>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. OLIVER C. ANDERSON An Eighth Air Force bomber Station, England-The promotion of Oliver C. Anderson, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Carl S. Anderson, of Spring Valley, from corporal to sergeant has been announced at this Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress base. A member of the 95th Bombardment Group, commanded by Colonel jack E. Shuck of Casper, Wyo., the sergeant is the tail gunner on a Flying Fortress.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. THOMAS ANDERSON WINS PHILIPPINE HONORS With the 24th Infantry (Victory) Division in the Philippines-Private First Class Thomas W. Anderson, of Spring Valley, and his buddies in Comapny "G" of this Victory Division's famous old 21st Infantry Regiment poured high explosive shells on the Japs day and night in two weeks of the most savage fighting in the Philippines campaign. With their battalion battling tooth and nail for a series of Jap infested mountain ridges overlooking a strategic valley, they lobbed heavy mortar shells by the dozen to knock the Japs out of the keep foxholes and machinegun nests, impervious to fire of pinned down riflemen. They fired an equal number of shells into enemy concentrations to help the hard pressed riflemen best off fierce counterattacks. Frequently they had to fire dangerously near their own lines, so close did overwhelming Jap forces advance at times. They had to carry the shells and heavy weapons on their backs, through incessant rain over the punishing mountain trails. The mortar shells killed hundreds of Nips and stunned countless others who were taken care of by advancing riflemen. Once a suicide squad of Japs infiltrated through the lines and was within 25 feet of the mortars, which they had set out to destroy. Anderson and his buddies fought them off with carbines, killing 16 before the rest fled.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. HE'S ONE OF OUR BOYS Orin A. Anderson G.M. 3/c, son of Mr. and Mrs. Otis Anderson, joined the Coast Guard in November of 1943 and was sent to the Coast Guard Training Station at Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, N.Y., for his initial training. After his boot training Orin was sent to Caskato L.B. Station at Nantucket, Mass., from which station he operated-with a short period out of Boston-until about a year ago. His ship is a small corvette type boat meant for anti-submarine patrol and convoy duty. During the time Orin has been on this boat he has had the experince of being torpedoed-by areal (sic) torpedos-twice. Though the ship was damaged both times the enemy failed to sink the vessel and it is still in active duty. Another experience was going through a severe storm off the Atlantic Coast. The storm was so severe that two ships of the same class foundered with all hands but Orin's came through even though the mast dipped water on occasion. Orin is at present on duty in the Pacific.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. T/5 CURTIS ANDERSON T/5 Curtis Anderson, son of Mr. and Mrs. G.M. Anderson of Gilman, is stationed with the Army of Occupation in Germany. Curtis is a truck driver with the 90th Infantry division, He is one of 17 drivers who have a perfect record in the 90th of driving thousands of miles in every type of vehicle without an accident. Curtis has a mascot, a spotted pup, that travels everywhere with him-his good luck charm.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. PVT. EDWARD W. BJORNSON Private Edward W. Bjornson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Bjornson of Spring Valley, entered service in the Army in October of 1943. He was attached to an anti-tank training batallion at Camp Blanding, Florida, for his basic training. Immediately on finishing an accelerated basic training course he was furloughed home on June 1 and sent to Ft. Meade, Md. From there he was shipped to Italy. On his arrival at that theater of war he was transferred to the Combat Engineers and trained for the duties of that group including amphibious landing training and combat. He then took part in his first action-the landing in Southern France, and was with the first wave to land on his beach. His detachment was set to clearing away the enemy mines from the beaches to get the beaches safe for the succeeding waves of men and material. He is now in action in central France and is attached to the 7th army. Edward (better known as Wally to many of us) is a graduate of the Spring Valley high school and helped his father in the lumber business in Spring Valley. He married Miss Nancy Jacobson, of Glenwood City, shortly before going into service.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. PFC. NORMAN BROOKE Pfc. Norman Brooke has been a member of the army Ordnance Evacuation Company for over two years and is now in France. His last training camp in this country was Santa Anna near Arcadia, California. From there Norman was sent to England for his D-day training, sometime in March, 1943. During his stay in the British Isles he was transferred to a Truck Company and received his Private First Class rating. In July of this year Norman wrote, giving his latest APO number, which is 872, care Postmaster, New York, N.Y. Norman grew up on the home farm at South Hill where he lived until he started on his own. A likeable young man, he made friends easily and has a host of them who wish him well where is is and a speedy return home come VE-day.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. LT. ARY ARNESON DECORATED FOR ACTION OVER EUROPE. Lt. Ary C. Arneson, bombardier with the 8th Air Force operating out of England, was awarded the Air Medal on July 14 and six days later awarded an Oak Leaf Cluster for "meritorious achievement while participating in heavy bombardment missions." Ary wrote his folks, Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Arneson of Spring Valley, a brief note telling that he had received the medals and enclosing the official citations. Ary said "Put these with my papers. I will bring home the medals myself." The citation for both Air Medal and Oak Leaf Cluster came from the office of Major General Partridge and read-"for meritorious achievement while participating in heavy bombardment missions in the air offensive over Continental Europe. The courage, coolness and skill displayed by this officer upon these occasions reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States." And, as Ary wrote to a friend in Spring Valley, "coolness is just what they think we have." He has a piece of flack that missed his head by inches as a souvenir of these flights and two of his flying mates won the Purple Heart and are now in hospitals. Ary Arneson is the third Spring Valley boy to receive the Air Medal and the accompanying Oak Leaf Cluster given for the second and other times the Air Medal is won. First to win it was Eddie Wingert in Africa; second was Quentin Bailey, in the South Pacific, and now Ary in the European theater. Ary had participated on 16 bombing missions over what used to be Hitler's fortress Europe when he wrote the last of July. It is the terrific pounding given by these heavies that has paved the way for the victory sure to come.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. RUSSELL B. AAMODT Russell B. Aamodt, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Aamodt of Martell, has just recently been promoted from seaman first class to Aerographer Mate thrid class at his station at Astoria, Ore. Russ taught school in Spring Valley before entering the Navy and spent some time in helping edit and print The Sun just prior to entering the service. After his initial training at Great Lakes, Ill., he was sent to Aerographer's school at Lakehurst, N.J. In January of this year he was transferred to the Seattle Naval district, where he has been to the present time. Russell is one of the important cogs in the machinery of finding weather data for our Navy, for only as they can plot storms and weather conditions in general can our mighty fleet be properly deployed. His wife, the former Sylvia Gunderson, is at present at home, but was privileged to have been with him during a long period of his stay in Astoria.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. S/SGT. ARTHUR ANDERSON Staff sergeant Arthur R. Anderson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albin C. Anderson, of Spring Valley vicinity, arrived home last week, having completed his tour of duty with the 15th American Air Force on the Italian sector. Arthur arrived overseas last April and since that time he has participated in over 50 missions as radio operator and waist gunner on a giant B-24 Liberator bomber. Before being sent home he was awarded the Air Medal and Oak Leaf Cluster for "Meritorious Achievement during serial flights over enemy territory." The bomber in which Arthur was radio man was flown across it its battle station going to South America and thence directly across the Atlantic to Africa. The home base in Italy was on one of the fields near Foggia. From there the flights took the boys over Roumania (sic), Austria, Hungary, France, Germany and Italy. Athur says that the German Luftwaffe pilots are young and daring and that they have been close enough to him so that he could see the German pilot turn his head as he watched him on the way past. Art saw some of the youngsters in prison camps after they were brought down in action and some of them were only 14 years old. Arthur was given 21 days leave when he reached this country and must report to Miami, Flordia, for re-assignment. His entire crew were split up after finishing their operations. Incidentally-and not too incidental-is the fact that those boys started and finished with the same plane and only once were they delayed in a scheduled mission by mechanical failure of the slightest kind. Arthur, who is a graduate of the Spring Valley high school, found few boys of his class left in this country. The great *** of the boys are not only in the service, but overseas as well.

ralston, emma a. stephen brown 16 nov 1878 ramsey, a ... Emma A. Ralston and Stephen Brown were married in Pierce Co on Nov 16, 1878. I would be interested in learning more about this couple and tracing back the family roots. Thanks, Nancy Ralston

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. PFC. PALMER A. AASTERUD Private First Class Palmer Aasterud, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Aasterud of Spring Valley, came home last Wednesday with an honorable discharge from the United States Army. Palmer joined the Army on August 3, 1942, and received his initial training at Camp Roberts, Calif. He then was sent to North Carolina, to Camp Bufner, and later went back to California to Fort Ord. >From Fort Ord Palmer was sent into the Pacific area where he took part in five major battles, all the way from the Aleutians, the Marshall islands to the Philippines and Leyte. He wears the Philippine Liberation medal, the Combat Infantryman badge, the Good conduct medal and the Pacific Theater of War ribbon with five battle stars. He and the other of the 7th Division were gibired (sic?) with a special message from Pres. Roosevelt at the time of his visit to Alaska and the Aleutian islands. Later Wayne C. Zimmerman, commander of the 17th Infantry, gave his men a warm and heartfelt letter of commendation for the terrific task of breaking the enemy on Attu island in 21 days of continuous fighting. Since his return to the States Palmer has been hospitalized for two months at the Percy Jones hospital, Battle Creek, Mich. We join his many friends in wishing him success in his future civilian life after so honorably serving us in the Army of the United States.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. T/4 BYRON BROOKE T/4 Byron Brooke, who just recently returned from Germany, is enjoying his 30 day furlough at home. He expects to be re-assigned and sent on into the Pacific.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. JAKE BECHEL FLOWN HOME FROM SAIPAN TO ATTEND MOTHER'S FUNERAL. T/4 Jake G. Bechel, a member of a hospital unit in Uncle Sam's Army knows well the great and abundant generosity of the American Red Cross and the U.S. Army. Jake's mother, Mrs. Jake Bechel of Ellsworth, became seriously ill and on Aug. 1 a telegram was sent through the Red Cross telling of the seriousness of the situation at home. Since Jake was overseas and on the move, a follow-up telegram was sent later. On August 29 the order to return Jake to the United States reached his post on Saipan and at 2 o'clock of that day he left the island by plane. He was flown straight through to San Francisco arriving there on August 31 at 10 o'clock. It must be remembered that his plane crossed the International date line on the way over so that a whole day was added to his trip-he actually travelled only a few hours more than a full day in covering 6,000 miles. Unfortunately Jake arrived home on Monday evening and his mother had passed away that morning, but it was for the best as he arrived in time for services, which were held at Lost Creek Thursday and was home to add comfort to his father in the hours of greatest need. T/4 Jake Bechel is a very modest boy who is doing his best, with all the others in the great American army, to see that the deadly Jap simply can never wage war on the United States again. So well has he served that he wears the army good conduct medal and a bronze star on the Central Pacific ribbon. His only comment on being questioned about the bronze star was "that was for taking care of a few snipers on Saipan." Jake has others from this vicinity on the island of Saipan with him. He was able to talk to Gerald Ducklow before he left and brought a message bck for Gerald's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ducklow, of Spring Valley. Cpl. Howard Brenner, of Ellsworth and Pvt. Christ Geiger of Elmwood, are both in his own hospital unit. Another acquaintance is Lt. Leo Klecker, of Ellsworth. The young man has served overseas 26 months and has been in the army four years. And as he left The Sun office he said, "I haven't words strong enough to express the thanks I feel toward the American Red Cross; tell the people that there is an outfit really looking after the boys. If anyone is in trouble they sure should see the Red Cross." And we can add that those thanks start with the local representative who in Pierce county is Mrs. Ruth Waller, of Spring Valley. Jake has 30 days furlough in all and then will return to his outfit on Saipan.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. 1ST LT. DELORIS BUCKLEY 1st Lieutenant Deloris Buckley, Army Nurses Corps, came home last week, after having been overseas with the 95th Evacuation hospital since in March of 1943. To tell the story of her travels is to follow the course of the war in Europe from the time our troops landed at North Africa, until the victorious troops swarmed into Germany. Deloris has the Purple Heart for wounds received when her hospital was bombed by the Germans at Anzio. She has had the hospital ship in which she was travelling bombed at Salerno. She lived in tents right next to the front lines for months on end-in the heat of a dessert (sic), the thistles of the Southern France beachhead, the snow of the Alps. She has shown great devotion to her chosen profession-nursing-by going on when it was her privelege (sic) to have quit and returned to the States. It is her kind of help that has made the record of medicine in the war so brilliant in its successes. Lieutenant Buckley came home-to where her parents live, Prescott-but Spring Valley vicinity claims her, for it was here she grew up, went to school and from here she made her choice to enter (rest of article cut off).

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. NO HEADLINE It is Bong! Major Richard I. Bong, of Poplar, Wis., who recently received the Congressional Medal of Honor, is now home on leave, awaiting assignment to a new post. He recently shot down his 40th plane in combat with the Japs over the Philippines.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. THREE BOYS BACK FROMT HREE WIDELY SEPARATED AIR WAR FRONT MEET HERE Above are three of Spring Valley's World War II veterans from three ** separated theaters of war, who ** fortunate enough to be at home ** same time. S/Sgt. Dale (Buddy) Danielson (** the left) has been in service the l** of the three. He joined the Meno** National Guard company long ** Pearl harbor and served with the troops in New Guinea. He is awaiting re-assignment. Lt. Howard (Howie) Christenson (** the center) is at home after completing his assigned bombing missions o** Mediterranean front in support o* ** 5th Army drive up the Italian **. he will soon be at Atlantic City, ** for re-assignment. S/Sgt. James (Jimmy) McCardle (** the right) has served with the Air ** in the Central Pacific area, on an ** in the Phoenix group. Jimmy is at ** awaiting assignment to start the road toward becoming a pilot.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. CORP. FRANK DUCKLOW AT HOME FROM ITALY Cpl. Frank Ducklow came home last week from the Italian front ** ** ** a member of the United States ** ** three years and in the Europ* ** ** for two years. Frank is in perfect health and ** ** happy to get home. He last ** ** Valley in the early months of 19** ** was in June of 1942 that Frank ** ** England. Frank was sent to a bakers; scho*** the Quartermasters Corps, and th* he has been a great outdoor man fr** boyhood on, his entire army life has be** spent in baking bread-first for the ** corps and later for the artillery boys. >From England Frank was sent to A*rica, landing there with the advance supplies just a few days after the invasion took place. Most of his time in Africa was spent in or near the big coast towns. When the Germans were pushed off the African continent with the Italians, Frank (and the several thousands of other American boys there) did a little sightseeing. He visited Oran, Algier and many of the other coastal towns. During this time Frank met several other boys from the Spring Valley vicinity-Dale Sorenson, Curtis Jahr, Donnie Young and Russell Lancaster. Following the invasion of Sicility and Italy, Frank's unit was moved into Italy, missing Sicility entirely, which he said was all right by him. One of the big thrills of the stay in Italy was witnessing the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius; Mother Nature gave the visiting boys a real taste of total war. Frank is saying very little about the war. His remark about it is, "You know more about it back here than I do." Yet he casually tells of watching (through field glasses) the shelling of the famous monastery above Cassino. Yes, the army bakers must be close-up, because the boys get good food and it is fresh. At present, Frank is at home on delayed orders, enroute to his permanent camp in the East. He hopes that by the time he gets there his pay checks will have arrived, as he hasn't been paid in more than four months. **Clipping cut off on the right, could not ascertain the words.

I have been trying to find ANYONE who might know anything about my father, Raymond Royal LaVisse. He was born in 1929 in Milwaukee and was raised in an orphanage in WI. He was adopted at the age of 12 by a family named Pace, Emma was his adoptive mother. He was a truck driver most of his life and passed away in 1993.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting this obituary, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. DONALD GUNVALSON Staff Sergeant Donald Gunvalson came home last week from the battle fields of New Guinea, second of the many in Co. A, 128th Infantry, from the Spring Valley area to return home. "Donny" Gunvalson enlisted in the National Guard unit at Menomonie in company with many others from Spring Valley, in the late summer of 1941. The company left for training at Camp Livingston, La., on Oct. 15 of that year. In March of 1942, the unit began the long treck [sic] to Australia, at a time when the Japs were sweeping all before them. It was at Port Moresby, New Guinea, where the Allies (then composed of a few Australian home guards, the 128th Infantry, and a few supporting units of field artillery and an indomitable American air force) stopped the Japs cold and began to push them back. Company A was one of the units flown into action over the Owen Stanley mountain range. In company with the Aussies, these men walked into a completely new kind of warfare in the experience of American officers. It was in this action that Donald Powell was killed Jan. 10, 1943. Like almost all the others from this country, Donald Gunvalson was knocked out by malaria. He was sent to Australia to rest in hospitals there and then returned to action in New Guinea. His fevers returned, and this time Donnie was kept in the rear until transportation was available to bring him home. He has been in hospitals here for a quarantine period and is now stationed in Illinois. During the three years that S/Sgt. Gunvalson has been in the Army he has had his ups and downs, the high spot being his wedding on April 8, the low spot the time the troops were thought to be lost in New Guinea. He is willing and eager to talk of the highs, but says nothing at all of the latter experiences. Sunday all four Gunvalson boys were at home for the first time since Donnie left this country. All of them are in service. Russ is now stationed at Camp Atterbury, Ind.; Raymond has been accepted by the army and is awaiting call; Bob has been accepted by the navy and is waiting for his call. Although Donald Gunvalson has spent many months in hospitals recuperating from his experiences in action, he looks and acts (and is) a mighty healthy specimen at the present time. Here's wishing him good luck and a soft berth for the duration, he has earned it.

>From scrapbook in possession of the Pierce County Historical Association (please note, I am just posting this obituary, I have NO further info on this family) Newspaper is possibly the Spring Valley Sun, date unknown. DOROTHY E. GRANT Dorothy E. Grant, daughter of Mrs. Patrick H. Grant of Spring Valley, has joined a hospital unit of the Women's Army Corps. Dorothy attended Spring Valley high school and was lately employed by the Lang Manufacturing Co., of River Falls. After initial training she will assume duties as a hospital technician in an Army rehabilitation center.