Fourth Quarterly 97th Engineer Newsletter, 2014:
Updated: 14 December 2014
LOST AND FOUND ENGINEERS AND FRIENDS: (14 November)
John (Jack) Mitchell checked in with us by signing up for MailChimp email notification, then through a series of emails indicated he served with Company B, 97th EBC in France. He purchased and received one of the unit hats provided by BG LePeilbet. Welcome to our growing community, John. Please send us a photo.
POST–REUNION NOTES:
97th Engineer Battalion (CONST) Reunion a success!
Plaque and Colors Dedicated!
The 97th Engineer Battalion (Const) Reunion, 2014, came to a successful conclusion faster than many of us wanted. The reunion report photos will show many smiling faces, and the encouraging comments as we departed Saint Robert pegged this one as a winner on all points.
I wish it were possible to tell you all that our reunion committee members did, as a group and individually, but that would not be possible; there were many private, some sneaky but pleasing, contributions and as many more visible ones that made the reunion what it was to all. To BG Michael LePeilbet, our generous and full of grace reunion chairman; Larry Castleman, our Communications Chief and always visible presence in the Hospitality Room; Lee Burdette, our unselfish bearer of engineer cups, a super engineer banner and great encourager; Terry Wilkes, who again brought his special family, Lloyd and Jacqueline Mullins, behind–the–scenes operators who started and expertly finished the plaque procurement project; and certainly not least—Natalia and Jesse Farris who awed everyone with their efficiency, a do–anything and everything attitude and the benefactor–benefactress of a great souvenir bottle of 97th Engineer labeled wine for each primary household (plus many more lovable things people of rare quality do, including the gift of an outstanding engineer photo adorned cake that made several attendees visibly shed tears of joy at seeing their loved ones) are those who made the trip to Fort Leonard Wood memorable and enjoyable. A special “No Task Too Great” and a sincere “Thank You!” to each one mentioned!
To the staff and management of the Engineer Museum we extend our thanks and appreciation for an outstanding job and exceptional involvement in each and every stage of the process and mission purpose asked of them. Troy Morgan and CSM (Ret.) Julius B. Nutter can be as proud of their dedication and conduct as we definitely were; they went beyond expectations and did all they could to well represent the Engineer Museum and the Army Engineer Association. Gentlemen, I cannot thank you enough.
To our catering company:Vidies Catering. You were responsible for and entrusted with our banquet meal Saturday evening, and we publicly tip our hats in salute for a job very well done. Your friendly and willing assistance was also above expectations and proved to be a blessing, indeed, and you earned our strongest recommendation!. Thank you!
During the next two weeks I will work as quickly as possible to produce a reunion report that reflects as much of the reunion as possible. I appreciate any photos that will add to the report. Please send them via email or snail mail to the addresses below.
Email: donrix@charter.net
Mail: 3709 Sabine Court SW, Decatur, AL 35603
Donald M. Ricks
97th Engineer Reunion Coordinator
SPOTLIGHT: TROY MORGAN, DIRECTOR, US ARMY ENGINEER MUSEUM:
There are many dedicated military and civilian personnel working at Fort Leonard Wood, and we encountered our share of them during the recent 97th EBC visit and reunion. From the first day our advanced party spoke with Brigadier General Anthony Funkhouser, Commandant, U. S. Army Engineer Regiment, to our tour guides and instructors on the ranges we visited in Friday, 3 October, there were common moral and attitude element present in everyone: enthusiasm, interest, dedication, desire to communicate, esprit de corps, and pride. Being a former infantry officer and army aviator, I learned to pay attention to detail—and this was in practice wherever we went throughout the installation. My impression was that the men and women of Fort Leonard Wood work hard and apparently without expectation of recognition. However, just from reading the post newspaper it is obvious the post and its commanders take advantage of much opportunity to acknowledge outstanding performance of duty.
Natalia Farris has an interesting statement she places below her signature block with each email: “Nobody notices what I do until I don’ do it.” I can imagine that sentiment is true in many offices on Fort Leonard Wood. Those words hold a lot of truth, and knowing Natalia I can tell she well represents the civilian personnel side of the post. There is another civilian there with whom we have had considerable contact and thereby caused some notable work generation (for him, not us!). His name is Troy Morgan.
Troy has always sported a smile since I have known him, no matter what we asked of him or how much work we piled upon him and his staff. He is the museum director but is not afraid to do the most basic and fundamental task during his day. From personal observations and perception gained from our conversations and discussions of tasks he might assume for the museum, I believe Troy loves his job and is most likely in his self-actualization stage.
On our banquet night I observed him setting up and doing many meaningful tasks as the reunion banquet began to take shape. He stayed there all afternoon and evening and then helped with the smallest tasks to spruce up the place for the work day coming on Monday morning. The army and the engineers are blessed to have this man at the helm, and as a taxpayer I have great confidence in his continuing leadership and ability for today and tomorrow. Troy Morgan, the 97th Engineers salute you for a job well done; What a dedicated man and director you are!:
2014 ENGINEER REUNION HATS FOR SALE (SIXTEEN AVAILABLE):
You will certainly notice a nicely–done and popular 97th Engineer hat worn by attendees during the Fort Leonard Wood reunion. General LePeilbet committed to making these available to each person who claimed one at the Hospitality Room. The sixteen gold tread embroidered black hats also includes a shiny metal U. S. Army Engineer Castle for added enhancement. These hats are available at $20 each, shipment included. If you are interested in owning one, please send a check to:
Donald M. Ricks
3709 Sabine Court SW
Decatur, AL 35603
97TH EBC REUNION CAPS BY LEE BURDETTE: (Update 14 November)
If you were there, you got a nice 97th EBC reunion cup from Lee Burdette. Lee also provided the engineer banner you will see in many Hospitality Room photographs and up on the stage at the Regimental Room. Like other reunion committee members Lee takes takes his love for the unit to a high level at every opportunity. Lee, your gift cup was a nice touch and a memory we will recall each time we have a cup of tea or coffee from it!
I have not asked Lee if he has any remaining cups but believe that if there is enough interest he can have more produced. I will add such information when we have a chance to talk about it; I just wanted you to see the excellent quality cup that now adds a lot of class to my coffee cup collection:
UPDATE: Lee Burdette has ordered additional cups and now has about a dozen he can offer. Please contact Lee at: leeburdsc@aol.com He will provide details of how you might purchase one.
OLD MAN WINTER WAKES UP EARLY IN COLORADO: (13 October)
Just a quick, local report on the arrival of Fall. It arrived! The trees are all turning on schedule but the colors are amazing. Perhaps it’s the result of all the rain we had this year but there seems to be a much wider and exciting palette. Of course that also means the leaves are falling. We had a windy day yesterday and it was like a snow storm of color covering the ground. And speaking of snow, there was a large traffic jam at the Eisenhower Tunnel over the weekend because of slick and deep snow. Sigh! We’re just weeks away from ski areas opening which means, ta da, time to move the snow shovel to the front of the garage.
Fall seems to be season when you notice the cycle more. Those hot days are gone, you sleep better at night in a cooler bedroom, you use the oven more to bake meals, you don’t look with dread when the water bills arrives – although a higher heating bill is expected to arrive soon. Today I need to sweep the leaves off the patio table and chairs, and cover them for the winter. And don’t forget to unhook the hoses! And for God’s sake be sure to remember to lay on a large supply of Halloween candy — for the kids, of course.
I love the fall!
Harry Puncec, Lakewood (Denver), Colorado
97TH EBC WEB SITE MAINTENANCE:
Articles for quarterly publication are welcomed until January 2015. At that time I will publish a yearly newsletter of noteworthy content for unit members. I will continue to upload history files.
The engineers are far ahead in the contributions area; however, small individual contributions for site maintenance can be sent to the editor at:
Donald M. Ricks
3709 Sabine Court SW
Decatur, AL 35603
LTC A. A. DUPONT CALLING CARD TRAY, NCO CORP, 97TH EBC:
It is obvious from the collection of memorabilia available from his son, Steve, that well–respected former commander Lieutenant Colonel Albert A. Dupont enjoyed his command time as much as the men enjoyed his unit’s accomplishments. During the recent reunion, Stephen Dupont pulled out of his collection a calling card tray presented to LTC Dupont by the NCOs of 97th EBC. Many photographs from the Dupont era were recently scanned by the Engineer Museum and added to their extensive collection:
97TH EBC REUNION REPORT, 2014:
It is now just over a week since the reunion members packed up and headed back home, all safe from their travels. I have meant to give a brief thank you speech at the reunion but was sidetracked by an unexpected presentation from the Army Engineer Association. Please allow me to say thank you to all who came and for your participation in the reunion in such a friendly and gracious manner. The installation and individuals with whom we came into contact will fondly remember each of you for your gift of smiles.
General LePeilbet set the tone for our reunion with his “No Task Too Great” attitude and his “Can Do” approach to everything. His personal sacrifice and thorough interest and involvement in each step we as a committee took was a commendable gift of encouragement to the committee. We appreciate his leadership and dedication.
To tell you the truth this reunion was the fastest one I have ever attended. Perhaps what helped bring about this impression was the many objectives we set for our Saturday events and, in a disorganized manner, how I seemed to always be on the go from the time I awoke that morning! To say the least, it was a very busy day and evening. The plaques presented to our committee members (Jesse and Natalia Farris, Larry Castleman, Lloyd Mullins. Terry Wilkes and myself), guest speaker and plaque dedicator (Colonel David Theisen and Colonel William Downey II), should have consumed another hour, at least. Things moved along quicker than any of us could manage , but we hope the message was clear: that we honored the manner in which our committee and unit members conducted the reunion.
What I did not have the presence of mind to mention, Mike LePeilbet managed to cover anyway. Everyone agrees that the set up by our catering service was exceptional, and it was a pleasure to present them a check following the evening event. Visible highlights of the evening were in the hearts and faces of those attending. The very nice touches that adorned our tables were the exceptional and coveted center–piece decorations provided by Natalia Farris, as were the gift reunion–theme wine bottles and engraved wine glass surprises by Jesse and Natalia Farris. Fortunate raffle winners took home excellent prizes donated by the reunion chairman and a few others. Dan Farmer was there and (thankfully) took photos of each winner—and I hope to have a set of those soon.
In an above article showing our newly acquired battalion colors, I acknowledged the excellent service by the Engineer Museum, under the leadership of Troy Morgan. Another gentleman working mostly in the background was Command Sergeant Major (Retired) Julius B. Nutter, Director, Regimental Operations. CSM Nutter was helpful with much of the arrangements and the 97th EBC plan of action from our first planning meeting in March (following a last of the season snow storm trip across Arkansas and Missouri!). He is an individual actively participating in the mission success of the Engineer Museum and the Army Engineer Association.
Finally, the photographs you will see in this first of several upcoming reunion report parts were received from Larry Castleman, Lee Burdette, Tom Jelen and from my own mostly inoperative camera. Keep in mind that each photo used has an original. These should be available from the photographer, probably for reasonable compensation or mailing fees. To complete the task of making follow–on reports, we need individual and family photos from YOUR cameras! I shall move the report parts to the side bar in due time. The files are best viewed at 100 percent or less [These files are now available from the Great task Bar to the left]:
97th Engineer Battalion Reunion, 2014, Part 2 (PDF version)
97th Engineer Battalion Reunion, 2014, Part 3 (PDF version)
97th Engineer Battalion Reunion, 2014, Part 4 (PDF version)
2014 Reunion Brief (now archived within this quarterly)
97TH ENGINEER GENERAL SERVICE REGIMENT MIA/KIA:
As stated at the reunion during our memorial service, our effort to discover those who are either killed in action or missing in action is a goal to work toward over the next few years. It is our experience that we will not have answers to our questions until we ask questions. That process began immediately after returning to normal activities at the web site. Here is a report from the first questions asked:
To: ConsularPortMoresby@state.gov; Manila Cemetery
Subject: Deceased veterans from 97th Engineer General Service Regiment
The purpose of this email is to ask if there were any American veterans who served in the 97th Engineer General Service Regiment buried in cemeteries on New Guinea or the Philippines during and immediately following the service of that unit during WWII, from the dates shown on the Data Card at the link immediately below:
http://www.catkillers.org/97thEngr/history-ss-john-lykes.html
[Specifically, in New Guinea between 9 April 1944 to 22 April 1946]
Your assistance in locating burial information will be greatly appreciated,
Donald Ricks Webmaster, 97th Engineers
The answer:
Thank you for your email. Per your inquiry on the 97th Engineers, I have searched ABMC Cemeteries and only Manila American Cemetery has the following American veterans who served in the 97th Engineers who is buried and memorialized:
Herminia A. Lelix
Interpretative Guide
Manila American Cemetery Guide
American Battle Monuments Commission
Manila American Cemetery
McKinley Road, Fort Bonifacio | Taguig City, Philippines 1634A search of the internet produced these results:
97TH EBC WEB SITE FILES ARCHIVED WITH U. S. ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY: (3 November)
All web site files were archived on a DVD and sent to Fort McNair for retention by the US Army Center of Military History. Included in the DVD were recent Engineer Museum scans of the photographs and papers of LTC Albert Dupont, LTC William Gardiner, LTC Fernard M. Achée, Jr., Brian Heverin, and Steve Kocsis.
SPECIAL PHOTO LOCATED:
Through the excellence of modern digital photograph editing tools, there emerged from an almost discarded, darker than usual photo file a digitally captured record, just after a special moment at our recent reunion. It took some experimentation to work this one out, but the results tell of its special nature. Is this is the only photo taken of the candle lighting ceremony? If any of the attendees have any others, we would like your contribution:
VERNON ORME PHOTOS, GERMANY AND FORT RILEY, 1967–1969:
Four photographs from Vernon point to the typical life of a soldier in Germany, or anywhere else for that matter. The barracks were community–type; the work was often muddy and, logically, always included an all–important maintenance effort:
SOLDIER’S PLEDGE [YOUTUBE Video]:
One of our 97th Engineer members, Lee Burdette, a great American in his own right, sent a YouTube video, which I had never before seen. In my humble opinion this is a remarkably classic, inspirational and gifted two–part answer to what American is and what American’s are all about.
To be honest here, I personally admire Ronald Reagan and his demonstrated values as an American. When he spoke of the “sloping hills of Arlington National Cemetery,” my heart was in my throat, as I know many of those precious Americans buried there. I also admired the exceptional performance of duty by the Marine Honor Guard. Thank God for them, our honored deceased veterans and for exceptional leaders like President Reagan:
DEATH OF COLONEL ROBERT A. ATKINS, SR., VETERAN OF WWII, KOREA, AND VIETNAM, DECEASED 21 JUNE 2014: (2 December)
Early this morning, and purely by accident, I discovered the obituary of Colonel Robert A. Atkins, Sr., former commander of the 97th EBC during the period February 1955 through most of 1956. He never mentioned to me the significant part of his life in the army before joining the 97th, but reading his obituary was very informative and useful to close all the informational gaps previously unknown to us. It is now very clear why he was chosen over more senior officers to command the battalion, and I hope you enjoy reading the self–written obituary of this outstanding engineer officer. He was truly one of America’s extraordinary military leaders:
A link to this page is also within the obituary page.
THE ORIGINAL 97TH EBC COLORS WERE REVIEWED AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY THE ENGINEER MUSEUM STAFF:
The Editor received an email from Mr. Troy Morgan, Director of the Fort Leonard Wood Engineer Museum, which contained photographs of the Headquarters Company guidon and the Battalion Colors in use during inactivation on 22 October 1971. We believe these items are the originals that most all of you served and marched under following the adoption of the unit crest and motto in France. They were reviewed by the museum staff for the purpose of recording their condition and then to comply with our desire to have those items properly destroyed, as required by regulations, at one of the two remaining desposal facilities in the United States. Thanks to Mr. Morgan and his staff, this has been accomplished with purpose and dignity.
Many of you donated toward the production of the new Battalion Colors decicated and posted at the Regimental Room during our recent reunion (see the first newsletter article, above).
For your information, the latest Engineer Museum Castle Courier is available from this page (see the gold Engineer Castle that directs you to the PDF file):
DEATH OF 97TH EBC FIRST SERGEANT AND BATTALLION SERGEANT MAJOR WILLIAM LEO CROFT, WORLD WAR II, KOREA, VIETNAM:
CSM (Retired) Leo Croft died 28 January 2000 at Rolla, Missouri, and is buried at Missouri Veterans Cemetery, Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. We received this information and some of his family documents from Leo’s son, David, who states his family lived at Charnay ( probably Chany sur Meuse located north of Verdun) and Etain, France. These photographs and citation are all we have so far:
Leo Croft’s wife, Virginia Marie Croft, died 19 July 2011 and is buried beside her husband at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery. See the 97th EBC Obituaries page.
FORMER MEMBER OF 97TH EBC WAS LATER A USAF POW IN VIETNAM: (12 December)
This afternoon I had the honor of speaking with Hal Wilson via telephone. We spoke briefly about his experience with the 97th EBC and even longer about service during his Vietnam days. Hal is listed on the HHC roster for 1960.
Hal Wilson was born in 1938 in New York. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on January 22, 1959, and after completing basic training and radio operator school at Fort Dix, New Jersey, he served with the 97th Engineer Battalion in Verdun, France, from August 1959 until he returned to the U.S. and left active duty on January 12, 1961, remaining in the Army Reserve until his honorable discharge on December 31, 1964....(see the link below)
DEATH OF CHAPLAIN KENNETH E. ADCOCK, 16 SEPTEMBER 2006, RALEIGH, NC:
RALEIGH, N.C. - Kenneth E. Adcock, 77, died on Saturday, September 16, 2006.
Dr. Adcock entered the Army as a 1st Lt. in 1961. He was promoted to Captain in Dec. 1962 and was promoted to Major in Feb. 1967. He served on active duty for 13 years until September 1974. After discharge from active duty he completed 15 years in the Army reserves and retired in 1989 with the rank of Colonel. He served at Ft. Devens, Mass. two years; Etain, France, three year [Editor: 97th EBC]; Ft. Bragg, N.C., 82nd Airborne Division, 2 years; 101st Abn Div. Ft. Campbell, Ky. 6 months; Vietnam, 101st Abn. Div., 1 year (Nov. 1967 to Nov 1968); Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo., 9 months; Chaplains Advanced Career Course, Ft. Hamilton, N.Y. 1 year; Administrative Chaplain at Ft. Polk, La., 3 years; Aschaffenburg, Germany, 2 years. He return to U.S. and was discharged from active duty in 1974. He attained his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1951 from Johnson Bible College, Knoxville, Tenn.; Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1961 from Phillips University, Enid Okla.; and Doctor of Ministry degree in 1979 from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Nancy Pemberton Adcock; sons Joe (Lynn) Adcock, Cary, and Jake (Sue) Adcock, Raleigh; daughter Jane A. Tracy, Athens, Ga.; brother Bill Adcock, Madisonville, Ky.; sister Dorothy Shelton, Madisonville, Ky.; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Funeral Service will be held on at 10 a.m. Wednesday at McLaurin at Pinecrest Memorial Park, Funerals & Cremations, 12830 U.S. 70 West, Clayton, N.C. 27520, with the Rev's. Charles Aldridge and Lance Bailey officiating. Interment will follow at Pinecrest Memorial Park.
Memorial contributions may be made to Johnson Bible College, 7900 Johnson Drive, Knoxville, Tenn. 37998.
Condolences may be made to the family at www.mclaurinatpinecrest.com.
This information is also posted to the 97th EBC Obituaries page.
DEATH OF CSM INGRAM MELVIN ENGEBRETSON, CSM 97TH ENGR BN, GERMANY, FORT RILEY, 18 JULY 2000, TACOMA, WA:
You can view additional information regarding the obituary for CSM Engebretson at the 97th EBC Obituaries page. I posted a statement and a photo at his Find A Grave site cited.
Official US Army photo data: 97E-188NR/AE-67; [Pirmasens] Germany; Photo by: SP4 Eugene L. Kisenschenk, 12 May 1967:
LTC HAROLD L MYRON holds a SFC E–7 stripe over the SSG E–6 stripe of newly promoted SFC BENJAMIN F MILLER. Promoton took place during simple Retreat Ceremonies at Pirmasens, Germany. SFC MILLER is a platoon Sergeant with Company C of the 97th Engineer Battalion (Construction). SMAJ INGRAM M ENGEBRETSON is the Battalion SMAJ and LTC MYRON is the Commanding Officer. SFC MILLER is from Highland, New York; SMAJ ENGEBRETSON is from Eau Claire, Wisconsin and LTC LYROB’s home is in Springfield, Virginia.
[EDITOR: L–R: Seargeant Major Engebretson; CWO Charles E. Campbell, who received a Bronze Star medal for meritorious duty during his former assignment in the Republic of Vietnam; an unknown SFC; LTC Myron (back to camera) and SFC Miller.]
Just over three months after the date of the above photograph, on 23 August 1967, LTC Myron would relinquish command of the 97th EBC to to the new commander, LTC Albert Dupont, at this same location.
DEATH OF CW4 CHARLES E. CAMPBELL, 1 DECEMBER 2009, BRADENTON, OHIO:
Charles E. Campbell (Died 1 December 2009)
He moved to Bradenton in 1988 from Bucyrus, Ohio.
He was a member of Good Hope Lutheran Church of Bucyrus, Ohio, a veteran of the U. S. Army, retired after thirty years, serving during World War II, and Vietnam, and was a Purple Heart recipient.
Survived by wife, Emma “Louise” of Bradenton, FL; sons, Charles E. of Spring Branch, TX; Mark I., CW4, Ret., of New Windsor, NY; Dean of Hamilton, OH; daughter, Christine L. Kalb of Bucyrus, OH; brothers, Jack of Galion, OH; Bill of Vancouver, Canada; sister, Ruth Foght of Galion, OH; twelve grandchildren; twelve great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren.
There will be no local services.
Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 26th Street Chapel in charge.
Memorial Donations made to Good Hope Lutheran Church Poplar Street Bucyrus, OH 44820.
This notice is in the 97th EBC Obituaries page.
