Show A14 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Sunday July 21 2002 Soldier's story spans more than a half century ' L- v Stan Larson Fred Zimmerman and Wiimer (Smitty the schoql basketball team and won second at state in doubles Medic) Smith ' Those thoughts remained with him as hie resumed his life first in Grace post-wthen in Logan In Rochelle Larson’s family awaited the return of their son’s body In 1931 the army abandoned ifs search for MIA's and sent a letter to Larson’s parents regretting that there “is no grave at which to pay hqmage” Whitehead says he has long felt guilt that men like Larson were killed while he has lived enjoying family trips busiLogan's Rax Whitehead as a ness and good times man young “For these men and some of them were just kids there Infantry Division has been nothing for them Cavanagh introduced during that time — nothing” Whitehead to two Belgians he says “I still feel guilty Speder and when I allow myself to think SeeL about it” To the veterans Speder and Between 1981 and the early are the “Diggers” so Seel 1990s Whitehead made seven for their work combing named trips to Belgium Men he the Bulge battlefield through befriended on those journeys for the artifacts of ' searching him have afforded an avenue As war teenagers they looked to assuage his guilt for more than souvenirs' little The first was a young Eng1981 In they discovered an lishman- Will Cavanagh who American GI’s dog tag It conducted battlefield tours changed their focus from the and has written two books soldiers' things to the soldiers about the Bulge and the 99th tennis After graduation in spring 1943 both entered an army ' program to train promising young men to be engineers and doctors But only six months into their education the war effort required more ' infantry manpower and Larson and Whitehead found themselves among 3200 college men assigned to the 99th Infantry Division at Camp' Maxey near Paris Texas They met there during a baric training refresher course “I liked Stan the moment I saw him" says Whitehead “He was personable tall bright — - the kind of guy you gravitate to” Both were assigned to “H" Company weapons unit ofthe 394th Regiment Larson was assigned to the machine gun platoon Whitehead Co the 81mm mortar platoon Although they bunked in separate barracks their friendship continued In August 1944 the 99th was ordered to ship out The new friends'ended up on the same rail car comparing high school experiences and discussing tennis and basketball train ride during the four-da- y to Camp Miles Standish near good-looki- ng Jean-Philip- t even more profound remnant of the war would take their searches to the ultimate level — the skeletal remains of an American soldier in a foxhole as Speder says “—like he fell 44 years earlier” The Diggers and Cavanagh cm- tacted the US Army in Germany Identity was confirmed and the soldier’s survivors were finally able to lay their son and brother to rest in a marked grave In tiie meantime Whitehead had met Dick Byers a Bulge veteran from Ohio and Bill Wamock a business student at Ohio State interested in the Battle of die Bulge After the soldier's recovery during a gathering in Belgium pe - that included Whitehead Cavanagh Byers Speder and Seek college student Wamock made a pivotal point:“If we can find one through a random search we can find more with r ' an organized approach” All agreed and the 99th Infantry Division Association MIA's (MIAs) project was born Until then Whitehead had always assumed his friends' bodies had been recovered and buried ' “When I went to the American cemetery of the Ardennes I saw the names of Larson Smith Zimmerman and others listed as missing on a wall plaque” he says “That’s the first time I realized their bodies had never been recovered” To conduct their research the MIAs Project team ran an article in 99th Infantry Divi- sion Association newspaper asking for eyewitness accounts from soldiers who might have been the last to see die MIAs alive They also ' - At Miles Standish the division organized a basketball league to keep the soldiers occupied while they awaited shipment to Europe White- head the guard and Larson die Come help North Logan celebrate Pioneer Day on Wednesday July 24th The Theme for our festivities will be "Pioneer Unity Protects Freedom” ' For his part Whitehead was assigned to collect informs-tio- n on his friend Stan Larson as well as Fred Zimmerman and Wilme$ ' Smith members of his company and Ewing Fidler from another 99th company The organized search yielded another body in 1991 IWo ' more in 1992 In 1996 the search team expanded when two more Belgians joined the Dig- gen Jean Luc Menestrey and' MarcMarique Still the searches revealed nothing — until 2001 when events unfolded in swift sue-cession In April Whitehead received this from Speder “MIA Project strikes again!!!!!!!!!!!! Jack Beck-wit- h Siaul Kokotovich and David Read no longer on tiie - - on-si- te e-m-ail See PALS on A16 I Flag Ceremony at 6:45 am at Elk Ridge Park 1070 E 2500 N I Breakfut will be served from 0 am at Elk Ridge Park 1070 E 2500 N (The cost will is $3 per person or $12 for families) Parade line-u- p is 9:30 a:m with the parade beginning at 10:00 am at 1600 E and 1900 N and ending at Mt View Park Activities at Mt View Park 1 1 :00 am - 2:00 pm (Games Entertainment Food) 1100 E: 2100 Nv' Entertainment featuring "Chordoroy" Thomas Kofod 'The BRUNETTES" and Our Youth singing popular Olympic Songs Youth Dance 8:30 pm 1 1:30 pm Ages 8 Elk Ridge Park 1079 E 2500 N 7:00-9:0- I - I if 14-1- -- : I I End the wfiefiiig noni with tnpRitiiici (oaring over 100 degim dont put it oft any longer call today and get a new high efficient Central AJC I I-' a” 753-551- 5 I MHiwEaBjncjStnicf LENNOX a®i If younrt tntcrertcd In participating hi 'our parade or celebration ONt i i A' k V I THING TO WORRY ABOUT t'- v’“'' 1?-:!? -"-- :v ‘ v - I irfi ''k'Vv’x) ' The two friends were pori-- V Boned a half mile apart Larson was in aTritical but vulnerable position near an intersection a likely target in the event of attack “Before the Bulge started ” recalls Whi tehead “we were just campingout notfight- - ' intheseqrch ' Conditioning! ' 1 ' Qot Air Belgian-Germa- forest researched army records and aerial maps Their work enticed other veterans to join North Logan City's 24 th of July Celebration V center were teammates “In 30 seconds I could see that Stan knew what he was doing on the basketball court” says Whitehead The league folded after two games "The last time I saw Stan was after that second game - because the next day we were told to pack our gear” says Whitehead - The 99th sailed from Boston Harbor Sept 29 1944 ' “After some coffee and Red from the donuts Cross I the load gang- pulled my up plank said ‘Alvin R’ and went aboard” says Whitehead “When I awoke the next morning the USA was out of sight I wondered if I were going to see it again” Larson probably wondered the same thing In November the 99th Infantry Division was stretched in a defensive line covering 20 miles along the n border No one expected the Germans to attack there says Whitehead So these combat rookies — " the “Battle Babies” " dubbed 7 because many were just 18 and 19 years old and few had tasted the bitterness of war — ' took over foxholes carved into the frozen soil of the Ardennes - in 1988 the discovery of an Jean-Lou- is ' - - Boston ' - themselves With the help the Diggers were able to find the widow of the soldier (he had died in the 1970s) and return her husband’s dog tags V" Since then the Diggers have found hundreds of items and returned them to die soldiers or their survivors They have given back the items fountfon die battlefield ask-ing nothing in return except a photo of the soldier in uni- ar - ' - Continued from A1 mg : t It was a deceptive calm ' Early on Dec 16 1944 the Goman Army unleashed its ' fury raining artillery and mortar fire on the American lines followed by tanks and soldiers ' in a massive ground attack : Larson suffered a direct hit : 7 ' on the first V volley “He was the first friend I heard had been killed” recalls V ' ' V 7 Whitehead But there was no time for reflection Nor to retrieve the bodies The swift heavy Ger- -' man attack pushed deep idfo V the American linesi a bulge dial prbvided the name of the 7 Rattle considered thebloodi- est in American hiriory— 90000 America soldiers 'killed4 wounded or Captured i On Dec 18 die i : retreating ! Americans were ordered to j dig in their heel on Ebenbom Ridge For six weeks during die coldest snowiest winter in 23 yean they withstood then the German attack repelled : whitehead recalls' many hours in his foxhole reflecting ' oh the friends he’d lost — Select Grospof Women’s MDsftWoms ’ J Swimsuits Extra Bonusl BlUaboigHoodsd 7-- Sweatshirts Salad Group Sandals’ Rfg$70 v Reg$45-$- Lahalna 4 t Womens Silver Brand NaffleCaprfkftjeans 'Hipster Jeans Select Group of Womens famous off 7 SurfsndSport wtthevery irt i Reg $4$ Men's Discontinued 1 Sweatshirts rV'SalactSfNp s Roxy orQufksItver Lanyard ' Reg S49-- o 4t Reg $50 i' Dos - $40 i V' "k- wlllievMy 7 $25 purchasol a j Hafaka :1 jS : ' t Lahaina Hooded Loose Fit SitverTRb Jeans $75pnrchasel Extra Bonus! Shorts rr Iqriwpik $19-9- 9 rV Men’s Lahairia AURemalnlng Men’s! Women's " r '‘I “ 7:' 1 ro:af W$4: 4 - 11 A1 ' - VA'- - i:- ' -- 7- - I' -- — - — |