May 15, 2011
Volunteers’ help needed for Clean Sweep Day By JENNA GANT ThisWeek Community Newspapers Photos by Rebecca Padula/ThisWeek
(From left) Jim “Pee Wee” Martin, of Dayton, Herman “Zerg” Zerger of Woodsfield and Don “Jake” Jakeway of Johnstown sit around the table with Mark Easton of New Albany. The three discussed serving in World War II with Easton, who is sending the men to France next month to observe the anniversary of the invasion of Normandy.
Veterans return to Point du Hoc By MICHAEL J. MAURER ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Last July, when he was 89 years old, James “Pee Wee” Martin celebrated the 65th anniversary of America’s victory in World War II with a reprise of his youth: He made a parachute jump. He wants to do it again this year.
For most of the past 66 years since the war ended, Martin has lived on 50 acres near Dayton, in a house he and his wife built themselves. “I do all the things I used to do, just not as much,” Martin said. “We heat with wood and I split the wood. I have See VETERANS, page A3
James H. “Pee Wee” Martin Service: D-Day Participant, World War II, 101st Airborne Division, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, G Company Role: Jim Martin jumped into France over Utah Beach on D-Day and fought for 33 days in the Normandy campaign. He also fought in Holland in Operation Market Garden and in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. The 101st Airborne Division finished its part of the war by securing Berchtesgaden, Germany. Awards: Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Distinguished Unit Citation
Don Jakeway Service: D-Day Participant, World War II, Original Member of the 82nd Airborne All Americans, 508th Regiment , H Company, Sergeant Role: Don jumped into France outside the area of St. Mere Eglise on D-Day and fought 33 days in the Normandy campaign. He also fought in Holland in Operation Market Garden and in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. Awards: 4 Bronze Stars, 2 Purple Hearts, Knight of the Legion of Honor
Herman Zerger
(From left) World War II veterans Herman “Zerg” Zerger, Jim “Pee Wee” Martin and Don “Jake” Jakeway will visit France for the 67th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy next month.
Service: Marched on Rome on June 4, before D-Day, World War II, 36th Texas, 141st Regiment, I Company, Platoon Sergeant Rifle Company Role: Served on the front line for 300 days in Italy and France. He participated in 7 campaigns Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome, Southern France, Rhineland, Alsace and Central Europe. He was taken prisoner on the banks of the Rhine for 95 days and was a POW in Austria. Awards: Bronze Star, Purple Heart , Knight of the Legion of Honor, Combat Infantry Badge.
When Shirley Neibarger heads to downtown Johnstown next Saturday, she’s not planning to shop. Instead, she and her husband John will don bright yellow shirts and volunteer for Clean Sweep Day, hosted by Downtown Johnstown, Inc. DJI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing and preserving the downtown area of Johnstown. Volunteers for the third annual event will help spruce up the village by cleaning up and doing odd jobs along Main Street and in the town square. “I just love Johnstown and I like it to look nice,” Neibarger said. DJI and village council member Sharon Hendren said more volunteers are needed — and there are plenty of jobs for everybody.
“We don’t turn anybody away,” she said. “We clean up the streets. We clean up a lot of debris everywhere, cigarette butts around the park yard. We do a lot of weeding. We do mulching.” Hendren said residents should bring shovels and gloves and be ready to pitch in and work. “We can’t depend on the street department to do everything,” Hendren said, “They can’t do it all, so we try to help out.” While it’s a lot of hands-on activity and hard work Hendren said, “it’s a good feeling, good camaraderie … a good way to connect.” The Neibargers have lived in and around Johnstown for the past 43 years. “I grew up in New Albany but my heart’s always been in Johnstown,” Neibarger said. See CLEAN, page A3
Northridge Local Schools
Bammerlin chosen for open board seat By MICHAEL J. MAURER
the past year, since the income
ThisWeek Community Newspapers tax renewal first failed.
The Northridge Board of Education interviewed applicants May 9 for the seat vacated by Brent Garee on the board of education, choosing parent and income tax levy campaign leader Jayma Bammerlin for the spot. “Doors open up, and it seemed as if things were pointing me to interview,” Bammerlin said. “After the levy failed, I felt I needed to see what I could do to be involved and make sure the district is the best that it can be for my children. I want to put my experience this past year to good work.” Bammerlin has been increasingly active in the schools for
“When the levy failed last May (2010), I said to myself that I didn’t understand why it was failing and what was happening in our schools and I needed to get more involved,” Bammerlin said. “I started attending board meetings and finance committee meetings.” Soon after, she lost her job after 24 years in marketing. “In June I was laid off, and no one had stepped up to run the levy campaign,” Bammerlin said. “In August I was nominated to be secretary of the finance committee. I started substitute teaching in November, right as the See BAMMERLIN, page A2
Monroe Twp. fire department buys lifesaving equipment By JENNA GANT ThisWeek Community Newspapers When Monroe Township firefighter and paramedic Traci Scott made an emergency run two weeks ago her patient complained of abdominal pain. Even though he had stomach pain, Scott had a hunch and used the department’s cardiac monitor to check out his heart.
She performed an electrocardiogram (EKG) and determined the patient was having a heart attack and with that information Scott was better able to treat her patient and ultimately helped save his life. Fire chief Dudley Wright said cardiac monitors and defibrillators are vital to firefighters and paramedics like Scott. The Monroe Township Fire Department
DIRECTORY
recently bought three new cardiac monitors and defibrillators to help save more lives during their emergency runs, he said. “The majority of our runs are EMS in nature and so this is equipment we will use virtually every day,” Wright said. “It’s just a newer generation of technology.” Wright said the cardiac monitors have several new features compared to the department’s older version including capnog-
raphy technology, which helps diagnose certain respiratory disorders. Other features include constant blood pressure checks and a device to measure carbon monoxide levels in people. “The new cardiac monitors have the ability to measure the carbon monoxide in a patient’s blood stream and so for any carbon monoxide incident,” Wright said, “we’ll now be able to better diagnose that
condition.” The equipment is also 12-Lead instead of 3-Lead. Basically Wright said, it “gives you 12 views of the electrical activity of the heart” instead of three. He said the new defibrillators attached to the monitors also give more effective shocks to the heart and meet the current See EQUIPMENT, page A2
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