Iowa Old Press
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Cedar Rapids, Linn co. Iowa
June 10, 1945
“Big Guys Cried” at N. Y. Homecoming - One of
the two sons of Mr. and J. J. Shepard, 501 Thirty-third street
NE, has come home.
Released from the prison camp where he was held after
being shot down over Hungary June 16, 1944, Capt. John J. Shepard
of the Army Air Corps is back in Cedar Rapids on leave.
His brother, Capt. Robert Shepard of the 101st airborne division,
has been hospitalized in Modesto, Calif., for many months, the
result of an exploding fragmentation bomb during activities in
the Arnhem sector.
Pilot of a P-38.John Shepard, a graduate of Iowa State College,
went into service in January, 1942, several months before Bob, a
Coe graduate. In October, 1943, he went overseas as a P-38 pilot.
At Casablanca, he was assigned to the First Fighter group, and
his operations subsequently were based in North Africa, Sardinia
and Italy, with the targets in the Balkans, northern Italy,
southern France and southern Germany. By last June 16, Shepard
had piled up 42 missions. On June 14, his plane had been riddled
but he made the 500 miles home on one engine. Two days later his
luck ran out. “My number was just up,” he says.
Capt. Shepard was flying at about 27,000 feet when his formation
was broken up by three enemy fighters. They hit his right engine
and the carburetor, and the plane caught fire. Shepard got the
fire under control and was limping along on a single engine when
back they came again. The fire started up again and this time
Shepard was forced to bail out. He landed in Hungary with a
broken ankle and burns. The Hungarians picked him up as he lay in
a field. He was taken to a Budapest hospital, where he was kept
about six weeks. The hospital was bombed and so he was moved to
another.
In Solitary for 17 Days.
Next step was a prison on the outskirts of Budapest, where
Shepard was thrown into solitary confinement—the initial
t4reatment for all prisoners who landed there—for 17 days.
The food? Watery soup. Then he was taken to Stalag Luft III.
“Stalag Luft III was a nice camp—we didn’t realize
how nice it was at the time, but we appreciated it later,”
Shepard said. This was an officers’ camp, which Shepard
emphasizes bears little resemblance to a concentration camp or
even the camps in which the Nazis put our enlisted men. There was
a lack of food, yes, but there was no abuse. The way the German
propaganda machine worked puzzled the Yank fliers. Newspapers
printed in English and describing the good treatment Nazi
prisoners were being given in the U. S. were distributed to the
Americans.
Shepard thinks the so-called coddling of German prisoners had
something to do with the treatment our officers received in
return. He firmly believes that the better treatment we give
prisoners, the better treatment our men will get in Japan. When
the Russians started their drive in the direction of Stalag Luft
III, the prisoners were moved on 30-minute notice. It was the
night of Jan. 22, and the temperature stood at 15 degrees below.
Some Collapsed.
There were 2,000 men in the column. Some of them collapsed, and
some of them suffered frozen feet. The only food issued was one
Red Cross package. Next prison was Nuernberg, at a site close to
the marshaling yards, a violation of the Geneva convention. There
was bombing. Conditions were miserable. There was no water except
to drink and practically no food. What food there was had so many
bugs, it became a joke. On April 4, the men were moved from
Nuernberg in the direction of Moosburg, close to Munich. The
march took 17 days, but the weather was excellent and the walking
was done in short shifts. “We were taking as much time as
possible by that time,” Shepard says with a laugh. But that
time they knew rescue was on the way.
At Moosburg 9 Days.
They had been at Moosburg only nine days before liberation came
on April 29. One of the men who had been at the hospital said he
saw a column approaching, but no one would believe him. Then the
Yanks came. “As soon as we were liberated lots of the
fellows gave the Red Cross $100 and they figure they still owe it
$400 more. That’s what they think of it,” Shepard said.
He points out that the men got not only food but clothing and
supplies from the Red Cross.
After four or five days they men were flown to France, processed
and sent home—they landed in New York May 9—to a
homecoming that was “something like you read about but just
can’t believe.” Boats whistled, ticker tape flew and
big guys cried. [Note: a photo of Capt. J. J. Shepard was
included with this news article]
--
Shepard is on a 60-day leave, after which he reports at Miami for
reassignment. He is with his wife and small son, John J. Shepard
III, at 3220 E avenue NE. The captain has been awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with six clusters.
He wears the European theater ribbon with four serial campaign
stars.
[transcribed by L.Z., October 2015]
Cedar Rapids Tribune
Cedar Rapids, Linn co., Iowa
June 21, 1945
News of SERVICE MEN and WOMEN.
Torpedoman’s Mate 1/c Chester Sterling Gralund recently
visited a guerilla camp in one of the islands in the Philippines.
Gralund, who has been serving aboard a Seventh fleet PT boat, and
his mates were the guest of a guerrilla captain and his group in
the then Jap-occupied territory. A large feast was prepared by
the guerrillas in their well-hidden camp and the Americans were
greeted by large groups of the natives. Graland is a graduate of
McKinley high school and was employed by the Quaker Oats company
prior to his entering the Navy. His wife, Mrs. Norma Graland,
lives at 2209 D street SW. He is the son of H. E. Gralund, 1525
Sixteenth avenue SE.
Robert W. Cizek, has been promoted to the rank of captain at
Miami Army air field, Miami, Fla. He is serving as adjutant of
the huge ATO base at this field. Through this base passes the
bulk of 50,000 veterans being flown to the United States each
month on the ATO. A graduate of Columbia University, Capt. Cizek
is the son of Mrs. John Gipe, 816 Eighth street NW.
Lieut. (jg) Richard L. Neenan, whose wife, Mrs. Norma H. Neenan,
lives at 125 Twenty-sixth street drive SE; Boatswain’s Mate
2/c Donald Zimmerman, whose wife, Mrs. Jeanie R. Zimmerman, lives
at 1715 C street NW, and Fireman 2/c Bernard J. Johnson, son of
Mr. and Mrs. Severton Johnson, 840 C street SE, are serving
aboard the carrier USS Hancock in the western Pacific.
This famous carrier has accounted for nine Jap warships, 32
merchant ships, 241 planes and an indefinite number of enemy
aircraft destroyed on the ground, since she was commissioned less
than a year ago. The Hancock has the unequalled one-day
record of 71 Jap planes shot down, 19 probably downed and eight
destroyed and 12 damaged on the ground. This score was tallied
during a raid over Tokyo on Feb. 15, 1945.
Pvt. Gerald Chapel was recently awarded the Combat Infantry badge
on northern Luzon. He is serving with the veteran 126th infantry
of the “Red Arrow” division. The division is now
engaging the remaining forces of General Yamashita in the
Camballo mountains. Pvt. Chapel is the son of Mr. and Mrs. O. J.
Chapel, 711 B avenue NE.
Machinist’s Mate 2/c, R. E. Heaton, and Machinist’s
Mate 3/c Russell Leroy Sellers are serving aboard an aircraft
carrier in the Pacific. The crew of this carrier recently paid a
three-hour rest period visit to one of the Navy’s new
“recreation islands” in this war zone. These recreation
islands have been set up on tiny atolls to give Navy men a few
hours relax between battles. Heaton’s Cedar Rapids address
is 1301 Fifth street NW and Sellers lives at 1803 Johnson avenue
NW.
Pvt. James L. Akers is once more in action with his unit, the
32nd infantry division on northern Luzon, after recovering from
injuries suffered in his first actual combat action against the
Japs. Serving in the division’s 128th infantry regiment,
Pvt. Akers was on his first patrol when the advance was split by
heavy enemy fire and he and two companions look refuge in a cave.
All three men were slightly wounded and were administering first
aid to themselves when Jap tossed a grenade into the cave. The
grenade landed between two helmets laying on the ground and the
explosion fortunately caused the men no injury. They lay in the
cave all day and when darkness fell they made several attempts to
slip out, only to be driven back by machine gun fire. Sometime
later they made a break for their lines through the heavy fire
without further injury. Pvt. Akers is the son of Mrs. Edith
Akers, Otis road.
Lumir J. Stepanek has been promoted to grade of sergeant in
England, Stepanek has been serving as a tall gunner on a B-17 of
the 305th Bombardment group of the Eighth AAF. During the last 12
months of the war in Europe, the famous Eighth air force crews
shot down 5,000 German planes and dropped an average of one ton
of bombs every minute. Sgt. Stepanek is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Edward Stepaneck, route 2.
Seaman 2/c Aaron G. Fanton is now stationed at the Amphibious
training base, Little Creek, Va. Fanton is training for duties
aboard a new medium landing ship. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs.
A. D. Fanton, 1433 B avenue NE.
Staff Sgt. David C. Blodgett, who was a prisoner of war of the
German government at Krems, Austria, for 13 months, arrived in
Cedar Rapids last Friday afternoon to spend a 60-90 day
convalescent furlough with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. C.
Blodgett, 370 Sixteenth street SE. Sgt. Blodgett, a top turret
gunner and engineer on a B-17, was shot down over Hamm, Germany,
April 22, 1944, and was liberated by American forces May 2, 1945.
He was attached to the 94th bomb group of the Eighth air force,
wears the Air Medal with two clusters and the Purple Heart. At
the end of his furlough, he will report to a military hospital at
Miami, Fla., for a 21-day check up and reassignment.
Shipfitter 2/c Murray John Barnett is stationed at an amphibious
training base at Camp Bradford, Va. He is training for duties
aboard an LST. A graduate of Franklin high school, Barnett
entered the Navy in 1942. He is the son of L. F. Burnett, 321
Thirtieth street drive SE.
Radarman 3/c Robert William Beem has been serving aboard a
destroyer escort in the Western Pacific. The ship has traveled
over 90,000 miles going through the campaigns in Aleutians,
Eniwetok and Guam. She is now fighting within 700 miles of the
Japanese homeland in the Western Pacific. Radarman Beem’s
wife, Mrs. Catherine B. Beem, lives at 622 D avenue NW.
Cpl. Charles J. McNulty is now performing occupational duties in
Germany. McNulty is a member of the veteran 17th airborne
division of the 15th army. This unit participated in airborne
divisions across the Rhine and captured Nazi diplomat Von Fapen
during the action in the Ruhr valley pocket. For his heroic
action under fire during the Battle of the Belgium Bulge, McNulty
was awarded the Bronze Star medal and the Combat
Infantryman’s badge. Cpl. McNulty was employed by the Iowa
Manufacturing Company prior to entering the service. His wife and
son are living at 2015 Bever avenue SE.
Pfc. William J. Potter was recently awarded the Bronze Star medal
for meritorious conduct in action. Potter received the decoration
in Possneck, Germany.
Marine Pfc. David G. Chapel has graduate from the training
command field signal battalion school at Camp Pendleton,
Oceanside, Calif. Graduates of this course are assigned to field
units in combat zones and are versed in the use of the Browning
automatic rifle, the Reising submachine gun and the .30 caliber
carbine used for jungle fighting. Chapel has spent two years in
overseas combat theaters. A graduate of McKinley high school,
Pvt. Chapel was employed by the Lefebure corporation prior to
entering the service in 1942. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. O. J.
Chapel, 711 B avenue NE.
[transcribed by L.Z., November 2014]