Obituaries
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Njaco
The Pop-Tart Whisperer
NJ.com: Everything Jersey
To the core, he was of the Corps
Thursday, May 10, 2007
A noted Marine died the other day. Brig. Gen. Edwin H. Simmons, 85, died May 5 at home in Alexandria, Va.
Some people considered Simmons the memory of the Marine Corps. He wrote "The United States Marines: A History" in 1974 and it has been reprinted and updated several times. He wrote several books, including a novel in 2001 called "Dog Company Six." He was the director emeritus of Marine Corps History and Museums. He served in the Corps for 53 years 36 in uniform, 17 as a civilian. He served on Guam during World War II. He was part of the Inchon landing and the Chosin Reservoir campaign in Korea. He did two tours of duty in Vietnam.
He was a Marine's Marine.
But he wasn't always a general or a Marine.
Back when he was little Eddie Simmons in Paulsboro, in fact, his mom wanted to make sure he had the right kind of friends, the kind that might make him tougher.
"His mom, Nettie, came to me and said, I don't want him to grow up being a sissy,'" recalled Bob Cassel, who lived across the street from Eddie Simmons on Billings Avenue.
"Back in the '20s and '30s, it was all fields in Billingsport down around 4th," he said.
Bob is 92, which means he was seven years older than Eddie Simmons. Was he that rough-and-tumble a guy, that Nettie Simmons would choose him to help toughen up her son?
"We played ball on the dirt street," he said. Not only were the streets unpaved, but the boys used silver maple trees to mark the bases.
"I was the only one who would play catcher. We didn't have masks, so I'd get hit in the face," said Bob, who now lives in Mantua Township.
"I took him under my wing. We introduced him to everything in the neighborhood."
Bob started to recall some of the things they did as kids, but soon realized he was reciting a list of activities that would be considered dangerous by today's standards.
"Oh, I wouldn't want kids to do that," said Bob.
Bob's sister asked Eddie once what he was going to be when he grew up. Eddie answered, "I'm going to be a policeman."
"Oh, no," said Bob's sister. "I don't want to marry a policeman."
Bob's dad moved out of a duplex in Paulsboro to a whole house in Woodbury for the same rent of $28 a month when Bob was about 14. The boys went their separate ways.
Years later, Bob discovered Simmons was living about a mile from his daughter in Virginia.
"We'd visit (my daughter) and he'd say, Come over,'" said Bob. Wasn't the important general too busy to visit?
No. He even insisted they come visit him the night before Thanksgiving.
"He wanted to talk old times," he said.
Bob said he feels some small sense of pride when he considers what kind of man old Eddie Simmons became.
"He helped MacArthur on the Inchon landings. He started the Marine Museum," said Bob. "He looked up to me because I was an older kid."
To the core, he was of the Corps
Thursday, May 10, 2007
A noted Marine died the other day. Brig. Gen. Edwin H. Simmons, 85, died May 5 at home in Alexandria, Va.
Some people considered Simmons the memory of the Marine Corps. He wrote "The United States Marines: A History" in 1974 and it has been reprinted and updated several times. He wrote several books, including a novel in 2001 called "Dog Company Six." He was the director emeritus of Marine Corps History and Museums. He served in the Corps for 53 years 36 in uniform, 17 as a civilian. He served on Guam during World War II. He was part of the Inchon landing and the Chosin Reservoir campaign in Korea. He did two tours of duty in Vietnam.
He was a Marine's Marine.
But he wasn't always a general or a Marine.
Back when he was little Eddie Simmons in Paulsboro, in fact, his mom wanted to make sure he had the right kind of friends, the kind that might make him tougher.
"His mom, Nettie, came to me and said, I don't want him to grow up being a sissy,'" recalled Bob Cassel, who lived across the street from Eddie Simmons on Billings Avenue.
"Back in the '20s and '30s, it was all fields in Billingsport down around 4th," he said.
Bob is 92, which means he was seven years older than Eddie Simmons. Was he that rough-and-tumble a guy, that Nettie Simmons would choose him to help toughen up her son?
"We played ball on the dirt street," he said. Not only were the streets unpaved, but the boys used silver maple trees to mark the bases.
"I was the only one who would play catcher. We didn't have masks, so I'd get hit in the face," said Bob, who now lives in Mantua Township.
"I took him under my wing. We introduced him to everything in the neighborhood."
Bob started to recall some of the things they did as kids, but soon realized he was reciting a list of activities that would be considered dangerous by today's standards.
"Oh, I wouldn't want kids to do that," said Bob.
Bob's sister asked Eddie once what he was going to be when he grew up. Eddie answered, "I'm going to be a policeman."
"Oh, no," said Bob's sister. "I don't want to marry a policeman."
Bob's dad moved out of a duplex in Paulsboro to a whole house in Woodbury for the same rent of $28 a month when Bob was about 14. The boys went their separate ways.
Years later, Bob discovered Simmons was living about a mile from his daughter in Virginia.
"We'd visit (my daughter) and he'd say, Come over,'" said Bob. Wasn't the important general too busy to visit?
No. He even insisted they come visit him the night before Thanksgiving.
"He wanted to talk old times," he said.
Bob said he feels some small sense of pride when he considers what kind of man old Eddie Simmons became.
"He helped MacArthur on the Inchon landings. He started the Marine Museum," said Bob. "He looked up to me because I was an older kid."
pbfoot
1st Lieutenant
John Goddard
Staff Reporter
A private funeral with military honours is being arranged for World WarI veteran Dwight Wilson, who died at Sunnybrook hospital yesterday at 106.
His passing all but eliminates the possibility of a state funeral for the last surviving Canadian veteran of the conflict, a proposal the House of Commons endorsed unanimously in November.
With Wilson's death, the distinction of being Canada's last living veteran of the Great War belongs to John Babcock of Spokane, Wash.
"That means that I'm it," Babcock told Canadian Press from his home, after expressing his regret at Wilson's death.
Babcock became a U.S. citizen 60 years ago and has made it clear he doesn't want a state funeral in Canada, an honour usually extended only to prime ministers and governors general.
Lloyd Clemett was the most recent World War I veteran to die. He passed away at Sunnybrook in February at the age of 107.
Rudyard Griffiths, executive director of the Dominion Institute, called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to personally offer Babcock a state funeral in light of yesterday's development.
"The important thing is for that offer to be extended," said Griffiths, whose organization pushed for the state funeral idea last fall with a petition of 90,000 signatures.
"We now have one – John Babcock – and we feel the government should be acting," Griffiths said in an interview.
Family members asked for privacy yesterday and declined interviews.
Prime Minister Harper and other politicians expressed condolences to Wilson's family.
"As a nation, we honour his service and mourn his passing," Harper said in a release.
Opposition Leader Stéphane Dion observed that "Mr. Wilson and others of his generation made tremendous sacrifices" for the country.
Toronto Mayor David Miller called Wilson "one of Canada's true heroes" and said flags at city hall and the five civic centres will be flown today at half-mast.
Sunnybrook hospital also lowered its flags to honour Percy "Dwight" Wilson, who moved to its veterans' care wing last June from Cedarcroft Place retirement home in Oshawa.
Hospital nursing staff and residents will miss Wilson for his rich, baritone singing voice that once graced Massey Hall and national radio broadcasts, said media relations officer Sally Fur.
"You could often hear him down in Warrior's Hall ... singing and taking part in daily entertainment programs," she said.
Wilson was born on Feb. 26, 1901, in Vienna, Ont., in Elgin County, one of nine children.
At 14, feeling patriotic and looking for adventure, he trained as a mounted bugler in the militia. The following year, in July 1916 – still three years shy of the legal enlistment age – he joined the 69th Artillery Battery in Toronto.
He trained at Camp Niagara and Camp Petawawa, and shipped out that fall on the RMS Grampian, singing on occasion to his fellow troops.
"I was entertaining the boys," Wilson said in an interview three years ago as he recalled the two-week sea voyage, much of which he spent throwing up. "I just had the urge to be one of the gang."
In England, his age was discovered. For a while, he dug defensive trenches at Dover with the 34th Battalion, a reserve unit. He was sent home in January 1917 and discharged as a minor.
The following year, still underage, he re-enlisted in the 69th Battery but the war ended before he could be shipped overseas again.
"I think that's probably the only time that my dad actually didn't tell the truth," his son Paul once said.
Like Wilson, Babcock also escaped combat because he was underage. By October 1918, the then 18-year-old was awaiting training that would send him to France but Germany's surrender in November ended the war.
Some 650,000 Canadians served in World War I, of which about 66,000 were killed and another 172,000 were wounded.
With the war over, Wilson took a job with Bell Canada, holding numerous positions in several communities and rising to manager of the phone company's Stratford operation. He retired in 1966.
Throughout his life he also sang.
"I love to sing and I'll sing anywhere," he said last November.
He met his wife Eleanor Dean, a singer and pianist, while studying at the Royal Conservatory of Music. They wed in 1927 and remained together until her death in 1993 at 94. They had two sons, Dean and Paul.
When World War II broke out in 1939, Wilson tried to enlist but at 38 was deemed too old. Instead, he joined Stratford's 7th Perth Regiment Reserves, rising to the rank of captain.
Staff Reporter
A private funeral with military honours is being arranged for World WarI veteran Dwight Wilson, who died at Sunnybrook hospital yesterday at 106.
His passing all but eliminates the possibility of a state funeral for the last surviving Canadian veteran of the conflict, a proposal the House of Commons endorsed unanimously in November.
With Wilson's death, the distinction of being Canada's last living veteran of the Great War belongs to John Babcock of Spokane, Wash.
"That means that I'm it," Babcock told Canadian Press from his home, after expressing his regret at Wilson's death.
Babcock became a U.S. citizen 60 years ago and has made it clear he doesn't want a state funeral in Canada, an honour usually extended only to prime ministers and governors general.
Lloyd Clemett was the most recent World War I veteran to die. He passed away at Sunnybrook in February at the age of 107.
Rudyard Griffiths, executive director of the Dominion Institute, called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to personally offer Babcock a state funeral in light of yesterday's development.
"The important thing is for that offer to be extended," said Griffiths, whose organization pushed for the state funeral idea last fall with a petition of 90,000 signatures.
"We now have one – John Babcock – and we feel the government should be acting," Griffiths said in an interview.
Family members asked for privacy yesterday and declined interviews.
Prime Minister Harper and other politicians expressed condolences to Wilson's family.
"As a nation, we honour his service and mourn his passing," Harper said in a release.
Opposition Leader Stéphane Dion observed that "Mr. Wilson and others of his generation made tremendous sacrifices" for the country.
Toronto Mayor David Miller called Wilson "one of Canada's true heroes" and said flags at city hall and the five civic centres will be flown today at half-mast.
Sunnybrook hospital also lowered its flags to honour Percy "Dwight" Wilson, who moved to its veterans' care wing last June from Cedarcroft Place retirement home in Oshawa.
Hospital nursing staff and residents will miss Wilson for his rich, baritone singing voice that once graced Massey Hall and national radio broadcasts, said media relations officer Sally Fur.
"You could often hear him down in Warrior's Hall ... singing and taking part in daily entertainment programs," she said.
Wilson was born on Feb. 26, 1901, in Vienna, Ont., in Elgin County, one of nine children.
At 14, feeling patriotic and looking for adventure, he trained as a mounted bugler in the militia. The following year, in July 1916 – still three years shy of the legal enlistment age – he joined the 69th Artillery Battery in Toronto.
He trained at Camp Niagara and Camp Petawawa, and shipped out that fall on the RMS Grampian, singing on occasion to his fellow troops.
"I was entertaining the boys," Wilson said in an interview three years ago as he recalled the two-week sea voyage, much of which he spent throwing up. "I just had the urge to be one of the gang."
In England, his age was discovered. For a while, he dug defensive trenches at Dover with the 34th Battalion, a reserve unit. He was sent home in January 1917 and discharged as a minor.
The following year, still underage, he re-enlisted in the 69th Battery but the war ended before he could be shipped overseas again.
"I think that's probably the only time that my dad actually didn't tell the truth," his son Paul once said.
Like Wilson, Babcock also escaped combat because he was underage. By October 1918, the then 18-year-old was awaiting training that would send him to France but Germany's surrender in November ended the war.
Some 650,000 Canadians served in World War I, of which about 66,000 were killed and another 172,000 were wounded.
With the war over, Wilson took a job with Bell Canada, holding numerous positions in several communities and rising to manager of the phone company's Stratford operation. He retired in 1966.
Throughout his life he also sang.
"I love to sing and I'll sing anywhere," he said last November.
He met his wife Eleanor Dean, a singer and pianist, while studying at the Royal Conservatory of Music. They wed in 1927 and remained together until her death in 1993 at 94. They had two sons, Dean and Paul.
When World War II broke out in 1939, Wilson tried to enlist but at 38 was deemed too old. Instead, he joined Stratford's 7th Perth Regiment Reserves, rising to the rank of captain.
Wildcat
Major
trackend
Chief Master Sergeant
Found this in the Daily Mail today death is part of life and this guy went leaving a smile on everyones face.
The final take-off: WWII ace goes to his grave in a coffin shaped like a Hurricane fighter | the Daily Mail
The final take-off: WWII ace goes to his grave in a coffin shaped like a Hurricane fighter | the Daily Mail
- Thread starter
- #88
syscom3
Pacific Historian
Delaware man was with famed general for most of enlistment
By BETH MILLER, The News Journal
Posted Tuesday, May 8, 2007
The Delaware man whose shorthand skills propelled him to a job as Gen. George S. Patton Jr.'s secretary during the controversial general's World War II service died Saturday in the Manhattan home of his caretaker, Sindia Pacheco. He was 92.
Joseph D. Rosevich served as Patton's secretary for 3 1/2 years -- almost his entire Army career. From Feb. 15, 1942, when he was summoned to Patton's office at Fort Benning as a private, until June 3, 1945, Rosevich was within earshot of Patton at almost all times.
He was with the hard-charging general during the invasion of Africa, in Sicily, during his return to England after losing command of the Seventh Army for slapping two soldiers, and during his dash across France and Germany with the Third Army.
But, Rosevich said, the public Patton was quite different than the private Patton. The four-letter words, the pearl-handled guns, the shiny boots, the show of medals -- all were part of Patton's public persona, he told News Journal reporter Tom Malone in 1971.
"Privately, he wasn't like that at all," Rosevich said. "He was a reserved man, I'd almost say a shy man."
And unlike actor George C. Scott, who played the general in the hit movie "Patton," Patton had an alto voice, Rosevich said, unless he was mad. Then it moved into the soprano range.
"It was shrill," Rosevich said. "It carried. I mean, it carried. You could hear it a long way."
Patton promoted Rosevich from private to master sergeant and in Sicily, awarded him the Bronze Star for meritorious service.
Patton could not endure errors -- on the battlefield or in the office. So the letter of commendation he dictated to Rosevich was something of a medal in itself:
"My dear Sgt. Rosevich: You have been my personal secretary since Feb. 15, 1942, and have accompanied me in all my campaigns. Your work has been of very high class, both rapid and accurate. I am sorry that the exigencies of the service cause us to separate and I hereby commend you for the superior performance of duty. Very sincerely, G.S. Patton Jr., General."
When Rosevich typed the letter and returned it to Patton, the general signed it and said, "There you are, sergeant. Perhaps that will be of some help to you in getting a civilian job."
Rosevich was invited to the première of "Patton" the movie.
Rosevich said he wanted to tell Scott, "You played Patton better than Patton could have played Patton."
Rosevich told The News Journal he was in Germany helping refugees from Nazi death camps when he heard Patton had been killed in a car accident.
A Delaware native, Rosevich graduated from Wilmington High School and the University of Delaware. He took shorthand and typing at Goldey College, and later earned his master's degree at Teachers College of Columbia University. He taught at Surrattsville High School in Preston, Md., until World War II.
"He always made my sister and I feel really special," said his niece, Sharon Rosevich, of Wilmington. "He took interest in everything we did. Everybody who met him just loved him."
In addition to his niece, Sharon, Rosevich is survived by a sister-in-law, Geraldine Rosevich, of Brandywine Hundred; niece Judy Curtis of Houston, Texas, and other relatives.
Rosevich's family was among the founders of the small, orthodox Jewish synagogue Machzikey Hadas, said Alan Schoenberg of Schoenberg Memorial Chapel.
By BETH MILLER, The News Journal
Posted Tuesday, May 8, 2007
The Delaware man whose shorthand skills propelled him to a job as Gen. George S. Patton Jr.'s secretary during the controversial general's World War II service died Saturday in the Manhattan home of his caretaker, Sindia Pacheco. He was 92.
Joseph D. Rosevich served as Patton's secretary for 3 1/2 years -- almost his entire Army career. From Feb. 15, 1942, when he was summoned to Patton's office at Fort Benning as a private, until June 3, 1945, Rosevich was within earshot of Patton at almost all times.
He was with the hard-charging general during the invasion of Africa, in Sicily, during his return to England after losing command of the Seventh Army for slapping two soldiers, and during his dash across France and Germany with the Third Army.
But, Rosevich said, the public Patton was quite different than the private Patton. The four-letter words, the pearl-handled guns, the shiny boots, the show of medals -- all were part of Patton's public persona, he told News Journal reporter Tom Malone in 1971.
"Privately, he wasn't like that at all," Rosevich said. "He was a reserved man, I'd almost say a shy man."
And unlike actor George C. Scott, who played the general in the hit movie "Patton," Patton had an alto voice, Rosevich said, unless he was mad. Then it moved into the soprano range.
"It was shrill," Rosevich said. "It carried. I mean, it carried. You could hear it a long way."
Patton promoted Rosevich from private to master sergeant and in Sicily, awarded him the Bronze Star for meritorious service.
Patton could not endure errors -- on the battlefield or in the office. So the letter of commendation he dictated to Rosevich was something of a medal in itself:
"My dear Sgt. Rosevich: You have been my personal secretary since Feb. 15, 1942, and have accompanied me in all my campaigns. Your work has been of very high class, both rapid and accurate. I am sorry that the exigencies of the service cause us to separate and I hereby commend you for the superior performance of duty. Very sincerely, G.S. Patton Jr., General."
When Rosevich typed the letter and returned it to Patton, the general signed it and said, "There you are, sergeant. Perhaps that will be of some help to you in getting a civilian job."
Rosevich was invited to the première of "Patton" the movie.
Rosevich said he wanted to tell Scott, "You played Patton better than Patton could have played Patton."
Rosevich told The News Journal he was in Germany helping refugees from Nazi death camps when he heard Patton had been killed in a car accident.
A Delaware native, Rosevich graduated from Wilmington High School and the University of Delaware. He took shorthand and typing at Goldey College, and later earned his master's degree at Teachers College of Columbia University. He taught at Surrattsville High School in Preston, Md., until World War II.
"He always made my sister and I feel really special," said his niece, Sharon Rosevich, of Wilmington. "He took interest in everything we did. Everybody who met him just loved him."
In addition to his niece, Sharon, Rosevich is survived by a sister-in-law, Geraldine Rosevich, of Brandywine Hundred; niece Judy Curtis of Houston, Texas, and other relatives.
Rosevich's family was among the founders of the small, orthodox Jewish synagogue Machzikey Hadas, said Alan Schoenberg of Schoenberg Memorial Chapel.
- Thread starter
- #89
syscom3
Pacific Historian
Brooks died at 85 died in London.
He parachuted into France in July 1942, to aid the French resistance. Before he was 21, he had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order. Sabotage by his network of resistance fighters had brought railway transit to a stop in southern France after D-Day in June 1944. General Eisenhower wrote letters commending the effort.
Brooks' circuit was called Pimento, and his own code name was Alphonse. He had been raised in France and Switzerland, and spoke French with complete fluency. He remarked at one point that he had used one of his fake identities to vote in postwar French elections.
In 1945 he learned that his father had himself flown clandestine missions in World War One.
He parachuted into France in July 1942, to aid the French resistance. Before he was 21, he had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order. Sabotage by his network of resistance fighters had brought railway transit to a stop in southern France after D-Day in June 1944. General Eisenhower wrote letters commending the effort.
Brooks' circuit was called Pimento, and his own code name was Alphonse. He had been raised in France and Switzerland, and spoke French with complete fluency. He remarked at one point that he had used one of his fake identities to vote in postwar French elections.
In 1945 he learned that his father had himself flown clandestine missions in World War One.
102first_hussars
Tech Sergeant
RAF gunner war hero dies aged 87
A war hero who became the RAF's most decorated air gunner has died at the age of 87.
Wallace McIntosh from Aberdeen survived 55 World War II missions as a Lancaster rear gunner in Bomber Command's 207 Squadron.
Flying Officer McIntosh is believed to hold the record for downing the most enemy planes from a bomber, with eight confirmed kills and one "probable".
He died on Monday from lung cancer, at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Mr McIntosh was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross twice - the RAF's highest honour for bravery - for bombing raids between 1943 and 1944.
In one mission he shot down three German fighter aircraft as his Lancaster bomber carried out a raid on enemy armour during preparations for the Normandy landings.
His efforts earned him a rare telegram of congratulations from the leader of Bomber Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris.
'Against the odds'
Mr McIntosh was born in a barn near Tarves, Aberdeenshire, in 1920.
He was brought up by his grandparents after his teenage mother abandoned him.
According to his 2003 biography, Gunning for the Enemy, he joined the RAF at the height of the war to escape from the poverty of life as a farm labourer.
During the war, he was based at RAF Langar in Nottinghamshire and RAF Spilsby in Lincolnshire.
RAF spokesman Michael Mulford described Mr McIntosh as a "true hero".
He said: "Anyone who flew in Lancasters during the bombings knew the odds were against them.
"Your life was on the line every moment. To do the job as well as he did was truly exceptional.
"He did that 55 times and lived to tell the tale.
"You had to be very highly skilled to be able to fire these guns when your own aircraft is bouncing about twisting and turning."
Lancaster crews faced some of the most hazardous conditions during WWII with tail gunners particularly exposed.
The 207 Squadron alone lost 1,007 men.
One of Mr McIntosh's three children, Mary McIntosh, 44, said: "We never really became aware of his achievements until after he retired.
"He had a very hard start to life and did well to overcome that."
His funeral is expected to be held at Dyce Parish Church.
A war hero who became the RAF's most decorated air gunner has died at the age of 87.
Wallace McIntosh from Aberdeen survived 55 World War II missions as a Lancaster rear gunner in Bomber Command's 207 Squadron.
Flying Officer McIntosh is believed to hold the record for downing the most enemy planes from a bomber, with eight confirmed kills and one "probable".
He died on Monday from lung cancer, at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Mr McIntosh was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross twice - the RAF's highest honour for bravery - for bombing raids between 1943 and 1944.
In one mission he shot down three German fighter aircraft as his Lancaster bomber carried out a raid on enemy armour during preparations for the Normandy landings.
His efforts earned him a rare telegram of congratulations from the leader of Bomber Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris.
'Against the odds'
Mr McIntosh was born in a barn near Tarves, Aberdeenshire, in 1920.
He was brought up by his grandparents after his teenage mother abandoned him.
According to his 2003 biography, Gunning for the Enemy, he joined the RAF at the height of the war to escape from the poverty of life as a farm labourer.
During the war, he was based at RAF Langar in Nottinghamshire and RAF Spilsby in Lincolnshire.
RAF spokesman Michael Mulford described Mr McIntosh as a "true hero".
He said: "Anyone who flew in Lancasters during the bombings knew the odds were against them.
"Your life was on the line every moment. To do the job as well as he did was truly exceptional.
"He did that 55 times and lived to tell the tale.
"You had to be very highly skilled to be able to fire these guns when your own aircraft is bouncing about twisting and turning."
Lancaster crews faced some of the most hazardous conditions during WWII with tail gunners particularly exposed.
The 207 Squadron alone lost 1,007 men.
One of Mr McIntosh's three children, Mary McIntosh, 44, said: "We never really became aware of his achievements until after he retired.
"He had a very hard start to life and did well to overcome that."
His funeral is expected to be held at Dyce Parish Church.
evangilder
"Shooter"
Didn't even know he was living within 20 miles of me either :/
Wildcat
Major
Emac44
Staff Sergeant
Rest in Peace Sir.
- Thread starter
- #98
syscom3
Pacific Historian
Obituary: German WWII sailor dies in Uruguay
Friedrich Adolph was survivor of German battleship.
Article Launched: 06/09/2007 06:33:34 PM PDT
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - Friedrich Adolph, the last surviving sailor in Uruguay from the famed German battleship Admiral Graf Spee that sank off this country's coast at the outset of World War II, has died, his family said. He was 89.
Adolph died Friday and had been "very sick," according to his grandson, Tobias Friedrich Adolph.
The Graf Spee was considered one of the most sophisticated battleships of its time.
The battleship prowled the South Atlantic, sinking as many as nine allied merchant ships before warships from Britain and New Zealand tracked it down and damaged it during the "Battle of the River Plate" that began on Dec. 13, 1939.
The damaged Graf Spee limped into Montevideo harbor where injured and dead sailors were taken ashore. To prevent it from falling into enemy hands, the Graf Spree's German captain later dynamited it and sank it a few miles from Montevideo.
Several German sailors who survived settled in Uruguay and others emigrated to Argentina.
Adolph was among those who remained in Montevideo. He was the last surviving sailor from the Graf Spee in Uruguay, but it was not immediately known if there are more survivors living in Argentina or elsewhere.
The ship has remained for decades in waters less than 30 feet deep only miles outside Montevideo.
In 2004, a recovery group using a barge with a crane raised a piece of an early radar system called a telemeter from the Graf Spee. In February 2006, they also removed a Nazi bronze eagle, weighing more than 800 pounds, from the ship's bow.
Adolph will be buried Saturday, his grandson said.
Friedrich Adolph was survivor of German battleship.
Article Launched: 06/09/2007 06:33:34 PM PDT
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - Friedrich Adolph, the last surviving sailor in Uruguay from the famed German battleship Admiral Graf Spee that sank off this country's coast at the outset of World War II, has died, his family said. He was 89.
Adolph died Friday and had been "very sick," according to his grandson, Tobias Friedrich Adolph.
The Graf Spee was considered one of the most sophisticated battleships of its time.
The battleship prowled the South Atlantic, sinking as many as nine allied merchant ships before warships from Britain and New Zealand tracked it down and damaged it during the "Battle of the River Plate" that began on Dec. 13, 1939.
The damaged Graf Spee limped into Montevideo harbor where injured and dead sailors were taken ashore. To prevent it from falling into enemy hands, the Graf Spree's German captain later dynamited it and sank it a few miles from Montevideo.
Several German sailors who survived settled in Uruguay and others emigrated to Argentina.
Adolph was among those who remained in Montevideo. He was the last surviving sailor from the Graf Spee in Uruguay, but it was not immediately known if there are more survivors living in Argentina or elsewhere.
The ship has remained for decades in waters less than 30 feet deep only miles outside Montevideo.
In 2004, a recovery group using a barge with a crane raised a piece of an early radar system called a telemeter from the Graf Spee. In February 2006, they also removed a Nazi bronze eagle, weighing more than 800 pounds, from the ship's bow.
Adolph will be buried Saturday, his grandson said.
Njaco
The Pop-Tart Whisperer
evangilder
"Shooter"
6/15/2007 - U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) -- Legendary fighter pilot, retired Brig. Gen. Robin Olds, died June 14 from congestive heart failure one month short of his 85th birthday.
He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 14, 1922, the son of Maj. Gen. Robert and Mrs. Eloise Olds. He spent his younger years in Hampton, Va., and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he was an All-American tackle. He graduated in 1943 as a second lieutenant.
Following graduation from pilot training in 1943, General Olds was assigned to the European Theater at the end of World War II, where he flew 107 combat missions in the P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang. He shot down 13 enemy aircraft over Europe and became a triple ace 23 years later during the Vietnam War when he downed four MiGS. He flew 152 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom as the wing commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon Air Base, Thailand.
General Olds' exploits as the creator and mission commander of Operation Bolo, the most successful aerial battle of the Vietnam War, has been documented in the recent History Channel Dogfights Special series "Air Ambush."
General Olds served his country in assignments to England, Germany, Libya, Thailand and the United States, in positions of squadron, base, group and wing commander, and assignments to Headquarters U.S. Air Force and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He was assigned to the first jet P-80 squadron in 1946; was a member of the first jet Aerial Acrobatic Demonstration Team; won second place in the Thompson Trophy Race, jet division, in Cleveland, in 1946; and participated in the first dawn-to-dusk transcontinental round trip flight. He was a squadron commander of Royal Air Force No.1 Fighter Squadron, Sussex, England, during an exchange tour in 1948.
General Olds' military decorations include the Air Force Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star with three oak leaf clusters, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with five oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with 39 oak leaf clusters, British Distinguished Flying Cross, French Croix de Guerre, Vietnam Air Force Distinguished Service Order, Vietnam Air Gallantry Medal with gold wings, and Vietnam Air Service Medal.
After his duty in Vietnam, General Olds was named commandant of cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy from 1967 to 1971. His last assignment before retiring from the Air Force in 1973 was as director of safety for the Air Force.
Up to a few months prior to his illness he was frequently called upon as guest speaker and lecturer for his inspirational and motivational talks. He was married to Ella Raines, who died in 1988, and then to Morgan Olds.
General Olds is survived by two daughters, Christina Olds of Vail, Colo., and Susan Scott-Risner of North Bend, Wash.; one granddaughter, Jennifer Newman of Santa Monica, Calif., and half-brother, Fred Olds of Virginia. He died peacefully at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colo., in the company of family and friends.
A memorial service will be held at the U.S. Air Force Academy within the next two weeks. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association toward scholarships for the children or spouses of armed forces aircrew members killed or missing in action.
He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 14, 1922, the son of Maj. Gen. Robert and Mrs. Eloise Olds. He spent his younger years in Hampton, Va., and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he was an All-American tackle. He graduated in 1943 as a second lieutenant.
Following graduation from pilot training in 1943, General Olds was assigned to the European Theater at the end of World War II, where he flew 107 combat missions in the P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang. He shot down 13 enemy aircraft over Europe and became a triple ace 23 years later during the Vietnam War when he downed four MiGS. He flew 152 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom as the wing commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon Air Base, Thailand.
General Olds' exploits as the creator and mission commander of Operation Bolo, the most successful aerial battle of the Vietnam War, has been documented in the recent History Channel Dogfights Special series "Air Ambush."
General Olds served his country in assignments to England, Germany, Libya, Thailand and the United States, in positions of squadron, base, group and wing commander, and assignments to Headquarters U.S. Air Force and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He was assigned to the first jet P-80 squadron in 1946; was a member of the first jet Aerial Acrobatic Demonstration Team; won second place in the Thompson Trophy Race, jet division, in Cleveland, in 1946; and participated in the first dawn-to-dusk transcontinental round trip flight. He was a squadron commander of Royal Air Force No.1 Fighter Squadron, Sussex, England, during an exchange tour in 1948.
General Olds' military decorations include the Air Force Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star with three oak leaf clusters, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with five oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with 39 oak leaf clusters, British Distinguished Flying Cross, French Croix de Guerre, Vietnam Air Force Distinguished Service Order, Vietnam Air Gallantry Medal with gold wings, and Vietnam Air Service Medal.
After his duty in Vietnam, General Olds was named commandant of cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy from 1967 to 1971. His last assignment before retiring from the Air Force in 1973 was as director of safety for the Air Force.
Up to a few months prior to his illness he was frequently called upon as guest speaker and lecturer for his inspirational and motivational talks. He was married to Ella Raines, who died in 1988, and then to Morgan Olds.
General Olds is survived by two daughters, Christina Olds of Vail, Colo., and Susan Scott-Risner of North Bend, Wash.; one granddaughter, Jennifer Newman of Santa Monica, Calif., and half-brother, Fred Olds of Virginia. He died peacefully at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colo., in the company of family and friends.
A memorial service will be held at the U.S. Air Force Academy within the next two weeks. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association toward scholarships for the children or spouses of armed forces aircrew members killed or missing in action.