A SALUTE TO UTAH’S VETERANS AND MILITARY
ALSO: Ghost Army is Secret No More Salina Camp: Massacre at Midnight 300th MI: Playing the ‘Varsity Team’
COVER PRICE $5
AUGUST 2019
SPECIAL EDITION FOR SUBSCRIBERS OF DESERET NEWS AND THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
Remembering the One Honoring Our Heroes 365 Days a Year
Attention
Veterans
Our staff of trained professionals stand ready to assist you in many ways, such as: • Outreach Activities - Help with VA Pension, and Aid & Attendance - Service Connected Disability Claims • Job Fairs - Getting you employed, skills workshops, etc. • etc. • • The Homeless Veterans Stand-Down - Providing food, shelter, and clothing The Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs is here to serve you. We operate: • The Utah Veterans Cemetery and Memorial Park • Four Veterans Homes from Ogden to St. George • The State Approving Agency for Veterans Education Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs 550 Foothill Drive, Suite 150 Salt Lake City, Utah 84113 Phone: 801-326-2372 Email: veterans@utah.gov www.veterans.utah.gov
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14 Contents Utah History Day Program
Ghost Army is Secret No More
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pages 6-13
WWII POWs: Death at Salina Camp
Massacre at Midnight pages 14-21
300th Military Intelligence
‘Playing the Varsity Team’ pages 22-27
DEPARTMENTS The Briefing: Vet Centers — 40 Years of Services / 4-5 Service and Sacrifice: Honor 365 / 4-5 WWII Talks: Stanley Nance : It was Deceiving / 10 WWII Talks: Earl Jacklin: It was Critical / 20 R&R: OHVing — Down and Dirty / 28-29
on the cover :
Honor365 recognized 12 local veterans at the 2019 Real Salt Lake Independence Day game.
photo courtesy honor 365
WWW.UTAHVALOR.COM UTAH MEDIA GROUP / 4770 South 5600 West, West Valley City UT 84118 / utahmediagroup.com To subscribe: 801-204-6100 / To advertise: 801-204-6300 PROJECT TEAM / Brent Low, Publisher / Megan Donio, Publications Manager / Michelle Bridges, Project Editor / Utah Media Group Creative VALOR: A Salute to Utah’s Veterans and Military is a publication of Utah Media Group and distributed in partnership with Deseret News and The Salt Lake Tribune. Copyright © august 2019. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any format without consent of Utah Media Group. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication and assume no liability for errors, inaccuracies or omissions.
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The Briefing U ta h h a s a n e n ga g i n g m i l i ta r y c o m m u n i t y w i t h d e e p r oo t s a n d b ra n ch e s t h a t r e a ch f a r a n d w i d e. O u r m y r i a d o f s to r i e s a r e tol d i n o u r s ch ool s , l i b ra r i e s , m u s e u m s , a c t iv i t i e s a n d h o m e s . E ve r y n o w a n d t h e n VA LO R c o m e s a c r o s s i n te r e s t i n g “ b i t s a n d p i e c e s ” t h a t w e w a n t to s h a r e w i t h o u r r e a d e r s .
Vet Centers: 40 years of service
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orth Ogden City is now home to the Maj. Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation. The Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Center was dedicated to honor the memory and sacrifice of the city’s former mayor and Utah National Guard soldier, Maj. Taylor. Taylor was deployed to Afghanistan for his fourth tour when he was killed in action on Nov. 3, 2018. He was the first Utah mayor to take a leave of absence to deploy while still in office. “No soldier ever wants to have their name added to a wall, on a plaque, or in a building because they’re paying the ultimate sacrifice,” said Taylor’s widow, Jennie, addressing those gathered for the dedication ceremony. “But, every one of them that puts on the U.S. Army uniform is willing to make that exact sacrifice.” The dedication ceremony came as Vet Centers around Utah, and the country, celebrated 40 years of serving veterans. Congress established Vet Centers in October 1979 after realizing that many Vietnam veterans were still experiencing readjustment problems. While initially opened specifically for Vietnam veterans, the centers now serve veterans of any combat zone, military sexual trauma survivors, and active duty service members, including members of national guard and reserve components. Vet Centers are community-based counseling centers that provide a wide range of social and psychological services. Readjustment counseling is offered to ensure veterans make a successful transition from military to civilian life, or after a traumatic event experienced during service. Vet Center staff are often veterans themselves, with experiences similar to those of the veterans coming to the facility. Additionally, Vet Center services are also provided to the veteran’s family when they help in the readjustment of those who have served. Maj. Taylor’s widow summed up the mission of the Vet Center succinctly during her dedication speech, “This outstation is a place for people to get the help they need and especially a place for them to help each other — those who have faced the horrors of war and difficulties of daily life to help each other.” Utah is home to three Vet Centers, one Outstation and two mobile Vet Centers (MVCs). MVCs head to cities and towns
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ADDITIONAL VET CENTERS IN THE UTAH AREA Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation 2357 N 400 E, North Ogden, UT 84414 | 801-737-9737 Pocatello Vet Center 1800 Garrett Way Suite 47, Pocatello, ID 83201 | 208-232-0316 Provo Vet Center 360 S. State Street, Bldg C Suite 103, Orem, UT 84058 801-377-1117 St. George Vet Center 1664 South Dixie Drive, Suite C-102, St. George, UT 84770 435-673-4494 Salt Lake City Vet Center 22 West Fireclay Avenue (4295 S Main Street), Murray, UT 84107 801-266-1499 Fort Logan National Cemetery 4400 W Kenyon Ave, Denver, CO 80236 | 303-761-0117 Salt Lake City Regional Benefit Office 550 Foothill Drive, PO Box 581900, Salt Lake City, UT 84158 1-800-827-1000
throughout the state and have community access points located at partnering locations. To find the Vet Center closest to you head to va.gov/find-locations and search for Vet Centers. If you are veteran wondering if you are eligible for Vet Center services, call the Salt Lake City Vet Center at 801-266-1499 or visit vetcenter.va.gov. —BY JEREMY LAIRD, VA GEORGE E. WAHLEN MEDICAL CENTER august
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09/11 UTAH STATE FAIR PATRIOTS DAY A big thank you to all those who selflessly serve. All military, veterans, law enforcement and emergency services personnel can attend FREE with required proper identification. Many organizations provide information and assistance in understanding programs and benefits. Utah State Fairpark, 155 N. 1000 West, SLC, 10 a.m., veterans.utah.gov/events-calendar
( left to right ) Students Adrian Sanchez and Jocelyn Martinez manipulate the controls of a C-130 aircraft at the Hill Aerospace Museum during a LEGACY program at Hill Air Force Base. photo u . s . air force / todd cromar
HILL FIELD’S LEGACY YOUTH PROGRAM BUILDS INTEREST IN STEM CAREERS HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah – An Air Force program designed to attract, inspire and develop the next generation of our nation’s scientific and technical workforce is underway at Hill Air Force Base. The Leadership Experience Growing Apprenticeships Committed to Youth, or LEGACY, program is an Air Force program aimed at building interest in science, technology, engineering and math through summer craftsman camps and paid summer apprenticeships while showing how STEM applies to the world around us.
09/14 UTAH NATIONAL GUARD GOVERNOR’S DAY Spectators welcome as Gov. Gary Herbert reviews nearly 7,000 troops in a pass-and-review parade. Other events: 19-volley cannon salute, music, classic car show and military equipment displays. Military Ball, 6-11 p.m., $10 donation. Camp Williams, 17800 S. Redwood Rd., Bluffdale, 10 a.m. Saturday. ut.ng.mil
10/12 FORT DOUGLAS CEMETERY TOUR
Kerry Reed, Hill AFB’s LEGACY program site lead, explained the objective of the program, and this new and innovative approach to foster and maintain youth interest in STEM. “The primary goal of the program is to create a STEM pipeline by taking children and young adults ages 11-22 through the LEGACY program. The program exposes them at a young age to STEM subjects using fun and interesting hands-on experiments and projects, with combined interactive education and field trips,” Reed said. “The children see and experience how STEM principles are making a difference in their daily lives.”
Re-enactors in costume tell real-life stories of some of the cemtery’s more interesting citizens who now reside in the captivating and intriquing place. All ages. Free. Fort Douglas Post Cemetery, 431 S. Chipeta Way, SLC, 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. fortdouglas.org/events
The Air Force LEGACY program was started at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and has been in existence for three years. The program is intended to address future predictions of possible personnel shortfalls in STEM-related career fields throughout the Air Force.
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What makes LEGACY new and different is the program provides a pathway, year after year, for students to continue to learn and develop an interest, talent and career in a STEM field,” Reed said. For more information, visit wpafbstem.com. —BY TODD CROMAR, 75TH AIR BASE WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS
VA SLC FOOD PANTRY OPEN MORE DAYS The VA Salt Lake City Food Pantry recently expanded days of operation. The pantry was originally just open from noon to 4 p.m. on Thursdays, but it is now also open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays. “We wanted to make it more convenient for veterans,” said Emily Aikins, LCSW, VA Salt Lake Food Pantry Coordinator. Doubling the days the food pantry is open could not have happened without the help of Marine Corps veteran Rex Randall and VA Voluntary Services. Randall and Aikins said they help anywhere from 10-50 veterans every time the Pantry doors open. Since the pantry opened in early 2017, they estimate they have helped several thousand veterans “go from barely surviving to surviving.” Veterans enrolled in the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System who have inconsistent access to adequate food are invited to use the food pantry. For more information or to donate, call Aikins at 801-582-1565 ext. 5627. —VA GEORGE E. WAHLEN MEDICAL CENTER august
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VETERANS DAY ACTIVITIES This day is the anniversary of the signing of the armistice which ended the World War I. Many communities, academic institutions and military organizations honor U.S. veterans and victims of all wars. Find an event or activity near you at veterans.utah.gov/events-calendar
12/14 WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA DAY Wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and more than 1,400 locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad. Sponsor a veterans’ wreath or volunteer to lay wreaths at a cemetery. To find one near you, visit wreathsacrossamerica.org FOLLOW US at facebook.com/ utahvalormag or online at utahvalor.com va l o r : a s a l u t e t o u ta h ’ s v e t e r a n s a n d m i l i ta r y
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SACRIFICE & SERVICE
HONOR365 CELEBRATING THE LIVES OF SERVICE MEMBERS EVERY DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR by Sarah Ryther Francom fo r va lo r m aga z i n e
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reating a world without suicide. It sounds like a lofty goal, and it probably is. But for Dr. Ninzel Rasmuson, it’s a goal worth fighting for — and it’s one that she’s working toward 365 days a year. Rasmuson is the founder of Honor365, a nonprofit that aims to serve and support veterans, first responders and their families every single day, ultimately hoping to end the suicides that take too many of their lives. Founded in 2017, Honor365 strives to accomplish this goal by focusing employment, education, healthcare and housing issues. These four areas are the nonprofit’s pillars, and are key to its mission. “When all of these areas are being addressed well, it sets up the individual for success in their life,” says Rasmuson. “For example, if a veteran does not know where to begin to navigate the healthcare system, it ultimately may impact their health overall. In this case, Honor365 assists individuals by providing the resources specific to their concerns. If needed, referrals are made to other organizations that best support their needs.” Connecting veterans and first responders to these vital services is just one way Honor365 works to improve the lives of the country’s service members. The nonprofit also strives to build deep relationships with veterans and first responders, offering them guidance with issues like mental health and resiliency. It’s an all-encompassing program that works to ensure service members are healthy from the inside out. Key to this mission is the nonprofit’s five programs: Remembering the One: This program aims is to gather
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stories from veterans and first responders, celebrating their service and sacrifices, and ensuring that they are always remembered. Ten4 Responding: Following the mantra, from darkness light prevails, this program’s goal is to ensure all service members have access to the best mental health services possible. To raise funds, the nonprofit hosts benefit events, with proceeds going to mental wellness and resiliency programs within local communities. Ten4 Responding Serves: This program encourages communities to work together to serve those in need, following Honor365’s four key pillars: education, employment, healthcare and housing. Robin’s Tool Bin: This program provides tools, materials and manpower to veterans, first responders and single parents for home repair and improvement. Gold Star Kids: Honor365 works with Snowball Express and the Gary Sinise Foundation to provide an unforgettable experience for service-member children who have lost a parent. Each December, the children are sent off to enjoy a fun-filled vacation. Honor365 participates in the send-off and homecoming celebrations before and after the event. To further honor service members, and to support its mission, Honor365 hosts several cause-driven events that celebrate the many accomplishments of local veterans and first responders. august
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(TOP) REAL SALT LAKE STADIUM, Sandy. During half time of the Real Salt Lake Independence Day game, Honor365 honored 12 local veterans for their military service and continued support for veterans. (INSET) Honor365 staff include Leslie Zimmerman, Melissa Sullivan and Dr. Ninzel Rasmuson. photos courtesy honor 365
Rasmuson says one of her favorite events is the nonprofit’s inaugural Ten4 Responding Gala, which has raised substantial funds for mental wellness. “Our partnerships with the National Center for Veterans Studies, University of Utah and The Partridge Group made it possible for several veterans and first responders to receive outpatient therapy services,” she says. Though a relatively young organization, the nonprofit has already had a lasting impact on local communities. For example, with the help of organizations like Tabitha’s Way and American Red Cross Armed Forces Division, Honor365 was able to donate 120,000 pounds in tactical gear, medical supplies and clothing to veterans and first responders in many rural areas throughout Utah. The nonprofit was also able to honor 49 veterans for the first-ever female Utah Honor Flight in Washington D.C. as part of the Remembering the One program. And last July, Honor365 joined with local politicians to honor 12 veterans during the Real Salt Lake Independence Day soccer game. As she looks forward, healing communities is exactly what Rasmuson hopes to achieve on her way to accomplishing her ultimate goal — ending suicides. And though she has a long way to go, the nonprofit is already changing lives. Since its founding two years ago, Honor365 has honored more than 730 veterans. To learn more about the organization, to learn more about events or to see how you can help, visit honor365.org. Sarah Ryther Francom is a freelance writer, focusing on Utah’s business and technology industries. She is the former editor-in-chief of Utah Business Magazine. august
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09/07-12 18TH ANNUAL HEALING FIELD Each year since the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, a massive display of U.S. flags have flown in honor of the nearly 3,000 victims killed that day. Colonial Flag Foundation has selected Honor365 for the event’s benefiting charity. Sandy City Hall and Promenade, 10000 Centennial Pkwy, Sandy. Enjoy a free concert with Charley Jenkins, 6 p.m. on Sept. 7. Program honoring the fallen at 7 p.m. on Sept. 11. healingfield.org/
09/27 HONORING LOCAL HEROES Remember the One program and concert featuring Charley Jenkins, country musician, to raise funds and awareness for mental wellness benefiting veterans and first responders in local community. Cost, 5 p.m., Cottonwood Park, cross streets of Academy and Central Street, Colorado City, Arizona. honor365.org
11/02 TEN4 RESPONDING GALA Honor365 hosts the annual fundraising event with speakers, silent auction, dinner, awards and entertainment. Cost varies. 5-10 p.m., Grand America, Salt Lake City. honor365.org va l o r : a s a l u t e t o u ta h ’ s v e t e r a n s a n d m i l i ta r y
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Madeline Christianson with her great grandfather, Stanley Nance, in the office of Rep. Ben McAdams being recogonized for the efforts to bring attention to the “Ghost Army” of World War II — Madeline for winning the WWII History Prize in Washington, D.C., at National History Day 2019, and Nance for being part of the topsecret unit. Nance is one of the last known surviving members of the unit. McAdams read the Ghost Army’s efforts into the Congressional Record. photo courtesy christianson family
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GHOST ARMY: A SECRET NO MORE T R I U M P H, T R AG E DY A N D A B R I D G E AC RO S S T H E G E N E R AT I O N S by Hank McIntire fo r va lo r m aga z i n e
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he two paused breathlessly for the next words to be spoken. The course of their lives could hinge on what came next. For him, it signaled a leap into the unknown. For her, it could mean victory for herself and for a little-told story. •••
He saw the two-and-a-half-ton truck roll unexpectedly into his Army training camp in California’s Mojave Desert. Sensing that this was more than a social call, he moved nervously to reach the vehicle first. “Are you Nance?” the uniformed driver asked. “Yes,” replied the handsome and muscular young soldier, puzzled. His first name, Stanley, had been used rarely in the months since he was drafted into the U.S. Army in late 1942. His country had been at war for more than a year. “Then get your equipment and come with me,” the man urged. “I have orders to take you to Pasadena by 0900 tomorrow morning.” Moments later, he and the driver jumped into the deuceand-a-half — how it is known to soldiers then and now — and sped to the greener confines of the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California in order for Nance to report on time. august
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••• Half a continent away, she waited in the Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland. The arena was filled with high schoolers, teachers and parents. The announcer was about to declare a winner. The contestant had been here once before but had come away empty-handed. But not on this day, she thought. In a moment she recalled the hundreds of hours of work — the research, the interviews, the trip to Europe and the agonizing over just the right words to tell the story of someone she admired and loved — and the book on a coffee table that gave her the idea in the first place. “Madeline Christianson.” Hearing those words snapped her back to the present. That’s my name! And the tall, brown-eyed 15-year-old flew down the aisle and up the stage steps — throwing in a victory twirl for good measure — to claim her prize medal amid the thunderous applause of fellow contestants and judges. ••• Not only were Stanley and Madeline in different places — 2,600 miles apart, approximately — but 75 years also separated the two at the moment they heard those life-changing words in the form of their own names. Two things had brought them CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 va l o r : a s a l u t e t o u ta h ’ s v e t e r a n s a n d m i l i ta r y
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I WAS THERE. IT WAS DECEIVING. MY MILITARY SERVICE WAS ONE BIG SECRET.
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thought the Japanese were crazy for bombing Pearl Harbor. I knew the United States was the strongest nation in the world, and any nation that taunted us would be very, very sorry. I was working and newly married, so I thought little of going to war. Helen and I never imagined we’d be separated. I was 24 years old when drafted in October 1942.
sitting on top. The first thing they taught me was how to rev up the motor to get the specific power to transmit. I would take a regular lead pencil, go out and check the distance between my antenna and the arc. If it was between three-and-a-half to four inches, the generator was producing the right power at 750 watts. I knew my SCR-399 and could operate it very, very quickly.
I processed through Fort Douglas and went to Camp Polk, Louisiana, for basic training with the 42nd Armored Regiment of the 11th Armored Division. The first thing we were assigned was to run the mile obstacle course. I came in ahead of everybody — exactly seven minutes. The captain told me I’d broken the course record. Within a month, I made corporal. The general of the 11th Armored Division sent a letter to my wife congratulating me — I still have that letter.
From Tennessee our signing off place was Camp Kilmer, New York. We were put on a boat and took two weeks to cross to England. When we arrived in Bristol, dockworkers saw all these men out on deck and with either sergeant or corporal insignias on our arm. One guy shouted out, “Who’s driving the boat?” One of ours returned, “The privates.” We had a lot of fun joshing.
The Army sent me to radio school in Fort Knox, Kentucky, and I loved it there. At the end of nine weeks, I went to pick up my materials from my desk. I remember being alone in the study room when an instructor came and said, “Nance, you’ve graduated with the highest honor.” I was a 399 high-speed operator of Morse code. My score was 766 — receiving, composing and sending a message — which is around 65 words a minute.
STANLEY NANCE U.S. ARMY RADIO OPERATOR
Now most people relay Morse code using a tap-tap-tap technique — up and down, up and down, with their whole arm. I found that if I rotated my wrist sideways and strummed I could send messages much quicker. I adapted my technique from playing the ukulele while as a missionary in Tahiti before being drafted.
I was assigned to the half-track in my unit. We went on maneuvers in Mojave Desert in California. After a busy night of training, my unit was resting in the thickets. Suddenly, a Jeep rushed into the compound throwing gravel around. A guy leaned out and hollered, “You have a person here by the name of Nance?” “He’s in the half-track,” someone shouted back. He told me he had to have me in Pasadena by nineo’clock the next morning. We made it. Standing just inside the front door of a large room filled with a dozen desks and people in uniform, a man some distance away motioned me forward and handed me a white envelope. “Here’s your ticket to Tennessee.” I went solo all the way back to Camp Forrest. After being picked up at the train depot, I told my ride I needed to call my wife and tell her I had changed locations. He said the Army would take care of that. WWII TALKS
In the barracks about 100 men were seated in a large assembly room. I remember one officer making this statement: “If there’s anyone here that can’t keep a secret, there’s the door.” I knew something was up. They explained we were now part of a secret outfit and would remain in it for the duration of the war. Not an hour went by before someone would remind us that what we were doing was top secret. We weren’t to talk amongst ourselves about anything we saw going around us; we were to keep quiet. So we did. I was assigned a powerful one-half-ton truck covered with a canvas top. It was usually used as a weapons carrier for the battalion. In the back it had a desk across the front with a 399-radio set and a key
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In England, I came upon a straw mattress and threw it in the back of my truck and it stayed with me throughout the war. I slept in the truck all the time — it was my home in the war. My truck was a solo truck, rarely with other vehicles. I was a solo operator assigned to various places mainly to observe enemy positions and maneuvers. I drove all over France, Germany, Belgium and Holland. We were trained to mimic the particular unit we were impersonating. I would sit in the “real” vehicle, watch the radio operator and practice until I could take over his transmission. When I was set, I would key in the operation of my radio so I had the right tower. Normally, after dark the 5th Armored Division would move out and the engineering group would move in with the “dummies.” They would take out their bales of rubber, inflate them with the generators, and place them in the same areas as the tanks (and artillery) had been previously. We could be all set up to look exactly like the unit we were replacing in an hour-and-a-half. From the sky the next morning, German surveillance would look down and see everything in place. Everything was fake except for my radio. My transmissions from my group to headquarters to other units of the Ghost Army coordinated with every division in that particular operation. We weren’t allowed to have cameras so there are few pictures of me. While in Seton, Holland, my company commander, Czinsky, took this photo of me by my truck but I never saw or heard anything about it until after the war. We were in an area where we were relaxing for a couple of days and the men started talking about their wives. I happened to say my wife was the most beautiful of any. I got a lot of flack so each of us placed a picture of our girl on the desk — there were about a dozen. We asked several officers to come and judge them and my wife took it all the way. Czinsky was very knowledgeable of my wife because I talked about her all the time. When he gave me the picture, he said, “Nance, I took this picture to send to your wife because I didn’t think you were going home.” I couldn’t tell my wife anything. I sent letters home and was astounded when she would write back and say a razor had been taken to them and things were cut out. But we had a code. For example, one of them was that my elder sister’s husband’s father owned the Dutch Holland Bakery in Salt Lake. So any time I wanted to tell Helen I was in Holland, I would say, “I’m now standing in the doorway of Hanson’s Bakery.” And she would know all was well. —BY DAVID CORDERO FOR VALOR august
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(ABOVE) Stanley Nance kept the “secrets” of the “ghost army” for nearly 75 years. Nance was the unit’s “high speed radio operator” and worked from a truck equipped with a customized radio capable of transmitting halfway around the world. (BELOW) Nance explains that since the unit had to imitate actual units in the field, each member carried a sewing kit and multiple insigna, both stitched and painted, that had to be changed out often. Members were not suppose to keep written records of their operations, but many found a way — Nance wrote his down in a German language field handbook. photos courtesy christianson family
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together. One was simply genetics: Stanley was Madeline’s greatgrandfather. The other was that she had learned he was a member of the Ghost Army, and Madeline had selected that unit, officially known as the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, as the topic of her entry for National History Day 2019 in the World War II History (senior) category.
CIVILIAN TO SOLDIER On December 7, 1941, Nance and his bride, Helen, lived in Salt Lake City. He worked for the Utah and Idaho School Supply Company filling orders and boxing textbooks to send to schools. The attack that took place on that infamous Sunday morning quickly mobilized America’s might and will. Many citizens knew immediately that they would be connected in some way to the war effort. Nance, on the other hand, believed otherwise. “After Pearl Harbor I had no feeling that I would be involved,” he said. “I thought the Japanese were crazy to bomb us. I was newly married, and it was possible that I wouldn’t even go.” That possibility shrank rapidly as millions of troops were needed. Nance was drafted into the Army in October 1942 to serve in the 11th Armored Division. He left Salt Lake City for Camp Polk, Louisiana, for basic training. Nance’s superiors saw promise in him early on as he broke the camp record for the onemile obstacle course, crossing the finish line in just over seven 10
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minutes. Within a month he was made a TEC4 (Technician Fourth Grade), the equivalent of a corporal. His next stop was Fort Knox, Kentucky, for radio-operator school with 315 soldiers in his class. “I spent nine weeks there and loved it,” said Nance. “I learned Morse code and the mechanics of the 766 radio.” One day after training, as Nance recalled with great emotion, he was alone in the classroom when his instructor came in and told him that he had the highest honors in the entire class. After radio school Nance was assigned to a half-track, a vehicle with wheels on the front and tank-like tracks on the back. He trained with his tank unit in Louisiana and Texas before going to the Mojave Desert in California. He and his peers were preparing to join Allied forces in North Africa. It was there in the high desert of California that Nance was picked up by a driver and taken to Pasadena. The next morning Nance reported as ordered. An officer handed him an envelope and said, “Here’s your ticket to Tennessee.” “What’s this all about?” asked Nance. “Don’t you know?” said the officer. “I don’t.” Days later the mystery was solved to some degree when Nance and a hundred other men gathered at Camp Forrest, Tennessee, for an orientation. august
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The Ghost Army, officially the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, an elite force whose specialty was tactical deception, was a matter of military secrecy until its declassification in 1996. (ABOVE) A Ghost Army trooper paints an inflatable rubber tank modeled on an M-4 Sherman, parked next to the dummy tank. (RIGHT) To complete the experience, the unit also used sonic deception, helped by engineers from Bell Labs. The team recorded sounds of various units onto a series of sound-effects records, each up to 30 minutes long. The sounds were recorded on state-of-the-art equipment, and then played back with powerful amplifiers and speakers that could be heard 15 miles away. (TOP LEFT) This aerial view shows the attention to detail was critical. Inflatable dummy tanks and trucks set up near the Rhine River in Germany. Bulldozers were used to make tank tracks leading up to where the 93-pound inflatable dummies stood. Real artillery shells were tossed around fake guns. (FAR LEFT) Even “dummies” were created to impersonate soldiers in the field. (LEFT) Soldiers lift up an inflatable rubber dummy tank in England. photos courtesy christianson family / the ghost army legacy project
The leader’s first words to the men got Nance’s attention. “If there is anyone here who can’t keep a secret, there’s the door.” No one moved.
A SECRET ARMY “I found that I was part of a newly formed secret army,” said Nance. He became one of 1,100 members of the 23rd Army Headquarters Special Troops. The mission of this one-of-a-kind unit was to impersonate other U.S. military units in Luxembourg, Germany, France and other European countries to make the enemy believe that numbers of Allied forces were larger and more dispersed than they actually were. The idea of such a force was not new. Combatants had used trickery against enemies for centuries. The term Trojan horse harks back to battle of Troy, where enemy Greeks hid soldiers inside a large, wooden horse to attack once the horse had been brought into the city. “All warfare is based on deception,” wrote Sun Tzu, a Chinese general and military strategist, more than 2,500 years ago. “When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near” (“The Art of War”). For example, Col. William Washington, a cousin to George, used a pine log to pass for a cannon — nicknamed Quaker guns, in reference to the pacifist sect — to secure the surrender of Loyalist troops without firing a shot during the Revolutionary august
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War (history.com). And in late 1942 British forces used dummy tanks and fake radio transmissions in Operation Bertram to trick Rommel and his German forces in Egypt into believing that an Allied attack would come later and in a different location than when and where it actually occurred (historyofwar.org). According to Nance, actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., a U.S. Naval Reserve officer, suggested to the War Department the idea of an American unit dedicated to deception. Secretary of War Henry Stimson stood up the unit in a short amount of time, handpicking each member of the unit, “including me,” said Nance. “There was no time to train people up,” Nance explained. “He had to steal the people he needed. Stimson saw that I was a highspeed radio operator. It even says ‘high-speed’ in my record.” “High-speed” not only meant that Nance was good at his job, but he was also the fastest Morse code operator, due to a novel technique that he developed himself. Other operators kept their forearms flat on the table and used an up-and-down-tapping motion to plink out their messages. However, Nance rotated his forearm 90 degrees to the right and used his wrist in a sideways strumming motion that he adapted from playing the ukulele during his missionary days in Tahiti before the war. While Nance’s unit would roll in with its trucks carrying 90-pound bundles that contained inflatable vehicles, along with compressors, sound speakers and pyrotechnics, his role was to va l o r : a s a l u t e t o u ta h ’ s v e t e r a n s a n d m i l i ta r y
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work with the radio operator of the combat unit. He observed each of his counterpart’s movements and then mimicked exactly how he sent messages and used the exact same protocols so that the enemy could not tell the difference. From start to finish, the 23rd could replace an existing unit in about 90 minutes, including uniform insignias and vehicle markings, said Nance. The 23rd got its nickname, the Ghost Army, not from its members or Allied troops, but from German soldiers in their postwar descriptions of scenarios where American units were in one place in the morning and in another in the afternoon, appearing and disappearing like ghosts. Many have since suggested that the unit was responsible for minimizing casualties because the enemy often opted not to attack, fearing that Allied forces outnumbered them. “And that was the whole point of the Ghost Army,” said Nance. “If just one of my radio messages changed the tide of battle to where one mother or one new bride was spared from putting a gold star in their front window, that was what the 23rd was all about.”
‘I CAUGHT THE BUG’ It was Rick Beyer’s, “The Ghost Army of World War II,” the best-known book that tells the story of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, that first got the attention of then-eighth-grader Madeline Christianson. “I was at my great-grandpa’s 100th birthday party, and Rick’s book was on the coffee table,” Madeline recalled. “And I caught the bug.” Nance had said little to his family over the years about his time in the Army. He and his fellow soldiers had been told repeatedly not to keep diaries or tell anyone about the mission of the 23rd. In 1972 his 14-year-old daughter Janae asked, “Dad, what did you do in the war?” Nance proceeded to give her a detailed description of what he and his unit actually did, including, “I blew up tanks.” She paused, wide-eyed, and said, “Dad, you didn’t really do that.”
During nationals, Utah students toured the U.S. Capitol and met with representatives of the Utah delegation. Madeline talked to them about the Ghost Army and asked them to co-sponsor a bill for the Ghost Army to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor so these men can finally get the recognition they’ve certainly earned. umg photo / michelle bridges
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“It was too out of hand to believe,” admitted Nance. “So I didn’t say any more about it. After that I just told people I was a high-speed radio operator. Not even my wife ever knew what I really did.” When Madeline started asking questions, however, Nance willingly opened up. The Army had declassified much of its information on the 23rd in 1996, more than 50 years after the war, and veterans of the unit began to share their experiences. As a ninth-grader at Lakeridge Junior High in Orem, Madeline made the Ghost Army her topic for the National History Day competition. For NHD, students begin at the local level, and winners move on to state, regional and national contests. As a seventh-grader Madeline made it all the way to the top in College Park, with her choice of topic of the Daughters of Liberty, a group of women in Colonial America who banded together to protest British taxation. She didn’t place but was back the next year with a new topic, Prohibition. Madeline topped out at the state level and was hungry to make it all the way in 2019. Madeline credits her history and English teachers, James Romrell and Blake Longmore, with mentoring, coaching and inspiring her from seventh grade on. But it would take more than inspiration to make it back to nationals with the intense requirements for each entry. According to Madeline, this “giant” history project could be anything related to the year’s theme, Triumph and Tragedy. The requirements included 10 primary and 10 secondary sources. Also required was a 30-page annotated bibliography, which is a listing of sources with a summation and description of each source. Said Michelle Christianson, Madeline’s mother and proofreader, “She was doing college-level work.” Besides the book work she completed for her study, Madeline toured Ghost Army “battle” sites in five countries in Europe with her mother. On the trip Madeline became quite close to the only Ghost Army vet on the tour, Bernie Bluestein, of Chicago, whom she calls “Grandpa Bernie.” And with Rick Beyer’s help she also connected with eight of the remaining 15 veterans of the 1,100-member Ghost Army via Skype or telephone. Contestants for NHD were also required to create a display to summarize their project in a maximum of 500 words. Up till three days before the cross-country drive from Utah to Maryland, “it was all sticky notes and index cards,” said Madeline. In 72 hours, with guidance from mentor Steve Olsen, managing director and senior curator with the LDS Church History Department in Salt Lake City, Madeline rewrote and reworked her entire display, which included text, photographs and maps to describe the Ghost Army’s history and mission. And to highlight the trademark tactics of the 23rd, she printed some of the captions in a special ink that only appeared under black light, controlled by a switch on the phone-booth-like display. august
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Madeline and Mom Michelle toured Ghost Army “battle” sites in five countries in Europe. And grandpa Nance tagged-along in spirit and photo. At the site of Operation Elephant in France, the first operation the Ghost Army participated in, Madeline recalled a story told by Arthur Shilstone, one of the veterans she visited: Two Frenchmen were walking by and saw four Ghost Army men carrying a “tank” across the road. Seeing their wide eyes, he remarked “The Americans are very strong.” photo courtesy christianson family
CONNECTING PAST AND PRESENT On the drive home after taking top honors in the World War II History category at NHD, Madeline and Mom visited in person with six of the eight Ghost Army veterans she had interviewed for her project. “These veterans were big role models for me,” Madeline said. “They were humble about it, but yet proud of what they have done. I sent them thank-you notes.” Mom, Michelle, observed Madeline every step of the way on this project and gained a greater respect for her grandfatherin-law, other members of the Ghost Army, and her daughter. “These soldiers considered themselves a traveling road show: actors, props, staging — so full of character,” she said. “There was a comedic aspect to all of this. It was a bunch of American guys fighting Germans with pointy sticks. And Madeline is teaching these stories to the next generation. She is seeing different viewpoints, and she is more grateful.” After all this, Madeline sees her nation and her future much differently too. “In Europe I saw people who were so grateful for America,” she reflected. “They fly American flags next to their own. I’ve become more proud of our country.” She is now considering history as a career and an internship with the Ghost Army Legacy Project. She has new tools to use in pursuing her education, ideally, at Harvard. “I’m a lot more college-prepared, and I’ve acquired the grit you need to do well.” Madeline is excited for the new Ghost Army exhibit that will open at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans in 2020, as well as the planned movie about her great-grandfather’s unit, starring and directed by Ben Affleck. She is also pushing for formal recognition that members of the Ghost Army have august
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yet to receive. Among her allies is Ben McAdams, member of Congress from Utah’s Fourth District, who entered the story of the Ghost Army in the Congressional Record. “[This is] a story of skill, courage and triumph, unique in the annals of history,” said McAdams when he met Nance and Madeline in person at his West Jordan office in July 2019. Like Madeline, Nance has his own sacred memory of an expression of gratitude. One day in France, he was invited into a house for a drink with a farmer and his wife. Nance mused that his Tahitian French came in handy that day. He was offered wine but asked for milk. While the wife poured, the husband stepped briefly into another room, returned, and pressed a small object into Nance’s hand. It was the farmer’s World War I medal. The man gave him a bear hug and kissed him on both cheeks. “This is for liberating the French nation,” the farmer said. Nance choked up as he recalled the exchange. “That medal meant more to me than any decoration I received,” he said. When asked what his great-granddaughter’s project has meant to him, Nance looked at Madeline across the room, his eyes moist. “I don’t have the words for that. I’m amazed that anyone in my family would get into it so deeply. She has a talent.” As for Madeline, her debt to her great-grandfather and his peers has only been repaid in part. “None of these men knew the whole picture; being able to tell it to them was half the fun,” she said. “They are personal to me now,” she said. “It’s my calling to let people know about the Ghost Army.” Hank McIntire served 26 years from 1988 to 2014 with the Utah Army National Guard and U.S. Army in both Military Intelligence and Public Affairs. He is a freelance writer and communication consultant. va l o r : a s a l u t e t o u ta h ’ s v e t e r a n s a n d m i l i ta r y
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UTAH HISTORY DAY LETS STUDENTS DISCOVER THE POWER OF HISTORY IN THE PRESENT Utah History Day gives students the tools to learn history by “doing history,” bringing it to life for youth from 4th through 12th grades. For the 2019-2020 school year, students will research topics that relate to the theme “Breaking Barriers in History.” Topics can range from military and political history to science, technology, social, cultural, intellectual history or the arts, and can focus on Utah, American, European or World history. “Each year, we see a staggering range of projects, from the Manhattan Project to Thalidomide, from China’s Cultural Revolution to the Civil Rights Movement,” said Wendy Rex-Atzet says, state coordinator for UHD. After choosing a topic that matters to them, students conduct extensive historical research using libraries and archives, finding documents, images and artifacts from the past. They then present their research creatively during spring competitions. “The projects students create amaze me each and every year. I have seen a myriad of topics catered to each kids’ interest. Also, living in a rural area doesn’t detract from the student’s eagerness to track down a difficult source. I have witnessed students interview astronauts, contact museum curators and college professors, and search through hours of microfilm,” said Chris Sweeney, history teacher at Carbon High School in Price. “Watching their faces light up after finally locating a long sought after book is truly a wonderful treat!” Students with a passion for technology can create a website or a documentary film. Those who love art often create exhibits. Young performers can showcase their work through original performances, and writers can create a research paper. Through this process, young people not only discover the relevance of history to their own lives, they also build vital skills in research, critical thinking, civic literacy, and creative presentation. “I count myself lucky to have been on both sides of National History Day. Thirty years ago, I completed a UHD project that started my journey into becoming the history lover I am today,” said Sweeny. “Now as teacher myself, I definitely understand the value that UHD program brings to my classroom. History comes to life as students no longer depend on me to force feed them a lecture with an accompanying textbook. They find a topic that interests them and that captivates their minds and drives them to never stop searching for more knowledge.”
UTAH HISTORY DAY AT THE MUSEUM 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019 Fort Douglas Military Museum, 32 Potter St., SLC, UT 84113 Come visit and learn more about Utah History Day and the military history research you can do at museums and archives. This is a FREE family-friendly event. This year was an especially successful year for Utah’s National History Day team — with two military history projects winning Outstanding Junior Project at History Day Nationals and one project winning the WWII History Prize in Washington, D.C. We want to feature these students’ hard work and provide interested students with information about Utah History Day and how they can do military history research at museums and archives in general.
Rex-Atzet adds, “I absolutely love this program and the way it empowers students to take ownership of their learning and discover the power of history in the present!”
Projects from 2018-19 school year that will be featured are:
Utah History Day is free and open to students statewide. While most students do these projects under a teacher or school program, independent students are welcome. Visit our website to find helpful resources and locate the program nearest you: history. utah.gov/utah-history-day. For more information please contact utahhistoryday@gmail.com.
“Gallipoli: Triumph and Tragedy” by Jack Bulf, Aidan Mulligan, St. John the Baptist Middle School (Draper)
—BY MICHELLE BRIDGES FOR VALOR
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IF YOU GO:
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EXHIBITS: ”The Ghost Army” by Madeline Christianson, Lakeridge Junior High (Orem)
DOCUMENTARY: “Fritz Haber: Feeding the World and Warfare” by Jacob Simmons, Brighton High School (Sandy) WEBSITES: “Somme: The Triumph Hidden Within the Tragedy” by Daniel Jin, Dinyu Wang, Lava Ridge Intermediate School (St. George) august
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(ABOVE) 1940s. World War II German prisoners of war in the yard at Salina Camp in Sevier County, Utah. photo utah state historical society
(RIGHT) SALINA, Utah. May 2019. In front of the CCC & POW Salina Camp Museum are long-time Salina residents, Dee Olsen (center ), and his daughter, Tami Beach (center ), and Courtney Ewles. A statue of a CCC youth and that’s listed with the National CCC Legacy Group as No. 70 in the United States. umg photo / loren webb (BELOW LEFT) SALINA, Utah. July 8, 1945. Six Germans, among 20 injured in a burst of machine gun fire into a war prisoner camp, rest in hospital waiting room. Eight Germans were killed. (BELOW RIGHT) FORT DOUGLAS, Utah. July 12, 1945. German war prisoners carry the casket of a comrade at burial services for eight prisoners killed by a U.S. soldier with a machine gun at a prisoner camp. photos fort douglas military museum collection
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SALINA CAMP: MASSACRE AT MIDNIGHT A M E R I CA N S O L D I E R G U N S D OW N W W I I G E R M A N P OWs I N A S M A L L TOW N by Loren Webb fo r va lo r m aga z i n e
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oward the end of the late shift at Mom’s Café, waitress Margery Dot Torgenson was serving a noisy room of miners and farmers. One of the prison guards from the Salina POW Branch Camp No. 4 stopped in for a meal before he was to start working the graveyard hours. He told his waitress and others “there was going to be some excitement at the camp tonight.” It was July 7, 1945. Just after midnight on July 8, Rex Torgenson, Margery Dot’s younger brother, their mother, Choleen, and younger twin sisters, Arva and Marva, who lived just 600 feet from the prisoners of war camp, were awakened by loud noises coming from the camp. “They sounded like bursts of machine gun fire,” said Rex Torgenson, who was a scrappy 14 years old at the time. A few minutes later, Rex’s Uncle, Sharp Rasmussen, walked across the street from his home to the Torgenson house. He was carrying a rifle. While waiting inside the house for news, the Rasmussen and Torgenson families tried to make sense of what they had all heard. “We still did not know what was happening, so my uncle stayed with us in our house with his rifle clutched in his hands. His son, who was home on leave from World War II, stayed in their home guarding their family,” Torgenson said. “We were nervous about it because we didn’t know what had happened.” august
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Soon the Torgenson’s saw a person slowly drive a truck up and down the street, yelling into a loud speaker, “Everything is under control; everything is fine.” “Later, Uncle Sharp went up to the camp to see what had happened and if there was anything he could do,” Rex said. While the Torgensons were waiting, they noticed several people from the camp milling about on the lawn at their grandparents’ house, located next door — the only house between the Torgenson property and the POW camp at the end of the dirt road on the east side of town. Curious, Rex, his sisters and their mother walked over to where they saw several bodies lay out on the lawn. Rex remembers hearing many crying, hollering out in pain. “They were hurt bad,” he said, noting that about 30 guards from the camp had gathered while they waited to have the bodies transported to the local hospital. The Torgenson family lingered for about five minutes before they were shooed away and told to go back home, again hearing, “Everything is under control.” “Uncle Sharp later came back and told us that a guard went berserk up there and shot the prisoners,” Rex said. “It was impossible to sleep that night because we still didn’t know exactly what had happened.” va l o r : a s a l u t e t o u ta h ’ s v e t e r a n s a n d m i l i ta r y
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1942-46. World War II Itailan and German prisoners of war housed in Utah worked mostly in the argiculture and non-essential defense industries. photos courtesy fort douglas military museum collection and utah state historical society
WWII POW CAMPS IN UTAH
WORK, ACTIVITES FILLED PRISONERS’ TIME
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he United States had been at war with Germany for over two years before the first of more than 8,000 prisoners of war set foot in Utah. Between January 1944 and June 1946, POWs were transferred into and out of the state as 12 different locations were used at various times to accommodate them. Utah POW camps were located on military installations adjacent to the state’s most populated area along the Wasatch Front: Bushnell Hospital, south of Brigham City (3); the Ogden Defense Depot (4); Clearfield Naval Supply Depot (5); Hill Field near Layton (6); Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City (7) Camp Warner at Tooele (8); Dugway in the west desert (9) and Deseret located in Rush Valley, south of Tooele (10). Four temporary agricultural camps were established Logan (1), Tremonton (2), Orem (11) and Salina (12). The Topaz Camp in Delta (13) only interned jJapanese Americans, however, many volunteered for similar work assignments and crossed paths with POWs. Several army administration policies helped set decision making that affected all prisoners of war in America including fair treatment; a no-work, no-eat discipline; use of a number of guards; use of prisoner labor in a variety of ways that didn’t conflict with the civilian workforce; and location of POW camps where prisoner labor was needed. These objectives were to make captivity a winning situation for both the U.S. and the individual prisoners. But nothing could erase the fact that they were confined prisoners and ultimately subject to the will of their captors. Living conditions were better than most prisoners had found as soldiers and even better than some had known as civilians. The hours and days were occupied by work and free-time activities. POW labor became a highly prized opportunity for Utah’s sugar beet farmers and fruit growers because military service and high-paying jobs in war industries had drastically reduced the number of available agricultural workers. Other prisoners were employed at military installations where they worked in warehouses, repair shops and offices. Ogden Defense Depot was the largest and longest operating POW camp in Utah, and served as a base for other camps throughout the state. One advantage for those assigned to the military installations was free-time activities that included sports, hobbies, music and theatrical groups, libraries, classes and movies. Although free-time activities were not as diverse for prisoners engaged in farm work, they did have
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a greater opportunity to see and experience America and Americans up close as they worked the fields and orchards and met the farmers and their families, who were both curious about and appreciative of the POWs. Despite official policy to the contrary, friendships developed and a few romances blossomed between Americans and the POWs. Work and other activities filled the prisoner’s time, but home filled their thoughts. It was difficult for many to live with the fears that their homes were destroyed and loved ones killed by Allied bombings and the Russian occupation of their villages and cities. At war’s end, nearly half of the 371,000 prisoners in the U.S. were sent to work camps in Europe where another two years would pass before they made it home. Despite minor shortcomings, the treatment of POWs in America was commendable, and in the long run, advantageous in the dividends that came through the positive feelings about the United States that former prisoners carried back to Europe where they began to restructure their lives and joined millions in rebuilding their homeland. —COMPILED FROM “SPLINTERS OF A NATION” BY ALLAN KENT POWELL august
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The Torgensons weren’t the only ones who saw the bodies laid out on the lawn. Salina resident Courtney Ewles was one of several youths who were sleeping outside on that fateful night. He remembers the shooting seemed to last three to four minutes, while the chaotic aftermath stretched throughout the night. “The next morning, we rode down to the hospital to see the bodies,” said Ewles, who was 8 years old at the time. “Ambulances from Ft. Douglas and Camp Kearns came to pick up the injured and remove the dead.” He noted that just two months later the camp was torn down. “But, for several weeks, the shooting was the center of conversation.” The next morning, they would learn that just after midnight, an American soldier, Private Clarence V. Bertucci, climbed up the guard tower, loaded the .30-caliber M1917 Browning machine gun and opened fire on the tents of the sleeping Germans. “He hit 30 of the 43 tents,” Ewles said. Before he could reload, Bertucci was subdued and taken into custody.
THE DEMISE OF A SHOOTER “I can’t understand why that guy done it,” Rex. Torgenson later wrote about the incident, stating Bertucci killed nine persons and injured 20 persons. Six were killed immediately, two died at the Salina Hospital and one died several days later after being taken to Salt Lake City for severe medical attention. (In Allan Kent Powell’s book, “Splinters of a Nation; German Prisoners of War in Utah” it states 19 were wounded). The dead were buried in the Fort Douglas cemetery. In his book, Powell writes, “Bertucci confessed that he had committed the act because he did not like Germans and had been tempted on several occasions to open fire on the prisoners.” At Bushnell General Hospital in Brigham City, Utah, Bertucci was found to be insane by a board of examiners. From Bushnell, Bertucci was transferred to Mason General Hospital in New York. From there, Mike Rose, author of the book, “Salina Utah Massacre,” said it is believed Bertucci was sent to a government facility in Arkansas, then sent to a Veterans Administration Hospital in Gulfport, Mississippi, then transferred to another VA facility in his hometown of New Orleans. Sometime in 1965, the government determined that Bertucci was no threat to society and he was released and became a free man. He died Dec. 2, 1969.
CYCLE OF THE CAMP During the Depression years, the Civilian Conservation Corps had established a camp on the eastern edge of Salina to house the men who worked in the local fields. With the outbreak of World War II, the CCC camp closed as the men went off to fight. In 1942, six barracks were moved to the Japanese American internment camp of Topaz near present-day Delta, Utah, said Ewles. august
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According to utahhumanities.com, at its height, some 426,000 Italian and German prisoners of war were housed in the United States during WWII. Of that number, 195 Italian and nearly 1,340 German POWs would pass through the Salina Camp. Ewles said the prisoners were brought to Salina to work in sugar beets and carrot harvest. The Italian prisoners were kept in Salina for about a year. When Italy surrendered in September 1943, the Italian POWs were removed from the camp. German prisoners were then brought in. The four strands of barbwire originally used for the Italian prisoners were raised to a height of about 12 feet, and three gun towers were installed. Following the massacre of the German POWs by the American prison guard, the Salina shooting became national and international news. However, it was soon lost to history under bigger news stories of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan and the end of World War II. “After the shooting, the German POWs left Salina,” Torgenson wrote of his memories. “Our men were still at war so Mexican laborers were brought in to work the fields. They spoke broken English and were paid. In 1945, when our men came home from war, Mexican laborers the area.” Torgenson wrote eventually the camp was taken down and made into rodeo grounds. Two or three of the original buildings were left and were used by the city for storage.
RAISING A PIECE OF HISTORY Nearly 70 years later, long-time Salina resident, Dee Olsen, and his daughter, Tami Beach, took an interest in the old barracks that once housed Civilian Conservation Corps workers during the Depression and later POWs during World War II. Olsen was a teenager during the POW shooting, and though he wasn’t in CC & POW SALINA CAMP town that awful night, he Camp Salina and POW Museum, remembers the gossip that 598 East Main Street, Salina, Utah. circulated around town. He Hours are Tuesday through Friday, felt that the “true” story 4 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. needed to be told. The duo Group tours can also be made set out to do just that.
IF YOU GO:
by calling 435-529-7304 or by
appointment. After meeting with Follow us on facebook.com/ Mayor Dustin Deaton CCCPOWCAMPUT/ to discuss the possibility of restoring the three buildings, the Salina City Council asked Olsen to take the lead on the project. Olsen remembers the buildings were a mess. For instance, the roofs leaked, and the ceilings and walls were totally destroyed. For many years, the city had used the buildings for storage and the buildings had not been structurally maintained. Over time, they became extremely dilapidated. Eventually, city crews helped clean up the site, the buildings were moved to the opposite side of the va l o r : a s a l u t e t o u ta h ’ s v e t e r a n s a n d m i l i ta r y
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I WAS THERE. IT WAS CRITICAL. ‘OUR DUGOUTS WERE THE SIZE OF A GRAVE.’
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hen I got out of high school in the middle of the Depression, I went to work for a local hardware store in Salt Lake before being drafted in 1942. I was inducted through Fort Douglas, and for basic, headed to Camp Callan, California. I could type rather well so they had me lined up to be a battery clerk. One day they asked if anyone was interested in learning radio mechanics. I thought it would be better than punching a typewriter so I volunteered. I spent four months in radio school learning basic electronics, then headed to Florida to train as a radar technician. Afterward, I was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas, where my gun battery spent months training in the desert. I reported for duty one Sunday and was told I was being transferred to the 216th Gun Battalion. We had orders to ship out in the morning — I felt like was being I shanghaied.
EARL JACKLIN U.S. ARMY RADAR REPAIRMAN
North Africa was a new experience for us all. Wherever you turned there were a dozen Arab children begging for chocolate, cigarettes, coffee or whatever you would give them. Another memorable thing was those “delectable army C-rations.” They came in three varieties: corned beef hash, meat and beans, and beef stew. At first they weren’t too bad, but after a couple weeks you could hardly look at one.
Each gun battery was equipped with an SCR-268 radar, four 90mm guns and quad-50 caliber machine guns. When traveling, the radar compacted inside a large truck. When setup, the truck housed the power supply and the separate antenna unit extended into a 40-foot span. Later, we upgraded to the R584 and put it into action in the field. We’d have an engineering outfit come in and bury the whole thing up to the roof level for protection. WWII TALKS
After a couple of months, our outfit went to Italy where we dug in on the Anzio beachhead. We were living, literally, in holes in the ground. Our dugouts that we were living in were just about the size of a grave. So many times, I came upon crossroads that were theoretically mined, but my faith was strong that I’d make it through the war without being hurt. One day a German bomb came through
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the roof of our operations dugout. Three men were in it and I had the privilege of picking up the pieces and deciding which body bag to put it in. Once I had to check the radar equipment, so I went and stood under a tree waiting for a Jeep to pick me up. It was about four miles out to the gun battery and when I got out there, the guard asked us who had been killed over at headquarters. I said I had just left there and no one had been killed. He had heard differently over the radio. When I got back to HQ , I discovered what had happened. Those holes we were living in would get damp. A couple of soldiers had taken their blankets and spread them out over the limbs of that tree I’d been standing under. A shell had come in and killed them. Another time, two officers and myself were out inspecting a radar unit that we had loaned to a British outfit. We had to check in with both our own guys as well as British headquarters. We turned left at the intersection and went to HQ first. We got up there and learned three German strafing planes had shot up the road we would have been on if we had gone right to see our outfit. An entire convoy was wiped out. When we broke out of the Anzio Beachhead, they put us on a ship and sent us to southern France just after the Normandy invasion. We moved fast through France and Germany. The 216th transferred where we were needed. Most of the time, we were protecting front lines. Through the last couple of weeks of the war, we were just a small group holding our radar position. We had a whole company of German infantry come by wanting us to take them prisoner because they couldn’t get food. So, we just had to tell them, “Well, the POW camp is down the road. Keep going.” In May 1945, we turned in our guns, trucks, radars and other equipment. Our battalion was transferred to New Ulm where we took over a German POW camp. We had 19 barbed-wire compounds full of prisoners and our job was to process the German soldiers and send them home. The regular German soldiers hated the SS troops the same as everybody else did. The SS would try to sneak into regular German uniforms, and pass through our camp but the other soldiers would give them away. I was in charge of rationing all supplies. I took over one of the big tank garages as my rations warehouse. When the Army would capture august
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street, exterior and interior walls were replaced, and structures were shored up. Olsen and Beach have been successful in getting businesses and townspeople to donate various materials and funds for the restoration effort. Donations from a local lumber company made a full-size replica of a guard tower possible. In front is a statue of a CCC youth and is listed with the National CCC Legacy Group as No. 70 in the United States. All donations, both material and monetary, were raised by Olsen and Beach and presented to the Salina City Council, who oversees the site. No tax dollars were used to fund this project. Many townspeople who watched the camp’s structural rebirth started to donate artifacts, including a jewelry box crafted by a German prisoner, the original army stove from a family in Aurora and a carved wooden honor roll with names from all Sevier County men who served in WWII. Beach says one rare find was an original prisoner’s uniform shirt with the “P” and “W” painted on it. (LEFT) Earl Jacklin was a radar repairman. He first trained on the SCR-268 radar that when traveling was all compacted into a truck and when set up the truck housed the genertor and the free-standing radar antenna had a 40-foot span. (ABOVE) As the war progressed, the R584 a self-contained radar was put into action on the battlefield. photos courtesy jacklin family
German camps, they would confiscate all of the food and ship it to us. I was rationing out primarily German food, supplemented by American food. You would load them on a truck and send them out to the individual camps. Since I was a radar technician, I was in a critical position. I had never gotten leave to go home during my whole four years. I was preparing to head to the Pacific when the critical MOS list was cancelled and I was released to go home. When we came into New York Harbor and saw the Statue of Liberty, I was thrilled. We must have been one of the earliest ships to arrive because they gave us the full treatment. Fireboats out in the harbor with their sirens and water guns going, there was ticker tape coming out of the buildings, and all of the girls lined up on the dock waving at us. When I got home, I found my old girlfriend was married. My sister said, “Why don’t you call Enid.” I remembered her being a shy girl in high school, but she had really blossomed. I decided on our first date that she was the one for me. I signed up for the Utah National Guard and spent a couple of years at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, during the Korean War. It took me nine years to complete five years of education at the U where I ended up an electronic engineer. My whole 30year career was doing top-secret defense projects in southern California. We were married for 64 years and had seven children. —BY MICHELLE BRIDGES FOR VALOR
Jacklin witnessed the 1944 eruption of Mount Vesuvius. He watched a vendor encase a lira coin into molten lava which he added to his wartime souvenirs. photos courtesy jacklin family august
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The Camp Salina and POW Museum was opened on Nov. 11, 2017. “It is laid out to be a self-guided tour,” said Ewles. Building No. 1 details the story of the CCC boys. A huge stove in the center of the cabin hasn’t been moved since it was first installed — and surely it warmed many young men enlisting in the CCC after receiving their work orders for the day. Building No. 2 highlights the POW Camp. A painstakingly accurate diorama with miniature barracks and tents, designed and constructed by Norm Rollingson of St. George, defines the camp’s layout and functionality. Once again, Building No. 3 serves as the motor pool and machine shop. It is filled with tools and automobile parts and is centered on a one-and-a-half-ton military cargo truck displaying both a soldier and POW (mannequins) inside the truck and a restored 1945 Willy’s Jeep — used during the town’s Fourth of July parade.
COMING FULL CIRCLE Olsen, Ewles and Torgenson were all young boys when the Salina Massacre happened. They vividly remember the events of that night, often recalling the sights, sounds and smells in detail. They grew up listening to the stories — good and bad — about what occurred on one of the town’s “darkest and ugliest” nights. Each was strongly impacted by those events and still feels them today. “Every one of those POWs that were killed or wounded had a family somewhere,” Torgenson said. “Each of them should be remembered, not forgotten.” Olsen believes they’ve been successful in sharing their town’s story. A native of St. George, Loren R. Webb has been a reporter in community journalism and a teacher of history and English in southern Utah and Nevada. He is an avid historian and spends his summers volunteering at Camp Floyd & Stagecoach Inn State Park in Fairfield.
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(ABOVE) EARLY 1990s. Lt. Col. Brian Tarbet, commander of the 142nd MI Battalion, visits troops in the field at Camp Williams. (LEFT AND BELOW RIGHT) MARCH 2019. Utah Army National Guard soldiers SGT Amber Guel ( front ), of the 141st Military Intelligence Battalion, and SFC Brian Andelin, of Headquarters Company, take part in a joint group of U.S. service member teams from the Army, Air Force and Navy listen, decipher and translate in-field audio during the Operational Skills Test portion of the 2019 Polyglot Games as part of the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade’s 30th Annual Language Conference. photos by luke sohl (BELOW LEFT) LATE 1960s. Linguists from the 142nd MI Company listen to foreign-language tapes during a weekend drill. photos courtesy utah national guard
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PLAYING THE ‘VARSITY TEAM’ T H E U TA H N AT I O N A L G UA R D’S 3 0 0 T H M I L I TA RY I N T E L L I G E N C E B R I GA D E by Hank McIntire fo r va lo r m aga z i n e
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arn $10.32 an hour working part time to practice your foreign language skills. Call Gary at 555-1234.” In early 1988, as a Spanish speaker, newlywed and expectant father looking to augment his $6-an-hour income as a convenience store clerk, that classified ad in the Daily Herald sounded promising to this writer. A phone call to Gary, who turned out to be a recruiter for the Utah National Guard’s 141st Military Intelligence (MI), led to an invitation to meet in person with Sgt. 1st Class Gary Snyder. Stepping into the armory at 500 North and 200 West in Provo, the inquirer and his wife were immediately greeted by two things: a Kiwi-black-shoe-polish-mixed-with-Pine-Sol aroma and the armory’s mascot, a German shorthaired pointer named Helmet. After introductions and pleasantries, Snyder regaled the visitors with the benefits of being a soldier, and particularly the perks of being a Military Intelligence soldier who spoke a foreign language. One perk that was comforting to the three-months-along wife was the promise that he wouldn’t be on the front lines; rather, if he were called up, he would be in the rear, working with enemy prisoners of war. That logic, coupled with deep introspection and the expected timing of the blessed event accelerated the decisionmaking process for the two, and the new recruit headed off for five months of training — Basic at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, home of the U.S. Army’s Intelligence Center and School. august
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He returned home one day before the baby was born — as a 97 Echo (a 35 Mike today), a trained interrogator of enemy prisoners of war. Interrogators were taught to work within the guidelines of the Geneva Convention and did not — and still do not — use extreme methods of motivation, in contrast to what is portrayed in movies and in legend. In the soldier’s absence, the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade had been created, which initially consisted of the 141st and 142nd Military Intelligence Battalions. The new MI soldier joined his peers at drills on one Saturday and Sunday each month. Some practiced interrogations, while others honed their skills as 97 Bravo counterintelligence agents (known as 35 Lima today), whose job was to detect and counteract intelligence activities of enemy forces. Given the technology of the time, much of the work involved pen and paper and face-to-face communication. Beyond the weekends, two-week Annual Training periods in the summertime allowed many MI soldiers to refresh their linguistic skills by traveling overseas to where their target language was spoken and interfacing with foreign military members and units. On drill weekends the newcomer observed the demeanor and performance of those in his company and battalion. His noncommissioned leaders and supervising officers were college graduates, several had master’s or doctoral degrees, and many were successful educators, professionals and businesspeople in their civilian occupations. It wasn’t until he began his overseas training experiences in Panama that he began to see a difference va l o r : a s a l u t e t o u ta h ’ s v e t e r a n s a n d m i l i ta r y
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between the conduct of his Utah peers in the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade and those from other states, or in the active Army.
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE 300TH In the late 1950s, the Department of the Army noted the significant lack of skilled linguists available to the U.S. military services during the World War II and Korean conflicts. A potential solution to that problem was a one-of-a-kind resource in Utah, where hundreds of young men resided after acquiring a second language through their service as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some of these individuals had enlisted in the military, but there had been no organized effort to harness their language skills. On February 12, 1960, the 142nd Military Intelligence Linguist Company of the Utah Army National Guard was founded and based at Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City. The first commander of the 142nd was Lt. Col. Walter C. Blakemore. The unit quickly grew to nearly 100 members, who were fluent in German, French, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Russian, Arabic, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean or Chinese. About 90% of unit members had acquired their foreign language skills as missionaries. According to a June 27, 1964, article in the Deseret News’ Church News, in those early days native speakers who were also accredited language instructors from Brigham Young University conducted evaluations of unit members to determine their level of proficiency. The linguist unit was reorganized as the 142nd Military Intelligence Battalion in 1980 and later was divided into two battalions (the 141st and 142nd) in 1988, thus creating the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade. For the first three decades of its existence, the 142nd Linguist Company and its descendants trained under a Cold War-era scenario in which the Soviet Union was considered the greatest threat. 24
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Members of the original 142nd Company were honored in February 2010 at a 50th anniversary celebration at Utah Guard headquarters in Draper, Utah. At the ceremony Maj. Gen. Brian Tarbet, then-adjutant general and former commander of the 142nd Military Intelligence Battalion and 300th Military Intelligence Brigade, praised these men for their work. “How great a debt we all owe you,” said Tarbet on that occasion. “To you on whose shoulders we stand, what a remarkable thing you built here. Know this: what you did was good.” “In the early era of the 142nd, our emphasis was on training, setting the base, getting organized and getting recruited,” added retired Col. Richard Roberts, another former commander of the battalion, in his 2010 remarks as he outlined the challenges of the early days. “Those were the problems we faced.”
AN ABRUPT TRANSITION FROM THE OLD TO THE NEW Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 helped speed up the transition away from a Communist-threat focus for the U.S. military in general, as did the collapse of the Soviet Union, which followed shortly thereafter. Linguists from the 300th were deployed to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq in 1990-1991 for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and beginning in the mid 1990s, Military Intelligence soldiers from Utah helped forge the State Partnership Program with Belarus, and later Morocco. Cementing the shift from a conventional-warfare model to combating a counterinsurgency threat worldwide were the events of Sept. 11, 2001. The rubble at Ground Zero in was still smoldering when Arabic linguists from the 300th were dispatched to New York City to help translate and analyze documents connected with the coordinated attacks of 9/11. With the Gulf War and September 11 still clearly visible in the rearview mirror, no longer could MI recruiters in good august
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(FAR LEFT) UTAH. 1991. Soldiers return home from Operation Desert Storm. (LEFT) IRAQ . 2004. Soldiers of the 300th MI Brigade work with the local populace. (RIGHT) NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana. 2005. Members of the 300th MI Brigade support relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina. (FAR RIGHT) SALT LAKE CITY, Utah. March 2016. A soldier from the 300th MI Brigade returns home from a 10-month deployment to U.S. CENTCOM where the mission was to provide critical Arabic language support. photos courtesy of the utah national guard
conscience tell applicants they could avoid the thick of the fight. The soldier mentioned at the top of this article narrowly missed the Kuwait–Iraq call-up in 1990, simply because he had been involuntarily transferred from the 141st to the 142nd to staff the newly created Delta Company. All of his peers in the Spanish section of Charlie Company of the 141st were deployed to the Gulf, not for their language skills, but because of their expertise in gathering and processing information from the enemy on the battlefield.
understanding of the region with his linguistic skills and intelligence training. After growing up in the Middle East with both Muslim and Christian friends, he battled an inner conflict in returning to his roots.
The 300th grew — in personnel, facilities and equipment — to meet the almost insatiable need across the Army for Military Intelligence assets. A new readiness center to replace the old Provo armory was completed in 2000 on the west campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, and upgrades were made in other locations for signals-intelligence capabilities, a specialty that had been added to the interrogator/counterintelligenceagent mix of the 300th. These voice-intercept operators were trained to gather intelligence from enemy communications and were known as 98 Golf at the time and are now designated as 35 Papa.
Those ironies now serve Col. Green well as current commander of the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade. He leads more than 2,100 linguists in six states, half of which reside in Utah. They collectively speak and are trained in 25plus languages. Aside from the 141st and 142nd Military Intelligence Battalions in Utah, the 300th also has battalions in Washington State (the 341st), California (the 223rd), Florida (the 260th), and companies in Chicago and Boston. Green’s command philosophy brings together his upbringing and his soldiering in a unique way.
Caught in the crossfire of this increased operational tempo for the MI community in the Utah Guard in the early 2000s was then-Maj. Joseph Green, who joined the military in 1993. Green could be called a natural-born fit for service as a Military Intelligence officer. He lived the first 16 years of his life in Yemen and Egypt, where his father was a professor of Middle Eastern history. Green is also fluent in Arabic, and acquired Spanish as a third language while a missionary in the Dominican Republic. Green’s deployments to Iraq in 2003-2004 and Afghanistan in 2008-2009 allowed him to couple his cultural and historical august
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“As a soldier I felt intentionally separated by walls and armor,” he said. “I wanted to shed all those trappings in order to be connected. I worked with local translators directly and made some cultural connections, but it was tough.”
“It makes me sensitive to understanding a problem before changing the framework,” Green reflected. “You have to speak the language and the culture of the problem. I don’t make judgments until I understand it.”
THE 300TH MILITARY INTELLIGENCE BRIGADE TODAY Up-and-comers in the 300th today now stand where Green once did, bringing personal experience and a willingness to learn and lead. Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Millward joined the Utah Guard in 2008 after being in the Army Reserve for seven years as a culinary specialist and motor-transport operator. va l o r : a s a l u t e t o u ta h ’ s v e t e r a n s a n d m i l i ta r y
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“It started with us doing the right things. We had no concept of what to do. We pursued it from both directions — intelligence and language.”
—John Blankenstein, Chief Warrant Officer 4 (Retired) who served with 142nd Linguist Company in the 1960s
After transferring to the Utah Guard he retrained as a 35 Mike, which is now known as a human-intelligence collector, and then he served as instructor for others training in that same specialty. Millward, a French linguist, is the full-time, noncommissioned officer (NCO) in charge of readiness for Orem-based Delta Company, of the 141st. He makes sure that the 70-plus 35 Papas (cryptologic linguists) and 35 Novembers (intelligence analysts) in his unit are trained, ready and physically fit at all times to fulfill their assigned missions. According to Millward, about half of his unit’s members acquired their foreign language on church missions, and most of the others are heritage speakers, meaning they grew up with a language other than English spoken in their homes. Having spent years in the military outside the 300th and the Utah Guard, Millward appreciates what his soldiers bring to the table. “If you are part of the MI, the skills you develop make you sought after by civilian employees or government agencies,” he said. “People want to hire employees who speak other languages. We are pretty decent people and don’t have skeletons in our closets, which makes it easier for us to obtain security clearances.” Like Millward, Capt. Benjamin West, commander of Bravo Company, 142nd Military Intelligence Battalion, got his start 26
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elsewhere. After completing Officer Candidate School as a member of the Utah Guard’s 1457th Engineers, he trained to become the intelligence officer for his battalion. An opening came up for him to trade places with an officer in the 300th, so he jumped at the chance. West is a senior vice president over commercial lending with Zions Bank, and he lauds his employer for how supportive Zions is of his military service. West’s unit is based in Logan, where he leads dozens of 35 Mikes on drill weekends and at exercises such as Panther Strike, a yearly event sponsored by the 300th that brings Utah soldiers together with intelligence units from across the U.S., Europe and Canada for training and knowledge exchanges. He pushes his soldiers to excel and tries hard to make monthly training realistic and meaningful. “I give credit to Bravo Company; everybody works pretty hard up here,” said West. “My soldiers have the ‘it’ factor; they want to train hard and do well. The MI is a different world and brings a different breed of soldier. They always want to know why, so we as leaders have to provide purpose, motivation and direction. Our senior NCOs have built an all-in culture.”
“THE VARSITY TEAM” The operational tempo that took many Utah Military Intelligence soldiers on multiple deployments in 2003-2012 has slowed considerably, but Green says that at any given time august
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CAMP WILLIAMS. Sept. 15, 2018. Col. Joseph Green and his troops from the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade at Governor’s Day. photos courtesy utah national guard
about 10% of his troops are still deploying in teams of 15 to 45 to Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of the world. While the deploying numbers have decreased, the respect shown to the 300th, as a unit and to its individual members, has remained constant. Perhaps the all-in mentality that West described is what gives the 300th its stellar reputation. That is what stood out to this writer more than 30 years ago as a young MI soldier, and those within the brigade and the Utah Guard, both soldiers and leaders, seem to be saying the same thing. “It started with us doing the right things,” said retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 John Blankenstein, who served as first sergeant of the 142nd Linguist Company in the 1960s. “We had no concept of what to do. We pursued it in both directions — intelligence and language.” Tarbet reminded the young crop of MI soldiers gathered at the 142nd’s anniversary celebration in 2010, “You are a lot better than we were; better trained, seasoned and exceptional in every way. This is a very tough business that you are in: deadly, unforgiving and unrelenting. And you do it with a smile. You guys aren’t the ‘B’ Team.”
confidence — from his own lips and from decision-makers at the highest levels of the U.S. military. “I feel like I have some experience out in the world, working with active-duty units, at the Pentagon, and seeing other states’ Guard units,” said Green. “We have the best soldiers out there. They understand culture and language better than anyone else.” When he served a stint in 2014-2016 at the Pentagon with the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Green sat in on meetings where the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade was discussed. “Their words were, ‘The 300th is the varsity team,’” said Green. Perhaps the highest praise comes from the very soldiers who are out there fighting the intelligence fight. “The 300th MI Brigade is an outstanding organization,” said Millward. “Soldiers always rise to whatever the requirements are. And they take it to the next level. I got lucky and I highly recommend it for others who want to push themselves and become better.” Hank McIntire served 26 years from 1988 to 2014 with the Utah Army National Guard and U.S. Army in both Military Intelligence and Public Affairs. He is a free-lance writer and communication consultant.
And today the commander of the 300th echoes that august
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R&R
DOWN AND DIRTY ADVENTURING OUT ON THE TRAILS AT ‘HILLS FOR HEROES’ OHV RIDE fo r va lo r m aga z i n e
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eing up where the air is clear, riding along the ridge back and looking down a chute into the Heber Valley or enjoying the changing scenery of pine and meadow is exhilarating,” said Tracy See, park manager at Wasatch Mountain State Park. “And the colors! Leaf peeping season almost here.”
how the accident happened, how to deal with his paralysis and where to go from here. His doctor sat him down and said, “Look, you can rehab yourself to death or you can become a contributing member of society. Just move.” Hatch chose to focus on life and to keep moving forward.
“Come and ride with us,” says See. “This year we’ll go farther and when it’s cooler.” The route will start at the Soldier Hollow Pavilion in Midway and go to over the mountain to Tibble Fork Reservoir where a catered lunch will be provided. Then travel back through scenic American Fork Canyon, 2ND ANNUAL HILLS FOR with a stop at Cascade HEROES OHV TRAIL RIDE Springs and finish riding Saturday, Oct. 5, 9 a.m. to 4:30 through downtown Midway p.m., Ride leaves at 9:30 a.m. before returning back at the Soldier Hollow Group Use Area starting point.
Hatch credits his adventurous spirit outdoors and his support system of family, friends and fellow riders for helping him find ways to getting outside happen. The LMR Racing team and the Lindsay family are some of his biggest inspiration. “I grew up watching Davey and Kristin’s dad, Steve, and how he got around. He didn’t let his paralysis slow himself down. He found ways to adapt and enjoy life,” said Hatch. “And, his kids keep us going.”
IF YOU GO:
| Wasatch Mountain State Park 1281 Warm Springs Road, Midway 801-891-0844
While on a ride with the Utah ATV Association, Register at hills-for-heroes-ohvRandy Everett realized that ride-2019.eventbrite.com many could not access the For information visit facebook. outdoors due to mobility or com/events/213152849477620 accessibility issues. “That’s what sparked the idea for the ride,’’ said Everett. “We want to encourage veterans and others, disabled or not, to come and experience the thrill of the ride.” “I was 16 when it happened. I was racing motocross and had just signed a contract with the Yamaha support team,” said Brian Hatch, when talking about the accident that changed his life. “Riding motorcycles you expect to crash. It’s just part of the game. Before my injury, I’d experienced many, many crashes. That day, that crash, I happened to land it differently.” While in the hospital, Hatch said he really didn’t fall into a depression or dwell on his life being over. He had questions about 28
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"We grew up a racing family, dad raised us to have no fear and he did it by example. He didn't want is disability to hold him back," said Kristin Vanstaveren. She explains that LMR they encourages those that are disabled, or not, to venture out. "Sideby-sides are taking over. With many machines being street legal now and not being relegated to off-roads, we want people to get out and ride." Davey Lindsay agrees. “The shop can modify machines to meet individual needs. To increase accessibility and safety riders should reinforce the roll cage, install a five-point harness and switch to hand controls. For something more custom, just ask.” “For those individuals who feel that mobility and disabilities that may impede them from participating, we strongly encourage you to come and ride with us,” said Steve Garrick, assistant park manager at Wasatch. “We want to assist you in enjoying adventures you may feel that are not available to you, answer questions and provide a memorable experience.” Organizers will match drivers with riders. For questions or to volunteer call the park 801-8910844. For up-to-date information visit facebook.com/ events/213152849477620. august
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UTAH DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES Utah’s DWR encourages people with disabilities to take advantage of Utah’s natural resources. There are many licensing opportunities specifically tailored to meet the needs of citizens with disabilities. In addition, the DWR and other public and private agencies have developed parks, campgrounds, trail systems, fishing piers, and other programs to enable access to natural resources throughout Utah. A Utah resident who has a service-connected disability of 20% or greater may purchase a discounted hunting, fishing or combination license upon furnishing verification of a service-connected disability. wildlife.utah.gov/disabled-access
CHAIRBOUND SPORTSMAN This nonprofit, volunteer group’s mission is “Making Outdoors Possible.” They provide hunting, fishing and outdoor opportunities for wheelchair-bound individuals and disabled Veterans. Their goal is to offer experiences and accommodate special needs so veterans can do what many of them never thought they could … we will find a way to get them outdoors! chairboundsportsman.org or follow facebook.com/groups/406494499507544/events
AMERICAN HEROES PROJECT Hand in Hand Outdoors’s American Heroes Project has engaged hundreds of disabled veterans in healing and therapeutic outdoor activities such as boating, fishing, fly fishing and camping. We are devoted to serving disabled veterans exclusively. americanheroesproject.org
UTAH ATV ASSOCIATION Founded in 1985, the club purpose is to preserve access to national forests, state parks, and public lands and protect the resources and recreation opportunities. They help those with disabilities find ways to gain access to the great outdoors. The club combines volunteer and constructive activities with our riding events. Learn more at utahatv.com
TRAILS TRAILS is a comprehensive outreach program of the Rehabilitation Center at University of Utah Health for individuals with spinal cord injury or disease. TRAILS is designed to prepare individuals of all ability levels to engage in active living through recreational experiences. These opportunities and resources will help bridge the gap between rehabilitation and returning to the community. healthcare.utah.edu/ rehab/support-services/trails photos courtesy of utah atv association august
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