OCR Text |
Show 1'INTMI SQUADRON REUNION BRINGS BACK A FLOOD OF MEMORIES B VSIX VRD. November STW 11 :)Q2- - Page 12 For World War II vet from Utahn friendship made will never dim r .f l I .. '.I, il! I'll', - l.nd-1;- it .; , h-- - m-i-i- i .i f the and enemy soldiers silentiv pm detonator- - on the fuel tanks nf about planes. The revolting explosions lit up the kv "like the Fourth of July." he recalled. Except in the brightly lit night kv il l he Pacific Theater there was ri piano landed in the middle air-tri- p -- -- July It. 1945. For their extraordinary heroism. during the campaign 'mem hers ofthe Seo md Ai rcraft Wing received (he Presidential Unit Citation. Undeterred by cither the constant rainorby heavy enemy artillery shell i ugand repeated day and night aerial bombing of airstrips, the unit in executing --onie of the sua.si-d'must successful night fighter operations ofthe Pacific War ... shooting down 49a Japanese planesduringthis period." the citation stated in part. During another phase ofthe campaign. as he was preparing for maneuvers on a beach the enemy was trying to capture, Ken gave away his clothes and filled his backpacks with loaves of bread. We wen.1 on landing barges and they dropped the door down and we got to the beach and dug foxholes. There were dead people all around." he related. The ships wen- hlastingevery-wherThere wasn't any pa.ssword that night, the i mlers were to shot it on sight. Ken and Mux ended up in trenches next Pi each other during the bloody battle. Forbidden to leave their foxholes arid with no sign of when the - e. Ken Wilkinson REUNION standing i and his war buddy. Max Odell, met lust month at the reunion fur mcinbersofthe Red LVvil Squadron 2:12. The reunion was held in Bloomington. Illinois. i letter from my mom and I had a pack of cigarettes in my pocket. I read the 't let ter and my moinwrote.T hope Kin Wilk!ii-o- n PLKXTYOFPK'TURFIS reoent reunion ofhi.sWorld War II coiiiradwaraction.pnividingmeiiiorii-sol'liiilili--- . i:t cm 'pliiii-- bii.itlhe uf iJimiii- - The - .i- III-- - i- taken up that dirty habit (of smoking) that your dad had all these years', and 1 had. I threw that pack of cigarettes out into the ocean. Max was so mad that 1 thought he was going to make me go into the water and get them! related Ken. Me said . You can 'L do that Wilk,. and I said. 1 quit. We would sit around play ingpenny ante poker and hi would blow smoke in my face and say, .Don't that smell good, Wilk? 1 could liave killed him!" Thesedgys Ken is a retired rancher and former road construction worker. I It- - and his wife Jeanne serve one day a week as workers in the LDS Vernal Temple. The Wilkinsons have four sons: Todd and Kein who live in St. (icorge and Michuel and David, both of Rock Springs. i ph-nl- wai b:fi'!e -- .n d i photographs have lieen nicely -- (JETTING PIJVNES OFF THE (JR( )UND Ken Wilkinson was ussigned to refuel planes in Okinawa and in Ulithia in the Carolina Islands. On this mission nine planes left and eight returned. Luckily the crew of t he downed plane was able to be rescued, said Wilkinson. iTi 11 TON PATHOL- - Lv Tlielali.l.iiit!ieiliiin. 4- K- pictured I , s Hi. Ill I - pI I't.lllll he Sin.ii'l I llie woman d ill t ' - Will.: - Wilkinson was u uf the Ib-- Devil S" Marine Aircraft Wing. The family in thipiilui- In. wasstalioni-donOkiiiawaaii- i , celebrating going on. Oh, we caught them," said Ken, hut not until a significant amount of damage hud been done. American military men had also been buyo-nclc- d by enemy soldiers as they scrambled to get out of tents the Japanese hud collapsed on top of them by rcniuvi ng the center poles which held ii t he heavy army issue housing. Ken and Max - who were both sent over as w;!kiii-n- ii -- r t:i II le If i n the hackgriuind i. I I 'inlali liasin Standard's Coloring Contest Winners Duchesne ('minty Chandler of Commerce: Slaci-Lindsay age 3. Brooke P. ageR. Lisa llewnnlage 14. Western Farm and Home. Till'anir Pain Jen -i I .i- I n AI. TmnT I .e. ; M. : I ;i;''7. Jennie ! I i ill-- I; Meii-r-iig- .- Vim iii I .). Vnlrn al'.c I.T. , Nielsens: Kilee Price age 5. Alyssa Hales age 10, Lcixa Hewurd age 14. Als Knodtuwn: Willow Age 5, Toni Taylor age 7. Aaron Peatross uge 1J. Uintah Basin Medical Center: Stacey Lindsay age 5. Kabbie Penton age 8, Kyle Nicbcrgull uge 12. Maverik: Stacey Lindsay uge 5, Wyatt Wilkcison age 11, Jennie Jensen uge 14. Uintah Busin Standard: Brock Timothy age 5, Kuillyn Wall age 9. Vincent Wilkeraon age 15. Performance Tire: Madison Kate BoMtick age 3, McKenzie Bolton uge 6, Kyle Nivbergall age 12. Wells Fargo Bunk: Stacey Lindsay uge 5, Kuillyn Wall age 9, Aleese Meyers age 13. IFA:JoKicGaylcrugc4, Gun- COLORING ARTISTS The grand pric winners lorihcl intuh llasiti Standards 1 lullnwecn Coloring Contest are: JosieC ia lei. w Imoiic cd :u 1 A. K lc N ichcrgall, who entered at the Uintah Hasin Medical Cenlcrand Mckcnic itoliim, w ho entered at Century 2 ( irand prize w innerx each received a S k i l- itt cert i lit. ju- In mi Nielsen's. 1 1 - - ner Blake KofTord age 7, Kyle Niubergull age 12. Murray Motor: Stacey Lindsay age 5. Toni Taylor age 7, Jennie Jensen age 14. Maverik: Willow, age 5, Brenda Robertson age 10, Aaron Peutross uge 13. Century 21 : Alexis Anderson uge 5, McKonze Bolton age 6, Kirk Newby age 15. Mountain America Credit Union: Tiflunie Patry age 4, Uusie Meyers uge 8, Janessa Jensen age 12. Roosevelt City Police: Stacey Lindsay age 5, Jordan Myrick age 9, Leisa Howard age 14. Grand Prizewinners: Josie Gayler, who entered at IFA; McKenzie Bolton, who entered at Cental? 21; and Ryle Nichergall who entered at Uintah Busin Medical Center. U.S. soldiers in u Ixittlcim the island of Ulithia in the Carolina Islands. Ken Wilkinson THEHEATOFBATTLE soldiers dead ufterabuttk, from buttle scenes, toem-mtookdozensofphntosduringihewnr.captaringeveiytliiiig typhoons and lots of shots of his war buddies. y fighting would let up, the Utah farm boy knew his decision to stock up on bread was going to puy off. Max said, Wilk, Wilk! Do you huve any food?' And I suid, 'Yes. I do, but they said if you get out of that foxhole you're dead'! And he suid, 'Oh, you little so and so. you'll shure with me in the morning'! And I did. We ate that bread and thought we strak!" were rating The friendship forged on the battlefield remains today. Over the years Max and his finnily even traveled from their luune in Indiunupolis, Indiana to visit the Wilkinsons in Utahn. When Ken read about a Squadron 232 reunion planned in October in Bhximington, Illinois he decided he would go. It was the first war reunion he had ever attended. Max showed up as well, even though he was suffering from health problems. old men, And so the two whogrewuptlHxisandsofmilesuNirt, but became friends while fighting a war57yrargogo, met again last month, perhaps for the last time. Oulofthe600 men in their squadron, only 23 attvndid the reunion. Ken and Max tank pictures just like they did decades ugo, and talked uhout the memories they shared. Some were the kind they cant forget, even when memories dim. Yet there are others that never fail to bring a smile each time they are retold. I remember Mux and I were down on the beach (in Okinawa) and I got a 78-yc- ar Plaza Power Sports 345 No. Main Nobor City, UT 435-654-70- pw mMx Ml Raws W r --V TO'' WiasfwwwsHss-Mn! N tiMMsii" 11mm Iwa.. sat it e. w. i Nn Smmsmsv j i W ivi V SJW Ml H-- mi. ! hunt l .WMNtMinn . n Tww ' r m m m w war Meats ntm frw t fnp.fa ltMfLWM.iw'llixna VMM lnMefeamwin'iSWMl4rNaimirnwi.tww Si MVlMtpwvtwtS 73 vi-- m tmn MrnHiss . ss MM i ms n os . irrvitr I. Hw M IT fM. M m'linmMllN H W tMMi w (MHWM M e IV .Ml M inn w. wl'HHSa h pw turn m tm - - h m- nfnm frlt , (l TW IKt ovmmim; p6or |