European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 15, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4 the stars and stripes monday August 15,1994 vets from Page 1 carriers cruisers frigates nuclear powered submarine Sand other warships steam by. A steady Stream of War planes including 40 . Navy f-14 tomcats and f/a-18 hornets flew past. Partly because French troops made up the bulk of the task Force 50 years ago France is marking be de bar Quement de Provence with a Fervour equal to june up Day commemoration cemetery ceremonies flybys of Vintage planes and paratroops dropping from the skies. On land 25 . Veterans were being honoured wined and dined by the mayor of the first town to be freed from the clutches of the German occupation Dur ing operation Dragoon. Joseph Thibault of Millis mass., was among the vet Erans of the 1st in 551st Parachute inf regt who dropped into the Fields outside la Motte. A w,Alai?0 a French interpreter during the Campaign Thibault said. I come from a Canadian French background so i had the language and it Casein Forrest Reed of Merriam kan., was 19 at the time of the jump into la Motte. Of course my parents worried about me and our jump was top secret so i worked out a numbers code with my Mother Back Home so she would know what continent and country i was going to Reed said. Fred c. Hilgardner of Platte Woods kan., was 18 atthe time of the jump. Like his comrades from the 551st Parachute inf regt he saw duty in the major Battles of Africa Italy Belgium and Germany. I m enjoying All this Hilgardner said As he was whisked away by a tour guide to the next commemoration ceremony. On sunday about 2,000 people watched As 60 Amer in in Tosh and French paratroops re enacted the1944 Parachute drop on la Motte. Leotard attended the event and thanked the allies for bringing Libe Tyback to his Homeland. But to Many French the most poignant figures in the commemorations Are the representatives of a score of african countries then colonies that fought for Francein world War ii. K French Premier edouard Balladur is to decorate today five veterans of the senegalese rifles with the legion of Honor France s highest award. Although the 50th anniversary of operation drag Oon is accompanied by Only a fraction of the attention the a Day commemoration in Normandy enjoyed it instill revered by Many French.,. I re vix a j a. A 5&t��s Cukier Laurence and her 10-year-old daughter Les lie Are parisians vacationing near la Motte. They at tended a ceremony for the veterans at a memorial is talking about the Allied Landing Lau Renie said. The newspapers Are full of articles television is running All kinds of specials and the Young peo ple around Here Are out trying to find the Sites where the american gliders landed. I think people really appreciate what happened 50 years Vur me ?,.fath especially appreciated the Allied landings. Of he left Poland before the War and joined the French resistance in Central France Laurence said. Elsewhere in the International vacation resort Are called the French Riviera visitors appear to be taking the whole affair in stride. 6 thousands of vacationing europeans mainly French Are clogging highways and byways to reach the beaches and despite the French government s efforts Man View the 50th anniversary As Little More than another Seaside festival. On saturday nonetheless numerous commemoration rehearsals attracted hundreds of visitors who interrupted their swimming sur boarding and Beach bum Ming activities. In a rehearsal for a French ceremony today seven americans parachuted into the Bay saturday at the town of Cavalire Southwest of , just a american special forces paratroops did Dwing the original aug. 15,1944, campaigns officials at the scene this weekend were Able to identify the parachutists Only As american special forces veterans. T _ towns such As a Raguinan Toulon and played important roles during the reclaiming of Southern France have special exhibits and have Dis played american flags prominently. M0 Foj her Lai est. Newspapers in the Region Nice Matin and Var Matin have issued 32-Page specials commemorating the anniversary. Pm in the specials the role of the americans is key to a Success operation Dragoon but it is with Pride mat they ppm out the importance of French Gen. Jean fnrrpctrfn6 a a .0 successfully led the Frencht orces during the invasion. Also contributing to this report the associated press Mission from Page 1 that separates Macedonia from the Rem giants of Yugoslavia dominated by addition to the Supply runs the Bat Talion is responsible for ammunition the loading and unloading of aircraft and the movement of hazardous cargo. Wysong sin charge of this last group or Section. He and the other 28 soldiers in the unit labor from Sunrise to Sunset in hot and Dusty conditions. As chaotic As the Pace can be Wysong has been a calming influence for Many Young soldiers especially those who Are on their first operational deployment we could All be running around an not getting anything accomplished be cause we Don t know what s wrong said19-year-old pfc. Christopher Baker who transports water to the Forward 11 come in and figure out what s wrong and show us How to fix pfc. Derek Burau 20, transports fuel from Post to Post. He likened Wysong to a communal dad. He s like a father Bradley s takes care of everybody. He s Al ways there for us. He picks up the piece Sand puts it All Wysong was Bradley s age when he Earnest to pull things Back together. Now White haired and a bit worn beyond his years Wysong was full of Youthful vigor when he joined the Navy in 1965. From 1967 to 69, he Rode up and Down the Mekong Delta in a patrol boat and saw More death and destruction than his entire platoon in Mace Donia May Ever see. I had had enough Wysong said of his 24 months in Vietnam. I. Figured if i stayed on they would keep me Dow there of Send me Back at some Point. I had seen enough for a Wysong was a police officer in West Palm Beach fla., for much of the Tim Between his first and second military stints. He remembers being spat on an called names when he first returned Home from Vietnam. N. 1975, he returned to military serv ice joining the army and accepting an assignment with the minuteman program at fort Leonard Wood to. But his Sec Ond stint lasted Only five months. Wyson said he quit because he and other Viet Nam veterans who opted to return to Mil itary service were harassed by Many serv ice members who had stayed on. He worked in the construction Trad for the rest of the 70s, but came Back to the army in june 1980, when the housing Industry took a dive and layoffs followed Wysong intends to retire from the Mili aary in time and expects to leave i april 1996, unless he gets promoted. Despite the respect he now enjoys an wealth of experience he has to offer to soldiers More than half his age Wysong believes a promotion is not forthcoming because of his age and Lack of a College degree. ". -. Asked what the differences Are be tween the military now and a Quarter Century ago Wysong paused for a moment to consider the question. Bradley Burau and Baker who were standing nearby seemed a bit uneasy As they waited for Wysong s assessment. They appeared to have heard it before to re was a lot More discipline years be fore Wysong said. We got discipline now but it s not like it was before. A lot of sol Diers Are Only in it for the College Wysong seems comfortable with his role As the platoon his col leagues Are too though their buzzword Tor him carries More bite. When the Young gis need a kick in the pants he assumes the identity of ser Geant satan Bradley said. When the need words of encouragement guidance and recognition Wysong dons his Halo. If you talk to them like men you get More out of them Wysong tells them to do what they know to do listen an Don t take anything lightly. They a working Long hours by and sometimes they get stressed mfr to Are a an in in there. The work Long hours six Days a week some time seven. We get stressed out too he added referring to senior enlisted soldiers but or a Elp on going and not let them see it. We have to set the example."r\/-nrvr\r�. "1ci"icc Vve Nave to set the exam Dodds worker 55, succumbs to cancer in Wisconsin Hanau Germany is an employee with the in mr., to A i Vaji 151ii a employee with the military overseas school system who was diagnosed with cancer three months ago died Early Friday in wisc on Shi. -. A Ert Bud Holmberg who worked As a Supply technician for the logistics division of the department of defense dependents schools office in Wiesbaden died at a Lake front Cabin in la Crosse. He was 55 m Holmberg was diagnosed with cancer in May Accord ing to co worker and close Friend Larry Rawls. Follow ing surgery in Germany Holmberg went to Wisconsin in Early july for a second medical opinion and discovered the cancer was still there Rawls said. A nor Cert had worked w logistics related jobs ind Odds since about 1980. His wife Heather is the teacher of the talented and gifted program at a is Field elementary school in Hanau. Rawls said Holmberg was Best known for his out Al Manente has willingness to help those in need disloyalty and the competent Way he executed any task he loved people and he will be sorely missed Rawls said sunday hi5 wife and his " acc
