They are known as "The Greatest Generation"! "The Greatest Generation" is a term made popular by journalist Tom Brokaw to describe the generation who grew up in the United States during the deprivation of the Great Depression, and then went on to fight in World War II, as well as those whose productivity within the war's home front made a decisive material contribution to the war effort, for which the generation is also termed the G.I. Generation.

It should be no surprise to anyone that young men from small towns, like Fillmore, all across America entered into military service by the thousands after the Japanese pounded Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in an early morning attack that brought the United States into WWII. Since September 1, 1939, the official start of WWII, when Germany invaded Poland, Americans had been nervously watching the war from afar! WWII was the largest armed conflict in Human History! The War was fought over six continents and on every ocean. An estimated fifty million military and civilian deaths were suffered from 1939-1945!

It was my pleasure to sit down with one of those men, from The Greatest Generation, who quit Fillmore High School at the end of his Junior Year, and stepped up to serve his Country on May 27, 1944, his eighteenth birthday. William Thomas Walsh is more widely known as "Spud" Walsh will celebrate his 90th birthday on May 27, 2016. Spud is one of a recent 2016 estimated count of 697,806 WWII American Veterans still alive today. An astounding number when you know 850 WWII Veterans die every day.

Spud received his six week’s Navy Basic Training at the Naval Training Center in San Diego, California. After completion of his basic training in September 1944, Spud was assigned to the Amphibious Service across the San Diego Bay at Coronado Island. He was assigned to the Amphibious Cargo Assault Ship (AKA-91) USS Whitley which the Navy acquired just three months earlier after its commission on June 22, 1944. Spud and his 300 shipmates and 52 officers met the USS Whitley in Oakland, California and cruised the USS Whitley to its homeport in Sand Diego as part of its shakedown cruise before heading off to war. Half of the crew was responsible for the ship operations, and the other half were the boat crew for the 24 landing boats stored on the USS Whitley. Spud remained assigned to the USS Whitley the entire time he served with the Navy.

Soon after completing their shakedown cruise to San Diego, Spud and his shipmates aboard the USS Whitley were sailing towards the Hawaiian Islands. After some training at sea, the USS Whitley continued towards the Japanese Island of Iwo Jima. At dawn on February 19, 1945 the USS Whitley arrived offshore of Iwo Jima and was involved in the fourth assault wave upon Iwo Jima by offloading a squad of U.S. Marines from the Fifth Marine Division, ten service dogs and equipment onto the rocky island.

Little did the sailors aboard the USS Whitley know that the timing of their arrival at Iwo Jima would be five days before five United States Marines and one United States Navy Corpsman raised the American Flag victoriously on the top of Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945. That moment would be forever recorded in military history by the iconic photograph taken by Associated Press Photographer Joe Rosenthal. Spud told me he, and his shipmates witnessed the raising of the American Flag from the deck of the USS Whitley.

As a cargo ship the USS Whitley had much needed supplies and equipment that it needed to offload on the heavily Japanese fortified island. The ship carried eight Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM) equipped with 50-caliber machine guns and 16 Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP), equipped with 30-caliber machine guns. The LCM and LCVP boats were used to deliver cargo and personnel from ship to shore. The LCVP boats were made of wood and the LCM steel. The USS Whitley itself, an Andromeda-Class Attack Cargo ship had 1, 5”/38 ca. gun mount and 4, twin 40 mm anti-aircraft gun mounts and 14, 20 mm machine guns. Not a particularly large ship, the USS Whitley measured 459’2” from front to rear and had a 63’ beam.

Seaman First Class Walsh was assigned as a crewman to one of the LCM Boats and went ashore on Iwo Jima twice. Each time he went ashore it was to recruit Marines to help retrieve needed equipment stuck in the black volcanic sand beach. The USS Whitley remained offshore for eight days and her only brush with combat came on the night of February 23rd and 24th when her anti-aircraft battery briefly and inconclusively engaged two Japanese aircraft. After Iwo Jima Spud remained a crewman, but held other collateral jobs aboard the USS Whitley as the ships projectionist for the many movies shown in the mess hall aboard ship and used to entertain the sailors while at sea. Spud said he also was assigned as the ships Postmaster. It was the Postmaster job Spud said he enjoyed the most. Spud told me he did earn a Bronze Star while at Iwo Jima and the USS Whitley earned a Battle Star. Spud also mentioned that the 2006 Clint Eastwood movie "Letters Home from Iwo Jima" was the best representation of what it was like serving at Iwo Jima and he highly recommended me, and others seeing the movie.

After leaving Iwo Jima on February 27, 1945 the USS Whitley joined a convoy bound via the New Hebrides for Guadalcanal. The ship stopped at Espiritu Santo on March 15 and embarked members of the Royal New Zealand Air Force for transportation to Guadalcanal. At the latter island, she exchanged the New Zealanders for a complement of Hawaii-bound Marines.

The USS Whitley arrived back at Oahu on April 16, 1945. She conducted voyage repairs at Pearl Harbor and then underwent refresher training near Maui until May 11 when she left Hawaii with a convoy bound for San Francisco, where she arrived on May 18. Two days later, she sailed for Aberdeen, Washington, where she loaded cargo bound for Hawaii. The USS Whitley arrived at Oahu on June 12 and, after a 10-day stopover, got underway for the ammunition depot at Bangor, Washington. There, in mid-July, the attack cargo ship took on another cargo for Hawaii, returned to Pearl Harbor later in the month, and remained there through the end of hostilities on August 15, 1945. The USS Whitley was decommissioned in Charleston, SC on August 16, 1955 and was loaned to Italy in February of 1962 and renamed Mount Etna. The Mount Etna (USS Whitley) eventually was sold to Italy on May 1, 1973 for use in the Italian Navy. Unfortunately the Mount Etna (USS Whitley) was scraped in July 1979 after serving proudly both the United States Navy and Italian Navy for over thirty-five years. Over the recliner where Spud sits in his den is a black and white photograph of the USS Whitley.

Spud has an incredible memory and ability to remember dates of activities he was involved in while serving. Because I was writing so fast and furiously, and the fact that both Spud and I are hard of hearing I was fortunate enough to fact check most of what Spud had told me by referring to sources on the Internet.

[Part 2 continued in next week’s Fillmore Gazette.]

Photos and Video by Bob Crum

The Santa Clara Valley Explorer Post #2958 would like to thank the Bank of the Sierra for their donation of $5,000 dollars to the Explorer program. This donation will go towards the purchase of a van for the Explorer Post.

The purchase of a van will assist with the transportation needs of the post to local events, meetings, and training events, both within and outside of the county. The van will also be utilized to transport the Explorers to the annual Explorer Tactical Competitions in Chandler, Arizona and Castaic, Los Angeles.

The Explorer Post currently has $10,000 promised from Fillmore’s Rotary Club, for the purchase of a van. The Explorer Post is seeking on matching the funds that the Rotary Club has required to purchase this van, a goal of $20,000, the cost of the van.

The Santa Clara Valley Explorer Post # 2958 was started in 2010 and is continuing 6 years strong! The Law Enforcement Explorers Program consists of young men and women between the ages of 14-21, and have completed the 8th grade. The purpose of the Explorer program is to provide young adults with confidence by developing leadership qualities, and developing personal and mental fitness.

The Santa Clara Valley Explorer Post is a non-profit organization that depends on donations to continue to have a successful Explorer program. Currently, the Santa Clara Valley Explorer Post has 28 active Explorers.

If you would like to donate to the Explorer Post please contact the Fillmore Police Department at 805-524-2233.

Prepared by: Cadet Julio Espinoza

The Bardsdale Cemetery will hold it Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 30th at 11AM. The Ceremony will start with a fly-over by the 805th Navion Squadron. Featured speaker this year is former POW Captain Charlie Plumb a F-4 Naval Pilot aboard the carrier Kitty Hawk who was shot down on his 75th mission over Viet Nam 5 days before his scheduled return home. The Rev. Bob Hammond will give the Memorial Service and special music will be provided by the Bardsdale Methodist Church Choir. Also assisting in the ceremony will be VFW Post 9637, Boy Scout Troop 406, Cub Scout Troop 3400 and Bob Thompson. The Boy Scouts will put out the flags on Friday, May27th and they will be picked up by the Bardsdale 4H on Tuesday, May31st. A special thank you to Garcia Mortuary for furnishing the doves to conclude the service and to the P.E.O. for furnishing cookies.

On 05/11/2016 and 05/12/2016, the male suspect seen in the attached video was observed in the girl’s locker room at Moorpark High School. The suspect entered the locker room, removed his clothing, and stood at the rear of the locker room. The juvenile victims noticed the suspect while they were gathering their belongings from their lockers and they immediately left the area. The suspect did not attempt to make any physical contact with the victims. The incident from 05/11/2016, did not get reported until shortly before the incident on 05/12/2016.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic or Middle Eastern Male, approximately 18-25 years of age, with dark colored hair and having a beard. The suspect stands between 5’08 and 6’00 tall and has a medium to heavy build. He was seen leaving Moorpark High School in the above pictured blue or dark green colored 2002 to 2006 Nissan Altima (unknown license plate).

If you have information concerning the identity of the male suspect or location of the Nissan Altima, please contact Sgt. Darin Hendren – (805)797-7137 or Det. Matthew Theobald – (805)947-8220.

Nature of Incident: Indecent Exposure / Child Annoying
Report Number: 16-71052 & 16-71149
Location: Moorpark High School – 4500 N. Tierra Rejada Road, Moorpark, Ca.
Date & Time: 05-11-2016 / 1630 hours & 05-12-2016 / 1507 hours
Unit(s) Responsible: Moorpark Investigations Bureau
(S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent City of Residence Age
(S) Unknown Male, 18-25
(V) Juveniles, 14 to 16
Prepared by: Sergeant Darin Hendren
News Release Date: 05-17-2016
Media Follow-Up Contact: Sergeant Darin Hendren
805-532-2716
darin.hendren@ventura.org
Approved by: Captain John Reilly

Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).

Former POW Capt. Charlie Plumb

The Bardsdale Cemetery will hold it Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 30th at 11AM. The Ceremony will start with a fly-over by the 805th Navion Squadron. Featured speaker this year is Captain Charlie Plumb a F-4 Naval Pilot aboard the carrier Kitty Hawk who was shot down on his 75th mission over Viet Nam 5 days before his scheduled return home. Captain Plumb was captured and a Prisoner of War for 5 years and 9 months. He graduated from Annapolis in 1964 and his Military honors include a Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, 2 Purple Hearts and the P.O.W. Medal. You do not want to miss this dynamic speaker who has appeared on Good Morning America, the Anderson Cooper show and more than 4,500 audiences. Bardsdale Cemetery is honored to have Captain Plumb as our speaker thus year. Also in attendance and speaking is Supervisor Kathy Long. The Rev. Bob Hammond will give the Memorial Service and special music will be provided by the Bardsdale Methodist Church Choir.
Also assisting in the ceremony will be VFW Post 9637, Boy Scout Troop 406, Cub Scout Troop 3400 and Bob Thompson. The Boy Scouts will put out the flags on Friday, May27th and they will be picked up by the Bardsdale 4H on Tuesday, May31st. A special thank you to Garcia Mortuary for furnishing the doves to conclude the service and to
the P.E.O. for furnishing cookies. The Board of Trustees of the Cemetery District: Scott Lee, President, Lynda Edmonds, Secretary, Rita Rudkin, Gabriel Asenas and Dick Diaz would like to invite the community to this
special event.

Recognition went to Hannah Wishart for serving as Student Representative for the 2015-2016 school years. The Fillmore Unified Board Members each spoke of what a pleasure it was to have her at the meetings. Wishart will soon be leaving for Wyoming to continue her studies. She is pictured with Board President Virginia de la Piedra. Photo courtesy Bob Crum.

The May 17, 2016 Fillmore Unified School Board meeting began with recognition of dance advisor Lourdes Juarez and the Fillmore High School (FHS) dance group Ballet Folklorico. As Board President Virginia de la Piedra presented each recipient a Certificate of Recognition she commented that her daughter had also participated with the group while attending FHS. Those receiving were: Daniel Castillo, Fatima Castillo, Esmeralda Ceballos, Jessica Equihua, Melissa Gonzalez, Montserrat Infante, Isela Munoz, Daniela Orozco, Shaina Ponce and Leslie Ramos.

The second recognition went to Hannah Wishart for serving as Student Representative for the 2015-2016 school years. The Board Members each spoke of what a pleasure it was to have her at the meetings. Wishart will soon be leaving for Wyoming to continue her studies.

During the Superintendent's Report Dr. Adrian E. Palazuelos informed everyone of some very welcoming news. Palazuelos proudly read a statement, "Graduation, Dropout, and Cohort Outcome Data, I am pleased to report that the Fillmore Unified School District has received confirmation of an increase in graduation rate and a decrease in the dropout rate for the district and Fillmore High School. All data is based on the cohort outcome for the year of graduation and examines all registered students in 12th grade in 2014-2015 over the course of their four years of study. I am extraordinarily proud of our district and school staff for their work in these areas. We have more work to do to capture 100% of graduates and have zero dropouts in our community!"

The FUSD increased graduation rates in 2014-2015 by 8.9% over the previous 2013-2014 school year, while decreasing dropout rates to 5.4% in those same years.

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Piru Cemetery Memorial Services will be held Monday, May 30, 2016 at 9 a.m., at Piru Cemetery, 3580 Center Street, Piru

A hit and run vehicle left about a 1,000 Fillmore homes without electricity Saturday, May 14th at 4:15pm. A gray BMW crash into an Edison pole in the 3500 block of Sycamore Road, just outside west Fillmore city limits. By 6:00 pm service had been restored to almost all the homes. One person was injured; a second person fled the scene. CHP described him as a Hispanic male, about 25 years old with short hair, wearing blue jeans and blue shirt.

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It seems like only yesterday, this Class celebrated their C.I.F. and State Title in Cross Country. They will be reminiscing about that and all those glory days at their 25 year High School Class reunion on June 11th, at the Alumni Dinner. All Alumni are welcomed to come join in the fun at this year Alumni Dinner and Dance. DJ's California Caterer has a knock out menu planed for this years event. Beef Bourguignon, Chicken Provencal, and Three Cheese Macaroni, (with Sharp Cheddar, Swiss, and Parmesan Cheeses) are just three of the Dinner items DJ's has in store for the evening. Also Triple Chocolate Tuxedo Mousse Cake with Raspberry Coulis as one of the desserts planed. The Class of 1991 has a lot to look forward to at this big 25 year reunion, and you just know that they will be hitting that dance floor later in the evening. Get your Alumni friends together, and make plans for an awesome afternoon/Evening on June 11th. The Alumni Association only plans this once a year, so don't miss out. You can purchase your Alumni Dinner Event reservations online at www.fillmorehighalumni.com, or you can always go into Patterson Hardware on Central Ave, and pay for your reservations there. There are lot's of Pre parties planned through out Fillmore that weekend. Come celebrate with your fellow Alumni and dance the night away!!

Senior Center President Patti Walker. Photo Courtesy Bob Crum.

The public comments were the first order of business in what turned out to be a quick, but effective Fillmore City Council Meeting. Resident Jean McLeod wanted to bring up yet another instance with a tree in the city of Fillmore. She cited two incidents where a tree has fallen and totaled her car while it was parked on Orange Grove Avenue. She has requested numerous documents, but has not received all of the requested documents after a month. She also mentioned that the city was being charged for removing the tree that totaled her car over four years ago, even though that tree does not exist in the present day. Leslie Kinchuch, a part of the Chevron Environmental Management Group, wanted to let the Council know that her company was working on revitalizing land for beneficial reuse. She mentioned the conditional use permit that was just issued for a solar energy project in east Fillmore. Along with the solar energy project, Kinchuch brought up Ventura County Cultural Heritage Board’s request for Chevron’s help with constructing a plaque and monument to be located on Chevron’s property adjacent to the small park along Highway 126. In addition, Kinchuch stated that the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) released the final health consultation report. The report said there is no health risk posed to community members regarding the Pacific Coast Pipeline site in Fillmore.

The entirety of the consent calendar was approved by voice vote.

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