Honor and

Valor

A publication of the Olean Times Herald

PAGE 2 MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 OLEAN TIMES HERALD

OLEAN TIMES HERALD MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 PAGE3

Some of our veterans

Robert ZelkoWest Clarksville

CorporalU.S. Army

Anthony RossOlean

CaptainU.S. Air Force

Charles SmithOlean

Staff sergeantU.S. Air Corps

David MowattOlean

Pvt. first classU.S. Army

Stephen KrattsCuba

Machinist first mateU.S. Navy

Doug SnyderOlean

SergeantU.S. Army

Jean TaylorCuba

U.S. Coast Guard

Frankln LewisDuke Center

Staff sergeantU.S. Air Force

Donald PotterGreat ValleyAmmunition

handlerU.S. Army

Brett SickAllegany

Gunner’s matesecond class

U.S. Navy

James B. RowePortville

Engineerman second class

U.S. Navy

William EverittOlean

SergeantU.S. Air Force

James StarkAllegany

Equipment operator

second classU.S. Navy

Francis E. MillerOlean

Private first class

U.S. Army

Ferman D.Sweetapple

BradfordWarrant officer

U.S. Army

Tony SanzoOleanPrivate

U.S. Army

PAGE 4 MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 OLEAN TIMES HERALD

Kenneth D. EwingOlean

SergeantU.S. Army

Gary R. SnyderCoudersportSpecialist 5U.S. Army

John EverittPortvilleSergeantU.S. Army

Andrew PockalnyPortville

Machinist mate seond classU.S. Navy

Peter PockalnyPortville

Private first class

U.S. Army

Creighton PockalnyPortville

E-5 petty officer second class

U.S. Navy

Joseph PockalnyPortville

Chief petty officer

U.S. Navy

Stephen PockalnyPortvilleCorporal

U.S. Army

Robert T. Wunsch

SalamancaStaff sergeant

U.S. Army

Joseph M.Kwiatkowski

OleanBoiler

technician U.S. Navy

James ParksPortvilleSergeant

U.S. Marines

Lawrence KlineBradfordCorporal

U.S. Marines

OLEAN TIMES HERALD MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 PAGE5

Stephan GonskaOlean

CorporalU.S. Marines

Rickard E. Torrey

PortvilleU.S. Navy

W. Michael Torrey

PortvilleU.S. Army

Harold ClaytonAllegany

Lance corporalU.S. Marines

John ClaytonAlleganySergeantU.S. Army Airborne

James ClarkOlean

Master sergeantU.S. Army

Gene H.Thurston

OleanStaff sergeant

U.S. Army Air Force

Kevin ThurstonOlean

Maintenance chief

U.S. Marines

E.C. “Bud”FortnerOlean

Technician 4U.S. Army

Gregg EatonOlean

SergeantU.S. Army Infantry

Stanley J. KushWeston’s Mills

LieutenantU.S. Navy

Casey Joseph “CJ” Ash

Staff sergeantU.S. Air Force

Leonard C.Bixby

PortvilleU.S. Navy

Robert C.SchwindlerSergeant

U.S. Marines

Charles E. Strauss

Third class petty officer

U.S. Navy

Anthony RichettiOlean

CorporalU.S. Army

Michael HollyOlean

SergeantU.S. Army

Gerald T.Mitchell

ShinglehouseSergeant first

classU.S. Army

Milford E. IronsPort Allegany

CorporalU.S. Marines

Arthur J. HigbyCuba

Staff sergeantU.S. Army

PAGE 6 MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 OLEAN TIMES HERALD

Maynard W. TimmeOlean

U.S. Army

Carl M. TimmeOlean

CorporalU.S. Air Force

Willard St. ClairOleanChief

electrician mateU.S. Navy

Neil St. ClairOlean

Chief warrant electricianU.S. Navy

John Godfrey Jr.Olean

LieutenantU.S. Army

Douglas J. Tuttle

FillmoreSpecialist 5U.S. Army

George Lucyszyn

OleanSergeantU.S. Army

Ronald W. MillerSpecialist 5U.S. Army

Stephen Lucyszyn

OleanCorporal

U.S. Army Air Force

Andrew Lucyszyn

OleanFireman

first classU.S. Navy

NicholasLucyszyn

OleanU.S. Navy

Wayne MarshLittle Valley

U.S. Marines

Donald Mallery Sr.

OleanCorporal

U.S. Army

Floyd Rogers Jr.Olean

SergeantU.S. Army

William Zuckerman

OleanStaff sergeant

U.S. ArmyAir Force

Stanley Lucyszyn

OleanStaff sergeant

U.S. Army

OLEAN TIMES HERALD MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 PAGE7

Edward ButinskiOlean

Platoon sergeant

U.S. Marines

Maxon M. FrostSergeantU.S. Army

Hollis L. FrostMaster sergeant

U.S. Air Force

Quinten Lee JamesOfficer

U.S. Navy

Donald G. Dickerson

MillportSergeantU.S. Army

John “Jack”B. Donnelly

OleanU.S. Navy

Thomas F.Donnelly

Served during World War I

Pat KayesOlean

CorporalU.S. Marines

PhilBalcerzak

OleanU.S. Army

PhilipBalcerzak

OleanCommand

master chiefU.S. Navy

Richard RandallPortville

Staff sergeantU.S. Army

RonaldE. Berg

AlleganyU.S. Army

Airborne Div.

Russell TitusCarrollton

Private first classU.S. Army

Thomas F.Michienzi Sr.

OleanTechnician 5

U.S. Army

Frank O.Williams Sr.

OleanMachinist mate

first classU.S. Navy

Stephen Balcerzak

OleanAirman

U.S. Navy

Robert BellHinsdaleSergeant

U.S. Air Force

Robert DunnFirst lieutenant

fighter pilotU.S. Army Air Corps

Jeff GriswoldRichburg

Master sergeantU.S. Air Force

Carl F. FrenzLittle Valley

Staff sergeantU.S. Air Force

PAGE 8 MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 OLEAN TIMES HERALD

David J. KraheOlean

SergeantU.S. Army

Kevin L. BattPortville

Infantry drill sergeant

U.S. Army

Hugh PaulAllegany

Sergeant E-5U.S. Marines

Chester J. SwierFighter pilotU.S. ArmyAir Corps

Charles MetteOlean

Staff sergeantU.S. Air Force

Willard J.Hammond

Weston’s MillsU.S. Air Force

Randy J.Lincoln

AngelicaSpecialist 4U.S. Army

Shown from left are Tom McKay, E-4, U.S. Air Force; Pete McKay, E-8, U.S. Air Force; Les McKay, E-3, U.S. Army; and Jerry McKay, E-5 , U.S. Navy. All are from Bolivar.

Thomas F. Donnelly II (left) and Joseph Kwiatkowski (right) were both in the U.S. Navy in World War II. With them is Betty Donnelly.

OLEAN TIMES HERALD MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 PAGE9

By GEORGE NIANIATUSOlean Times Herald

ELDRED, Pa. — Virtually each day a World War II artifact of personal or historic signifi-cance finds it way into the Eldred World War II Museum in Eldred.

The museum has 10 percent of its artifacts on display at any one time from an overall inventory of thousands of items ranging from weapons and personal items to uniforms and vehicles. In fact,

there’s even a submarine telescope display and a replica battlefield..

Called by many as “The Greatest Generation,” the men and women who joined the military in World War II and those who selflessly worked at war-related factories are the primary focus of this unique local museum.

The Eldred World War II Museum puts a beaming light on their historic accomplishments and ultimate sacrifices. The museum at 201 Main St., which opened in 1996 and has undergone

two sizeable expansions to accommodate an ever-growing list of donated artifacts, has experienced continued popularity over the years.

The museum’s displays include authentic World War II artifacts, automated three-dimen-sional scale models and award-winning videos. The artifacts are meticulously cataloged and dis-played for visitors of all ages.

Dedicated to preserving the history of World

A 1944 Willys Jeep is on loan to the Eldred World War II Museum. Steve Applyby, the museum’s executive director, said the museum continually gets donations and artifacts on loan.

n TOP PHOTO ON COVER: Steve Appleby holds a gyro-scope for a World War II sub-marine torpedo which was recently obtained by the Eldred World War II Museum.

Photos by George Nianiatus/Olean Times Herald

More artifacts keep rolling into War Museum

Please see Museum, page 10

War II, the museum commemorates the contributions of Americans and its Allies during the struggles of defending freedom and democracy against the forces of aggression.

This museum looks to “remember a generation that fought for freedom — and won,” said museum director Steve Appleby.

Pointing to thousands of uni-forms, weapons, posters, books and magazines, and World War II-related artifacts, Appleby noted, “Everything is donated.”

In fact, people from around the country — and the globe — continu-ally send donations. This requires the museum to have some of its dis-plays on a rotating basis so every-thing it has can be seen, Appleby said. “You never know what’s going to come in the mail” from artifact donors.

Of the war-related artifacts, “We probably have 10 percent on display at any one time,” he said.

Among the permanent displays are an array of military uniforms, helmets, rifles and machine guns, the Robert A. Anderson Library with 12,000 books and magazines, a command center with an original switchboard, a submarine periscope, a D-Day display, colorful battle maps and more.

The actual weaponry on display is not just from the U.S. military and its Allies. For example, the museum has a Sturmgewehr 44, which is a rifle developed in Nazi Germany during World War II that was the first of its kind and is considered by

many historians to be the earliest modern assault rifle, said Appleby.

Meanwhile, young museum visi-tors can play at Tank Mountain, a scale-model battlefield with remote-controlled tanks, he noted.

Also on display at the museum is a unique photograph of the late Hildegard Strom of Duke Center, Pa., who as a young girl is shown in a picture with Nazi Germany dicta-tor Adolph Hitler at his personal residence in Berchtesgaden, Austria.

A new addition to the museum is the Holocaust Room which is con-tinually gathering more artifacts for display, Appleby said. “We need to show people what really happened there.”

Not long ago, the museum upgrades its submarine display which has a genuine periscope.

The museum was first a dream and then became a reality with help from Tim Roudebush, the museum’s initial board chairman. His father was instrumental in founding the National Munitions Co. in Eldred in 1941 which employed 1,500 workers.

A significant friend and artifact donor was the late U.S. Marine Col. (Ret.) Mitchell Paige, a World War II Medal of Honor recipient who has his medal on display as well as many of his Guadalcanal artifacts. He earned the Medal of Honor, the highest military honor that can be awarded, for his actions at the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands on Oct. 6, 1942.

On that fateful day, after all of the other Marines in his platoon were killed or wounded, he operated four machine guns and single-handedly stopped an entire Japanese regi-

ment.Col. Paige also was awarded the

Purple Heart and the Presidential Unit Citation for his actions and

bravery.“People just don’t know what

these soldiers went through and what they endured,” Appleby said.

PAGE 10 MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 OLEAN TIMES HERALD

Continued from page 9

Women’s substantial contributions to the war effort is big reason why the museum was created. The site of the former National Munitions Co. in Eldred is a short distance away.

museum

OLEAN TIMES HERALD MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 PAGE11

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