday life, but they served for us and that’s why we have our freedom,” said Feldbauer. “We should be appreciative of that.”

Salamanca Historical Society has floor dedicated to local veterans

ST. BONAVENTURE — A group of veterans service coordinators will host a panel discussion titled “Awareness and Inclusion of Military Students” from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12 in Dresser Auditorium of the John J. Murphy Professional Building at St. Bonaventure University.

The campus will welcome several veteran service coordinators representing different col-leges and universities including Dan Frontera from Erie Community College, Brad Baumgardner from Trocaire College, Robert Healy from Niagara University and Ben Randle from D’Youville College.

Dr. Barbara Trolley, a professor in St. Bonaventure’s counselor education program, said the panel was developed for a two reasons: to increase awareness of the needs and services for students who are veterans and their spouses and children, and to facilitate inclusiveness and support within the campus and local communi-ties.

“Veterans and their family members may obtain an increased awareness of the services and assistance that can be offered to ease their transition to college and maximize their poten-tial for a successful graduation,” Dr. Trolley said. “Non-veteran attendees will gain insight into global matters that exist, issues that affect the military and their families, and ways to fos-ter an all-encompassing community spirit.”

The event is open to the public at no charge. For more information, contact Dr. Trolley at

[email protected].

SBU to host panel on veteran services Nov. 12

Press photos by Christa Nianiatus(Top) A uniform belonging to the late Paul J. Prusinowski., formerly of Salamanca, is displayed in the Salamanca Historical Museum.

(Middle) Photo boards that formerly hung in the Torge Hotel and Salamanca American Legion have since been donated as part of the historical society’s collection of veteran memorabilia.

(Bottom) A purple heart is displayed in the museum, given to Salamanca resident Walter Nye for his participation in the Battle of Normandy and being injured by shrapnel in his left leg.

CATTARAUGUS — The Timberwolves Community Alliance (TCA) has invited invite the community to join them as they honor both past and present Cattaraugus-Little Valley area military personnel.

A Veteran’s Day Dessert/Concert will be held Nov. 11 at the Cattaraugus Little Valley High School Theater. Doors will open and desserts served at 6:30 p.m. and the performance will begin at 7:15 p.m.

An entertaining evening by local talent is sure to please all ages. Homemade desserts will be served prior to the perfor-mance to allow visiting with an honored guest.

Sponsorships by local busi-nesses and individuals have made it possible to offer this special evening free to all. Donations will be accepted at the door and pro-ceeds will be shared with the Wounded Warrior Project.

The public is encouraged to attend.

Catt-LV to host salute to local heroes on Veteran’s Day

“He was (working) in the mess hall and I was just going through the line when I saw him,” she said.

As she was an officer and he was an enlisted member, “fraternization” was not allowed, but still, love bloomed.

The future Mrs. Bierfeldt was sent to Freda, Calif., and the 12th Field Hospital became the first working hospital unit.

“At the time, we were just there for desert training and desert maneu-vers and we assumed we were going to the Pacific Theatre,” she said. “But as it always is with the Army, we went the other way.”

What would be a two-year stint overseas began October 1943, when Mrs. Bierfeldt set sail for the European Theatre on the Queen Elizabeth.

“On the trip over, (my unit) actually took care of the boys that were so sea sick,” she recalled.

They arrived in Cardiff, Wales, and established a hospital. On June 25, 1944, 19 days after Allied troops first invaded Normandy, France, Mrs. Bierfeldt and her unit landed on Omaha Beach.

“I climbed up that hill just like the boys,” she said. “Then (the 12th Field Hospital) split into platoons where we would leapfrog as the lines moved.”

They proceeded to Cherbourg, France, and set up their treatment area in the basement of Louis Pasteur Hospital.

“You could see the fighting outside the windows,” said Mrs. Bierfeldt. “I don’t like to talk about it, but all I can see is all the German bodies heaped in one big area.”

When asked if she was ever scared, she said, “We didn’t have time. There was work to do, and you just couldn’t.”

The 12th Field Hospital followed the 1st U.S. Army from Cherbourg through Belgium, setting up their hospital along the way at various French cities.

“We continued to leapfrog in our platoons along the way, ready to do sur-gery or whatever was needed,” said Mrs. Bierfeldt.

One incident in particular stands out, when she was in Belgium, just before moving on into Germany.

“We were receiving a lot of patients in a field in a tent, and here comes this little girl no more than 4 or 5, running out of the woods yelling ‘Mama, mama.’ She went right to me. Her mother must have had the same color hair, but of course they were gone,” said Mrs. Bierfeldt. “Just things like that bothered you. But you didn’t have time.”

Once arriving in Germany, the Germans had made a breakthrough at the Battle of the Bulge, and Mrs. Bierfeldt was sent in a surgical team of six to Ciney, Germany. While in Aachen, Germany, she was promoted to 1st Lieutenant.

“For three days we treated casualties. We then had to be evacuated, because the battle was nearing the hospital, and we left behind the critical patients,” she said.

As the war was finally ending in favor of the Allied forces, Mrs. Bierfeldt then moved to Hildesheim, Germany, in

May of 1944, where the 12th Field Hospital treated patients from the German prison camps and readied them for air evacuation to their homes.

After D-Day on June 6, 1944, Staff Sgt. Leonard Bierfeldt and 1st Lt. Helen Horvath decided to get married. Mrs. Bierfeldt explained she was high on the list to be sent home, but the couple was concerned Mr. Bierfeldt would be sent on to the Pacific Theatre, and they didn’t want to wait.

“We decided to get married there, and our colonel had always told us, ‘I’m not one to tell you who you can or you can’t go with, as long as you don’t bring disgrace to the outfit,’” she recalled. “But he was really good about it, we asked him and he said yes. He even backdated out request three months so we could get married right away — you had to give three months’ notice.”

The two were married in Reims Cathedral in France in August of 1945.

“We actually had to get married twice there, first by the mayor of the village and then by the captain that mar-ried us,” said Mrs. Bierfeldt.

They were able to take their honey-moon in Paris, but by way of an ambu-lance for transportation.

After the war, the couple settled in Salamanca, where Mrs. Bierfeldt worked for 27 years as a nurse in Salamanca District Hospital.

“I always loved nursing and I wanted to be one ever since I was a little girl,” she said. “It was all quite an experience, and I don’t regret it one bit.”

For her service in five campaigns, Mrs. Bierfeldt received the EAME Theatre Ribbon, a Silver Battle Star and four O/S Service Bars.


BY RICH PLACE

Managing Editor

Salamanca — In some regards, Vincent Oliverio remembers serving in World War II like it was yesterday.

As time — one of the greatest enemies of memory — grows greater for veterans of World War II, Oliverio decided to write down his first hand account of his service overseas. Now, stories from one of the members of the Greatest Generation are pre-served for generations to come.

Oliverio, a Salamanca resident, was inducted into the service in February 1943. The following October, he departed for Hampton Rhodes, Va., on a liberty ship and was part of a 90-ship convoy that quickly found itself in the midst of a storm.

“At times your ship was so far down in a valley that all you could see was water all around you and next minute you were on top of a wave,” Oliverio remembered.

It took 29 days for the ship to arrive in Oran, Africa and it was soon clear he wasn’t in Salamanca any-more.

“We were warned to shake and hit (our) boots on the center tent pole before putting them on as there were scorpions there,” he said. “We all took it as a joke until a couple days later someone hit his book on the pole and a scorpion came out.

“From then on you could hear lots of pound and tents shaking.”

He left Africa bound for India in early 1944, and a third of the ship

received a pass for shore leave. Oliverio said he was one of the “lucky ones,” along with his friends, J. Rivers and John Martino.

A six-day train ride took Oliverio and his comrades to Dinjan, India. He was with the 761st Signal Air Warning Battalion and, in early March 1944, he was temporarily assigned to the 88th and 57th Fighter Groups, where he worked as a radar operator.

“The radar man out in the field would plot all aircraft and phone in the reports to the radar man next to me,” Oliverio explained. “He would put the information on our sending sheet and I would send out the info via code to the net control station that had charge of all our fighter groups.”

Oliverio was told the area was a very safe location, but he remembers what he called a very large air attack on March 27, 1944.

“After hearing bombs exploding and anti-aircraft fire and the ground shaking, the radar man and I ran out-side and jumped into the fox hole,” Oliverio said. “Two seconds later an officer came yelling at us to get our a-- back on the radio or get court marshalled — so back we went.”

Oliverio said because of advanced warning, Allied Forces shot down 29 enemy planes and only lost three.

ANOTHER VIVID memory from that time was when Oliverio was asked to work with

some natives and cut a path through the jungle to the base. He remembers following natives for a couple days as they cut through the heavy brush until he started cutting as well.

“It was not too long after that one of the natives grabbed my arm and pulled me back and was pointing to the tree,” he said. “I couldn’t see any-thing and moved forward. He again pulled me back and made a wiggling motion, crept forward with his sword and made a slashing motion and out came a deadly green tree snake cut in half.

“From then on I was a follower,” he added.

On May 26, 1944, Oliverio and the rest of his squad, which consisted of 10 men, were sent to a fighter strip about 10 air miles from the camp. The three-day trip included a moun-tain that took the crew up 4,500 feet, he said.

There, members of his squad along with some natives built some build-ings made out of bamboo and even-tually sent a signal to the control station notifying them they were ready to begin receiving supplies.

“The next day a C47 plane came and dropped a generator, 50 gallon drums of gasoline and a transmitter and a receiver,” he said. “(They) all had at least three chutes on them. Then came lots of stuff with no chutes: rock sale, unbleached rice wrapped in double burlap and (they) came down like bombs.”

Oliverio stayed there for 11 months and that camp was where he spent his Christmas.

“(There was) no fresh meat except when it was Christmas time we bought a couple skinny chickens from the natives,” he said. “They cost two parachutes from our drop … our cook worked on those chickens all day and there was still no way that you could eat them — tough and stringy. That was our Christmas dinner.”

ANOTHER STORY Oliverio recalled was while he and his crew returned to home base in Burma for rest and relaxation. Some native soldiers there had large curved knives on their sides and Oliverio and his crew were curious about the

knives.One of the

natives kept resist-ing to show one and declined even after being offered cigarettes.

“Finally he pulled out the knife from the sheath and drew it across his fore-arm and drew some blood,” Oliverio said. “We looked at each other and thinking that this guy must be crazy or some-thing.”

A British officer came over and started yelling at them and calling them “dumb Yankees.”

“He said ‘don’t you dumb Yankees know that a true Gurkha soldier has to draw blood when he pulls out his knife?’” he said. “We really felt very bad and apologized. After the war was over I was able to get my hand on two of those knives and brought them home.”

THE SAME 10-men squad was sent to another mountain location near Tagap Ga, India where the alti-tude was 5,000 feet.

“One thing that you could depend on was mosquitoes and blood sucking leeches and the monsoons,” Oliverio recalled. It was at this came where Oliverio caught a glimpse of Mount Everest.

It was also at this camp the crew was hit by a terrible wind and rain-storm that blew that top off their sleeping quarters in the middle of the night. The crew’s antenna was lost and there was some damage to their transmitter.

A trip to get replacement parts turned into a multi-day ordeal for one of the men of the group, includ-ing three days to get back to one of the roads and another four days of difficulty going through the jungle, Oliverio said.

“He came back soak and wet and

full of leeches,” he said. “He took off all his clothes and he was loaded with the leeches … very scary situation.”

It was also at the camp that the soldiers purchased a small bear cub from one of the natives.

“He was a real treat for our morale,” Oliverio said. “Very playful, but after only a month he became quite larger and started to bite us and became quite rough, so we had to give him back to the natives.”

After three months there, they headed back to base camp. The same 10-men again left and traveled the famous Burma Road and ended up at the China border. After a few months they returned to base camp and rejoined with the 558th Battalion and stayed there for a few weeks.

It was in Kharagpur, about 75 miles west of Calcutta in November 1945 that Oliverio came down with malaria.

“I was very sick for over a week,” he said. “After discharge I still suf-fered with malaria attacks for almost 13 years.”

Oliverio and many others returned to the United States when their ship docked in New York on Jan. 9, 1946. It was a trip that included India, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, and the Strait of Gibraltar.

Salamanca native recalls time served overseas in World War II

VETERAN from C1

Salamanca — Dennis Burger, commander of the American Legion Post 535 in Salamanca, has announced Veterans Day ceremonies will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. in the front of the Legion and VFW club rooms on Wildwood Avenue.

Burger encourages all to attend; it is a day of remembrance and to honor those veterans who preserved the freedom we have today.

Salamanca to host traditional Veterans Day ceremonies

A newspaper clipping Mrs. Bierfeldt has kept features a story about her serving as a nurse from Kent, Ohio.





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Salute to Veterans 2014