Hellcat News, (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 60, No. 2-3, Ed. 1, October-November 2007 Page: 1 of 28
28 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
* Rhineland
* Ardennes-Alsace
* Central Europe
HELLCAT NEWS
Published by the
12th Armored
Division Association
^33ES^
Tast
VOL. 60
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2007
NO. 2-3
President's
Message
61st National Reunion Report
Drawbridge Inn, Ft. Mitchell, KY
Were it not for the untiring efforts of Robert
H. Hoeweler our reunion would have been a
flop. Instead, I felt it was a huge success with a
sit-down dinner for 310 association members.
For those folks with a walking handicap, the
distances at the Drawbridge were challenging
but all in all the Memorial Service on Friday
morning with our Chaplain, Bill Funke, went very smoothly
and the business meeting held Saturday morning was very well
attended and went off without a hitch.
Ed Waszak [A/17] was elected president and legacy member
Bill McCarthy of Gloucester, MA, was elected vice president. Bill
is the son of deceased veteran Capt. William A. McCarthy [CCA/
DivTrns], Our treasurer, A. Edward Pierce [A/56], was re-elected
in absentia. Ed resides in Yardville, NJ, and has aptly demonstrated
his computer-related accounting techniques. His monthly reports
have been instant, concise, and very helpful to the management
of our association. May I extend my congratulations to our new
officers and wish them success in the coming year.
During our business meeting Saturday morning we also elected
two new directors to our Executive Council which as you know
is the governing body of our association: legacy member Ted
Glogovac of Saratoga, CA, who is the son of deceased veteran Ted
Glogovac [Sv/494]. Also elected to the Executive Council was
Bettie Schultz who is the widow of deceased veteran Harry Schultz
[A/493]. Bettie resides in Towanda, IL, and has contributed many
hours to our association. Welcome to the council, Ted and Bettie,
and I'm sure your input will keep us functioning in the proper
direction.
Generally speaking, the food quality at the Drawbridge Inn was
good and the unit dinners were well attended. My unit, the 714th
Tank Battalion, had relatively few at the reunion. Bob Hoeweler
of the 66th was kind enough to invite my wife Ruby and me to
join the unit dinner for the 66th.
We boarded a private bus (about 40 of us) and went to a local
Italian restaurant for a buffet-style dinner on their exterior patio
complete with a five- or six-piece band for entertainment. As we
were getting off of the bus and making our way to our reserved
tables, the much younger crowd that was already there found out
that we were World War II veterans, and they all stood up and
started clapping and didn't stop until we were all seated. It was
quite an emotional moment that such a large crowd of young
people recognized us as World War II veterans and honored us
with their applause. It made me feel proud to have served my
country and that good old-fashioned patriotism for the USA is still
alive and well.
With that thought, I will say goodbye once again as your past
president and look forward to seeing all of you at the next reunion
Aug. 13-17, 2008, in Abilene, TX. If any of you have not seen our
museum, this trip is a must.
—Your Past President, John E. Critzas
Gunner, A Co., 714th Tk. Bn.
494TH ARMORED FIELD
ARTILLERY
Ted N. Glogovac
12309 Radoyka Dr., Saratoga, CA 95123
408-499-0188 ted.glogovac@jeppesen.com
Hello to all of you Hellcats and Hellkittens. By now you have
noticed that the October and November issues of the Hellcat News
were rolled into one, which gave me an extra month to compile
my column. I have actually received a significant amount of news,
letters, phone calls, and email messages, so let's jump right into
it.
First off, the association's national reunion this past September
was a great time. Bob Hoeweler [C/66] and team deserve a big
round of thanks for all of their hard work in putting this event
together. The Drawbridge Inn was a nice venue and we all got
our daily exercise walking to the various meeting rooms! The unit
dinner was delicious and the Red Skelton impersonator kept us all
amused.
Unfortunately, I was the only representative from the 494th in
attendance, but I kept good company with our friends from the
493rd and 495th, as well as members from the other units. As
usual, Bettie and Harry Schultz [A/493] did a fantastic job of
organizing the hospitality suite and should be commended for their
willingness to tackle that job year after year. The banquet included
the distribution of various awards to well-deserving members of
the association. The association itself was the recipient of a plaque
from a Holocaust organization in Boston for its part in liberating
the concentration camps in and around Dachau.
Speaking of which, the dinner was followed by a talk by
Joseph Hausner, who was a slave laborer at Kaufering #4 and
later a prisoner at Landsberg. It was a very moving speech and
Mr. Hauser's gratitude to the men of the 12th Armored Division
for saving him and his fellow prisoners from certain death was
truly heartfelt. Next year's reunion will take place August 13-17 in
Abilene. I hope the turnout from the 494th is a good one.
I received a letter from Joe Ahles [C], who turns 99 on Nov.
6. He is trying to find out how many enlisted men of the 12th are
in their 90s. If you fall into that category, drop Joe a note with
your name, age, and unit. His address is: 4928 N. Karlov Ave.,
Chicago, IL 60630.
Marie Thesenvitz is trying to find out information on the
wartime service of her late grandfather, Donald Lee Coombes
[B]. If anyone can help her, please send her an email at tomartrey@
hotmail.com or contact me and I can relay the information.
I received word on the passing of Philip Galu [A], who was in
Bob French's 4th gun section. Philip lived in the San Francisco
Bay Area and I had the pleasure to meet him at a Western Chapter
meeting several years ago. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his
continued on page 3
2007Award Recipients
Mr. Hellcat Award: Ward McGill [B/66]
Don Hering [HQ/134]
Blue Ribbon Award: Robert McMenamin [HQ/134]
Woman of the Year Award: Colleen Woycke [C/134]
Lou Ignatti [B/17]
Distinguished Member Award: Bill Hardin [Div/Arty]
Outstanding Legacy Member: Ken Klinedinst [L/66]
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Twelfth Armored Division Association (U.S.). Hellcat News, (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 60, No. 2-3, Ed. 1, October-November 2007, newspaper, October 2007; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth410412/m1/1/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.