US POSTAGE PAID DECORAH, IA PERMIT #6
driftless
POSTAL CUSTOMER
www.driftlessjournal.com | news@driftlessjournal.com | 563-382-4221 | Tuesday, January 9, 2024 | Vol. 6 Issue 2
Unusual find with WWII connections at thrift store The mortar-shell tubes in one of the munitions crates found at the Depot Outlet thrift store in Decorah. (submitted photo) Driftless Multimedia’s Zach Jensen never served in United States armed forces, but thanks his experience as a longtime Iowa newspaperman, he knew what he was looking at didn’t belong in a thrift store. Jensen visited the Depot Outlet in Decorah one day in October, to look for things to help decorate his new desk at the local newspaper office. And, as he was standing in line to pay for his goods, he looked down and noticed something peculiar: A U.S. military munitions crate with original markings. “There were two crates — one in a bit better shape than the other,” Jensen said. “They made me curious, so I decided to look inside the top one, and what I found just about made me call 911.” Jensen found three tubes in each crate — all with markings indicating they were used
to haul something containing a military-grade explosive known as “Composition-B”, which he knew, from past interviews, was used in World War II. Upon further investigation, the local reporter was able to deduce that the tubes were used, specifically, to transport Composition-B mortar shells. According to the 1996 Paul Cooper book, “Explosives Engineering”, Comp-B was used in U.S. military explosives from World War II through the Vietnam War, and it had been used in mortars, grenades, tank shells and more. Comp-B is also named by Tom Hanks’ character in the movie “Saving Private Ryan”. “I hadn’t touched them yet, so I asked the cashier if she knew that these tubes contained highly explosive materials,” Jensen explained. “But, she said they’d all been checked
what you missed in the
Public Opinion
newspaper this week ...January 4 headlines...
John Cline School: Cumulative trauma adds to district’s dilemma NEICAC reports more than $486,000 in assistance provided in one year
Community discussion on county’s proposed property sale to be held Jan. 4 Local program won’t be affected by state’s decision to opt out of federal summer food assistance program
Vikes kick off year with win Meyer, Jansen take fourth at Osage
Subscriptions start at less than $1/week
E-EDITION SUBSCRIPTION to subscribe to the E-edition Scan the QR code or visit: issuu.com/driftlessmultimedia
PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS
to subscribe to the print edition Call 563-382-4221 or visit decorahnewspapers.com or the office at 110 Washington St., Decorah
and were all empty. I still had to check for myself, and sure enough they were empty. But, I asked myself, ‘What would Comp-B mortar shell tubes be doing in the Depot?’ The crates were marked $100 each, so they knew they had something, but did they know what they actually had?” Not wanting the war memorabilia to fall into the wrong hands, Jensen immediately took photos of the crates and tubes and called VFW Post 1977 Treasurer Mark Stockdale and sent him the photos. Stockdale agreed the crates didn’t belong in a thrift store and assured Jensen that he’d try to find them a new home. That new home turned out to be the new Allamakee County Veterans Museum at 40 1st St. SE in Waukon, which opened in 2022. Marsha Rush, who volunteers for the museum, said the
Depot didn’t charge them for the crates or their contents, but the museum made a donation to the Depot for its contribution. “We have them on display now,” said museum volunteer John Bauercamper. “I showed them to some Vietnam veterans, and we put them in the same Vietnam War display with a bunker and a mural of helicopters in the back. We already had a similar wooden crate, virtually identical, that Carl Johnson had purchased a long time ago. He donated most of his Vietnam stuff to us.” Bauercamper said Johnson, formerly the Iowa VFW President, was a decorated Vietnam Veteran from Waukon, who worked for the Decorah Post Office for many years.
WWII
continued on page 2
Over 425 volunteers helped with Holiday Lights throughout the season. Pictured during their shift at the display are volunteers from Mosaic. (submitted)
Holiday Lights raises $150,000 in support of Helping Services programs
The 19th annual Helping Services for Youth & Families’ Holiday Lights event raised over $150,000 in free-will donations and sponsorships to support Helping Services’ programs. The community event – and Helping Services’ most important fundraiser – brought 4,445 cars through Pulpit Rock Campground in Decorah, hosted 3,148 visitors for the opening Walk-Through event and enlisted the help of over 425 volunteers throughout the season. Helping Services recognizes and thanks all volunteers, sponsors and visitors who made Holiday Lights a success. Save the date for the 20th annual Holiday Lights opening Walk-Through Night held Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. Helping Services for Youth & Families is a nonprofit organization with programs that promote healthier and safer families and youth in northeast Iowa. Those interested in supporting Holiday Lights and Helping Services for Youth & Families can contact info@helpingservices.org or 563-387-1720.
Masopust 2024: The Czech Mardi Gras will be Feb. 10 in Calmar The Czech Heritage Partnership is holding its 18th Annual Masopust celebration on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 10, at Pivo Brewery in Calmar. “We are very excited to again hold Masopust, the Czech Mardi Gras,” said Ken Zajicek, President of the Czech Heritage Partnership (CHP). “This Masopust event gives folks a glimpse of Czech culture and an amazing taste of old-world Czech food . . . Pivo’s signature Masopust Czech beers, live and silent auctions, a wild and crazy Czech theater skit, scholarship awards and the awesome chance for conversation with family and renew friendships.” This year’s entertainment features the well-known Malek’s Fishermen Band. Masopust event organizer Audrey Lensing said, “The Malek’s Band is one of the finest polka bands in the Midwest and continues the great tradition of dance music excellence started by Syl Malek in the 1930s.” The Czech village of Varvazov will be highlighted during the event and its descendants recognized. Varvazov is the origin of the Novak, Luzum and Humpal families to be recognized; these families came to northeast Iowa in the mid-1800s. Varvazov is a municipality and village in Písek District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic with about 200 inhabitants. The historic center of the village is well-preserved and is protected by law as a village monument
Pictured at center are the Czech Deputy Counsel General and his wife from Chicago, along with Czech Heritage Partnership President Ken Zajicek (left) and Audrey Lensing, the head of the Masopust event (right) at last year’s Masopust event in Calmar. (submitted photo) zone, according to Wikipedia. A live auction will be held featuring unique Czech objects and local businesses items, along with a silent auction featuring items donated by families. Later the winner of the Pecinovsky Scholarship will be announced, and there will be an opportunity to meet Jakub Uteseny, the Counsel General of the Consulate of the Czech Republic in Chicago. The afternoon entertainment culminates with music and the famous Czech-style supper at 5 p.m. The menu consists of mouth-watering traditional Czech foods: breaded pork cutlets (Smazeny Veprovy Rizky), dill gravy (Koprova Omacka),
tomato-cucumber salad (Rajcato-Okurkovy salat), parsley potatoes (Petrizelove-brambory), dumplings (Knedliky), sauerkraut (Kysele zeli), Czech Sausage (Jitrnice), kolaches and rohlicky (Kolaches & Rohliky), rye bread (Zitny Chleb) and poppyseed cake (Makovy dort). PIVO event center doors open at noon on Saturday, Feb. 10. For tickets and other information, call Audrey Lensing (563380-3015), Ken Zajicek (563379-4100) or Eileen Tlusty (641-229-6049), find “czechmasopust” on Facebook or visit www.northeastiowaczech.com. About the CHP The Czech Heritage Partnership was established in 2003.
The CHP is an active association of people interested in preserving and promoting collective ethnic heritage, history, forms of music and family genealogy. The CHP Family History Center in Protivin preserves social customs, historic properties, old documents, family pictures and books. This focus on cultural heritage enriches lives and the quality of life in this region. “The funds support the operation of the Family History and Documentation Center in Protivin,” Zajicek continued. “And Masopust funds provide for unique cultural events like the classical music concerts at St. Wenceslaus Church in Spillville.”