THE

412G~ Ave. W"'en. N. J. 07087 THE NINTH INfANTRY DIYISION ASSOCIATION A~i,.tinn Du•• $5.00 Del' yew - $1.50will be••marked to PlY for the Octofoil

\'()LUME XXIX· May-June 1974

Pittypat's Porch, in the heartof Atlanta, evokes the antebel­lum South without UncleTomism; and its quail, 'Barnabird, pheasant and ham havejust the sort of Continental fla­voring that would have char­acterized the tables of the mostcultivated planters. For basicSouthern cooking. though.you must go to a more offbeatplace: Paschal's Restaurant.which is in a black motel, oncethe nerve center of the CivilRights movement. Today, thepolitical and racial overtonesare remote. but the friedchicken. candied yams andcountry fresh greens are asdelicious as ever-especially at{he incredible price of $2. 10per person.

Once you've polished offyour deep-dish Georgia peachcobbler. you'll want to go outon the town and have a littlefun. Whatever its shortcom­ings in other respects. "Hot­lanta," as the good ole boyscall it, has plenty of actionafter dark, The place to beginis Underground Atlanta. afour-block district by the rail­road tracks that was sub­merged by overhead viaductsand roadways early in the cen­tury and has been recentlyrevived as a gaslit tonk stripthat boasts some eighty-oddold-time saloons. cabarets.steak houses. ice cream par­lors, curio shops and empor- .iums for everything frombooks. records, clothes andtoys to "head" merchandiseand bizarre souvenirs. Supe­rior to anything of its kind inthe U.S., and possessing genu­ine historic interest because itwas here that the builders ofthe Western and Atlantic Rail­road drove the Zero Mile Postand founded the city (orig-

inally called Terminus), thisgaudy, bawling. day-and-nightmidway. beneath the streets isan Alice-down-the-rabbit-holeescape hatch from the com­puterized uptightness of Skv­scraper City. Among the o~t­standing attractions are thefine black soul bands at theMine Shaft, the sleeve-garterbanjo pickers and washboardstrummers at Ruby Red'sWarehouse and the bl ues ofPiano Red at Muhlenbrink'sSaloon. Zanier than all theseis a haberdashery called Les­ter Maddox U.S.A.. where onFriday and Saturday nightsthe ex-governor of the solemnstate of Georgia will auto­graph your purchases.

TIP OF THE HAT

Thc firs', thing you shoulddo in Atlanta is go thro~h

the ceiling. Demand to betaken to the Hyatt Regencyon Peachtree Street and shownthe express elevator. Step in­side the glass rocket-shapedcontainer-outlined in lightslike a glittering cage-and takeoff. Up, up you'll silently soarthrough the wide-open spaces.as if on an amusement parkride. all the while seeing everybit of the twenty-three-storyatrium-shaped lobby, until youhit the ceiling and burstthrough into the electric­spangled night'

If you' plump for regionalcooking, your choice is be­tween famous names. like'Brennan's of New Orleans-which is slightly out fromtown-or local establishmentslike Aunt Fanny's Cabin insuburban Smyrna or Pittypat'sPorch downtown. Some dinersget a kick out of the planta­tion manners of Aunt Fanny,where a soulful young blackwaiter presents you with themenu chalked on a slate yokedaround his neck (in the old daysthey used to sing the menu n.

The Memorial Fund was increased with the generosity of JamesLeopold. Many thanks Jim.

Eating in Atlanta is an actof circumspection. First. youmust decide whether youwant international cuisine ordown-home Southern cook­ing. (The latter is even harderto find than the former. sodon't think getting folksy willsimplify matters.) The mostelegant and expensive restau­rant in town is the IvliJnlghlSun in Peachtree Center. Anexpression of Portman's greataffection for Denmark. therestaurant plays off the typicalScandinavian wood construc­tion, evoked by rows of tree­shaped columns. against thechic glint of plate glass wallsframing an illuminated marblefountain. The Danish smor­gasbord is excellent (whenseafood is available), the beefis good and the wine list is thefinest in the city. Much lessexpensive and much less glam­orous are a couple of typicallydark ("atmosphere" in At­lanta means murk), "NewYork" style restaurants favor­ed by sophisticated Atlantans:The Pleasant Peasant andGene and Gabe·s. The formerspecializes in French provin­cial cooking. the latter leanstoward good northern Italiandishes

His integrity does not appealto all, however. And his aides,mostly more political that he,are trying to modify hisbehavior to fit traditional stateelectioneering. Thus it is thatthe prestigious general is nowreceiving orders from a 30-year­old former Marine lieutenantnamed John Coursen.

Coursen is the boss, saysWestmoreland, "I go where hewants and do what he wants."Recently, Coursen wantedWestmoreland to refrainforever from saying he's anti~

right wing; "There are degreesof being right wing," he ex­plained, "and we don't want totake the chance of antagonizinganybody."

Bets are tha t the aides and thecircumstances will eventuallytransform Westmoreland furlyfrom soldier to politico. Despiterespect for his famous name,most voters in the state ar~

hawkish Democrats and can'tforgive the general for "losin'Vietnam" or "ignorin' Lt.Calley."

Says one top Republican: "Hehas to get down to people'slevel, pass the baloney a little,People understand that."

Meanwhile, even without thebaloney, candida te Wes t­moreland must yearn for the.days when all he had to do wasworry about Claymore mines.In the Rotary Club meeting theother day, after the third orfourth chorus of "My BonnieLies Over the Ocean," thegeneral observed op­timistically, "Well, at least thecampaign only lasts a fewmonths."

\Winnipeg 2-4

Addressing 40 members of theWalterboro Rotary Clubrecently, he plowed through alist of seven state problemareas, and paused only for amoment; before anyone couldapplaud the long awaited finish,the general incredulously andunabashedly continued with 10more points of solution.

He is at the early stage of hisrace, little more appealing inthe street. He a'pproachesvoters with a "call-me-general"reserve that borders ondiffidence. When an aidesuggests he greet people withone hand and pass out bumperstickers with another, West­moreland shrugs: "You passthem out." Very often, at abarbecue or at a luncheon, thegeneral stands off to one side,hands in pockets, alone.

But in fairness it must be saidthat Westmoreland's novicestyle has its appeal. He does notcome on as the commander, butas the self-conscious major withpromise, and many citizensappreciate it. South Carolina isfilled with silver tonguedFoghorns soliciting votes withsweet but meaninglesscharisma, and the West­moreland change is welcome.

Bu t besides being shy,Westmoreland is also convincedthat he can help his state inmany ways. And there is nodoubt the state needs help. Amidwestern researchorganization recently namedSouth Carolina as the worst inthe Union in terms of livingconditions, opportunity, etc.

~Denver

1-2-3-4

Los Angeles 1-2-3-4

ALL AIR ROADS LEAD TO ATLANTA. GA.

The beginning of a politicalcareer can be a numbing ex­perience for anyone, but forWilliam Childs Westmoreland,it must be like having society onhis spitshine, Thirty-six years asoldier, 19 of them as a generalofficer, he is now shorn of hisrank by the political necessityof suddenly becoming one of thepeople. It is, he says, "ahumbling experience."

Seeking votes,in a drug storeon main street is not the sameas reviewing the troops at FortBenning.

But Westmoreland is nothingif not a trooper. When he retiredfrom service last year he sayshe spent two months "playingtennis and nearly going crazy."

Withering at 60, he took a poshjob as director of somethingcalled the Governor's TaskForce on Economic Growth, buteven that was not enough ac­tivity. Now he's decided to gdnand bear the agony of. politics,"Because I think government istoo important to be left to thepoli ticans. " So: Grin, smile,hand outstretched. "Hello, I'mGeneral Westmoreland runningfor governor."

And not only is he a trooper,he's a thick-skinned one. Heserved in the Army establish­ment at a time when its imagewas almost zero, and now en­ters a political profession heldin equally low esteem. On top ofthis, the formerly nonpartisangeneral (to remain neutral, hedidn't even vote before 1972)has registered as a Republicanin the era of Watergate and in astate that hasn't had aRepublican governor in 100years.

1 - Delta 2 - Eastern 3 - United 4 - Northwest 5 - TWA 6 - Southern

Worse than combat

THE OCTOFOIL

nOAH)) OF GOVERXORS

,\ trip through Jean Hibaut's Advt'ntLtl"(' at Six Flags Onr(~eorgia is a hair-raising expt'rience for tht, boldest "voyageur....Indians, wild beasts, and hostile soldiers lurk along the shore,recreating tht' exploits of Jean Hibaut, daring Frenchman wholTuised the (~t'orgia coast during tht' mid-Hith century. Six Flagsis located ten minutes Wt'st of Atlanta 011 1-20.

RESERVATIONS FOR ROOMSATLANTA REUNIONNINTH INFANTRY I)IVISION ASSOCIATION WW'J.

send toSHERATON-BILTMOREWEST PEACHTREE STREETATLANTA, GEORGIA 30383

THE SHERATON-BILTMORE HOTEL COLOR TELEVISION(404) 875-3461 ALL ROOMS AIR CONDI~IONED

In 1963, he was honored byGov. Rockefeller and the StateLegislature for his services onbehalf of the veteran, includinghis long personal fight to winconstruction of anotherveterans' hospital in themetropolitan area.

In 1965, the Catholic WarVeterans gave him a plaque forunselfish service and loyaltyand in 1969 he was awarded aCertificate of Merit from theHendrick Hudson Post 3300 ofthe Bronx. In 1972, MayorLindsay awarded him a Cer­tificate of Appreciation for hiswork on behalf of veterans andthe community.

Helped OthersBiaggi noted that in 1970, fire

destroyed Whalen's home andleft four other familieshomeless. Whalen started afund drive to help his neighborsand the action resulted in hisfounding the Norwood CivicAssociation to help neighbors introuble.

Whalen also served on theparish council of St. Brendan'sChurch as well as an organizerfor all patriotic parades andevents in the Bronx andcitywide.

Whalen before his death livedat 3146 Perry Ave. Now about ablock from his home, is a parkwhich will forever serve as amonument for his dedication tohis neighborhood and borough.

The National Secretary at,tended the dedication.

SincerelyScotty

R.M.A. Hirst62 WiesbadenGustav-Freytag Str.660th Inf

Wp fight there at opposite endsof the pole. Again. if we needthree day holidays for thepeople, there is another con­stitutional means of achievingthem other than breakingtradition. You might try this onetime on nations steeped intradition. England, German.France and see what they mightsay to change Bastille Day - orEaster Monday - or GuyHawkes Day. Thank you for~'our indulgence but better still,I'd be indebted for yourreading, digesting and comingup with a meaningful other wayof making for LON G . WEEKENDS other than sacrificingtradition.

Like hp says. November 11thwill A L WAY S be VeteransDav - NOT the 4th Monday in()('tober~ If it is so dam'nedimportant to have LON C;

\\eekends. let's not establishthese' at the expense of whatsonH' of us guys strove toprotect for 0 THE H. reasons.Yes, I too am a veteran (on thefront line) of those certain basicthings that this Nation standsfor and I did not go forth then\\'ith the idea in mind that I'dend up. for the rest of my days\\ith a LONG WEEKEND!

Sometime in the future,someone sitting in the pocket­size park in the Norwood sectionof the Bronx may look up at thesign, notice the name, "TheHenry A. Whalen MemorialPark," and wonder who he was.

Yesterday, a host ofdignitaries took part in thededication and naming of thatsmall park at 205th St. andPerry Ave. Henry A. Whalenwas a decorated World War IIveteran who became a legend inBronx veteran and communitb'affairs before he died on July 13,1973, at age 56.

The Associa tion of theFriends of Henry Whalensponsored the movement to givethat small piece of city realestate a name. They werejoined by many local politicansand veterans' groups. Perhapsthe best argument for thememorial was made by BronxU.S. Rep. Mario Biaggi.

In a moving address toCongress last August, Biagginoted that Whalen won a SilverStar and three Bronze Stars,plus the Purple Heart, in Armyservice in Africa, Europe andthe Middle East, with the 9thInfantry.

Worked for VetsAfter being discharged,

Biaggi said, Whalen became adynamo of activity in allveterans organizations in theBronx and served as com­mander of the United WarVeterans of the Bronx in 1967-69,

SUPPORTS GENERAL RANDLE

The subject today, 'We Don'tNeed Two Veterans Days' ~ Theauthor. Brigadier GeneralEdwin R. Handle, USAI Retired). The source, hisarticle. same titlp In the'January-February 1974 editionof "Th~' Octfoil'.· published b~the Ninth Infantry DivisionAssociation out of Weehawken.;\Jew Jersey. (;eneral Handle'sarticle is onp which DEMANDSthe interest. preservation, andwider publication for allAmericans to read, digest. andmakp their presence known. Itis the sum of a contest to wonderwhy wp must sacrific(' traditionh~rd fought tradition - for a

long weekend. It would Seell1that Congress has the strength,in this sense. to havp us all have'all of the LON G weekends theywish BUT let us not sacrificev,'hat little tradition this Nationhas for that purpose. This is likesaying why celebrate thecoming bicentennial of ourNation ~ ~ ~

I'll send each of you anelectrostatic copy of GeneralRandle's articel - this guy hasreally brought it to the pointwhere any AMERICAN canreadily understand his point ­his logic - his desire that weretain some of our nationalheritage. Let's not sacrifice itall for the long weekend. I do notwish to beat the proverbial'dead dog' to death - but I cannot help but FULLY understandwhat this gentleman is strivingto retain - better put, what he isstriving to H EGA I N!

.They Remember'HeroBestasCiood Neighbor

Barber Plugs Reunion

Brandi confessed that hemakes sure he locks up hisshears before attending thereunions. He said he forgetsabout cutting hair for a shorttime while he and his wife Nell,enjoy the reunion with the menof his division. The annual eventincludes a banquet, excursions,sight-seeing, dinner and dan­cing. Brandi still finds time toreminisce of the war years wi thhis World War II buddies.

Brandi said that each year atthe reunion the 9th In£. DivisionAssociation awards two or threescholarships to students whowish to continue their schooling.

Former Military BarberRemarks on Those Who PassedUnder His Scissors

Westmoreland was aLieutenant Colonel at that timeand was with Division G1.Conversation at the Post barbershop with him was limited toevery day army life or eventsthat happened around camp.

"I've cut his hair many timesduring the war years and webecame good friends," theTiltonsville barber said.

The 9th Infantry Division'smen filed into the barber shopfor their traditional militarycrew cuts and it was there thathe also met Lindsey Nelson, thenow noted sports announcer forthe Mets.

"Lindsey was in publicrelations during the war and hebroadcasted all baseball gamesat Division Headquarters."Brandi said that Lindsey passedunder his scissors and clipperfrequently.

Thirty years have passedsince Brandi first met the menof the 9th Divisions but hespeaks with pride of still"getting together" at least onceevery year at a reunion which isheld in a different city in theNew England states or in thesoutheastern part of the U.S.A.

"We've had these reunionssince 1946 which gives us theopportunity to meet eachother's families and to keep incontact with one another,"Brandi said.

lulill DilesIII. 1·1

John Brandi, veteran coun­cilman and barber, tells oflasting friendships with the menof the 9th Infantry Divisionwhom he trained with at FortBragg and followed through theEuropean Theatre of War.

"My barbering trade stuckwith me in the Army andnaturally brought the soldiers tome for haircuts," Brandireflected.

Among the most famousheads that Brandki had theopportunity to groom belongedto the now retired General W.C.Westmoreland. Another wassports announcer for the NewYork Mets, Lindsey Nelson.

Brandi said that he traveledwith these men through Africa,Sicily and Europe and hasmaintained friendships withthem through the years.

"Old Reliable" John Brandihas been a barber since 1930 andis currently serving his 16thyear as Tiltonsville, Ohiocouncilman. A recent issue ofthe Martins Merry & Bellaire,Ohio "Times-Leader" carried afeature article on John whichwe are reprinting in the"Octofoil" .

*

Phone

NIGHTS

$26.00 twin or double

Volume XXIX Number 3

THE OCTOFOIL

FREE PARKING

State

May-June 1974

*

Rates: $20.00 single

!<'unn ;{fj7!! shuuld be sent to 412 Gregor~' Avenul>,Weehawken, N..J. 070R7OCTOFOIL ASSOCIATli~D J<~J)ITORS Walter O'Keeffeand Daniel Quinn.

Fred Jose~', PresidentR162 Green Valle~' DriveGrand Blanc, :\lichig'a n 4R4:j!)Vincen t Gugl ielmino. 1st Vice- Pn'sidell tFloral Park, I'\ew York 11001Thomas Shine. 2nd Vice- PreHideli tH~'attsville, :\lar~'land

Francis :\laher. :{rd Vice- President'Vorcester. Mass. 01610Harrison Da~'Hh, '.1 udg'e Ad vocateKensington. Md. 20795Daniel Quinn, Secretar.\'412 Greg'oo' Avenue, \Veehawken. N. J. 070R7Thomas Boyle, Treasurer;{9 Hall Avenue, Somerville,:\lass. 02144

ARRIVAL

1974Ralph Carci, Cheverl~' :\lanor, .'Id.Paul Ke l1er. 'Wh i tehall, OhioMichael Belmonte, Oak ParI" Ill.Wil1iam Klauz, I'\ew York, K. Y.Fred Jose~', Grand Blanc, :\lich.

1975Richard "Vilson, \Voodbun', K. ,J.I<~dward :\!cGrath, Green Harbor, :\lass.Charles Jones, :\1 c I...ean , Va.Robert DeSand~'. St. Clair Shores, :\Tich.Nick Paleg'a, Bellrose. N. Y.

1976:\lichael Deresh, Woodridg'e, K . .T.'Villiam Bong'iorno, Bedford, Mass.'Vil1iam IIennemuth, :Mt. Prospect, IIIOscar Richards, Wayne, Pa.

Board :\lember Emeritus -:\Taj, Gen. Louis A. Craig (Het.)

Honorar~' Chaplain Emeritus.Hev. Edward Connors. 'Vorcester :\Tass.

The official publication of the Kinth Infant'rv Di­~'ision Associati~)n. Single cop~' price is 2;' cent's perIssue or b~' mal! $1.50 per ~'ear payable in advancewhen dues are paid. Dues are ($5) per ~'ear with $1.50of the ($5) earmarked for six issues of The Octofoil.Members should notif~' the Kational Secretarv DanielQuinn, 412 Gregory Ave., Weehawl,en, N. ,j,' of an"change in address. .

Published six times a year, Jul;.'-Aug-ust, September­October, ,November-December. JanuaO'-Februao',M~rch-Apnl, Ma~'-June b~' and for the members of theNinth In~antr~' Division Association. News items, fea­ture stones, photographs and art material from mem­bers wil1 be appreciated, Ever~' efrort will be madeto return photographs and art work in good condition

An extract from the certificate of incorporation ofthe, 9t,h In.fantn' Division Association reads: "This As­SOCiatIOn IS formed by the officers and men of the 9thInfantT:~' Division in order to perpetuate the memoryof theIr fallen comrades, to preserve the espirt d'ecor~s of the division, to assist in promoting an ever­l~stln~ w.or:l~ Deacp exclusively of mealls of educa­tIOnal actIVitIes and to serve as an informat ion bUl'pauto former members of the 9th Infanto' Division."Cop~' must be received 011 or before the 10th of each

month to gua.rantee publication on the 20th. Photo­~raphs. mu.st be received Oil or before the ;,th cla\'of pubhcatlOn month .

Second-Class Post~ge paid at Union Cit~', ?\. J.Authorized as of October 1, 1967.

August 1-4,1974

Address

Name

City

If Double Accompanied By

THE OCTOFOIL

7: 00 P.M.

Good feeling

8: 30 P.M. to 12midnight

5:00P.M.8: 15 P.M. till ?

10:00 A.M. till?5:00 P.M.

10: 00 A.M. till ?10: 00 A.M.1:30 P.M.

To be announced

Pleasant Evening

As the old soldiers are slowlypacking their gear and gettingset for retirement from theirjobs (and let's not kid ourselveswe are all around the sametime) its a good feeling to hearof the "young set" coming alongwi th many of them finishingcollege and many more em­barking on the sea ofmatrimony. Recently welearned that the son of FredD'Amore - young Frederick wasmarried to former Diane M.Beaudet of Lynn,Massachusetts. Fred Jr. is withthe Rich-Life Vitamin Companyand the couple will live in Lynn.(Eds note - Maybe young Fredcan give us some of thoseVitamin pills to perk us up.)

ApologizesI must apologize to Jimmy

Boyle and Harry Fry ofMunhall, Penn and Service26FA. Before Bill Bongiornowent to Pittsburgh for a Boardof Governors meeting I gavehim the addresses of Jim andHarry. Bill said tha t he was sobusy during his short stay inPittsburgh that he could not findtime to make a phone call. SoHarry and Jim keep those linesopen. I have a sentimentalreason for a trip to Pittsburgh.

Joseph McKenzie26th FA

95 Washington AvenueWaltham, Mass., 02154

May 20,1974

Walter Kraft - C.O.G. Com­pany -47th Infantry was in NewYork recently and invited someof the old gang to be his guest ata U.N. Dinner held in the NewYork Hilton with Vice-PresidentFord as guest speaker.

Walt is living in PalmSprings, California most of thetime but still travels to KodiakAlaska every summer where h~operates a business established70 years ago by his GrandfatherOtto Kraft.

It was great seeing Waldo andhe was joined by George Bakoand his wife Paula, FrankFazio, Vince Gugliemino, JoeRzesniowiecki and his wifeRose and Dan and Marie Quinn.

It was a very pleasantevening for it was the first timewe've seen Walter since 1945. Heplans to be back East in Octoberand we are hoping that he'll beable to include in his plans theweekend in Worcester at FatherConnors Memorial.

PROGRAM 1974 ATLANTA REUNION

New England Reports

Friday Aug. 2RegistrationCommittee MeetingsGeneral Membership MeetingLadies Auxiliary Meeting andSocialBoard of Governors MeetingDance

Thursday Aug. 1RegistrationBoard of GovernorsMeetingWelcome Party

Boliu) IIIISIII. 1·1

Saturday Aug. 3Registration 10: 00 A.M. to 5: 00 P.M.Memorial Service and Parade 10: 00 A.M.Excursion to Stone Mountain 11: 30 A.M.(return at 5:00 P.M.)Dinner and Dance(Dress inform al)

Sunday . Safe journey home

Recently some of the boyswith their wives got together atthe dinner table. It was apleasant evening amongpleasant people.

Many DiscussionsAfter everyone had his fill the

gals gathered around one tableand their men at another. Asexpected Ninth News and Ninthactivities were the main topic ofdiscussion. What should be donea t Atlanta to make ourassociation a better one? Whomshould lead the ba ttle ofrecommendations andprocedures? Was it a mistake toraise the dues? Is it true or justa rumor that the National officewill give seed money to chap­ters who run conventions? It is agood idea. If true this moneycould be used to reduce theprice of strip tickets, offer afree activity not included in theprice of the strip ticket orpossibly room rents could besubsidized.

Future ReunionsSomeone started a new round

of talks with the suggestion thatat some future date a con­vention be held on an oceangoing cruise say to Bermuda.This thought may come up atAtlanta as new business.

Eddie and Mrs. McGrathjoined the jet set at Acapulco for3 weeks. Fabulous, un­believable, beyond descriptionare just a few of the words usedto describe their stay in thatplayground.

Ronnie and Mrs. Murphy areplanning to spend some of theirtime this summer in thatbeautiful seaside town ofCamden, Maine.

At the present time BillBongiorno, Tom Boyle, HerbOlsen, John Edmunds, andFran Maher are making finalplans to be in Atlanta. Morefrom New England are ex­pected to make the trip.

The McKenzies are planninga cruise this summer.

John Murray is one of themany victims of the energycrisis. After more than 30 yearsservicing Oldsmobiles his bossmade that unpopular move.

Michigan Doings

1975The Detroit Hilton will be the

site for the 75 Reunion.Chairman Bob DeSandy knowsthat he has a tough job on hishands and he is looking forplenty of help. If you are in­terested in being part of thereunion committee look up Bob,he will be happy to have yourassistance.

News-NotesEverett and Irene Tapp

hosted the April 6th meetingand they showed the gang awonderful time. Don Lewiscelebrated his birthday at themeeting. Among the missingwere Elmer Wagner and JohnObermiller. Elmer was proudlyserving as godfather at hisnephew's christening and Johnwas working O.T.

Ed Winnewski had a seriousaccident and suffered the loss oftwo fingers. The chapter wisheshim a speedy recovery andhopes that he and Marge willsoon be able to attend thechapter's functions.

Tom Hatton had a pleasantsurprise when an old buddy,Tony Bardinski, called him up.Tony and Tom had servedtogether in C Co. of the 60th Inf.They had not seen each othersince October 1944. Tony was inSaginaw for a bowling tour­nament and he decided to lookup Tom. They had a great timetalking over theier days in theNinth.

Wedding bells continue to ringfor families of the Chapter.Richard Lewis was married inMarch and on May 12 BobDeSandy's daughter Nancywas married. The BruneI'Straveled to Mississippi on May8th to a ttend the wedding ofAudrey's niece.

Reunion NewsAt the April meeting John

Young suggested that theChapter make inquiries aboutreserving a bus for the trip tothe Atlanta Reunion. JohnBonkowski looked into thematter and made the followingreport. If the bus leaves fromthe same location as it did onprevious trips the fare would be$38.50 per person for a 38passenger bus or $37.50 perperson for a 43 passenger bus. Ifanyone is interested in going tothe reunion by bus they shouldcontact the chapter as soon aspossible.

Secretary James Brunerreports that he has received agood response to his appeal forJournal Boosters. Already 54members have become boostersand Jim expects to hear frommany more. Last year theMichigan page had 67 nameslisted. Jim is hoping to top thatnumber this year.

The boys and gals fromMichigan were certainly on thego during May and June. OnSunday, May 26th the gang gottogether at the PonchartrainHotel for a brunch. After themeal the group proceeded to theMariners Church where aMemorial Service was held forthe departed members of theAssociation. On June 9th theChapter members gathered atKensington Metropolitan Parkand enjoyed themselves at theChapter's annual picnic. Onceagain Don Lewis got up beforesunrise to reserve the shel tel'Sfor the gang. Don was soonjoined by some early arrivalswho cooked breakfast on thespot. During the day plenty ofliquid refreshments were onhand to cool off the thirstymembers, it was a great dayand everyone had a wonderfultime.

CHAPTER NEWS

Submitted byHelen Clouser

Editor's note: Thank you Helenfor keeping us posted on theIllinois Chapter news~urewishwe had many more like Helen.

ILLINOISCHAPTER NEWS

Activity and involvement hasbeen the name of the game forthe Illinois chapter. The Maymeeting at Tedtman's was wellattended by members and theirwives. Plans were finalized forthe memorial service.Following this, reports weremade by Bill Hennemuth, MikeBelmonte and John Clouser onthe Board of Governors Meetingwhich they attended in Pitts­,burgh. Considerablediscussion was generatedregarding the proposedamendment permitting the useof invested funds for r~union

expenses.Frank Ozart was able to add

to his long list of boosters to beincluded in the reunion booklet.From all indications, there willbe a great migration southwardfrom Illinois to Atlanta.

Memorial ServiceOn Saturday, June 1st,

chapter members and theirwives met at the Holiday Inn inSpringfield. The occasion was tohave our annual memorial tohonor deceased friend andmember, Ed Arn. Lenore Arnand her family came to the Innwhere a caravan was formed tolead to Roselawn Cemetery.There a great number of Ed'srelatives and friends wereassembled. The groups mergedand quietly and solemnlyfollowed the color bearer, PaulClark to the graveside. ThereBob Winkelman implanted abronze Octofoil standard andMike Belemonte placed anOctofoil floral piece at Ed'sgrave. John Clouser eulogizedEd and remembered all of thedeceased members of the Ninthin prayer. Chaplain Bud Reimergave an inspirational talkurging all to live full, activelives for complete well-being. Aclosing prayer was then offeredby John Clouser.

FulfillmentThe group reconvened at the

C.P. room of the Holiday Inn. Itreadily became evident that allwere willing to accept Bud'sadvice. Following this socialhour, dinner was served in theHoliday dining room. Con­cluding activities back in theC.P. room consisted of fun andlaugher with special songprovided by Bill Hennemuthand Chuck Koskie. FollowingSunday morning breakfast,everyone started the return triphome, feeling a sense offulfillment and appreciation forhaving gathered together forthe service and fellowship.

ASad NoteAll were saddened recently by

the death of Connie Pawelek,daughter of Casimer and JeanPawelek. Connie attended all ofthe chapter affairs with herparents and especially enjoyedthe reunions. All had developeda special fondness for Connieand we will miss her. TheChapter has made contributionsto the St. Rose School for Re­tarded Girls and to the KennedyJob Training Center in Connie'smemory.

TAPS SOUNDED

May they rest in peace.

Mrs. Anne Elmo Ladies Auxiliary, wife of Fred Elmo 15thEng.

NEW YORK CHAPTER

Salvatore Biondo A Bty 26th FA

Harry O's

Cor ner

Next MeetingWhen President Joe Kearns

ended the June meeting theChapter closed up shop for thesummer. The gang will gettogether at the reunion but theChapter will not hold meetingsin July or August. The nextregular meeting will be at 8:00P.M. on September 6,1974 at the69th Regiment Armory, 25th St.and Lexington Ave., New York,N.Y.

News-NotesChapter President Joe

Kearns celebrated his birthdayat the June meeting. A long lostmember showed up at the Maymeeting and rejoined the fold,Joseph Rzesniowiecki whoserved with Co. G of the 47threnewed acquaintances withGeorge Bako and othermembers of G Co. - Bill Klaus'sbrother Joseph passed away.Harry Orenstein gave themembers a run down on hisrecent trip to Israel. Harry andhis wife visited Tel Avi v,Jerusalem, Haifa, Bethlehemand many other interestingbiblical and historic spots in theHoly Land. Harry reports thatthe country's amazingirrigation system has turnedonce barren sandy beaches intolush farmland. He and his wifecan't wait until they are able tomake another trip to thisamazing land.

Fly Me To AtlantaMany of the gang from New

York are going to fly to thereunion in Atlanta. Sinceeveryone will be going about thesame time they have decided toleave together and take ad­vantage of the group fares thatthe air lines are offering.

Two groups will be leavingfrom New York. One will departfrom Newark Airport and theother will leave from one of theairports in New York City.Frank Fazio will makearrangements for the groupleaving from New York andRalph Witzkin will handle thegroup that leaves from Newark.If you are interested you cancontact them at the followingaddresses and telephonenumbers: Frank Fazio, 830Mace Ave., Bronx, N.Y. 10467Telephone: TV 2-5655 and RalphWitzken 100 Stone Hill Rd.,Springfield, N.J. 07081Telephone (201) 467-04,30.

On May 11th everyone had aball. The New York gang turnedout in mass for the Chapter'sSpring dance and buffet. It wasstanding room only. Once againthe committee came up with theperfect format - plenty of goodfood, big drinks and livelymusic. Co-Chairmen FrankFazio and Bill Klauz deserve abig round of applause from theChapter. Another fellow whodeserves a hand is Ed Egan.The bartender didn't show up,so Ed spent the whole nightBEHIND the bar serving drinksto the thirsty troops. If youknow the New York drinkers,you know how busy Ed was. Hehandled the job like a real pro.At the end of the evening Edreported that business was goodbut the "subway" was poor.

Well it's time for another issue of the "Octofoil" to go to pressand our desk is still piled high with letters from our faIthfulreaders. Try as we might, we can never se~~ to get to thebottom of the pile; however we aren't complammg ~ecaus,~ thestack of letters on the desk proves that the "Old Rehables areout there reading the paper. Here are some of the letters that wereceived during the past few months.

JOHN J. CLOUSER901 GRACELAND STREET

DES P L A I NE S. w. ",..J. ,!fq.J,$."..60016 IVtM e'~ ~ -" .. "

>" ~o:!..,,~~"~,

THE OCTOFOIL412 Gre~ory Ave Weehawken. N. J. 07087.

s.coftCl·CI_ '011... PNt ., U"oO~CIt•. ~. J Aut"ot.,Id. 0' Oct... '. '"'

Co G 39th InfBob Smith134 Roger AvenueBellevue, Ohio

Bob sends his dues and writes- "Don't know if we will makethe Atlanta reunion as we areleaving on a 6000 mile tripthrough the western states inJuly but will make the Detroitreunion next year for sure.

How about a reunion back atBragg one of these years, I amsure a lot of the boys would liketo see Fayetteville once again.

34th FAJessie R. DavisBox 84Hebron, Ohio 43025

I received a letter from TippiePlunkett and she told me ofthings she read in the Octofoil. Ididn't know until we receivedthe letter from Tippie that mywife had written to the Octofoilat the time I was in the hospital.I am out now and back to work.I am not 100 percent back tonormal, but I am improvingeach day, not as young as I usedto be, so it takes longer to mend.

We won't be able to go tot\t1dIlla, lUI' II IS very nar u WI'

me to get time off in the sum­mer months. Where I work Ihave been there several years,but I am still way down on theseniority list and for me to get avacation in the prime months isout. We haven't missed theMemorial Mass for almost 20years, and as always we hope tobe there again this fall. I am oneof Father Connors greatestadmirers and I don't know howany of us can repay him forwhat he has done for all of us. Iwill sign off for now - kindestregards to all.

Co K 39th InfAl Napadano715 Mabel StreetNew Castle, Pa. 16101

Al writes: "I haven't seen yousince the Boston Reunion and Iam looking forward to the gettogether at Atlanta." Al had anaccident while swimming earlyin the season but he's in fineshape for the reunion. He writesthat he is sorry that he didn'tknow about the associationyears ago for he would haveJoined up a long time ago. Hewants to make sure his reser­va tions for the reunion aretaken care of for he'll be thereand will plane in from Pitt­sburgh.

While on vaca tion he drove toCumberland, Maryland andmet two of his buddies from the:39th. Every year he goes toWaynesbourgh, Pa. and placesa wreath on the grave of hisbuddy George Barron who waskilled in the Hurtgen Area inOctober 1944.

Al tells us that there are anumber of former 9th Divisionmen living in the New Castlearea and after reading in one ofthe Octofoils an article by hisold pIa toon leader Ray Brugerof Leewood, Kansas, he wrote tohim and found out that Lt.Brugger is now a veterinarianin Kansas. "Imagine after 25years I finally heard fromhim." Ray sent Al some pic­tures taken in France nearCherburg. He also felt greathearing from Chaplain Kines ofthe 39th.

Wishing you and the men ofthe outfit all of the best, I closefor now.

1st Bn 60th Inf&9th Med. Bn.

Doc Hummel2411 Lommel LaneMarion, Ind. 46952

Sorry to be a little late again ­no good excuse - Good Luck andbest wishes to all.

Co B 39th Inf

AT 60th Inf

Marty Gill2401 Pennington Rd.Trenton, N.J.

Enclosed is my dues, thisshould have been taken care ofbefore the year-end I'll blamethe delay on recenthospitalization as poor an ex­cuse as any.

Admitted to the hospital onDecember 17th for a series oftests tha t culmina ted in lungsurgery on December 22. Camehome on January 5th. Recoveryprogress is slow but verysatisfactory, so the goodsurgeon tells me. If all goeswell, expect to be back to workshortly.

Kindest regards and bestwishes to one and all.

Co. H. 60thMayme and Al Geist11400 S. Millard Ave.Chicago, Ill. 60655Dear Dan:

You can place an ad in thesouvenir program for theAtlanta reunion for Mayme andI. You can use the copy below,which is about the same as wasused in the program book forthe 1970 reunion in New York.

Things are well with us andtrust you and Marie are thesame. We are planning on at­tending this year again inAtlanta and we do hope thatthere is a good turnout.

Good luck with your souvenirprogram book and I do hopethat you get a good responsefrom the membership.

See you in ATLANTA. Bestregards to all.

39th Inf.

George Rosen5001-8th Ave.Brooklyn, N.Y. 11220

Enclosed is my dues for theyear 1974 and I am includingmorwy for a booster in theReunion Journal. I will belooking forward to receiving theOctofoil and enjoy everyparagraph of it.

Keep up the good work.

Hughie Lee42 Montrose Ave.Summit, N.J.

Just a quick note to let youkno\',: we became grandparentsagain. My son's wife presentedus with a lovely new grand­daughter Mary Elizabeth onApril 25th.

Have some bad news too,Jackie Scully'slcvely niece .JudyFlynn Kitty and Walt Dineen'soni y child, ~as buried today atthe'age of 32. She died of cancerleaving besides her parents. herhusband .'lnd R ~~ ve8r old '-'on

Co g 47th & Div Hq.

Louie Netta2629 Belaire DriveWilmington, Del. 19808

Lou writes to inform us of hisnew address and in the lastOctofoil in the Taps Soundedcolumn we had his brotherAnthony, who passed away, as aformer 60th member but heserved with Hq's 47th Inf.(Editors note - Sorry about theerror Lou - we hope you willunderstand. Thank you forkeeping us posted on your ad­dress change.)

Co. D 60th Inf

Albert M. Hodge5818 White Bluff Rd.Savannah, Georgia 31405Dear Dan:

I received your letter of May15th, with a few lines requestingmy aid in getting acquaintancesto support by inserts for thesouvenir journal.

Dan I am unable to doanything in that I just un­derwent surgery for threecrushed cervical discs in myupper neck. My release fromthe hospital has been for only ashort period of time.

Depending upon the rate ofprogress in my recovery willdetermine whether I will beabie to attend. Sorry that I can'tbe of some assistance. butthese things do happen

Sure hope I can recuperatesufficiently in order that Imight be able to travel toAtlanta, but right now my hopesare slim. Certainly hope thereunion is a success. Regards toMrs. Quinn.

William Griesbachc-o Audrey C. Griesbach242 Boston TurnpikeShrewsbury, Mass. 01545

Bill is on the move again buttook time to keep us posted onhis latest change of address. Heis leaving for Brazil, S.A. todirect the operation of a newFolding Paper Box enterpriseand requested we send hisOdofoil to his daughters ad­dress. She is now a 3rd yearstudent in Medical School atMassachusetts Medical Collegein Worcester. Mass.

~{:fvrc leaving ol·0UI.1~ ~H ,',Id

of June, Bill expects to look upFather Connors and will beback in a year as his Daughterwill be getting her M.D. Degreenext June. He closes by writing"I have not seen anyone fromthe old outfit for a long time.Regards to all the gang of the9th."

CoBty & HqsBty 26th FA

60th Inf.

J.E. Thornton11 E. Goethe StreetChicago, Illinois 60610Dear Dan:

Just a few lines hoping thisshort letter finds you and yoursin good health. and that thingsare going along real good foryou. I am doing pretty good foran Ole retired guy of 66, butgetting old and crabby, butthat's to be expected when onegets old???

I have a new address for you,hope I will be here for a longtime, so if I can get used to it,will stay for a while, if not, willmake another change, will letyou know of any change.

Enclosed is a check for $10.00for an 8th page SouvenirProgram. In case I may be toolate for this, use the money for aBooster Ad, and buy yourself adrink and give the rest to theMemorial Scholarship Fund.

Won't be able to make theAtlanta Reunion, but hope it willbe in Chicago one of these yearsreal soon, we can then have areal nice visit. I used to be aIi ttle active in the IllinoisChapter many years ago, butkind of dropped out of it, nowthat I am retired I will get intouch with them again. JohnClouser and Frank Ozart willprobably be the only old timersthat will remember me a little.

Must close for now, so keepwell, and do hope the AtlantaReunion will be one of the bestever.

THE OCTOFCIL

D Co. 47th Inf.

Co. E. 60th Inf.

Ronald FrankRd. No. 1 - Box 122DL~echburg, Pa. 15656

Enclosed is my long overduedues. Time sure does fly by.Busy with a wedding coming up.so you know how that is. Had anice vacation last summertoured the New England Statesin our trailer. Looked upEdward Garafano, had a nicethree day visit with him in NorthAdams, Mass. Has been 28years since we last saw each~ther. It was one of the high­lights of our trip. He looks good.

Got a letter from Ray Goldenfrom Detroit, Mich. He took histrailer and went to Oregon andlooked up (Kid) Kanhanen inAstoria, Oregon. Then wentsouth to Tulilake, Calif. and hada visit with Al Kangslie andfamily. It's so nice to hear thegang is getting around to seeingone another after all theseyears. Give my regards to all.

Glen K. Gates809 EmmaTrenton, Mo. 64683

Enclosed is my dues for thecoming year, I would like toknow if there are any recordsavailable of the men who servedwith the 60th Inf. during theNormandy Campaign.

Thirty years have slipped byand so have some of the namesand places, but I still havememories of my service withthe Ninth and the 60th Inf.although it was of shortduration.

709th Ord.Ray Kennedy413 Stratton La.Pittsburgh, Pa. 15205

I have a few copies of the"Octofoil" that were printed atthe very beginning in Europeand I would like to know if thereis a museum or someone who ismaking a collection of this typeof momento. Please let meknow as I hate to have thecopies destroyed.

My regards to all formermembers of the 709th Ordance.

Sister of ChaplainIrving Tepper

Doris TepperI follow the "Octofoils" news

avidly, deeply appreciative thatall these years I've received itas a courtesy in honor of mybrothers devotion to "his boys".

F Co. 47th Inf.

K Co 47th Inf.John T. Weatherall, D.D.S.1425 19th Ave. No.

i"'·" ~i'" '7'~r;q(\

W~ll, I s'ee by the red ink tha tI'm almost a delinquent again. Ienjoy being able to read aboutthe old group too much to everlet that happen. Even thoughI've never had the chance tomake one of the conventions,they sound wonderful.

I've often wondered whatever happened to the old Co. K47th Inf. group. JoeyMassereces, etc. I haven't evenseen anything about Lt. Col.Inzer in a long time.

Hope the reunion is the bestever.

Tony Repetti220 Laurel PI.Neptune, N.J.

Noticed the "Red" address onthe Octofoil. Guess I goofed.Regards to all.

John Dooley904 Gary DrivePlainfield, Ind. 46168

Expect to be a t the reunion inAtlanta. Hoping to see somebuddies from DivisionHeadquarters. I'm feeling fineand ready for the golf season.

39th Inf.

34th F.A.

M.P.'s

Perry Payne509 Sutherland DriveChickasaw, Ala. 36611

Perry decided he'd bettercome out of hibernation anda ttend the reunion being tha t itwill be held in the South. It'sbeen several years since heattended a reunion and islooking forward to meeting hisfriends in Atlanta.

Joe DailydasBox 94, Rt. 2Midway, Ark. 72651

Be the Good Lord willing wewill make the reunion inAtlanta. It is a wonderful placeto go, especially out StoneMountain way. Hope some ofour activities will be out there.Looking forward to seeing thegang. Retirement is good,fishing is plentiful but there areno 9th Inf. Div. members outhere.

9th Recon

John HolickCresskill, N.J.

Been having some troublewith the wounds I received inJuly '44, they laid me up for afew weeks, this winter the flulaid me low for a while and Icouldn't make some of themeetings. Feeling fine now andhope to be in Atlanta for thereunion and will get some freshGeorgia peaches while downthere.

Grover C. King, Jr.418 S. Cool Spring StreetFayeteville, N.C. 28301

Grover regrets that he willmiss the reunion in Atlanta ashis son is returning home afterfive years being stationed inEurope in the Air Force, andwill be back in the States atReunion time. Grover has hadhis share of hard knocks andhas been in and out of the VAHospital for the past two years.He closes with best wishes to allat the reunion.

John Weber46 Bromfield St.Quincy, Mass. 02170

John had a little setback oflate and had two majoroperations but is finally on theroad back to recovery. Heregrets not to be able to attendthe reunion this year but wantsto be remembered to all the"old gang".

9th Div. Hdqs.

2ndBnHq's 47th Inf.

9th Recon Trp.Charles E. Neal901 E. Old Hickory Blvd.Madison, Tenn. 37115

Enclosed is a check foranother years dues. My wifeand I hope to see the gang inAtlanta this year. We arehoping that some of the boysfrom the 9th Recon Trp willshow up for a change. We were' •..... <I".! .. '!.. ,1,l-;"'-"~k0 th(l

Boston Reunion but were glad tohear from all the gang.