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Oregon Cascade Chapter - Summer 2009 News
D-Day BBQ in Sandy, Oregon. Bill Wingett E 506, Red Fish 508th, Bill Hayes D 2/501, Mike Reuter, Al Phillips A 377, Dale Harlan E 502, Al Bernardi 501st, Norma Bernardi Army Nurse Corps, Steve Healy Air Corps, Darvin Lee 506, Cliff Brooks F 2/502. Special guest from Ft Campbell was Sgt Alex Eisinger, Vancouver, Wa. who is on active duty with a tour of Iraq and Afghanistan under his belt. He hadto come home to the NW to get his 1st jump though! Alex and his Airborne Mom Donna both made 14,000' tandem jumps at Molalla Skydiving Center two days before the picnic! Airborne! Geronimo! Way to Go! I also need to mention Al Phillips, WWII A377 who is still jumping frequently! He's over 80 years old! Over 100 people attended the Picnic. Thank you to Carolyn & Rosy Mitchell, Estle Harlan, Carol Casciato, Ruth Collins and many other wives and vets who for so many years have helped put on this event for our Vets. Menu this year was BBQ Pulled Pork, Hot dogs and Hamburgers. Micro Brew from the world famous Mt Hood Brewing Company was enjoyed by all.
Washington Mt St Helens Chapter recently merged with the Oregon Cascade Chapter due to dwindling membership in Washington State. We will have an event in the Tacoma area if we can get participation from members in that area. Maybe Mt St Helens Chapter jumped the gun, as out of the woodwork came two or three new prospects from the Seattle and Olympia area!
New Member: Raymond B. Sorenson -A 1/502nd Kamiah, Idaho (that's OK, we'll take Idaho members too!) Eagles who have Flown: (Catie - can you please leave the names of our
members who died in our newsletter as many of our members don't know about
it and if it Jim Norene, G 502 WWII of Heppner, Oregon. Jim died while on a trip to England, Holland and Normandy on June 5th, 2009. Jim wanted to return to Normandy one last time. He's been a member of our chapter for over 30 years. Heppner High School donated a check to our chapter in memory of Jim. Hugh Kiser, A 502, of Midland, Oregon died in March 2009. Hugh and Lucy attended many of the Chapter D-Day Picnics arriving early in their motor home to help set up and prepare for the picnic. Jeanne Princen, wife of Richard Princen also died Jan 15, 2009. Richard died in 2005. Chaplain George May, 3/506 VN prayed for our fallen troopers and veterans and played Taps. NEWS: France honored Bill Wingett for his military service in Normandy by declaring him a Knight of the Legion of Honor. He was presented the Legion of Honor Medal in Paris, France in June 2009 while on a trip to the 65th Anniversary of D-Day. During the ceremony, Bill was honored to meet President Eisenhower's granddaughter. Bill and Anne Hardie were appointed Grand Marshals of the Condon, Oregon Fabulous Fourth of July Parade. Bill served in A-377th in WWII. We received a very nice letter from Joe Verstappen, Grants Pass, Oregon who was 14 years old and lived in St Oedenrode during Operation Market Garden. He describes how he felt when he worked in the underground with his parents to help the 101st. His father didn't trust some soldiers nearby and sent Joe and his brother to go closer to the highway and listen to them. Some of the soldiers were wearing American uniforms with German boots and they all spoke German. Since they were little kids, the Germans paid them no attention, lucky for them because as soon as they were sure they headed home where the real American troopers were and told their father who told the American Paratroopers. Joe made our Chapter Banner many years ago. Jerry Gomes, 3-506 LRRP Vietnam has located two of his former LRRP team members, Jim Mendoza and Robert Roos. Mendoza, Gomes and 8 other 3/506 LRRP's traveled to Ft Benning in August for the 75th Ranger Reunion and had a great time. Lt. Roos owns a very nice B & B in Oregon and Gomes asked if they have C Rats and hammocks! Charter Members of our Chapter are: Dale Harlan, E/502, Don Malarkey E/506, Dennis McManus Serv Co 501 and Bill Wingett E/506. Our chapter was formed in 1984 and at Charter Night Banquet the vets signed a dinner program and sent it to General Maxwell Taylor. The General congratulated us on forming the new Cascade Chapter with a letter 3 July 1984 written when he was 83 years old: "If the years are catching up with you, remember this jingle which encourages me: Though
weighed with years
And hair beginning to turn both thin and grey
Think what you've done in the 101
And feel Airborne every day. Sincerely, Maxwell D. Taylor"
Submitted by Kaye Gomes 503-668-6127 Thanks Catie for a great magazine.
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