|
VICTORY BOUND
By JOHN M
O'Connell, Jr.
Managing Editor Bangor Daily News
WITH THE 508th PARACHUTE INFANTRY REGIMENT— SOMEWHERE IN THE ETO (Air Mail Via U S Army Transport Command) April 25 (Delayed) — Twenty men representing 19 different communities in
the State of Maine are today part of the well known
508th Parachute Infantry Regiment commanded by Col
Roy E Lindquist of Pittsfield Other Maine officers
In the regiment are: Major Alton L Bell of Dennysville Capt
Jonathan E Adams of Bangor and Lieut. Lionel O Frigo of Rumford.
The enlisted personnel of the regiment today Includes: Sergt Joseph L O Tancrel and Pfc Kenneth E Blackmore of Auburn (Auburn Is the only community with more than one man In the unit)
T5 Wendelll Eugene Morrison of Augusta
Pvt Lionel Brlllent of Brunswick\
1st Sergt Lionel W Gagnon of Eagle Lake
Sergt Maurice A Parker of Fairfield
Cpl Frederick W Robbins of Frye
Pfc Harold John Athearn of Lincolnville
Pfc Joseph N Farrell of Lewiston
Victory Bound— Page 4
[The Charlotte News, Charlotte, NC,13 Jul 1945, Fri, Page 3]
TI1E BANGOR DAILY NEWS Bangor, Me
Thursday May 3 1945
Victory
Bound
(continued from the first page)
T3 Ernest Greenwald of Portland
Pvt Milford F Maynard of Presque Isle
Pfc Edward L Tottle of South Windham
Cpl Fernand jj Bouthot of Waterrille
Pvt Ernest Olsen of Bucksport
Pfc Jessie T Snyder of Westbrook
Pvt Edward T Stewart of Brewer
MAINE MEN GET TOGETHER
During the past few days I have had an opportunity to talk with
quite a few of the men of the 508th. I have seen
several of their units at work and play and learned
a lot of new things about the airborne troop — much
of which is still "stopped” by censorship for
security reasons This Is definitely one of the most
fascinating branches of the services.
One afternoon recently Col Lindquist asked his battalion commanders
to send Maine men who were in camp or a Battalion
headquarters and a photograph of the group was taken
Many of the boys met here for the first time
battalions often operating pretty much away from
-ach other on this side of the water. The colonel
met and talked with some of the boys for the first
time, men who had recently arrived in the regiment
as reinforcements. It was a real afternoon with
Maine atmosphere permeating the whole setup.
On one day that I was with the regiment 100 additional men arrived
for the organization. In the group was a Brewer
soldier Edward T Stewart and was he surprised ‘to
find so many) Maine boys In his new regiment
particularly the day after his arrival .There were
about a half dozen of the boys in the regiment who
were either on pass or temporarily away from their
organizations when I visited the 508th. However with
all those I met the uppermost question in their
minds Is "Maine” and how soon they can hope to get
back there
RUMFORD LIEUTENANT
1st Lieut. Lionel O Frigo of Rumford Is another of the 508th’s
officers that Is back with the organization after
being away for some time as the result of wounds In
addition to his Purple Heart Lieut. Frigo wears the
Bronze Star for extraordinary action In the Normandy
campaign and the commendation also mentioned his
work in Holland and Belgium. He is the executive
officer of his company. Lieut. Frigo Joined the
508th as a member of the Cadre (instructing staff)
on October 22 1942 after transferring from the 36th
Division.
Lieut. .Frigo is another of the former Maine National Guard members
who went to OCS from that organization and have made
good officers. He was an enlisted man in Co B of the
103rd Infantry and went from this Maine unit to OCS
at Fort Benning.
The lieutenant who played end on the Rumford high school football
team with Cpl Robbins of Frye, also a member of the
regiment, is the son of Mrs. Alexander Frigo of 9
Douglas Ave Worcester Mass. In talking about
Maine people we both knew Lieut. Frigo said he
remembered Edward McManus, formerly of Rumford, now
with the U 8 Social Security organization in Banger.
AROOSTOOK
MAN
1st Sergt. Lionel W Gagnon of Eagle Lake is a typical army first
sergeant. He is five feet and 10 Inches tall and
every Inch a soldier weighing 160 pounds. He worked
in New Hampshire before entering the service and
joined this organization In Belgium. He fought with
the 508th in the Bulge operation and in Germany.
Previously he was in the 503rd In the Pacific
Theatre. He had one combat Jump there and 11 days’
action immediately following. Sergt. Gagnon whose
mother, Mrs. Edna Gagnon of Lewiston, thinks the
cold weather over here in the winter makes this the
toughest theatre. |
With the exception of the boys
he has met In this regiment he hasn’t met any Maine
GIs since coming overseas.
Sergt Maurice A Parker of Fairfield, in addition to his
Presidential Citation ribbon wears a Bronze Star, a
Purple Heart and the Combat Infantrymen’s Badge.
After service with a special operations unit in
Italy he joined the Hq Co of the 2nd battalion of
the 508th in Belgium. He’s only 23 years old, weighs
165 pounds and is five feet eight inches tall. His
wife, Hazel Parker, is now living In Sanford, North
Carolina. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Parker,
reside In Fairfield. We were talking about eastern
Maine people and the sergeant mentioned two uncles
he has in Bangor, Eugene Leach and Ralph Leach
retail store proprietors.
100 DAYS AT ANZIO
In Italy Sergt. Parker
was with special unit of Ski troopers and had been
trained for many kinds of special work. For over two
years he soldiered alongside Canadian troops his
unit being made up of half American and half
Canadian soldiers. "There are no better soldiers
than those boys," said Parker, "I know because I
have been in plenty of tough spots with them." The
toughest action he has seen he says was over 100
days that he spent on the Anzio beachhead. He was
wounded after fighting 28 days in the vicinity of
Rome. He received his Purple Heart here and got the
Bronze Star for evacuating three wounded men under
fire at Vlllenuve Lubet following the Southern
France invasion. He went In on this amphibious
operation on D minus 1 being a member of an advance
Intelligence unit. At that time he was a section
leader and when 15 men came tinder fire of enemy
guns he and his major went to see what could be
done. The men were all evacuated but several were
wounded.
Sergt Parker asked for Johnny Wentworth, formerly with the
NEWS and now in London on the Stars and Stripes. He
said he knew Johnny through his brother who was the
sergeant’s coach of basketball.
Sergt. Parker has been in the service since June 17 1940.
Cpl Fernand J. Bouthot of
Waterville is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J
Bouthot. He is an assistant squad leader with this
regiment and has rejoined the organization after
having been hospitalized for a wound that resulted
in his being awarded the Purple Heart. He too wears
the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Presidential
Citation. He was out of action for about two months
following shrapnel wounds In his back received in
the Bulge fighting. He was formerly with the
75th Infantry Division and Joined the 508th last
June to see action in Holland and the Bulge. He was
in action here 25 days before being wounded. He
entered the service in April 1942 after graduating
from Winslow high the June
T.5 Wendell E Morrison of Augusta is a new man with the 508th
having Joined the regiment about two months ago but
he has had plenty of military experience. He entered
the service in February 1941 directly from Cony high
school. He was formerly in the 551 Paratroopers In
Panama and came overseas in 1943. He was In the
North African campaign and has seen action In
southern France, Belgium and Germany. He is now
acting operations sergeant in his company. He is the
nephew of Mrs. Fred H. Malcolm of 13 Winthrop
street, Augusta
BREWER SOLDIER
IN FAST COMPANY
While I was with the
508th Paratroopers a group of reinforcements arrived
for the regiment "You don’t suppose there would be a
Maine man among them?" I asked the commanding
officer, Col. Roy E Unquiet. The colonel said. "We
can soon find out." He did and sure enough there was
one Pvt Edward T. Stewart of Brewer. At headquarters
arrangements were made for him to come over and have
a talk with “the local reporter” and he was some
surprised.
Pvt Stewart has been in service since July 1944 but didn’t come
overseas until March 29th 1945. This means that in
less than a month from the time he left the states
he is in the big leagues in pretty fast company. He
is now a member of a regiment that gives him the
right to wear a presidential citation badge. It was
not an impossibility for him to have been in action
within a month from the time he left the states.
This Is now a fast moving war. Stewart realizes all
this/ “You’re In pretty fast company, Edward," I
said to him just before he stepped out to get into a
group picture with a bunch of S08th boys. "I have
heard plenty about this regiment,” Stewart said "and
I am finding the boys every bit as good as I have
been told they are. I don't think I could have
landed In a better group.” Stewart is a qualified
Jumper and trained paratrooper having been given the
basic training for this branch of the service in the
states. Pvt Stewart’s wife and two children, Edward
Jr and Linda Ann are living in Bath and his parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Charles |
Stewart, are In South Brewer.
He worked at the shipyards in Bath as a welder
before entering the service. Stewart Inquired for
Asa Blanchard formerly of the NEWS about whom he had
read recently In this column. He went to school with
Cpl Blanchard
ANOTHER PANAMA VETERAN
Pvt Ernest Olsen of Bucksport,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Ole Olsen of that town Is
another member of this regiment who has had Panama
service. His wife and little girl, Roberta, 2 years,
are also living in Bucksport.
Olsen entered the service in October 1942 and was formerly with the
14th Infantry in Panama He came overseas In July
1943 arriving at England where he received his
special training for this regiment.
"Just one of those unlucky guys' is the way Pvt Olsen describes himself.
He says "I always seem to be In the way of
something. At Nijmegen, during the Holland
operation, he was hospitalized after a shell
concussion that put him out of active duty for a
time. He returned to his unit and in the Bulge
fighting got stuck In the leg with a bayonet and
back to the hospital again for him. Now he’s back ln
the 508th having just returned the day before I
visited his battalion.
Because he has been moving around so much— and a good part of the
time in hospitals — Olsen’s mall has been very
Irregular. "Haven’t heard much from the old home
town,” he says "but hope everything’s O K there.” He
hasn’t met many Maine boys over here and added:
"Guess we are pretty much outnumbered.” I put his
mind at ease on that one when I told him how many I
had met and how many names I sent back to the
homefolks. He was feeling: O K when he arrived beck
to the outfit looks good and now says: "Well It
can’t last much longer and here's hoping I see you
soon in Maine."
VETERAN 508 PARATROOPER
Here’s a veteran paratrooper of the 508th Regiment
who has gone through all the campaigns and Is not
wounded— Cpl Frederick W Robbins of Frye. Cpl
Robbins has been with the organization since Its
activation — entered the service May 1942, came
overseas Jan 1944 and qualified as a jumper as far
back as Oct. 1942. The corporal was a scout in the
S-2 section in the Normandy, Holland and Belgium
campaigns. Prior to entering the service Robbins
worked in the shipyards and while at school in
Rumford played baseball and football. He is me son
of Mrs. Annie Robbins of Frye.
"Normandy was by far our toughest campaign," said the corporal. “If
it were not for the weather, the Bulge couldn’t have
compared with it at all,"
MEDIC DOESN’T LIKE HOSPITALS
Pfc Jessie T Snyder, of Westbrook, is a medic but be doesn't have
anything to do with hospitals. “That's why I stay
out of them," said Snyder in explaining that his
closest call was a hand injury received in the
Holland campaign. One of our medics fixed It up O K"
he said “and I have been plugging along O K ever
since."
Snyder was in the S D Warren company mill in civilian life. He
entered the service Nov 1 1943 and has met just one
Maine man since coming overseas. He Joined the 508th
during the Normandy campaign and saw action in
Holland and in the Bulge. His wife Is in Westbrook
and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William R. Snyder, are
now In Virginia.
Pfc Edward L Tottle of South Windham who wears the Combat
Infantryman's Badge is a B.A.R, man In the
organization. He entered the service in May 1944 but
has only been with the 608th since the Belgium
campaign "It's a great outfit” says Tottle, “‘and
after one campaign with these boys you really feel
like you have been with them for years.” Tottle Is
the son of Mrs. R. C. Griffin of South Windham.
Pvt Lionel Brillent, son of Mrs. Joseph Brillent of Brunswick, and
Pfc Joseph N, Farrell, son of Mr. and Mrs. John
Farrell 162 College street, Lewiston were on pass
when I visited the regiment. Brillent was with the
509th Parachutists in Italy and Southern France and
with this regiment in Belgium. He is a machine
gunner. Farrell is a member of an IPW team and was
with the 508th in the Belgium campaign.
.Other Maine men In the 508th whom I wasn't able to contact during my
visit to the regiment were: Pfc- Kenneth E Blackmore
son of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin E. Blackmore, RFD 2,
Auburn; Sergt Joseph L. G. Tancrel son of Mr. and
Mrs. Alfred J. Tancrel ,221 Turner street, Auburn,
T-3 Ernest Greenwald, whose wife is Mrs. Delores
Greenwald of 335 Cumberland Ave, Portland, and Pvt
Milford F. Maynard of Presque Isle. (Maynard, son of
Mrs. Albert Maynard of Caribou, came to this unit
recently from the 509th with which he served as a
mortar gunner in Italy and Southern France.)
[The Bangor Daily News, Bangor, ME, 03 May 1945, Thu, Pages 1 and 4] |
