War News
Services Held As Bodies Are Placed Ashore
Six From First To Arrive On Pacific Coast Selected For Service
By Glenn Stackhouse
UP Staff Correspondent
San Francisco, Oct. 11—(U.P.)
America pays her last tribute today to six “unknown” dead of the second world war.
The nation will be represented in the simple services by the city of San Francisco, the last mainland American soil seen by many of the 280,000 army, navy, air force, coast guard, marine and civilian dead of the war.
Remains of the six, each representing one of the categories, were brought to the civic auditorium during the early morning hours from Oakland, where their brown metal caskets were removed from the army transport, Honda Knot.
Beginning at 10 a.m. plans called for the expected hundreds of reverent San Franciscans to pass the flag draped caskets in the auditorium.
SERVICE AT NOON
At noon simple memorial services, the only official public “welcome home” for all the nation’s war dead, were scheduled.
Four white-gloved young army officers, mourning bands on their olive-drab sleeves last night picked out the six anonymous caskets to represent all the dead.
Six Are Not Named
Names of the men will not be made public. They were among the 44 caskets removed late yesterday from the Honda Knot, which arrived here from the Pacific with 3,000 bodies and 16 urns of ashes.
More caskets were being unloaded by longshoreman today, and transfer to the spotless white-washed Oakland warehouse is expected to be completed over the weekend.
The gray transport, three feet of red lead showing under its plimsoll line because of the comparative lightness of its cargo, steamed slowly under the Golden Gate bridge shortly after noon yesterday.
The ship anchored briefly off San Francisco’s Marina to receive a floral wreath from President Truman. Then she went the last three miles to land the bodies on their native soil.
Yesterday’s ceremonies, attended by national, state, and city officials, an honor guard representing all the armed forces and some relatives, was keynoted by Secretary of the Navy John L. Sullivan, as he said:
“For them the war is over. For us, their countrymen, the demands of this war will not cease until the objectives for which they gave their lives have been attained.”
Among the next of kin was Mrs. Margaret Koestner, who lost three sons in the war. The city of Chicago had sent her to be present even though none of her loved ones was aboard.
Patrol bombers and a group of P-80’s dipped over the transport and the green lawn of the Marina, still glistening from an early autumn rain.
When the ship had tied up at Oakland six longshoremen in white shirts and black trousers walked up the gangplank, white caps in hand. They replaced them as they approached number one hold, first to be unloaded. Green helmeted soldiers stood at attention as the first two boxes came up from inside of the ship.
It was 3:47 p.m. The caskets, each draped with a flag and each stenciled on the bottom with the words: “Notice, this side down,” were lowered over the side to rollers and pushed inside the hospital-clean warehouse.
Mount Carmel, Illinois, Monday October 13, 1947
Bodies of First War Dead Are On Last Train Ride And Some Actually Reach Their Home Towns For Burial
Oakland, Calif., Oct. 13.—(U.P.) The first of 3,044 war dead which arrived here last week aboard the transport Honda Knot were on their last train trip today, and a few actually reached their home towns.
The first consignments of the brown metal caskets left the Oakland Army base last night and today aboard specially converted hospital and baggage cars.
Each car, guarded by a special honor escort of soldiers, was attached to regularly scheduled trains bound for regional distribution centers at Memphis, Tenn.; San Antonia, Texas; Ogden, Utah; Auburn, Wash., and Columbus, Ohio. The first cars will reach these points October 15, October 15, today, tomorrow and October 16 respectively.
On Tuesday, the Army said, the first special 15-car train made up entirely of the steel wash shuttered mortuary cars, will leave for Kansas City and New York. Another leaves Wednesday for Chicago and Philadelphia. Arrival dates will be set at actual departure time, port authorities said.
Fifty-eight Caskets in each
Each of the olive drab mortuary cars is fitted to hold 58 caskets. Baggage cars hold 20 apiece.
More than a third of the 3,028 caskets and 16 urns of ashes aboard the Honda Knot had been unloaded today. Solemn longshoremen and soldiers continued the work of removing six-by three-foot coffins from the holds to a hospital-clean warehouse for distribution.
First Bodies From Europe To Arrive
New York, Oct. 25—(U.P.)—
The bodies of 6,000 American servicemen, first to be returned to this country from European burial grounds will arrive in New York tomorrow aboard the army transport Joseph V. Connolly.
The day has been made a day of mourning by both city and state officials. Memorial services will be held in many churches and a civic memorial will be conducted in Central Park over the casket of one of the returning war dead.
Some 100 planes of all services will fly over the transport and its sea escort as it moves to its berth at pier 61, foot of 21st st., Manhattan. It is scheduled to dock at 11 A.M.
The bronze casket of a soldier who won the medal of honor will be taken from ship after noon for a solemn procession across 23rd street and up fifth avenue to Central Park.
Edwards County Selective Service board has not yet inducted any Pre-Pearl Harbor (Group4) fathers except in a few cases where such men have failed to observe Selective Service Regulations and have changed from agricultural endeavor to some other form of employment without first obtaining the Local Board’s consent to do so, making it mandatory that they be inducted. The board has had and is still having quite a few registrations of 18 year olds that is helping fill the calls without taking fathers as yet, but the “bottom of the barrel” on single men and married men without children (except for a small percentage of them that have been deferred on account of their wartime activity) has just about been reached and is only a question of time until the Board shall be forced to fill the major portion of all calls from “Pre-Pearl Harbor fathers,” something that is being done by many of the neighboring boards now.
Former Albion Man Prisoner of Japs
Tuesday’s city newspapers listed the name of Preston L. Funkhouser, native of Albion and a brother of Mrs. Charles Bowman and Major J. R. Funkhouser, among those who are probable prisoners of the Japanese. Word came in reports to relatives from the Association of Americans Interned by Japanese in the Southwest Pacific War Zone. This association serves as an exchange of information for relatives and cooperates with the War Department and American Red Cross.
“Pres” Funkhouser, as he is known to his Albion friends went out to the Philippines some ten years ago as superintendent for the Itogen Mining company, and English gold mining firm. His wife and four children came back to the States in the fall of 1941 and are living in Reno, Nevada, their former home before they went to the Philippines. Mr. Funkhouser was making plans to retire from active business and join them when he was caught by the Japanese invasion and nothing direct has been heard of him since. He had sent his family home by ship and remained to finish his business, expecting to catch a Clipper home.
Mr. Funkhouser’s mining interests were some 125 miles from Manila on the Island of Luzon, but the children attended school at Baguio. He is about 62 years old.
FORMER ALBION MAN LISTED AS ONE FREED IN PHILIPPINES
The name of Preston Funkhouser, brother of Mrs. Charles Bowman and J. R. Funkhouser of this city, was given in St. Louis newspapers Tuesday as one of 3700 civilians probably liberated when the Santo Tomas prison in Manila was captured by U. S. Forces Sunday. No official word has been received by relatives here, although first notice will go to his family in Reno, Nevada, and they in turn will probably notify Mr. Funkhouser’s aged mother, Mrs. Ella Funkhouser, who makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. R. C. Young in Eldorado, and the Albion sister and brother.
Mr. Funkhouser went out to the Philippines some ten years before the war as superintendent of the Itogen Mining Co., an English gold mining concern, some 125 miles from Manila but on Luzon Island. His wife and four children came back to the states in the fall of 1941, and Mr. Funkhouser was planning to retire and had arrangements made to return by Clipper when the war came on, and he was captured together with thousands of others.
Since then his family have had a letter and a card from him, the card having arrived only recently. The Japanese had obliterated the date it was mailed, in their cunning way to cause all the worry and anguish possible. Mr. Funkhouser, on the card said he was well, but that none of the packages sent him had ever been received.
Gen. Arnold Visits With Browns Soldier in England
An Eighth AAF Fighter Station, England—During an inspection tour of this Mustang base with General George C. Marshall, General Henry H. Arnold is shown as he talked with men whose job, it is to keep the Mustangs fit for combat. The four sergeants, left to right, are: John T. Tesar, armorer, of 235 Harrison street, Johnson City, N. Y.; Louis U. Kight, inspector, Browns, III.; Lonnie F. Allen, inspector, Tatum, Texas, and Ralph W. Purvis, inspector, of Chicora, Pa.
An Eighth AAF Fighter Station, England—Chatting with four-star generals isn’t the easiest thing on his nerves, grinned Master Sergeant Louis U. Kight of Browns, III., but his recent short session with General George C. Marshall and General Henry H. Arnold provided him with his “biggest thrill of the war—so far.”
M-Sgt. Kight, whose wife and parents reside in Browns, was one of four sergeants questioned by the two four-star generals during a quick inspection tour of this Mustang base commanded by Colonel William J. (Wild Bill) Cummings, Jr. of Lawrence, Kansas.
“General Marshall seemed very friendly, ”Kight reported, “but he was all soldier. He asked us how long we had been in the Army, how we liked it, what we did before the war, what we are doing now—oh several questions like that. General Arnold seemed interested in how well we could shoot with rifles. He grinned a lot.”
M-Sgt. Kight serves in the air inspections here, checking on the combat efficiency of planes.
TWO FROM COUNTY ARE WOUNDED IN KOREAN CAMPAIGN
Realization of the cost and scope of the Korean War was driven home emphatically to Albion and Edwards county again this week with War Department announcements that two county men have been wounded in action.
Telegrams from the Adjutant General have announced that Cpl. Ross E. Ramsey of Ellery and Pfc. Paul Hodges are battle front casualties.
Cpl. Ramsey’s father, Ross Ramsey, was notified Sunday that his son sustained a bullet wound in the left leg on August 13, and Mrs. Stella Hodges, of Albion Route 2, was notified today (Wednesday) that her husband was slightly wounded in action. Details of his wound were not announced.
Cpl. Ramsey is a member of a medical unit, while Pfc. Hodges belongs to an infantry regiment, which is stationed in Hawaii for some time.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Roy Axton of Albion has received no additional information concerning her husband Sgt. Roy Axton, who was reported missing in action a week ago.
Sgt. Axton, a former Mt. Carmel resident, is a veteran of several major campaigns of World War II and was a prisoner of war in Germany for eleven months.
The following interesting letter from T-3 Victor L. Saxe, who is with a Signal Corps unit in the Southwest Pacific, is as thrilling a description of the action there as though an accredited war correspondent had written it. The letter was sent to Saxe’s father, Roy Saxe of Albion. It follows:
Dear Folks,
I guess you will be surprised to get another letter from me so soon, but you know the time to write is when you have something tow rite about. I have been running a kind of assembly line on this typewriter today, while I am regulating the transmitters, gassing the motor, etc. It is still hot and wet here, good weather for our garden. Our melons are putting out their second leaves now, and our radishes are green and thick. How is the fall work coming along around home? How much wheat and oats did you plant this fall? Did the frost hurt any of the late crops?
You should have been here recently; we have really been having the excitement. The Jap planes have been paying us a visit almost every night, and once in the day time. There is a big bright moon and plenty of clouds at night which helps them out. Our anti-aircraft guns have really been filling the sky with shells. They keep the planes so high that they cannot see where to lay their eggs, so they haven’t had much luck. It looks and sounds like a big Fourth of July celebration when everything gets going. The crash of the big guns, the bursting of the shells, fire flashing all around, search lights probing around in the clouds for planes we can hear and can’t see. It is really exciting. Those shells going overhead sound like a bunch of quail taking off right under one’s feet. Some of the bombs sound like that too at a certain distance.
When the real show is, is in the daylight though. First came the air-raid alarm, then the fighter planes started swarming up into the air looking here and there for the Japs. It wasn’t long till they spotted them. Then the fire works started. They looked like they were almost over head when they tackled the first Jap plane. He dived right out of the sun, and our fighters zoomed up to meet him. There was a rattle of machine gun fire and then the boom of the bigger guns, and the Jap plane steepened his dive to straight down with a big splash, and a big black cloud of smoke.
From then on you couldn’t see but a small percentage of the show, as so much was happening all the time. A big running dog-fight followed though, and the Jap planes continued to splash down in a trail of smoke and fire. When the planes got so far away that they were only spots in the sky you could still see the big columns of black smoke where they crashed. It was a thrilling sight, and something that I have always wanted to see. I can’t tell you how many planes there were, or what the score was, but it was very lopsided, about like the Albion-Olney football score usually is, with the Japs Albion. It makes one realize the value of those planes and those boys up there driving them, it also brings home the fact that war isn’t just something you read about and see in the movies, but it is actually going on all around us. Everybody admits that they were at least a little scared, and you can’t blame them. The slit trench business has really been booming lately. Well, I guess this will be all for this time. Write when you can. Bye now.
Love,
Victor
LOCAL COUPLE IN CAR COLLISION SATURDAY NIGHT
Frances Hortin, employee of the Shell Service station here suffered head cuts which required over a dozen stitches to close, and Miss Ruth Mayne, his companion, suffered bruises, when Hortin’s car was overturned and completely demolished in a collision about a quarter of a mile east of the Mt. Carmel bridge on the Princeton blacktop Saturday night about 8:30.
Hortin’s car, a 1934 Olds, was struck head on by a 1936 Ford driven by Leo French of Fairfield. French was uninjured and damages to his car were minor outside of a crunched left front wheel. He was alone in his car.
Hortin and Miss Mayne, returning home from Evansville were driving between 40 and 45, according to Hortin. The French car coming from the west was over on Hortin’s side of the road, he said, so far that he could not “dodge” any farther and left front wheels of the two machines struck. On Hortin’s car the wheel was torn off and the machine turned over several times. Fortunately the crash occurred at a side road, or the machine might have turned over into a ditch.
A passerby brought the Albion people to Mt. Carmel where numerous cuts on Hortin’s head, caused, he believes, by striking the rear view mirror, were closed with stitches. Several arteries were cut which required clamps. They were then brought to Albion in a taxi.
Illinoisan’s Monkey Mascot Happy to Reach Iwo
(The following story was written by Marine Tech. Sgt. John T. Kirby, a Marine Corps combat correspondent of Washington, D. C., and distributed by the Associated Press)—Chicago Daily the News, May 11, 1945.
IWO JIMA—(Delayed)—When the first Leatherneck Mitchell medium bomber to land on Iwo’s Motoyama airfield rolled to a stop, a single “casualty” reeled from his position at the plane’s tail guns and patted the volcanic ash taxiway with obvious relief.
The airsick traveler and substituted gunner was “Song,” monkey mascot of a crack Marine Air Wing Bombing Squadron. His three hour trip from a Marianas air base to Iwo was the first flight time “Song” had logged since he became mascot of the unit, his current owner, 2nd Lt. Elwood D. Peters of Albion, Ill., said.
The 22 year old Illinois marine, co-pilot of “Songs” plane, said the monkey was found by marine infantryman when he was abandoned by the Japs early in the Marianas campaign.
Earlier attempts to persuade the violent-tempered Simian to accompany him on flights proved unsuccessful, Peters said. “Until this trip he seemed to prefer riding on the hood of a jeep; he wouldn’t stay in my plane as soon as I started the engines,” Peters added.
Peters, son of Mrs. Lola Peters of 20 So. 4th street, Albion, is a veteran of 14 night raids against enemy shipping.
Lieut. Peters has been reported missing in action since April 16. No further word has been heard from him.
Three Rodgers Brothers Members Of Guard Units
Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Rodgers are probably the only parents in Albion who have three sons in the National Guard. Donovan and Delton are members of Company C of the 130th Infantry and Allen is a member of Company E. The boys recently returned from two weeks’ maneuvers at Camp McCoy, Wis. Delton has been called up for his physical August 31, having served just twelve days short of a year in the Coast Guard during the last war. He served in the Atlantic. His brother Donovan served during World War II in the Coast Guard in the Pacific. Allen, the third brother, was too young for service in the recent war. Mr. Rodgers is a combat veteran of World War I.
Visit in Grayville
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Cowling, and Rev. and Mrs. B. C. Earhart spent Sunday in Grayville, the guests of Mrs. Frank Fieber.
Mrs. Edith Hortin O’Daniel on Monday received the Purple Heart awarded to her husband, Pvt. Bill O’Daniel, paratrooper with the 11th Airborne Division, who was wounded during the battle for Luzon of Feb. 15 and has since been a hospital patient. Bill was shot through the right side during the action involving the capture of Fort McKinley. According to the word received by his wife, Bill will be in the hospital for several weeks more, but is making satisfactory recovery.
O’Daniel is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Hilary O’Daniel of Ellery. His address is Pvt. William L. O’Daniel 36786254, Co. A, 511th Parachute Regt., APO 468, Care Postmaster, San Francisco, Calif.
Billy’s brother Mack is still traveling from island to island, somewhere in the South Pacific. His address is H. M. O’Daniel, S 1-c, USS Atacosa, Care Fleet Post Office, San Francisco, Cal.
Albion Journal-Register,
Dear Sir,
Have been putting off sending my present address hoping to be able to get a photo of my neighbors for your paper. I got the idea some time ago when I saw my old friend, James Kellett’s picture with two of his playmates in the Journal. Having given up, for I’ve found that camera, not to mention films are the next thing to impossible to get here.
Carl E. Seifert, although I’ve never seen him, is the only Edwards county boy I know of in this part of the country.
Due to military restrictions there’s very little I can write, but will say I have and still am seeing plenty of strange country and there’s no grass growing under our feet.
My Address is Btry C, 436 C.A. Bn. (A.A.) A. P. O. No. 700 Care Postmaster, New York, N. Y.
Sincerely yours,
Sgt. John Conover
P.S.—I enjoy the Journal very much.
Lyman Wick Taken by Death Last Sunday
(date written in pencil 1944)
Lyman E. Wick, resident of near Albion, and employed in the oilfields near Grayville, passed away at the Welborn-Walker hospital in Evansville Sunday morning about 7:30. Death was caused by pneumonia. He had entered the hospital for treatment for poison on the Thursday preceding his death. Mr. Wick had been burned about the face and hands in an accident last winter and it was on these parts that he contracted a dermatitis. After doctoring locally for some time, he entered the hospital for treatment last Thursday and was to have come home Sunday. When relatives went for him Sunday morning expecting to bring him home they were shocked to hear he had passed away. He was aged 31 years, 9 months and 5 days.
Funeral services were conducted at the Methodist church here yesterday afternoon at 2:30, Rev. D. F. Marlin of Grayville officiating, assisted by Rev. T. A. Shaffer, the pastor. Interment was at Graceland.
Obituary
Lyman Edgar Wick, son of George W. and Della Wick was born Jan. 12, 1912, on a farm in Boultinghouse Prairie. He had resided all his life at the place of his birth, was well known and liked by every one in the community. He attended grade school at Flower and graduated from A. C. H. S. with the class of ’31. His was a quiet, unassuming disposition, always looking on the bright side. He was a valued employee, and while about his duties in the oil field several months ago he was severely burned in saving the property of his employer, and from which he never fully recovered.
He leaves to mourn his untimely departure, his loving parents; one sister, Mrs. Bessie Fewkes; a brother, Glenn W., with the armed forces now on duty over seas; his aged grandmother and a host of relatives and friends.
New Guinea,
July 5, 1944.
Dear Mr. Shoemaker:
I received your paper down here fairly regularly now. Sure enjoy reading the news from home. It is always a month or two old, but most of it is new to me. Time doesn’t seem to make much difference here in the tropics. One day is much like the one before it. Not much going on around here right now. I work my shift on the radio each day, and try to scare up a little recreation in between. We have a ball team.
I see by the paper that you want service papers, so am sending you one of ours. Hope you enjoy it. A good paper is a real morale booster to an outfit. We copy the Associated Press on the radio, and recopy it on the stencil and have the paper in the hands of the readers within three hours after the news is put on the air for AP. This issue is a special edition and is twice as big as the regular issue (four pages instead of eight.) I must sign off for now. Will be looking for my papers in the future. If you can use any of this paper you are welcome to it.
Your friend,
Victor L. Saxe
Mrs. A. J. Boston, chairman of the Home Service Department of the Edward County Chapter American Red Cross, is convinced that the Christmas spirit still lives, despite every-once-in-a-while nostalgic and cynical comments to contrary.
An Albion man, who prefers his identity to remain anonymous recently called Mrs. Boston and offered a turkey dinner on Christmas day to any service man in Albion who hasn’t an invitation to eat Christmas dinner somewhere. Frequently, soldiers are away from home and away from camp, stranded friendless and alone, and this man doesn’t want this to happen to any service man in Albion Christmas day.
This man has a son who holds an honorable discharge from the army and who will also be host to any Christmas service man stranger. This man also aided by the Red Cross when the said son was injured and in the hospital and this man and his son cannot forget the cooperative kindness of the Red Cross when they needed help that only such an organization could give. And when this man wanted to help repay some of the kindness shown them by being kind to some lonely service man in Albion on Christmas, he called the Red Cross.
His phone number is Commercial 83W, and he will gladly call anywhere in this area for a Christmas day guest.
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