Iowa
Old Press
Rock Valley Bee
December 29, 1944
EARL BERGSMA ENSIGN NOW
Earl Richard Bergsma, son of Mr. William Bergsma of Rock Valley, Iowa, was commissioned an Ensign in the Naval Reserve and designated a Naval Aviator recently at the Naval Air Training Bases, Pensacola, Florida.
Having completed his intermediate training at the “Annapolis of the Air” he will be ordered to duty either at an instructor’s school for further training or an operational base.
Three Overseas Veterans Home Here On Leave.
Three heroes of World War II—all in the Army, and all wounded in action arrived home in Rock Valley within the week. The three served in the European theater of operations.
Pfc. Henry Neal De Groot, son of Mr. and Mrs. Z. H. C. De Groot, arrived home last Thursday from Springfield, Mo., where he had been hospitalized recently in O’Rielly General hospital.
Henry’s right leg was badly shot up last July 7, when he was wounded during the invasion of Normandy, France. He has since been through grueling skin grafting operations, and every effort is being made by efficient surgeons to restore the use of his leg through the miracle of modern medicine. Before arriving in the States, Henry was in a hospital in England.
He leaves next Tuesday for Springfield, Mo. where he will be hospitalized further. After he returns his address will be: Ward 9, O’Rielly General Hospital, Springfield, Mo
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Sgt. Albert T. Gerritson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Gerritson, arrived home last week on a 30 day furlough. He served in Italy with Lt. Gen. Mark W. Clark’s Fifth Army and saw action in the Tunisian campaign. He served overseas for almost two years, and enlisted in April 1941.
In July Al’s parents received a telegram informing them that he had been wounded in action in Italy on June 30, and one of his boys wrote that he had his right arm in a cast but his injuries were not serious.
Besides the Purple Heart, he holds the Combat Infantryman Badge.
His brother Billy is a prisoner of war in Germany.
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Andrew Vander Vliet, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Vander Vliet arrived at his home Sunday night on a sick leave of 21 days. He was wounded in action September 13 in Germany while serving at the front in the mechanized cavalry, and is to report back to O’Rielly hospital in Springfield, Mo., after his leave at home.
He was wounded in the arm and shoulder, and though he gets around all right, he’s not completely recovered. His many friends hope that he will be “in the pink” soon.
In March, Andrew will have been in the Army for four years.
He arrived back in the United States by plane on December 13, and received his leave immediately so that he could be home for the holidays.
Gerrit Van Holland Receives Package
Pfc. Gerrit Van Holland writes the Commercial Club and American Legion Auxiliary from the Army Air Field at Alliance, Neb., thanking them for his Christmas package.
I wish to express my thanks to the Commercial Club for the useful Christmas gifts which they have sent me.
I received my Christmas gifts some time ago, but failed to write. I hope you will forgive me.
I sure appreciate your kindness. May I thank you again for the useful gifts.
A soldier—Pfc. Gerrit J. Van Holland
P.S. May you all have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
PVT. TED BARTMAN GRADUATES AT CHANUTE FIELD.
Chanute Field, Ill.—Private Theodore Bartman, son of Mrs. T. Bartman, of Rock Valley, Iowa, has completed training and has been graduated from this school of Army Air Forces Training Command.
While attending this Army Air Forces Training Command school, he received instruction in the airplane instrumental mechanic course, and in various technical operations vital to the maintenance of the country’s fighting planes.
Ted arrived recently on furlough and is visiting at the home of his mother here.
MARTIN POSTMA WOUNDED AGAIN AT FRONT
Sgt. Martin Postma, son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Postma, is now in a hospital in England. He had been released from the hospital not long ago, and had returned to the front in Germany serving there two days, when he was wounded again. He wrote home that he was hit in the chest November 26, but not further details are known. He had been in Germany just a week. Martin holds the Silver Star, medal awarded for gallantry in action.
His brother Gerrit is serving in the Philippines with the Quartermaster Corps, and another brother Lawrence expects to leave for the service soon. Their father farms a half section of land, and is very shortly going to be up against the tight help situation. Here’s one family more than doing its share in this war effort.
Moss Van Holland Transferred to Air Corps.
Pvt. Moss Van Holland writes that he has recently been transferred to Sheppard Field and that he is now in the Army Air Corps. He had been in the Infantry until Tuesday, December 12.
He says that so far he likes it pretty well there, but doesn’t think he’ll be at Sheppard Field for more than two months.
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Clellinn Vander Hamm of the U.S. Navy stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, Chicago, spent the Christmas holiday with his wife and family here.
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TARZ IN CHARGE OF PRISONERS IN PORTSMOUTH
Art Bergsma sent this letter December 21 from Portsmouth, Virginia:
Again I must ask a favor of you by changing my address, but do believe this should be good for a number of months. It so happens that in Washington I was offered shore duty here for a number of months and decided to give it a trial. One of the requirements was that the fire men sent here must have recently completed at least eighteen months of sea duty. Therefore, five of us gunner’s mates left Washington and reported here December 8.
Upon being assigned duty here, I was appointed brig warden. We handle prisoners from all ships in for repairs plus those stationed here. At present we do not have too many. I imagine they are good in hopes of a bit of leave during the holidays.
My work is the same as any assistant warden in civilian life, consisting of some paper work but in general supervisory. I think I shall like it very much. Of course we have guards who take care of the prisoners and work them.
Portsmouth is a city trying to accommodate four to six times as many people as the city was originally designed for. Finding an apartment for Bernice and myself proved to be harder to get here than in Washington. However, we found a place and are comfortably settled now. One thing very noticeably in many homes is the lack of furnaces or even a basement.
Also at this time through you I’d like to express my thanks to the Ladies Auxiliary and the Commercial Club for the useful Christmas gift I received. You may be certain that I appreciated it very much.
Thanking you if you’ll change our address as we’d hate to do without the hometown news. Our new address is: Arthur Bergsma G. M., I-C 729 N. Armstrong St., Portsmouth, Virginia.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. ~~Tarzan.
WATERTOWN MAN TAKES PINK’S X-RAY PICTURES.
This week the Bee received a picture postcard of children skating on the ice and Zalig Kersfeest (Holy Christmas—in Dutch) from Pvt. Henry Ver Meulen in a hospital in Holland. He had X-rays taken recently of his injured shoulder but the results are not known yet. He wrote home that a man from Watertown, S.D. took the X-ray pictures. On the postcard he says:
A few lines wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Hope all of you are in the best of health. Not too warm here but there are times am plenty warm anyway. Take it easy, Your friend, Pink.
PRESENCE OF MIND SAVES TWO LIVES.
Last Friday, the quick thinking of a husband and father saved two members of his family from being fatally burned.
While Mrs. Nick Cleveringa was cleaning some clothes with gas, spontaneous combustion because of static electricity caused an explosion. She was badly burned about the face and arm and her son’s arm was severely burned. Had it not been for the quick action of Mr. Cleveringa who put out the blaze, the two would have been injured much more seriously.
[transcribed by L.Z., Jun 2021]