Hellcat News, (Kingman, Ariz.), Vol. 50, No. 9, Ed. 1, May 1997 Page: 9 of 24
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Abilene Library Consortium and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.
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A, listing Patterson as 1st platoon leader, another document of
those awarded Combat Infantryman Badges in January, 1945,
and a much later roster that listed him as KIA with the 56th. I
also had an old clipping from the Hellcat News about Patter-
son being awarded the Silver Star for his action at Speyer. In
all, he was listed as Company A, 56th AIB.
And I got written statements from a half-dozen Hellcats
saying Patterson was their lieutenant from Barkeley until he
was killed. The monument committee agreed the lieutenant
should be listed as KIA with Company A, 56th AIB, and he
was moved from the 66th KIA roster to the 56th in time to be
listed correctly on the monument to be dedicated at the end of
May.
I'd like to thank 56ers such as Frank J. Sheridan, Wesley
Carda, Henry Rose, George Lambros, Robert Oakes, Jack
Austin, Bill Forsythe (who was staff sergeant of the 1st squad,
1st platoon until he was commissioned in mid-March and
transferred to the 17th AIB), and of course Vanderhoef. If I've
missed anyone who helped, I apologize, and chalk it up to age!
Jack Austin [A], a medic with Company A, remembers the
day Patterson was killed. The lieutenant was killed "as were
other men attempting to take a hill just outside a small village,
the name of which I've forgotten. However, like many combat
missions it was bad, but this one was one of the worst I had
seen, mainly because in about less than 10 minutes all but one
man was killed. The survivor, although wounded in the butt,
managed to check the others who were KIA, and as I managed
to get the sergeant down the hill he told me it was a slaughter
mission. They never saw the shooters."
Former 3rd platoon leader, Lt. Lyle Derscheid, in a memoir,
recalls that when he returned to Camp Barkeley after time at
home in South Dakota, two platoon leaders had left Company
A. He had first pick, and took the 3rd platoon. "2nd Lt. John
Patterson, Jr. joined the unit and became the platoon leader of
the 1st - Patterson had about the same training as me - ROTC
in Florida and OCS at Fort Knox." The 12th was then pre-
paring to go overseas, and Patterson, who was from Brooks-
ville, FL, would never see home again.
Boosters: Stephen J. Palko [C]. Change of address: Cecil C.
Mathis [CI, 143 School Rd, Bumpus Mills, TN 37028. He
previously lived in Dover, TN, on Bumpus Road!
Jim Read [Bl, who had to cancel out of the reunion last
August because of health reasons, and Melvin Koch [SV] have
made all the arrangements to attend the KIA Monument
dedication on May 30 at Ft. Campbell, KY. Glad to see Jim is
getting out and planning on attending the dedication
ceremony for all those who were KIA while serving with the
12th Armored.
The good thing about living where he does in Oregon, Jim
Czarnecki [A1 said, is you learn not to pay too much attention
to the rain, which they have often, along with occasional balmy
May 1997
HELLCAT NEWS
!
Representing the 12th ADA at the Medal of Honor ceremony
for the late Sgt. Edward Carter II [D-56] were, left to right,
Russ Blair [HQ-56], Frank Barndollar [A-56], Andrew Nix
[D-17], and ADA President Marvel Rowland [B-56].
Photo from Dept. of the Army
Jack Hutchinson, Bob Milam (on the halftrack) and Reg
Cunningham, all of Co. A, 1st platoon, with a book they
found in Burgau, Germany, by an A. Hitler. The date was
April 27,1945. Photo by Oakes
weather. After eight weeks of being house-bound after knee
replacement, he is glad to get out, even if it's only for therapy
three times a week.
Carl Seltzer [AJ, who is still trying to get his Purple Heart for
wounds received early in 1945, sent a packet of photocopies to
show how tough it is to find the right paperwork, if you can
find it. He lists a short chronology of his efforts: 40 years ago
received an answer that there were no records; 30 years ago
was told they burned in a fire in St. Louis; 20 years ago a
microfilm was found in Florida with some files on it; 10 years
ago advised to see the service officer at the VA in Houston to
have them mail records from hospitals in Europe. In January
1996 he received some records and some answers from the
government and an "application for correction of a military
record." He sent back the application on Jan. 8, '96. Three
months later he got an answer saying it takes 18 to 24 months
"until the finalization action."
Carl wrote: "I don't have enough time or another 10 years to
spend on this. And don't file this away in your cabinet. I'll pro-
bably pass away before it is found. Ha!" There's a lot of inter-
esting stuff in his papers that I hope to fit into the column as
time goes by; but not 10 years, Carl. He also sent a picture of
himself and another sergeant after getting off the troop
transport in Boston, but the quality from the newspaper was
too poor to use. But that's a handsome beard, Carl.
It's time to begin getting serious about the reunion in
Columbus, OH, this August. The Hyatt Regency, reunion
headquarters, has offered units a pretty good deal on the unit
dinners. The 56th battalion dinner will be held at the Hyatt on
Friday night, Aug. 29. To make things simple for all of us, and
especially your unit rep who is doing this for the first time,
there will be two entrees offered, baked chicken quarter at $20,
and top round of roast beef with mushroom Spanish sauce at
$21.50. The other usuals, potatoes, salad, vegetables, etc. will
also grace the plate.
Checks should be made out to me at the address at the top of
this column. This year, for tax reasons, I will have to pay the
12th ADA for the 56th dinner, instead of the hotel, as only the
association gets the tax break as a non-profit organization.
Remember, this is not the same as the division banquet on
Saturday night. Our hospitality room has been taken care of,
thanks to president Marvel Rowland [BJ.
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Twelfth Armored Division Association (U.S.). Hellcat News, (Kingman, Ariz.), Vol. 50, No. 9, Ed. 1, May 1997, newspaper, May 1997; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth410115/m1/9/?q=%22%22~1&rotate=90: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.