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Show 3 I Page 24 V - UINTAH BASIN STANDARD. Mav 25. 1999 WAR SURVIVOR l continued from page 13 io the biouack area, and stay there tonight. We have some work to do there in the morning'... but that night they call him Charlie he came over dropping bombs.. .well he dropped a bomb on my tent that night and killed Howard and Jones. But I was lucky I was guided. As a heavy equipment operator Thacker shoveled up coral to build air fields so planes could land. He built gun mounts with a bulldozer and it was often that he had bullet holes through the radiator. One day he was assigned to scrape a road so GO!-Na- ncy Miles' 5th grade class at Altamont Elementary all WAY TO jeeps could get ammunition through. endurance tun. completed the I got on my cat that morning and went through some coconut trees. After getting to the top of a hill, he saw a warrant officer who asked if he was alright. Thacker continued from page 13 said, Yes, I think so. And the officfit er said, "The Jape were firing at you ages delivered to the campe. All too often the rations ran out and the Under rigorous coaching by phys- all the way through the bottom servFOWi depended on half-cu-p ical education instructor Valerie through those trees there. 1 sure didn't know it, said ing! of Goon Soup, a watery, cold Thacker, the 5th and 6th grade stubroth that sometimes had a piece of dents at Altamont Elementary all Thacker. There weren't no bullets on me, but when we got to looking cabbage floating in it Thompsen's completed 15 and 20 minute endurance runs. The 6th grade students the cat over we could see a few spots weight went from 155 toll8. . Escape was a continuing obseswhere the bullets had hit on the also completed testing for the Presframe. I think I was guided right sion, yet those seen running past ident's Physical Fitness award. the wire fences were shot on sight Sixth grade teachers are Lisa then too. The Americans had a nuyor vie Carter and Terri Mitchell. Fifth by guards. Tunnels were dug under the barracks and checked frequentinstructed are by Nancy grades Miles and Paula Jenkins. ly. Prisoners were subjected to head sometimes called counts appell two or three a day. These often meant standing outside in mud for long periods of time, while snow or so bad, some men almost got eaten rain fell. The FOWs were creative, intelli- up at Moosburg said Thompeen. Long, cold days were punctuated gent men who invented a immersion heater which with card games and scrounging meals. Again artillery fire got closer helped them to stay warm, published a weekly newsletter, and and closer, and after three long wrote and performed plays for each months, on April 29, 1945, 129,000 other's entertainment They man- men were liberated by Gen. Pattons aged to melt down solder from tin Army. cans and made winged Air Force Thompeen stayed in the Air Force 1962 when he retired as a until utensils. and medals, cooking pots As Russian artillery got closer, Mqjor. During that time he served the prisoners were transferred to in tire position of flight instructor in Stalag Luft VII A in Moosburg. We San Antonio, Texaa, where he taught were marched out of there January cadets how to fly. He served as duty 27, 1945; it was four degree temper- officer in London at the Royal Air ature. We were walking in a blii-zar- d Force station to see that Americans in snow up to our knees, said complied with flight regulation; and Thompson. Our pants and clothes in Norway as pilot for the Air Commander Allied Forces. just Croze on us. In 1995, Charles and his wife, After a six day march, the prisoners were loaded into boxcars, 50 Jane, along with 240 other POW men per car, standing room only. survivors, went on a special tour in No food or water was given the six buses and visited the places POWs during the three-datrain where they had been held prisoner. In the little church where many ride. men slept the first day of the march, second prisFinally reaching the on camp, the men were herded into a priest conducted a mass. The been repainted, and the filthy sheds with straw on wet church had came and ground. Sickness swept threw the people of the parish thanked the that Americans, saying camp. The bedbugs and body lice was they saved their lives. tory in Guadacanal and captured 13,000 Japanese prisoners. Thacker was given a three month rest period and was sent to New Zealand. After the rest, he was shipped to the Phillipines. Going by New - - iU U THOMPSON POW Altamont kids are physically NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES-JamcsThackcr- 's family in Altamont him for every day while he prayed was at war, and although he had some near brushes with death, he survived and was given an honorable discharge. Guinea we saw head hunters on the beach in rows, said Thacker. They had spears, shields, big grass bands woven on their legs and arms, teeth all filed sharp mean lookers, 111 tell you. In the Phillipines, Thacker had the job of pushing a convoy off the Memorial Day Events A Sunrise ceremony will be held at the Fort Duchesne Cemetery at 6 a.m. on Memorial Day, Monday May 31. The Uintah and Ouray Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4519 invites all to attend. We would like to have families of deceased veterans and veterans to be there to honor and pay tribute to the deceased veterans, said Irene Cuch, VFW Auxiliary leader. A 21 gun salute will be part of the ceremony. The American Legion Post 64 will honor veterans on Memorial day, Monday with 21 gun salutes at cemeteries throughout the Uintah Basin. The legionaries will be in Lapoint at 9 a m.; Tridell at 9:30 a.m.; Neola at 10 a.m. and Cedarview at 10:30 a.m.; and Roosevelt at 11:20 a.m. Volunteers will also raise the flags at the Roosevelt Cemetery. road and burying dead Japanese soldiers. Not long after that he heard he was going home. After sailing 35 days, ths soldiers saw the lights of San Francisco, but to their dismay the ship turned and kept going. The ship was pulled through the gates at the Panama Canal. Soon afterward Thacker's ship docked in Norfolk, Virginia. He was put on a train to Salt Lake City and from there took a bus to Duchesne. Nobody knew I was coming home, I got off the bus and was walking down the sidewalk and lo and behold there was La Rue (his sister) and Leland (her boyfriend. Mother came running out of the house and Dad was up in the field with Fled. As soon as Fred saw me he threw his arms in the air and hollered for Dad. Dad looked up and saw and he came a running. What a wonderful reunion we had. Thacker 87, etill resides in Altamont. He was one of 14 children. After his honorable discharge July 30, 1945, he wrote his history of the war. This story is written from that history. Thacker was awarded a medal a few years ago for serving in Pearl Harbor. A man never goes ao far as when he does not know hither he la going. Oliver Cromwell - hot-wat- er DISmViERER 05? -- Deep biting radial traction, ready for anything. Durable carcass with all season nobby tread pattern. y LT23575RIS niHtoiMKfai. i Complete Road Hazard Warranty, FREE Replacement Down to 232 of Tread. FREE Tire Rotation t Exeerpta from th diary ofCharUt Thompaen during the period when he woe moved along with 10,000 other officer from one POW camp, Stalag Luft III, in Sagan, Germany to Stalag VII A in Mooeburg. 3IXI0.50RI5 . FREE Flat Sunday, Jan. 28, 1945. Each man was issued a Red Cross parcel as we were leaving camp. Left camp 4 a m. Started marching at 7:50. Went 17 kilometers in old snow 4' deep; 1700 of us slept in a small church, really crowded, no heat, no room to even sit down. FREE LT23585RI6, io LT26575RI6 Repairs LT 24575RI 6. io ce 33XI2.50RI5 INSTANT FINANCING Mon, Jan 29: Hiked S.W. to Friwaldau 18 k.m., put up in a farmyard, snow, freezing, cold. Refugees all along the road, many in real bad shape. 30X9.50RI5 $109.95 $114.95 $124.95 $129.95 $134.95 $134.95 $148.95 Mileage DISCOVERER Jan. 31: Moved 28 km to Moscow. Miserable, cold, snow. After a long wait we were put up in a factory, over brick ovens. Its good and Wed. Guarantee! warm. Light Truck Sat Feb 3: Hit the road early this morning, marched about 22 km. weather, snow gone. We were split into parties of 50 to 150, scattered out, slept in a barn, bought hist water for cigarettes. All Season Sun. Feb 4: Marched about 10 km to Spremberg, stopped at noon at Abwehr military station; we were given a cup of barley soup. Marched through town, boarded a train, 50 men per car old 40 Hommea8 Chevaux, got on train at 5:30 and tried to settle down, too crowded for all to sit, half had to stand. Radial Solid performance on & off road. Excellent Mileage. Good V Feb. 5: Very little movement of train, still in cars, very crowded and miserable, was let outdoors once, was able to catch a cup of water from a leaky engine. Feb. 6: Train moving fairly well now. No water today, was not let out of train. Feb. 7: Arrived at Moosburg about 3 p.m. We were moved into prison camp, herded into sheds with straw on wet ground. Feb. 10: Too sick to eat Appell at 8 a.m. filthy place, 400 men so far with just a chicken run for exercise. 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