Clairton Heroes and Patriots

Patriotic For No Particular Reason

Thank you Putz Martin: Ten months worth of blogs ago in this space we honored the late Richard Martin. He had fought a gallant battle against cancer but lost. He was a Clairton lad who left his mark on the community as a law enforcement officer, including a stint as Clairton Police Chief. Richard had two brothers. Leonard, named after his Dad, took on the nickname Putz. He was a little stockier and shorter than big brother Rich. Jimbo, the youngest was a scrawny kid who came up to Richard’s shoulder. We all played football on Waddell Avenue, along with Franny Metro, the Pesta brothers, Larry Triglia, Mike LeDonne, Jim Beam, and others who wandered in and out. Somebody always had a football. The goals were the front bumper of Mr. Jone’s ’37 Ford and the telephone pole. The plays were, “Go to the front door handle, cut left, and I’ll throw the ball to the headlight.” Other days we’d play full tackle football in Mr. Jacob’s pasture at the end of Waddell.

Who’d a thunk there could be a 6’3” midget?: Putz contacted me recently and we reflected over the “good old days.” He emailed me a photo of three senior citizens – one in a police uniform, one in an American Flag shirt, and one in full uniform. The occasion was Memorial Day and the “short” person on the left was Richard, at 6”3.” Putz stood in the middle at 6’4” and little Jimbo, at 6’7” struck a handsome pose in his dress Army uniform. Putz also sent me a link to a virtual wall that lists Viet Nam casualties by last name and city. I discovered the following Clairton heroes who gave their lives for our country: PFC Terry Lyle Booth, PFC William Noel Cole, SGT Robert Doering, Spec4 Fredrick Paul Gillen, LCPL James Lloyd Pettiford, PFC Wayne A. Podlesnik, SFC Albert Edwin Smith, CPL David Leland Smith, and LCPL Dennis Michael Wargo. I thank the families of these brave young men and may they rest in peace. Clairton heroes all. And Thank Leonard “Putz” Martin for the link: http://www.virtualwall.org/istate/istatpa.htm

Clairton residents have long been patriotic: As a lad growing up in Clairton one of my most poignant memories is of the Roll of Honor that occupied the entire corner of St. Clair and Miller Avenues. On it were the names of the gallant servicemen who had served in the Second World War. The American Legion has also played a role for veterans to gather and for young people to learn of our country’s heroes. From the web page of American Legion Post 75 comes the following:

“The American Legion was incorporated on September 16, 1919 by an Act of the 66th Congress of the United States.

Daniel Keffer Post 75 was organized in Clairton, Pennsylvania, in June 1920 and received its charter in August 1920 with a community dinner held at the "Clairton Inn," afterwards known as the Penn Clair Hotel. The first commander was Dudley H. Polhemus.

Meetings were held for several months in the Municipal Building. Then portable buildings were occupied on lots located where the Clairton Post Office is now situated.

In 1933, following negotiations with the Carnegie Land Company, Daniel Keffer Post 75 gave up its location at the corner of Fifth Street and St. Clair Avenue, and occupied quarters at 540 St. Clair Avenue.

The Post operates under the original charter granted in August, 1920 and also a separate and distinct charter of incorporation granted by the Courts of Pennsylvania in 1933.

During World War II, Post officers and members were heavily engaged in the sale of war bonds, the operation of the various Rationing Boards, and the support of American Armed Forces abroad and on the Home Front. After the war, the Post saw a great increase in membership as the veterans returned home. Members established scholarship funds, contributed time and money to many community activities, and sponsored local sports teams.

On November 15, 1965 Post Headquarters at 540 St. Clair Avenue were vacated, and
temporary quarters were taken up at the Hirshberg Building on the corner of Large and Miller Avenues.

The present Headquarters at the corner of Mitchell and Miller Avenues were occupied on July 1, 1966,

To this day, Post 75 continues to be a strong force in the community, donating to many charities, granting scholarships, and helping to support the band, the sports teams, the firefighters and many other worthy organizations.”

Clairton has had its share of heroes, perhaps more than its share. It is the proud home of Congressional Medal of Honor winner Captain Reginald Desiderio as well as many service men and women, some of whom have returned home, others who have not. Clairton was featured as the hometown of Viet Nam war buddies and heroes in the classic 1978 film “The Deer Hunter.” Whether Clairton residents have remained in the area or scattered with the winds, all can be proud to have come from such a proud heritage.

A little blogging music Maestro… as a tribute to our proud Clairton soldiers we dedicate the Clairton High School fight song:

“It’s Clairton High School, it’s Clairton High School
The pride of ev’ry student here.
Come on, you old grads, join with us young lads,
It’s Clairton High School now we cheer, RAH, RAH
Now is the time boys, to make a big noise,
No matter what the people say,
For there is none to fear the gang’s all here,
So Hail to Clairton High School, Hail.”

Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com

Unsung Hero, Clairton Boy

First Across the Rhine

Allow me to introduce you to: My good friend and blog reader Lawyer Bob recently told me a story about a couple of war heroes. Bob was chatting with an old friend named Warren who had landed at Normandy on D-Day plus two weeks and had fought his way across France and Germany with the 83d Infantry. He had shared with Bob a TV interview he had seen during the D-Day festivities. The interview focused on another war hero, Col. David Pergrin who had led the 291st Combat Engineers from the Normandy beachhead to Germany and the Rhine River. After doing some research on his own Bob told me that I might find his story and history interesting. I did.

Growing up Clairton: David Pergrin was born in Clairton, PA in 1917 as the “War to End All Wars” was winding down. As a child he could not have known that the war of his youth later renamed “World War I” would be the precursor to the Second World War two decades later. David was popular, handsome, and a star athlete on the Clairton Bears football team. He graduated with honors in 1935 in the midst of the Great Depression and with the help of a local philanthropist, attended Penn State and majored in Engineering. There he played football as well as working as a dishwasher, furnace attendant, librarian, and delivering the midnight edition of the newspaper. His finances were exhausted after two years so he returned home to Clairton and worked as a surveyor for U.S. Steel for a year then returned to complete his education.

David was senior-class president when he graduated from Penn State in 1940. He and Bob Baird, the student All University President led the class that presented the Nittany Lion Shrine, a 14-ton limestone monument symbolizing Penn State tradition. David made the official presentation to the trustees as Bob Baird looked on in pride. Bob would return to Clairton and become its mayor. David completed his engineering degree with the help of an ROTC scholarship and entered the Army as a Second Lieutenant.

After D-Day: America recently celebrated several historic landmarks. July 4 was Independence Day and one month prior, on June 6 many old soldiers gathered in Normandy, France on the windswept hill above beaches that were code-named Utah and Omaha. As cameras watched, presidents and heads of state honored the brave soldiers who had climbed the cliffs and changed the direction of the war more than 60 years ago. Those who are not history buffs often think of D-Day as a signal to the end of the war, but for many soldiers including the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion, it was just the beginning. The 291st literally paved the way for other Allied soldiers from Normandy to the Rhine River and beyond.

Summer of ‘44: It had been two and a half years since the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor brought America into the war. America and her allies staged the largest air, land, and sea operation ever attempted, code named “Overlord.” More than 150,000 troops, 5,000 ships, and 800 aircraft invaded occupied France to fight the German army. The victory came at a heavy cost – 4,000 killed, 6,000 wounded. Prior to the assault the 291st was part of Operation Bolero, a huge massing of troops and material designed in part to fool the Germans into thinking the assault would come from Southern England and a different venue. The ruse, along with several other decoy activities worked as the German Army was caught by surprise.


Beach secured; Roads and bridges needed: Once the D-Day landing was completed the 291st Engineer Combat Battalion led by Col. David E. Pergrin landed in France. It was their job to repair, maintain, and build roads and bridges so the Allied forces could advance and when required, retreat. The engineers were also combat soldiers. They spent much of the fall and winter of 1944 in the Belgian village of Malmedy. The 291st. created roadblocked, blew up bridges, and otherwise blocked the passage of German tanks and equipment. The bravery of Col Pergrin and the 291st was recognized as again and again they spurned the advances of the German Army. But as they say in Vaudeville, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

Battle of the Bulge: In late December, 1944 some of the most vicious fighting of the war took place against the Germans in the village of Malmedy, Belgium. Pergrin and his company were understaffed, overmatched, and primed for a sure defeat, but they refused to accept that fate. They held off numerous attacks from Hitler’s finest Panzer Tank divisions and eventually wore them down. This despite Nazi massacres of American prisoners, a crime for which dozens of Nazis would be tried after the war.

In one particular skirmish a Nazi SS officer led one of the armored columns racing toward the Meuse River. His route took him near the village of Malmedy. Colonel David E. Pergrin, the 27-year-old commander of the 291st continued to organize its defense. He ordered his engineers to set up roadblocks and destroy bridges. The frustrated Germans decided to not attack Malmedy but headed for a nearby village, but Pergin sent reinforcements to that village as well and stymied the Panzers once again. By blowing up bridges and otherwise harassing the crack Panzer Division, they eventually stopped and destroyed one of Hitler’s most vaunted divisions in what would become known as the Battle of the Bulge. Col. Pergrin and the 291st Combat Engineer’s initiative and training in defensive operations were a major contribution to the outcome of an important campaign. Col. Pergrin was awarded numerous medals by the French government as well as a Silver Star. A post-war housing development in Clairton was named "Malmedy Village" in honor of this campaign.

Humble War Hero: Like so many heroes of that so-called “Greatest Generation,” Col. Pergrin quietly went home to his family after the war to work as an engineer for the railroad. As the 50th anniversary of the war neared he was encouraged record his war experiences and he did a first-hand account entitled, “First Across the Rhine,” which describes, among other things, the 291st, selected to build a bridge across the Rhine River in Germany while facing enormous resistance. The bridgs was longest combat bridge and was build in record time. It laid bare the German heartland to advancing Allied troops. Colonel David E. Pergrin, war hero, engineer, and Clairton boy.

A little blogging music Maestro... “Hero” by Mariah Carey.

Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com

Presidents and Heroes

I looked for spiritual fruit and found religious nuts

Little separation between church and state: Much has been made of the religious faith of presidential candidates. Although our forefathers did their best to separate religion from politics religion is still very much at the forefront. When John Kennedy ran for office as the first Roman Catholic the opposition made many snide bumper sticker slogans including, “Elect the Pope – Eliminate the Middleman.” As enlightened as we’d like to think we’ve become in the 50 or so years since his election, the internet smears regarding Senator Obama’s religion have been so intense that a substantial percentage of the unwashed American public still believes his faith is Muslim. He has spoken many times about his Christian faith. Although religion should not matter, it does. Senator McCain professes to be Baptist via Episcopalian, the most popular choice of presidents. Eleven of our presidents claimed to be Episcopalian, 10 Presbyterian, 5 Methodist, 4 each Baptist and Unitarian, 3 Disciples of Christ, 2 each Reformed, Congregationalist, and Quaker, and one each Catholic, and Jehovah’s Witness. Presidents Jefferson, Lincoln, and Andrew Johnson were nondenominational.

Long shot is really no shot: Those sellers of lottery tickets come up with clever sayings like, “Take a chance. Columbus did.” But in some cases it seems the chances of winning the lottery were less than winning the big panda bear at a fixed carnival game. A professor in Virginia bought a five-buck lottery ticket that promised an ultimate payoff of 75 grand. But he felt anything but grand when he discovered that the hand that dealt the grand had been pre-determanned and he had been flim-flammed. Seems some wiener had picked a winner before the professor took a chance. This was not some 10 minute oversight. The biggie had been won a month previously! Barnum was right. There is one born every minute.

Breathing free air for first time in six years: The bad news is that they were often held in subhuman conditions. The good news is that they didn’t have to live through six years of the Bush-Cheney administration. The even better news is that they will probably become rich once the books are written and the movie comes out. Mike Gonsalves, Thomas Howes, and Keith Stansell were the Americans who had been held hostage in Columbia for six years and were dramatically rescued along with a dozen other hostages. In a recent interview Gonsalves was the most outspoken about the captors who have named their organization FARC. He stated, “They say they want equality… that is just a lie to justify their criminal activity.” It will be interesting to see how the publicity surrounding the daring rescue will have any impact on the terrorist kidnapping activity in Columbia.

What is a hero?: As Americans we are sometimes quick to heap praise on somebody who happened to be in the right spot at the right time, just doing their job. In my humble opinion if we bandy the word hero around too easily it loses some of its impact. A parallel example is the standing ovation that occurs at the end of nearly every live performance. Europeans are much more reserved about that sort of thing. They save ovations for truly outstanding performances. But we ovate at the drop of a curtain, just as our news media calls a fellow a hero for doing what is expected. The value has dropped but that does not mean heroes do not exist. Hanna Salwen is a hero. She’s 15 years old.

Her journey to heroism started when she saw a Mercedes stopped in traffic next to a homeless person and commented that the difference in cost between that car and a more humble one could buy many meals for the homeless. Her comment turned into family dinner conversation and she and her family agreed to put their $ 1,800,000 Atlanta house up for sale and donate the proceeds (about half the value) to charity, specifically the Hunger project. Hanna is a hero. So is her family.

A little blogging music Maestro... David Bowie’s “Heroes.”

Dr. Forgot
See me also at http://vegasbuzznews.com/