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World War II Veteran Profiles

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  1. Sol Medville

    Palm Desert vet's WWII work involved the early history of radar

    U.S. Navy veteran Sol Medville, a radar operator and instructor, flew more than 100 patrol missions off the coast of Florida during World War II.

    • May. 13, 2012

  2. Attack on tank led to a narrow escape for loader

    Earl Leslie started working in the oil fields of Long Beach right after he graduated from high school but found out the pay was better at the Long Beach shipyard. He later became a loader/radioman with the 11th Armored Division, 41st Tank Battalion.

    • May. 6, 2012

  3. Service in 'Hell on Wheels' led to amputated fingers

    U.S. Army veteran Silas M. Hathaway, a tank mechanic with the 2nd Armored “Hell on Wheels” Division, participated in grueling training maneuvers in Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas and the Carolinas before shipping off to fight in North Africa.

    • Apr. 21, 2012

  4. WWII veteran navigated challenges of war

    Norman Rosenberg graduated from the University of Michigan and was in his final year of law school at De Paul University when the U.S. entered World War II.

    • Apr. 14, 2012

  5. WWII veteran recalls heart-pounding flights

    U.S Army Air Corps turret gunner Darwin Hopkins flew 65 missions over Europe aboard the A-20, a twin-engine attack bomber capable of flying nighttime and daytime operations.

    • Apr. 7, 2012

  1. Pilot had daring flights during WWII and beyond

    U.S. Army Air Corps pilot Robert Lutz flew 36 missions with the 414th Night Fighter Squadron in Europe during World War II.

    • Mar. 31, 2012

  2. WWII veteran helped deliver needed supplies to other ships

    U.S. Navy veteran Robert Hayes served aboard the USS Arctic, a refrigerated supply ship that operated in the waters of the Pacific during World War II.

    • Mar. 25, 2012

  3. U.S. Navy corpsman recalls WWII horrors

    As a U.S Navy corpsman, Bill Zagone saw Marines and soldiers die terrible deaths — many at the hands of the enemy — while others fell victim to military mistakes and mishaps.

    • Mar. 17, 2012

  4. Army veteran's WWII work led to career in radio broadcasting

    U.S. Army veteran Dick Sinclair has been behind the microphone nearly all of his life, ever since he went to work for a radio station in Butte, Mont., right out of high school.

    • Mar. 11, 2012

  5. B-17 pilot shares WWII stories

    U.S. Army Air Corps veteran Henry Darlington, a B-17 bomber pilot, flew 35 missions with the Mighty 8th Air Force during World War II.

    • Feb. 25, 2012

  6. Vet's WWII memories include musical moments

    U.S. Coast Guard veteran Charlie Bulanti served aboard the Pacific-based attack transport ship USS Arthur Middleton during World War II.

    • Feb. 19, 2012
  7. U.S. Army Major Pete Peterson, program director for Armed Forces Radio, visits Lauren Bacall on the set of “Confidential Agent” at Warner Bros., circa 1945. Courtesy photo

    Captain helped stars entertain in WWII

    Austin “Pete” Peterson, 105, of Rancho Mirage, was 35 years old when the U.S. entered World War II.

    • Feb. 5, 2012

  8. Engine failure was just the start of dangerous missions

    Ronald Brubaker, left blister gunner on a B-29 bomber, flew 15 combat missions over Japan during World War II.

    • Jan. 28, 2012

  9. Gym visits were first taste of military career in WWII

    U.S. Navy veteran Don Manthey saw heavy action in the Pacific and the Atlantic aboard the USS Nevada.

    • Jan. 14, 2012
  10. Marty Lagin took part in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. He earned the Purple Heart after being shot by the enemy during battle. Courtesy photo

    Radio operator recalls injury during WWII

    U.S. Army veteran Marty Lagin, a radio operator with the 304th Infantry Regiment, landed with the troops in Le Havre, France in December of 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge.

    • Jan. 7, 2012

  11. B-24 pilot dodged death twice during WWII flights

    B-24 bomber pilot Wayne Nystrom dodged death on at least two occasions while flying with the 15th Air Force during World War II.

    • Dec. 18, 2011

  12. WWII co-pilot's hands-off policy changes due to emergency

    On the morning of Jan. 3, 1945, a squadron of aircraft, loaded with bombs and fuel, sat on the airstrip at Tacloban air field on Leyte Island in the Philippines. The air crews were getting ready for an early morning mission, but before the men set out to board the planes, bombs started falling from the sky.

    • Dec. 10, 2011

  13. WWII veteran became Fords' personal chef

    U.S. Army veteran Jesse Pender was 31 and married with four children when he was called to serve his country.

    • Dec. 3, 2011

  14. Attack on fleet almost led to abandoned ship

    Just after dusk on Friday, Oct. 13, 1944, U.S. Navy signalman Dick Landis watched as eight Japanese torpedo planes appeared on the horizon, headed straight for the U.S. fleet stationed off the coast of Formosa, China.

    • Nov. 26, 2011

  15. Brown turned GI Bill into career as an auto mechanic

    U.S. Navy veteran Don Brown was assigned to the escort carrier USS Kitkun Bay in April of 1945 — just months after a Japanese air attack left 16 men dead and 37 wounded.

    • Nov. 20, 2011

  16. Vision problems open door for another way to serve

    Jack Horner was eager to join the fight during World War II, but the 17-year-old's poor vision disqualified him.

    • Nov. 12, 2011

  17. U.S. Army vet supported Gen. George Patton in Normandy

    U.S. Army veteran Allan McClure spent four months training at Camp Ibis in San Bernardino before shipping off to Europe during World War II.

    • Oct. 29, 2011

  18. U.S. Merchant Marine vet served time aboard tanker

    U.S. Merchant Marine veteran Bruce Tilden spent six months aboard the SS Bunker Hill, a massive oil tanker that carried millions of gallons of aviation fuel.

    • Oct. 22, 2011

  19. Radar sites detection leads to honor for WWII soldier

    U.S. Naval Air Corps veteran Gene French qualified for the 1940 U.S. Olympic swim team in the breaststroke, but he never got a chance to go for the gold.

    • Oct. 15, 2011

  20. Vet injured more at USC than in WWII

    If not for a twist of fate in 1912, U.S. Navy veteran Norm Bing might not be around to share his World War II experiences.

    • Oct. 8, 2011

  21. Quartermaster charted ship's path, events in war

    U.S. Navy veteran Earl Pacitti served as a quartermaster aboard an attack cargo ship, the USS Alcyone, during World War II.

    • Sep. 24, 2011

  22. Sailor's testing work in the desert helped win the war

    U.S. Navy veteran Fred Brown didn't see much of the sea during World War II. “I was a dry land sailor,” Brown said, laughing. “I spent my days in the Mojave Desert — miles away from any ocean.”

    • Sep. 17, 2011

  23. Veteran witnessed iconic flag-raising on Iwo Jima

    U.S. Marine Corps veteran Donald E. Smith, a member of a “scouts and snipers” team with the 4th Infantry Division, nearly got himself killed — before even stepping foot on a battlefield.

    • Sep. 11, 2011

  24. Vet witnesses tragedy, triumph as dive bomber

    U.S. Navy dive bomber pilot Lt. Robert J. Mohler returned from a mission on the night of Sept. 15, 1942, to find his squadron's aircraft carrier, the USS Wasp, on fire — and sinking.

    • Sep. 3, 2011

  25. Friend's disease saved the life of WWII bombardier

    Venereal disease saved U.S. Army Air Corps veteran John MacCarley's life.

    • Aug. 28, 2011

  26. Veteran made sure convoy kept on the right course

    Signalman First Class Lee Ellis kept ships on course during combat operations in the Pacific during World War II.

    • Aug. 20, 2011

  27. Veteran survived dive bomber, kamikaze attacks

    U.S. Navy veteran Ellsworth Kendig was a gunnery officer aboard the destroyer escort USS Edmonds.

    • Aug. 14, 2011

  28. Older rifleman kept up with younger cohorts

    Sam Safran, now 101, was drafted into the U.S. Army at the “advanced” age of 32.

    • Aug. 6, 2011

  29. Crash landing redirects veteran's career path

    Ivan Munson doesn't have a left ankle. It was shattered during a crash landing at Forth Worth Army Air Field in 1944.

    • Jul. 30, 2011

  30. Veteran flew with bomber crew during World War II

    Rocky Matteis began his military career as an infantryman, training in the southwest desert. Two years later, he was flying missions over the hostile skies of Europe under the belly of a B-17 bomber.

    • Jul. 23, 2011

  31. Army vet trained pilots, flew top-secret missions

    Bill and Wilda Yancey had been married exactly six months when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

    • Jul. 16, 2011

  32. Soldier scouted for alcohol stashes as well as enemy

    U.S. Army infantryman Stanley Goldstein said his first combat assignment — as company scout — didn't last very long.

    • Jul. 3, 2011

  33. Career in armed services child's dream come true

    U.S. Army veteran Richard Parkinson fought with the 81st “Wildcat” Infantry Division, doing battle in the the Pacific during World War II.

    • Jun. 26, 2011

  34. Infantryman lived through capture

    U.S. Army veteran Joe Balocco, a member of the 84th Infantry Division, 333rd Anti-tank Battalion, spent most of his time in front of the front lines, searching for enemy gun emplacements.

    • Jun. 19, 2011

  35. Out of blown-up tank, into machine gun fire

    U.S. Army veteran Russ Ebert was ambushed during a reconnaissance mission in Germany during World War II.

    • Jun. 11, 2011
  36. Jerry Ciccimaro poses with an aunt and cousin in Los Angeles. Submitted by Jerry Ciccimaro

    Rebel teen finds himself at war in U.S. Coast Guard

    U.S. Coast Guard veteran Jerry Ciccimaro was a self-described rebel during his early years.

    • Jun. 5, 2011

  37. Night landings a source of worry for naval aviator

    Naval aviator John Bierie flew Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers in the South Atlantic and the Pacific during World War II.

    • Apr. 30, 2011

  38. Valley camp prepared soldiers for African desert

    U.S. Army veteran Lyle Sparks trained in San Bernardino and Riverside counties before heading off to fight in Europe during World War II.

    • Apr. 23, 2011

  39. Shrapnel sent gunner home for Mother's Day

    U.S. Army veteran Aaron Hastings was wounded twice while doing battle in Europe during World War II.

    • Apr. 9, 2011

  40. 'Fighting 69th' linked up with Soviets in Germany

    Edward Gildner, 99, was wearing an Army uniform years before the U.S. officially entered World War II.

    • Apr. 3, 2011

  41. WWII veteran recalls time as POW in Germany

    It's difficult for U.S. Army Air Corps veteran William Miller to talk about the events of April 29, 1944 — the day his B-17 was shot down by enemy fighters over Berlin.

    • Mar. 26, 2011

  42. Ball turret gunner shares story of his first mission

    Ralph Peterson was assigned to his position on a B-17 bomber shortly after the 18-year-old met his crew.

    • Mar. 20, 2011

  43. Sonarman helped sink six submarines in Pacific

    U.S. Navy veteran Bill Johnson was a sonarman aboard the USS England (DE-635) — a destroyer escort credited with sinking six Japanese submarines in a span of 12 days during combat action in the Pacific.

    • Mar. 12, 2011

  44. Anti-tankman turned down desk job to go to front lines

    U.S. Army veteran Bill Bleakly, a member of the 14th Armored Division, was an anti-tank man during World War II.

    • Feb. 27, 2011
  45. Denise Goolsby

    To local WWII vets, a thank you

    Fourteen months ago, World War II was a hunk of history wedged between other newsworthy items of the era, an endless series of names, dates, battles, and black and white photos tucked inside the pages of schoolbooks. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Dec. 30, 2010

  46. La Quinta vet flew P-38 dive bombers

    Roy Mortensen, a P-38 fighter pilot, flew top cover for bombing missions over Europe during World War II.

    • Dec. 30, 2010

  47. Valley vet helped pave way to victory

    Chuck Haver volunteered for military service, instead of waiting to be drafted, so he could request assignment to the U.S. Army engineering corps.

    • Dec. 30, 2010

  48. Bomber kept busy in Battle of the Bulge

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Dec. 17, 2010

  49. Vet flew hundreds of bomb squad missions

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Dec. 16, 2010

  50. Dangerous aircraft in a dangerous area

    U S Army Air Corps pilot Frank Moore ferried military aircraft in the United States and flew the treacherous “Hump” over the Himalayan Mountains between India and China — piling up “about 2,500 hours of flight time for Uncle Sam,” during World War II.

    • Dec. 11, 2010

  51. Gunner trained hard but never saw combat

    U.S. Navy veteran Dick McGill, a gunner assigned to an SBD dive bombing squadron, was assigned to one Navy air station after another before finally crossing the Pacific for overseas duty.

    • Dec. 10, 2010

  52. Vet gained friends, lost hearing in war

    Morris I. Diamond was working as a band boy and assistant manager for Tommy Dorsey's orchestra when he was drafted into military service during World War II.

    • Dec. 7, 2010

  53. Death in family kept Ayala close to home

    Fred Ayala's family hightailed it out of his hometown of Los Alamitos after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocked nearby Long Beach in 1933.

    • Dec. 3, 2010

  54. Corps made Marine a jack of all trades

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Dec. 2, 2010

  55. ‘Anything I could do to back them up'

    U.S. Marine Corps veteran Dorothee Irwin responded to her country's appeal for volunteers at a time when the U.S. was ramping up its war effort on two fronts during World War II.

    • Dec. 1, 2010

  56. Signalman kept ships moving in unison

    U.S. Navy veteran Larry Booth served as an armed guard aboard merchant marine ships in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific oceans during World War II.

    • Nov. 25, 2010

  57. Sailor saw battle on USS San Diego

    U.S. Navy veteran Jim Secor was 17 and working at Ford Motor Company when he joined the service.

    • Nov. 24, 2010

  58. Vet built air strips, stormed beaches

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Nov. 19, 2010

  59. Chiggers, bad food, and storming Anzio

    When U.S. Army veteran Floyd McDonald volunteered for military service in 1941, he anticipated he'd be in for a short period of time.

    • Nov. 17, 2010

  60. Bomber crew made time to see the sights

    U.S. Army Air Corps veteran Lee Yoss flew 62 missions as a B-24 bomber navigator in the China- Burma-India theater of war during World War II.

    • Nov. 17, 2010
  61. Provided photo

    Bomber pilot saw atomic bomb's flash

    U.S. Army Air Corps B-24 bomber pilot Max Ganstwig flew 15 combat missions over the central and western Pacific islands during World War II.

    • Nov. 13, 2010

  62. Kammenzind kept planes flying right

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Nov. 11, 2010

  63. Hellish island fight, magnificent sunrise

    U.S. Marine Corps veteran Bob Rasmussen saw heavy action on Peleliu and Okinawa while fighting with the 1st Marine Division, 2nd Battalion, during World War II.

    • Nov. 10, 2010

  64. Celebratory fire just missed island base

    Shortly after LaVerne Rathbun was drafted into the military, his wife of more than two years followed right behind him.

    • Nov. 10, 2010

  65. ‘Wondrous,' ‘scary' times in marines

    John Kalcic had limited vision in one eye, but that didn't stop the street-smart 17-year-old from joining the fight during World War II.

    • Nov. 4, 2010

  66. New recruit shipped out during halftime

    U.S. Army Air Corps veteran Milton Brickman was sworn in at Soldier Field in Chicago during halftime of a high school football championship in 1942.

    • Nov. 3, 2010

  67. Vet built bridges on Europe's battlefields

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Oct. 29, 2010

  68. Cattleman beholds joy, tragedy of war

    Twenty years before cattleman Stuart Anderson established his first Black Angus steakhouse in 1964, the Seattle native was driving Sherman tanks through enemy territory in Europe during World War II.

    • Oct. 29, 2010

  69. Vet served aboard submarine hunter

    Bern Dreier and the crew assigned to the newly constructed USS Robert I. Paine (DE-578), were a little leery about the namesake's acronym — R.I.P. — Rest in Peace.

    • Oct. 28, 2010

  70. Intel sergeant kept history of squadron

    Sgt. Hyman Furra was an intelligence specialist with the 431st Fighter Squadron during his overseas tour of duty in World War II.

    • Oct. 27, 2010

  71. Hungarian kept Patton happy despite illnesses

    Paul Fenyo was born in Budapest, Hungary, and fled the country at 16, “when Hitler started kicking up his heels.”

    • Oct. 23, 2010

  72. Sonarman tracked, bombed submarines

    Melvin Nelson received his draft notice in the summer of 1942 when he was a lifeguard at Lake Bracken Country Club near Galesburg, Ill.

    • Oct. 22, 2010

  73. Harvey had amazing adventures as pilot

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Oct. 21, 2010

  74. First-aid kit takes flak for bomber crewman

    Sol Seligman, a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran and B-17 bomber crewman, flew 30 combat missions over Europe during World War II.

    • Oct. 21, 2010

  75. Tail gunner opens up about realities of war

    Of the 30 combat missions Sherwin Bosse flew as a tail gunner on a B-17 bomber, the mission of Dec. 24, 1944, was the most horrifying of all.

    • Oct. 20, 2010

  76. Dentist part of Army medical detachment

    Abram I. Chasens graduated from Temple University Dental School in 1936 and was operating a general dentistry practice in Manville, N.J., when the U.S. declared war on Japan and Germany in December of 1941.

    • Oct. 15, 2010

  77. Army Corps kept women busy in war

    Women's Army Corps veteran Lucile Campbell Kraehling broke up with her high school boyfriend when he proposed marriage right after Pearl Harbor was bombed.

    • Oct. 15, 2010

  78. Veteran passed up chance to miss war

    Lee Gulzow, the youngest of six children growing up on a family farm in Nebraska, could have taken a pass on military service, but decided to follow his older brothers and join the fight.

    • Oct. 14, 2010

  79. Radarman guarded skies against attack

    U.S. Marine Corps veteran Tom Buchanan was a radarman in the Pacific during World War II, and later became a sound effects engineer, working on TV shows including “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “The Young and the Restless” and “The Carol Burnett Show.”

    • Oct. 13, 2010
  80. Ray Edwards Provided photo

    Navy officer swept for mines in Pacific

    Ray Edwards graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in May 1941 and was working at Bethlehem Ship Building Company in San Francisco — hiring ship fitters, welders and other tradesmen for the shipyard — when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

    • Oct. 9, 2010

  81. Civilian forces quick decision from gunner

    Dan Fanelli, a radioman-gunner, flew 43 combat missions over Japan and China as a member of a B-25 bomber crew.

    • Oct. 8, 2010

  82. Marine vet taught others how to swim

    A. Rea Bradley was 17 when he was assigned to active duty — just in time catch the tail end of World War II.

    • Oct. 8, 2010

  83. Dateline Hiroshima: Witness to horror

    U.S. Navy correspondent Robert Voigt, a former City News Service staff writer, served aboard the USS Panamint in the waning months of World War II and during U.S. occupation of Japan and China.

    • Oct. 7, 2010

  84. Paratrooper fought on D-Day, in Bulge

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Oct. 5, 2010

  85. Between mending bones, nurse tweaked royalty

    U.S. Army Nurse Corps veteran Jo Stelle was a surgical nurse with the 30th General Hospital — the first American hospital to arrive in England during World War II.

    • Oct. 2, 2010

  86. Josef Citron is sole survivor of attack on his group

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Oct. 1, 2010

  87. Veteran served as translator in Africa

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Sep. 30, 2010

  88. Shipfitter repaired damaged vessels

    Chuck Roberts worked as a shipfitter aboard a Navy repair ship, the USS Dionysus, during the waning months of World War II.

    • Sep. 24, 2010
  89. John Kelley World War II Veteran U.S. Army Indian Wells

    War carves new path for Harvard student

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Sep. 23, 2010

  90. Merchant mariner helped stock isles

    Glenn Thompson's two-week stint as a crew member aboard the luxury liner SS Aleutian whet his appetite for future sea adventures.

    • Sep. 23, 2010

  91. Briton helped with D-Day preparations

    As a member of the Women's Royal Air Force, Iris Moore served throughout Britain's fight during World War II.

    • Sep. 21, 2010
  92. World War II veteran Doug Birdsall Denise Goolsby, The Desert Sun

    Rescue extended Army brother's visit

    Doug “Bird Dog” Birdsall flew 70 different types of airplanes during his 25-year career in the U.S. Navy — followed by a 13-year stint with the commercial airline Air California.

    • Sep. 18, 2010

  93. Merchant mariner served in 3 wars

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Sep. 17, 2010

  94. Klapper identified enemy gun locations using sound

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Sep. 17, 2010

  95. Vet loaded bombs in Burmese jungle

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Sep. 15, 2010

  96. Army doc's valor in battle honored

    Dr. Paul Stoddard, a U.S. Army physician attached to the 2nd Armored Division, risked his life rushing to the aid of wounded tank soldiers pinned down by enemy fire near the Rhine River in Germany during World War II.

    • Sep. 15, 2010
  97. World War II veteran Ivan Lee Denise Goolsby, The Desert Sun

    Pilot dropped bombs on German U-boats

    Naval aviator Ivan Lee chased German submarines all over the Atlantic Ocean, dropping depth charges from PB4Y Consolidated Liberators — called B-24s by the U.S. Army Air Corps — in an effort to destroy the torpedo-toting underwater menace.

    • Sep. 11, 2010

  98. Vet survives many close calls at sea

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Sep. 10, 2010

  99. Paratrooper part of deadly D-Day jump

    Paratrooper Ted Hahn, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, made two combat jumps in Europe — including the deadly D-Day invasion of Normandy, France.

    • Sep. 9, 2010

  100. Vet was shot down over Germany, captured

    Clinton Haas stood over the open bomb bay doors of a B-26 bomber at 12,000 feet when the aircraft was nailed by enemy fire over Heidelberg, Germany.

    • Sep. 9, 2010

  101. Vet balanced wars, Hollywood career

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Sep. 7, 2010
  102. Provided photo

    Service started easy, didn't end that way

    Leon Swenson volunteered for the Kansas National Guard on Sept. 18, 1940 — “I was going to be drafted anyway,” he said.

    • Sep. 5, 2010

  103. Coast Guard ship dodged submarines

    Paul Pavlich joined the U.S. Coast Guard shortly after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, but he was no stranger to military operations.

    • Sep. 3, 2010

  104. Mortar, pestle traded for duty training pilots

    Ken Woodward was attending Oregon State University's School of Pharmacy when the United States officially entered World War II.

    • Sep. 3, 2010

  105. A tale of dogs, a cup, battle and surrender

    Growing up in Long Beach in the 1920s and 1930s, Bob Wells got to go aboard some of the ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet stationed just offshore.

    • Sep. 2, 2010

  106. Vet fought in Bulge, spelunked in Japan

    U.S. Army veteran Jim Montgomery rode pack mules in the Rocky Mountains, attended engineering school in North Dakota, fought the Germans on their home turf, shot down an enemy plane two days after the end of the war in Europe and spent six months in Japan on occupation duty.

    • Aug. 31, 2010
  107. Jack Feliz Denise Goolsby, The Desert Sun

    Sailor survived ship sinking, POW camp

    Jack Feliz was aboard the USS Houston when the heavy cruiser was torpedoed off the coast of Java during World War II.

    • Aug. 29, 2010
  108. World War II veteran Jack Beritzhoff Denise Goolsby, The Desert Sun

    Ugly ship, lovely vistas mark mariner's service

    Merchant mariner Jack Beritzhoff was assigned duty aboard an ancient lumber schooner, hauling eucalyptus logs around the South Pacific during World War II.

    • Aug. 21, 2010
  109. Elmer Suski, 94, of Indio, holds a 1976 magazine with the headline “Japan Salutes America on its Bicentennial.” Suski and his wife, Alice, are Japanese-Americans who were sent to an internment camp near Parker, Ariz., in 1942 after World War II began. Alice was born and raised in Indio and returned there after the war. Next to Elmer is a Japanese Geisha doll Alice Suski made more than 65 years ago. Wade Byars, The Desert Sun

    End of war meant freedom to come home

    The end of World War II held special meaning for Alice and Elmer Suski, Japanese-Americans who were escorted out of the valley shortly after the war began.

    • Aug. 14, 2010
  110. Veteran Jerry Grassi stands with an American flag at his Palm Desert home. He saw heavy combat action in the Pacific aboard the USS Gatling. Jay Calderon, The Desert Sun

    Veteran thanked Truman for dropping the bomb

    The men on the USS Gatling destroyer partied so hard when they got word the war was over, it was a good thing there weren't any straggling Japanese ships or planes lurking nearby.

    • Aug. 14, 2010
  111. Veteran Manly Utterback, of Rancho Mirage, points out on a world map the places his destroyer, the USS Cummings, traveled and fought during World War II. Utterback served as the ship's doctor. Richard Lui, The Desert Sun

    Navy doctor brought relief to soldiers

    Manly Utterback, a U.S. Navy doctor, witnessed the massive build-up of naval power for the planned invasion of the Japanese mainland.

    • Aug. 14, 2010
  112. Lucille Cavanaugh holds a photo of herself at 16 years old with friend Joyce Reddish. The picture is published in the book “Coachella Valley California.” Richard Lui The Desert Sun

    Indio woman remembers war's end

    Lucille Cavanaugh, 91, of Indio, was in Idyllwild with her two young children when she got a call from her husband, Frank.

    • Aug. 14, 2010
  113. Donald MacLean of Palm Springs served in the Navy during World War II. Wade Byars, The Desert Sun

    Veteran's memories create 'endless nightmares'

    U.S. Navy Seaman Donald MacLean was part of a 30-man crew sent to Nagasaki, Japan, within weeks after the atomic bomb was dropped over the city, killing nearly 100,000 civilians.

    • Aug. 14, 2010
  114. American servicemen and women gather in front of “Rainbow Corner” Red Cross club in Paris on Aug. 15, 1945, to celebrate the unconditional surrender of the Japanese. Courtesy of the National Archives

    Celebrating Victory over Japan

    This year marks the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II.

    • Aug. 14, 2010

  115. Valley, nation join in celebrating war's end, remembering heroes

    Today, we celebrate the end of World War II and join the nation in a day of remembrance for the generation that reshaped America's future. Front page of The Desert Sun from August 17 - 24, 1945 (PDF 2.7MB) Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Aug. 13, 2010
  116. Louise Neely, 85, of Palm Desert touches her brother Herman Granados' name engraved on the Blue Star Memorial inside the Coachella Valley Cemetery in Coachella. Neely is president of the American Legion Auxiliary, Herman Granados Post 739 in Indio. Crystal Chatham The Desert Sun

    Family lost one of nine members in the war

    When the atomic bombs were dropped and World War II finally came to a close, Coachella Valley pioneer Louise Neeley and her family celebrated many joyful homecomings in La Quinta.

    • Aug. 13, 2010

  117. Today, we honor those who served

    Today, we remember. We honor the unimaginable death toll of more than 60 million people, including the loss of more than 415,000 American lives.

    • Aug. 13, 2010
  118. La Quinta resident Marilyn Paige holds husband Col. Mitchell Paige's Medal of Honor. Paige was award the medal for his actions during World War II at the Battle of Guadalcanal. Marilyn Chung The Desert Sun

    War tore families apart, but somehow, pulled us together

    TVs were rare in 1945, so when word came via radio that the war was over, residents of Los Angeles went wild with joy.

    • Aug. 13, 2010

  119. Assignment: Replace those killed on D-Day

    Private First Class Bill Biehler, a rifleman with the 90th Infantry Division, was hit twice by enemy fire while fighting through Europe with Patton's Third Army during World War II.

    • Aug. 12, 2010
  120. Bob Hurlbert (left), a docent at Palm Springs Air Museum, checks a photo he just took of Fritz Payne (seated) of Rancho Mirage, the oldest living World War II fighter ace, with five solo kills in combat. Payne turned 99 last week. Wade Byars The Desert Sun

    Ace's 99th birthday merits more than cake

    Roughly one person for every year of Fritz Payne's life gathered Wednesday to celebrate the oldest living ace fighter pilot's recent 99th birthday. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans. Coming this weekend Saturday: A special section for WWII’s Day of Remembrance Sunday: The crew that bombed Hiroshima practiced with dummy bombs at the Salton Sea.

    • Aug. 11, 2010

  121. Co-pilot survived watery 1945 crash

    Orville Abbott, a co-pilot on a B-29 bomber crew, completed 28 successful combat missions over Japan during World War II, but disaster struck on mission 29, when his bomber's two engines died — sending the plane crashing into the ocean.

    • Aug. 11, 2010

  122. Radioman set up navigation stations during World War II

    U.S. Coast Guard radioman Jerry Pettis was part of a construction detachment that set up radio-based Long Range Navigation stations on tiny islands in the Pacific during World War II.

    • Aug. 11, 2010

  123. Vet dispensed medical aide during invasions

    Valentine Winiecki, a medical corpsman attached to the “Fighting Fourth” Marine Division, was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Silver Star for his actions in combat during the war in the Pacific.

    • Aug. 6, 2010

  124. Fighter pilot rescued from enemy territory

    Fighter pilot Ed Witzenburger flew nearly 200 combat missions against Japanese military forces in Southeast Asia, knocking out enemy aircraft in the air and on the ground in the “forgotten theater” of combat during World War II.

    • Aug. 6, 2010

  125. Vet survived Bulge, witnessed Dachau

    Sam Platamone got his first taste of combat — as an 18-year-old U.S. Army private with the 42nd Infantry (Rainbow) Division — during the bloody Battle of the Bulge.

    • Aug. 3, 2010

  126. Sailor's ship hunted blockade runners

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jul. 30, 2010

  127. Streeter only wanted to serve as a Marine

    Norma Streeter said she couldn't wait to turn 20. Streeter, who graduated from high school in June 1941 at 17, could have enlisted at 18 in the Women's Army Corps or the Navy's Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service division.

    • Jul. 29, 2010

  128. Crew chief knew blood, tears, nose art

    B-17 crew chief and nose artist Jack Gaffney kept the big bombers in top-flight condition for their missions over Europe during World War II.

    • Jul. 28, 2010

  129. Patton gives Army officer dressing down

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jul. 23, 2010

  130. Sailor Davies kept PT boat running

    Phil Davies was a member of a PT boat crew that knocked out more than 20 Japanese troop and supply ships in the South Pacific during World War II.

    • Jul. 22, 2010

  131. Meet the former governor of Lanai

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jul. 21, 2010

  132. Pilot rescued some, was rescued himself

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jul. 20, 2010
  133. Shep Sanders of Palm Springs appeared in a number of movies during his career, including the 1970 film “Kelly's Heroes,” with Clint Eastwood. Sanders played Turk, a tank crewman who is part of a larcenous gang of misfits who try to steal Nazi gold. submitted photo

    After war experience, Shep Sanders made a living as a thespian

    Shep Sanders wanted so badly to join the war effort, he went to great lengths to fudge his age. “I was 16 years old. I was going to high school and I wasn't doing very well,” the Palm Springs resident said. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jul. 16, 2010

  134. Navy veteran recalls PTs, pineapple wine

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jul. 15, 2010

  135. Vet became an ace before 21st birthday

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jul. 14, 2010

  136. Vet battled banzais in mud, blood, ice

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jul. 13, 2010

  137. Fighter pilot helped replace stained glass

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jul. 10, 2010

  138. Saldivar fought on the front lines in WWII

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jul. 9, 2010

  139. Madden: Being gay was 'not an issue'

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jul. 9, 2010

  140. Bombardier kicked out all the stops

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jul. 8, 2010

  141. Gunner saw carnage from unique vantage

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jul. 2, 2010

  142. Vet recalls journalist Pyle's onboard visit

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jun. 25, 2010

  143. Sailor had close calls, saw buddy drown

    Bill Raab lost a friend at sea, had a close call with an enemy bomber and visited the site of the last U.S. attack on Japan.

    • Jun. 18, 2010

  144. Pilot, dachshund take on the empire

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jun. 16, 2010

  145. Airman's Pacific tour hit-or-miss experience

    During World War II, while waiting to take off on a bombing mission to Hong Kong from an air base in the Philippines, B-24 tail gunner Hal Le Duc witnessed a terrible accident that claimed the lives of 10 airmen.

    • Jun. 15, 2010

  146. Tank gunner not sad for missing meteorology gig

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jun. 10, 2010

  147. Vet helped capture enemy scientists

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jun. 9, 2010

  148. Navy vet missed war - or did it miss him?

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jun. 8, 2010

  149. Radioman encounters action on front lines

    Radioman Don Wichman found himself in the thick of the action when Germans breached the Allied front lines in late 1944, triggering the monthlong Battle of the Bulge.

    • Jun. 4, 2010

  150. Persistence pays off for vet Paul Chapas

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jun. 3, 2010

  151. Vet cut his teeth on shores of Okinawa

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jun. 2, 2010

  152. Vet made it through typhoon, kamikazes

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jun. 1, 2010

  153. Husband's death led Luce to enlist

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • May. 28, 2010
  154. World War II veteran Ken Marts (second from left) courtesy of Ken Marts

    Fighter pilot recalls battles with Japanese

    Ken Marts, an F-6F Hellcat fighter pilot, only had one close call in 164 escort carrier landings during his tour of duty in the Pacific.

    • May. 28, 2010
  155. Dan Hauserman (far right) was one of eight brothers. Four of the boys enlisted during WWII.

    Vet went from Anzio to Monte Carlo

    Dan Hauserman was one of four brothers who enlisted in the service during World War II. Four other brothers worked at their dad's defense plant — a steel company that made, among other military-related equipment, landing gear doors for the Navy's Corsair fighter planes.

    • May. 27, 2010

  156. Vet saw Utah Beach, concentration camp

    Veteran Norman Lowenstein came across a ghastly scene during the U.S. Army's push through Germany in the spring of 1945.

    • May. 26, 2010

  157. Embedded shrapnel a reminder of war

    U.S. Army infantryman Raymond Guyovich suffered injuries to his face, arm and chest when a shell from a German tank exploded at the edge of the Hürtgen Forest, at the Belgium-Germany border, on Nov. 5, 1944.

    • May. 21, 2010

  158. Hungarian woman helps pilot to safety

    Richard Zuber, a B-24 bomber pilot, was shot down on his 39th mission, parachuted into Austria and hid out from German patrols — living on tree bark, weeds and two Hershey bars he stashed in his socks.

    • May. 20, 2010

  159. Airman witnessed A-bombs' aftermath

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • May. 19, 2010

  160. He captured 10 men with a dictionary

    U.S. Army advance scout Hugo G. Gooderum Jr. was awarded the Silver Star for “gallantry in action” after capturing 10 German soldiers on a late February evening in 1945.

    • May. 19, 2010
  161. Bob Mailheau Submitted by Bob Mailheau

    Army Air Corpsman escaped death march

    U.S. Army Air Corps veteran Bob Mailheau survived the Bataan Death March. The horrific 60-mile trek through the scorching jungle involved 75,000 U.S. and Filipino troops, resulting in an estimated 11,000 to 18,000 deaths. Wide-ranging physical abuse and murder by the Japanese accounted for many of the deaths Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • May. 18, 2010

  162. Cup of coffee leads to submarine duty

    Dive, dive, dive! On this command, a sub would quickly plunge into the ocean depths to duck out of sight from the enemy.

    • May. 14, 2010

  163. Pilot lost toes after evading Germans

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • May. 13, 2010

  164. Gunner's mate saw Japan's 'last stand'

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • May. 12, 2010
  165. World War II veteran Richard Mickens (right) with a comrade. Provided photo

    POW was rescued by Patton's crew

    U.S. Army Air Force veteran Richard Mickens crammed nearly a lifetime of drama into a little more than two years.

    • Apr. 30, 2010

  166. Vet captured after his plane was shot down

    U.S. Army Air Force veteran Don Hutton was shot down over Germany and spent more than two years in POW camps.

    • Apr. 30, 2010
  167. Bill Podell

    Valley airman thanks his mother for prayer

    U.S. Army Air Force veteran Bill Podell's first mission was on D-Day. “When I looked down on the English Channel, it looked like you could walk across the English Channel from boat to boat.

    • Apr. 28, 2010

  168. Pilot had run-ins with Glenn Miller, FDR's son

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Apr. 28, 2010
  169. Lt. Phil Jackson Photos courtesy of Mary Jackson

    WWII vet Phil Jackson's story must be told

    Most of you this Sunday morning have never heard of Phil Jackson, a former Los Angeles lawyer who retired in Rancho Mirage in 1989.

    • Apr. 24, 2010

  170. Army sergeant fought in Battle of the Bulge

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Apr. 22, 2010

  171. Vet helped to ready bomb for Hiroshima

    U.S. Army Air Corps Cpl. Annibale “Nibs” Muscolo spent six months on the island of Tinian to prepare for the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    • Apr. 21, 2010

  172. Airman's captors: Gestapo, hunger

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Apr. 20, 2010

  173. Neither rain, nor enemy fire kept pilot from supply drops

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Apr. 18, 2010

  174. Valley airman tailed Patton across Europe

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Apr. 16, 2010

  175. Ship's bombing nearly ends Brit's young life

    Less than two weeks after 16-year-old Alan Bernett fudged his age to join the British Merchant Marines, his ship, the MV (motor vessel) Waimarama was sunk in the Mediterranean Sea by German dive bombers.

    • Apr. 2, 2010

  176. Twin navigators flew bombing missions

    U.S. Army Air Force veteran Courtney Shanken and his twin brother, Earl Shanken, served as B-24 navigators in the same bomber squadron during World War II.

    • Mar. 25, 2010

  177. Sailor rained hell on enemy in Pacific

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Mar. 24, 2010

  178. Veteran patrolled brothels

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Mar. 23, 2010

  179. Vet narrowly eluded capture by Germans

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Mar. 19, 2010

  180. Pilot flew on D-Day bombing mission

    U.S. Army Air Corps pilot Norman Friedman, who flew B-24 and B-17 bombers over Europe during World War II, said his most memorable missions were his first and his last.

    • Mar. 18, 2010
  181. Dave Cocks

    Commander flew injured troops to safety

    U.S. Navy pilot Dave Cocks, plane commander of a PB2Y-3 four-engine seaplane, transported injured Marines from hospital ships in the Pacific to medical facilities in Honolulu.

    • Mar. 18, 2010

  182. Valley's oldest vet one for the history books

    As a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Staff Sgt. Otis Sampson made four combat jumps during World War II — including at Normandy, France, on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

    • Mar. 17, 2010

  183. Valley woman among WASPS to get U.S. medal

    Geraldine Tribble Vickers Crockett of Palm Springs — a Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) during World War II — will be honored with a Congressional Gold Medal today in Washington, D.C. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Mar. 9, 2010

  184. Vet grateful to comrades who served in combat

    U.S. Army Air Corps veteran Ray Marley, who served in the National Guard from 1937 to 1939, was drafted in 1942 at age 24. The married man, living in Kansas, had recently started a family.

    • Mar. 3, 2010
  185. Al Robbins

    Former POW: 'I was lucky' to get out alive

    U.S. Army infantryman Al Robbins was captured and taken prisoner by a German SS officer while fighting on the front lines in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest in November 1944.

    • Mar. 3, 2010

  186. Amazing rescue, attack on ship recalled by vet

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Feb. 26, 2010

  187. Veteran fought in five campaigns during war

    U.S. Army Private First Class Bob Hemstreet shot down enemy fighter planes and bombers in five major campaigns in Europe — including the Battle of the Bulge — during his tour of duty in World War II.

    • Feb. 25, 2010
  188. Harvey Krasner was a bow gunner on a Sherman tank during World War II. Photo provided by Harvey Krasner

    Sometimes it's better to bring a smaller gun

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Feb. 24, 2010

  189. Young sailor survived enemy fire, kamikazes

    U.S. Navy veteran Harvey Levine, a navigator on the battleship the USS South Dakota, fought in 13 battles in the Pacific during World War II.

    • Feb. 24, 2010
  190. David Fort received a Purple Heart after he was sent back to Guam after healing from an artillery shell blast in his fox hole on the "meat grinder" area of Iwo Jima. Photo provided by David Fort

    Valley vets remember Iwo Jima

    Sixty-five years ago today, U.S. Navy veteran Paul Lebowitz of Rancho Mirage, a signalman on the USS Gregory destroyer stationed off the coast of Iwo Jima — watched as U.S. Marines planted the American Flag atop Mount Suribachi.

    • Feb. 22, 2010

  191. Sailor part of history in Normandy, '51 pennant

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Feb. 19, 2010

  192. Veteran Lloyd Mokler escaped POW camp

    U.S. Army Air Corps pilot Lloyd Mokler jumped out of a flaming B-17 bomber into enemy territory, was captured by the Germans and spent seven months in a POW camp before escaping captivity with three fellow prisoners.

    • Feb. 19, 2010

  193. 'Bucket of Bolts' carried corpsman through war

    U.S. Army Air Corps Staff Sgt. Mort Solomon, a bombardier, flew 36 combat missions over Germany in a B-24 Liberator, a four-engine heavy bomber the crew nicknamed “Bucket of Bolts.”

    • Feb. 18, 2010

  194. Vet helped conceal supplies for invasion

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Feb. 12, 2010

  195. Proud veteran recounts days on commando team

    U.S. Navy veteran Norman Brill, as a member of a pre-invasion commando team, was among the first to land on the beaches of enemy islands in the Pacific during World War II.

    • Feb. 11, 2010
  196. Bernie Peters

    Pilot recalls toughest mission over Italy

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Feb. 10, 2010

  197. Navy veteran saw lots of action as 'Little Beaver'

    U.S. Navy veteran Al Anderson fought in 11 major battles in the Pacific, bombarding islands and protecting aircraft carriers as a member of one of the hardest-working squadrons in the U.S. fleet.

    • Feb. 9, 2010
  198. U.S. Army Air Corps Palm Desert

    Vet fought beside twin against German fire

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Feb. 5, 2010

  199. Vet flew air support over North Africa

    U.S. Army Air Corps veteran Joe Rickey was a mechanic for a squadron of B-25 Mitchell bombers that flew combat missions in North Africa and Italy during the early years of U.S. involvement in World War II.

    • Feb. 5, 2010

  200. Nurse tended to war's wounds on body, mind

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Feb. 3, 2010

  201. Marine island-hopped through South Pacific

    U.S. Marine Corps Private First Class Richard Roman stormed the beaches of the Solomon Islands, seizing enemy airfields in the South Pacific during World War II.

    • Feb. 2, 2010

  202. Dunst kept P-40 fighter planes communicating

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jan. 28, 2010

  203. Navy veteran helped keep U.S. ships in fight

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jan. 26, 2010

  204. Engineer drafted to Navy, stationed at Pearl Harbor

    U.S. Navy Ensign Herbert H. Halperin designed aircraft propellers and provided post-invasion support between Okinawa and the Philippine Islands during World War II.

    • Jan. 22, 2010

  205. Navy veteran worked on Pacific transport ship

    U.S. Navy Storekeeper First Class Carl Hendrick was a member of a crew that transported soldiers, Marines and supplies during invasion landings in the Pacific during World War II.

    • Jan. 21, 2010
  206. Yogi Berra

    Yogi Berra's team pitched rockets on Omaha Beach

    Before Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra stepped behind home plate — and into history as a member of the New York Yankees — the 15-time All Star and 3-time American League MVP spent time behind a machine gun in southern France during World War II.

    • Jan. 19, 2010

  207. Vet mastered flying over 'The Hump'

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jan. 14, 2010

  208. Army vet helped push Germans out of France

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jan. 12, 2010

  209. Shooting down suicide bombers was ‘harrowing'

    U.S. Navy Lieutenant Saul Smiley skippered a ship that shot down Japanese kamikazes and held enemy air attacks at bay during the Battle of Okinawa.

    • Jan. 7, 2010

  210. Navy vet helped move bombs, broken leg or no

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jan. 6, 2010

  211. Merchant mariner, wife share tales of wartime

    U.S. merchant marine veteran Roy Hoglund, one of the 200,000-plus members of the U.S. Maritime Service who served during World War II, supported Allied forces during invasion operations in Italy. The merchant marine is the civilian branch of the U.S. Navy, but serves as military personnel during times of war. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley WWII veterans.

    • Jan. 1, 2010

  212. Nurse treated wounded, ill at home and abroad

    Veona Vaillette worked stateside and overseas as a member of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps during World War II.

    • Dec. 31, 2009

  213. Navy vet helped move fuel, beans and Marines

    William Palmer, a 26-year Navy veteran, said his dad wanted him to go to college after he graduated from high school, but Palmer had no plans to follow in his father's footsteps.

    • Dec. 30, 2009
  214. Donald Prell

    Platoon's leader tells of time as POW

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Dec. 29, 2009

  215. Accidental Navy recruit just misses Pacific battle

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Dec. 26, 2009
  216. Henry Dongvillo lives in Desert Hot Springs. Desert Sun file photo

    'Hammering Hank' had thanks from U.S., USSR

    U.S. Army veteran Henry Dongvillo said failure was not an option for the men of the 104th Infantry Division fighting the Battle of the Bulge in the dead-cold winter of 1944-45.

    • Dec. 25, 2009

  217. Battle wounds earn Snyder Purple Hearts

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Dec. 24, 2009

  218. Paratrooper lost a lung, 'a lot of good men' in war

    John Santucci, owner of Capri Italian Restaurant & Steakhouse in Desert Hot Springs, nearly lost his life on a remote island in the Philippines during World War II. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Dec. 19, 2009

  219. Veteran helped train bombardiers in Africa

    David Muhlenberg is a man of few words when it comes to sharing stories about his military experiences, but said he's proud of his service during World War II, when he trained bombardiers in North Africa.

    • Dec. 18, 2009

  220. Veteran survived D-Day invasion

    Private First Class William J. Hayes, a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division, jumped into Normandy on D-Day, fought his way through enemy-packed hedgerows, killed Germans, took a gunshot to the face and lived to tell the story. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Dec. 17, 2009
  221. Bill Cornett.

    Training helped pilot avoid all but tire blowout

    Bill Cornett Jr. flew F6F Hellcat fighter planes in the Philippines as a member of the VF-49 Fighter Squadron during the tail end of World War II.

    • Dec. 16, 2009
  222. Roy A. Davis and Anthony Acevedo participated in the Battle of the Bulge during WW II. Here they stand next to a German piece of artillery in front of the Palm Springs Air Museum. Omar Ornelas The Desert Sun

    Vets recall America's deadliest WW II battle

    Roy A. Davis of Palm Springs lived in a foxhole for three weeks, bullets zipping over his head. Anthony Acevedo of Yucaipa was taken prisoner, marching barefoot through the snow, a German frequently jabbing him with a bayonet. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Dec. 16, 2009

  223. Love of aviation drew veteran to Air Corps

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Dec. 11, 2009
  224. Kenny Ryan

    Ryan goes 'for a ride,' earns medal for actions

    Kenny Ryan couldn't wait to get off the family farm, so he tried for an early enlistment in the military. Just months away from turning 17, he had to wait because his dad refused to give consent.

    • Dec. 11, 2009
  225. A.J. "James" Jacobson and Alice Jacobson, his wife of 66 years, at their Palm Desert home.

    Jacobson knew little of world outside farming

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Dec. 9, 2009
  226. Allen Martini.

    Germans go gunning for Martini — and miss

    One of Allen “Dry” Martini's most vivid memories of World War II was getting hit by enemy fire while piloting a B-17 during a bombing mission over Paris on April 14, 1943.

    • Dec. 9, 2009
  227. Clockwise from top left: Leo Priest, Ken Landis, Jim Donis, Bernard Rubien The Desert Sun

    Pearl Harbor survivors recall infamous day

    Today, the 68th anniversary of the “date which will live in infamy,” we honor those men and women who served on that horrendous day with the stories of four valley residents who survived.

    • Dec. 7, 2009
  228. Ken Landis was present in Tokyo Bay the day the formal surrender of Japan was signed. Omar Ornelas The Desert Sun

    Veteran saw beginning, end of war

    U.S. Navy Ensign Ken Landis was asleep at his apartment on the beach in Kahala when he got word that bombs were dropping on Pearl Harbor.

    • Dec. 7, 2009
  229. Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col Bernard D. Rubien Crystal Chatham The Desert Sun

    Surprise caused chaos and confusion in barracks

    Bernard Rubien was working at Hawaiian Air Force headquarters in Honolulu when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

    • Dec. 7, 2009
  230. Jim Donis is a survivor of Pearl Harbor and lives in Palm Desert. Crystal Chatham The Desert Sun

    No gear, no weapons: 'Total destruction'

    Sgt. Jim Donis was stationed at Wheeler Field on Oahu when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

    • Dec. 7, 2009
  231. Leo Priest Crystal Chatham The Desert Sun

    Crippled, burning ships blotted out the sun

    A typical day at Camp Malakole included four hours of building and four hours of anti-aircraft gun practice to prepare for the United States' eventual entrance into World War II.

    • Dec. 6, 2009

  232. Diary details Pearl Harbor attack

    More vets' stories at mydesert.com/WWII

    • Dec. 5, 2009
  233. La Quinta resident Norman Fox served in the Navy aboard the USS Hancock during World War II. The Desert Sun

    Veteran enlisted after Pearl Harbor bombing

    Norman Fox's inspiration to join the military began on Dec. 7, 1941, when he was 14 years old and living in Hammond, Ind.

    • Dec. 5, 2009
  234. World War II veteran Burton Spivack.

    Battle of Bulge vet built bridges, cleared mines

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Dec. 3, 2009
  235. Ralph Bogan.

    U.S. Navy airman saw action in Philippines

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Dec. 2, 2009
  236. Jerry Korman.

    Veteran saw Germany from a Flying Fortress

    Jerry Korman volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II before Uncle Sam had a chance to draft him into the Army.

    • Dec. 1, 2009
  237. U.S. Navy Signalman First Class Ralph E. “Rick” Rickords.

    Navy signalman's duty carried him to Okinawa

    U.S. Navy Signalman First Class Ralph E. “Rick” Rickords recalls the politics of war when he first enlisted in the military.

    • Nov. 25, 2009
  238. Richard LeBoy

    Pilot survived close call on Mediterranean run

    In the late 1930s, Richard LeBoy signed up for the country's civilian pilot training program. As an incentive, the program offered two years of college paid for by the federal government.

    • Nov. 24, 2009
  239. Robert Apple Denise Goolsby, The Desert Sun

    Radar man survived close encounter with kamikaze in Philippines attack

    The outbreak of World War II accelerated Robert Apple's graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

    • Nov. 21, 2009
  240. Alvin Little

    Veteran earned sea legs serving on Navy carrier

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Nov. 20, 2009
  241. Jim Hadlock

    Minesweeper cleared way for Iwo Jima invasion

    Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Nov. 19, 2009
  242. Archie Buffington

    Vet's artillery crew saw action on German front

    The most sobering moment for U.S. Army artilleryman Archie Buffington happened in the early days of his deployment. It was late in the war, in the spring of 1945, and Buffington, a member of the 97th Division, 922nd Field Artillery Battalion, had just arrived at the the front lines in Germany. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Nov. 18, 2009
  243. Jack Kirkwood

    Riding through Rome on a Harley-Davidson

    U.S. Army recruit Jack Kirkwood was shipped overseas to North Africa in late July 1943 to help transport prisoners. After reaching Casablanca on the Canadian Passenger liner Empress of Scotland, his detachment was ordered to a group of Army trucks at dockside. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Nov. 17, 2009
  244. Gene Roberts The Desert Sun

    Pilot faced more danger from wind than enemies

    U.S. Army Air Corps pilot Gene Roberts flew 35 bombing missions during World War II. Roberts, who piloted four-engine B-17 bombers, said his most harrowing flight was a 10-hour, 20-minute round-trip jaunt from England to Posen, Poland.

    • Nov. 16, 2009
  245. Ray Schum, 87, of Cathedral City joined the Marine Corps in the summer of 1940 at the age of 18. He retired 26 years later in 1966.

    Military offered more than home did during Depression

    When Ray Schum enlisted in the Marine Corps in September, 1940, he soon realized that military life was far better than his post-Depression-era hometown of Dale, Ind. Schum, who enlisted shortly after his high school graduation, was sent to Parris Island, S.C., for boot camp. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Nov. 16, 2009

  246. Valley vet helped chaplain as part of Patton's 3rd Army

    Fred Evans' first experience with a firearm knocked him off his feet.

    • Nov. 14, 2009
  247. Norm Brown.

    Norm Brown recalls his days as a tank mechanic

    Hauling crashed and blown-up Sherman tanks from the front lines was all in a day's work for Norm Brown and his fellow U.S. Army buddies during World War II. Brown, a 123-pound tool and die maker from Chicago, found himself working with these heavy, armored behemoths throughout his tour of duty in Europe. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Nov. 13, 2009
  248. Harry "Hap" Harlow spent ten years in the U.S. Navy from 1942-1952 and served as an Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class (ADE1). Harlow saw combat in World War II while stationed aboard the U.S.S. Bunker Hill. On the ship, he worked on the Navy's F4 Corsair and F6 Hellcat fighter aircraft. Among his decorations is the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 11 battle stars. Crystal Chatham, The Desert Sun

    Navy veteran responded to Pearl Harbor attacks

    Hap Harlow graduated from Palm Springs High School with 28 others in 1941, just months before the Pearl Harbor attack. He enlisted in the Navy shortly after his 18th birthday and completed boot camp in San Diego. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Nov. 12, 2009
  249. Rancho Mirage resident Chris Christakes, 86, holds a photo of himself (far left) with fellow soldiers. Christakes is a World War II veteran who served in the Army Air Corps. Crystal Chatham The Desert Sun

    Vet braved extreme cold to test gas tanks

    Chris Christakes designed bomb bay gas tanks for B-25 bombers at McClellan Field in Sacramento for the Army Air Forces during World War II. Read all the stories from our Coachella Valley veterans.

    • Nov. 11, 2009
  250. George Edwards holds a Buffalo Soldiers commemorative jacket. Edwards enlisted in the Army at age 21 and rose through the ranks to serve as a company first sergeant and then to regimental sergeant major. He graduated from Officer Candidate School and eventually retired from service as a captain. Crystal Chatham, The Desert Sun

    Black infantryman earned his title of 'Buffalo Soldier'

    Army 1st Lt. George Edwards used some street-fighting skills to fend off a German officer during a scuffle on the front lines in the Northern Alps during World War II.

    • Nov. 10, 2009
  251. Alan Seman, local politician and veteran of World War II, participated in the battle of the bulge and the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau near Munich, Germany. In this photograph taken at his home om Rancho Mirage, Seman holds a sword that belonged to a Nazi officer. Omar Ornelas, The Desert Sun

    Young soldier becomes hero to captured prisoners at Dachau camp

    I was 18 years old, right out of high school, one step ahead of the government,” said Alan Seman, now a Rancho Mirage councilman. “I volunteered to be in the Army.”

    • Nov. 10, 2009
  252. Midge McWhirter didn't experience sexism in the military. “Every Marine treated me honorably, respectfully and like an equal. I was a Marine.” Marilyn Chung The Desert Sun

    The Marine Corps uniform beckoned, but service reigned

    After spending a few years at The University of Southern California, in 1944 Margaret “Midge” McWhirter decided to leave the West Coast for Washington, D.C., where her father had recently joined Congress.

    • Nov. 10, 2009
  253. Scott Coulson Sr. is a survivor and veteran of Japan's Dec. 7, 1941, attack against United States Navy ships at Pearl Harbor. That fateful morning propelled the U.S. into World War II. Crystal Chatham The Desert Sun

    Dec. 7, 1941: Memories of Pearl Harbor from inside a battleship

    Scott Coulson was on the third deck of the USS West Virginia at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

    • Nov. 10, 2009
  254. Palm Desert resident Blaine Mack wears his leather pilot's jacket from World War II while holding a leather flying helmet and goggles. Mack, who retired from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel, flew P-38s while stationed in the Aleutian Islands in World War II. Crystal Chatham, The Desert Sun

    Even a crash landing couldn't deter his spirit

    After high school in Astoria, Ore., Blaine Mack wanted to fly planes in World War II. But because he was too young he headed off to Oregon State University instead.

    • Nov. 10, 2009
  255. Edgar "Ed" Fergon, 87, holds his service coat at his Bermuda Dunes home. Fergon joined the Army Air Corps at age 19, the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Crystal Chatham, The Desert Sun

    War wounds linger for shot-down POW

    Ed Fergon battled the Germans in the skies over Europe in the summer of 1943. “On the fifth mission, we got shot down. We were flying over Kiel, Germany.

    • Nov. 10, 2009
  256. Jesus “Jess” Lopez, 87, of Coachella holds the Japanese sniper rifle he brought home from World War II. Japanese swords, which he also found after battle, are displayed on a rack. Crystal Chatham The Desert Sun

    Weapons left behind strong reminders of beach landing

    Jess Lopez served in the South Pacific during World War II, making beach landings on the Philippine island of Mindanao and on Jolo Island in the Sulu Archipelago, an island chain in the southwest Philippines.

    • Nov. 10, 2009
  257. Sun City Palm Desert resident Vincent Anderson is a United States Marine Corps veteran of World War II. Marilyn Chung, The Desert Sun

    Under attack: 'Our charge was to stop that invasion'

    Cpl. Vincent Anderson said his fellow Marines aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington were upbeat in early May 1942.

    • Nov. 10, 2009
  258. Desert Sun writer Denise Goolsby wears her uncle's World War II Army jacket while holding photos of her other uncles who served in the war. Michael Snyder The Desert Sun

    Respect for military spurs writer to seek more history

    An olive drab World War II Army jacket hanging in my closet reminds me, daily, of the sacrifices made by our country's servicemen and women.

    • Nov. 10, 2009

  259. Because you served, we're honored to tell your story

    I never served. But you did. And I've read the stories recounting the battles, the courage, the bullets and your sacrifices.

    • Nov. 10, 2009

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