In The Service Now-This Day In Norwood History-September 1, 1944

Sgt. Donovan Commended For Part In Cavalcade

Sgt. Carl F. Donovan, 33 Day Street, has received a commendation from Major General Fulton Q. C. Gardner, commanding the northeastern sector.
Sgt Donovan, who has been a Run commander on an anti-aircraft artillery battery at strate-Ric outposts along the coast, was selected to head a very unique organization which comprises the Fifth War Bond Cavalcade.

This all-service cavalcade which traveled bv motor convoy was composed of Army, Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard personnel, both men and women. The Cavalcade toured 27 Eastern cities and was instrumental in selling in excess of $35,000,000 in war bonds.

Veronica Lake. Lt. Comdr. Jack Dempsey, Sgt. Gene Autry, Walter O’Keefe and Joan Edwards of “Hit Parade” fame augmented the cavalcade at various cities en route.

Sgt. Donovan for his prominent part in the success of the cavalcade was given a personal commendation by Major General Fulton Q. C. Gardner which reads, in part, as follows: “As acting First Sergeant of the Cavalcade you were directly responsible for the Discipline and conduct of the members of the group and were in charge of moving the Cavalcade from one city to another. The moves were made in an expeditious manner and the excellent discipline of the organization was evidenced by the many favorable reports from civilians in each locality in which the War Bond Cavalcade appeared. I desire to commend you for the part you played in this program.”

Sgt. Donovan has been in the service for two years, and at present is completing an advanced gunnery course at Newport, Rhode Island.

Sgt Donald Hamlin Awarded DFC.

AN EIGHTH AIR FORCE BOMBER STATION. England — For “extraordinary achievement” during bombing attacks on Nazi war plants and on military targets in France in support of Allied ground forces, Staff Sergeant Donald G. Hamlin of Norwood, has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Sgt. Hamlin, who is 21, is ball turret gunner on the Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress “Heaven’s Above.” In addition to his DFC, he holds the Air Medal and four Oak Leaf Clusters. His group is a unit of the 3rd Bombardment Division, cited by the President for its shuttle mission to Africa when Messerschmitt aircraft plants at Regensburg were bombed.

Sgt. Hamlin flew in attacks on military installations in Berlin, on aircraft plants at Posen, Munich. Brunswick and Augsburg, on oil refineries at Leipzig, Magdeburg and Merseburg, on the Bremen docks and on communications in the Paris area. He was in action on D-Day.

On the Brunswick mission, he was credited with damaging a Focke Wulfe 190.

“That Brunswick trip was a tough one,” he said. “We saw plenty of fighters and all the flak I want to see for a long time.

Sgt. Hamlin is the son of Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Hamlin of 362 Washington Street, Norwood. He operated Hamlins Service Station at 496 Washington Street, before he entered the AAF in October, 1942.

Bronze Star Medal To Captain Johnson

AN EIGHTH AAF BOMBER STATION. ENGLAND: Captain Claes E. Johnson, 9 Proctor Street. Newtonville, has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal, it was announced here recently by Eighth Air Force officials.

Captain Johnson son of Mr. and Mrs. C. P. Johnson of Norwood, received the award for meritorious service as intelligence officer of a heavy bombardment squadron. For the past two years, he has been stationed in England with a veteran Flying Fortress bomber group and has played an important part in preparation of bombing missions to enemy territory.

He received his commission in May, 1942, and after brief training

Cpl. John Heylin’s Squadron Earns A Commendation

15th AAF In Italy—Cpl. John W. Heylin. son of Mr. and Mrs. David J. Heylin, 56 Railroad Avenue, Norwood, with other men of his headquarters squadron has been cited by Col. George R. Ache-, son, Lewiston, Me., and Tampa, Fla., commanding officer of a heavy bombardment wing in Italy, for “fine work since arriving in this theatre.”

Colonel Acheson commended the squadron personnel for giving “unsparingly of their time and efforts in contributing to the successful operation of the wing,” which has directed aerial operations by B-24 Liberators of the Fifteenth Air Force against strategic Nazi targets in France, Italy, Austria, southern Germany, and the Balkans.

“May our joint efforts, in the future as in the past, contribute to the destruction of our enemies and the early return of peace,” the citation concludes.
Corporal Heylin is a graduate of Norwood High School, class of 1939, and was employed by Bird & Son, E. Walpole, until he entered service in September 1942. He has been overseas since March.

Lt. Col. James Collins Tells of Need Of Blood Plasma

Representatives Of Organizations And Industries Confer

Some, fifty representatives of local organizations and industries attended a meeting on Tuesday night at Red Cross Headquarters, 8 Guild Street, to discuss plans for enlarging the Norwood blood donor program and of securing more Norwood people to give a pint of blood to be made into plasma for the armed forces.

They heard a first-hand report of blood plasma at the front from Lt. Col. James F. Collins, son of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Collins of Summit Avenue, who is now stationed at Fort Devens. Lt. Col. Collins recently returned from two and a half years in the Pacific where he was awarded the Legion of Merit.

Reviewing Red Cross services at the front, Collins said the men there were warm in their praise of the Red Cross work. Not only did surgical dressings and Red Cross goods come to them, but the Red Cross also provided entertainment and relief from boredom which meant a great deal on the Pacific islands. He spoke highly, too, of the work of the field directors and the home service tie-up which makes possible contacts between the soldier and his home and relieves a soldier’s worry.

Lt. Col. Collins said of plasma that he had seen it work miracles.

Cpl. Harry Nordblom Reported Wounded In Drive In France

Cpl Harry L. Nordblom, 27. son of Mr. and Mrs. John A. Nordblom of 396 Winter Street was wounded in action in France, August 6, according to a telegram received from the War Department on Saturday.

Cpl Nordblom has been overseas for 25 months. He is attached to the famed 1st. Infantry Division and participated in the African and Sicilian campaigns.
The family received a letter from Cpl Nordblom Tuesday, saying that he had been injured during a big drive in France and that he had been flown to a hospital in England.

Cpl. Nordblom entered the service in 1942 and trained at Camp Croft. S. C.. and Red Gap, Pa. He is one of two brothers in the service. Cpl. Harold Nordblom is in the army and stationed in the Hawaiian Islands.

Private Paolucci Writes of Wounds Received In France

The family of Pvt. Julius Paolucci of Nahatan Street learned more details of his wounds received in the fighting in France from a letter received from him this week. The family heard two weeks ago that he had been wounded on the 27th of July.

His letter said he was feeling “pretty good” though “still tied up in bed.” He said he was beginning to exercise the fingers on his right hand.

Describing his wounds, he said he had a shrapnel wound on his elbow so he couldn’t move it much; two wounds on his left leg plus a bone broken in two places; a wound on his side, and a broken bone in q toe on his right foot. “Otherwise,” he writes, “I’m all right.”

Pvt. Paolucci added that he had received the Purple Heart. In the armed forces a year in June, he trained in North Carolina and went to England at New Year’s as a member of an infantry outfit. He has two brothers in the service, Pvt. Ernest, also in Fiance, and Pvt. Edward, in England.

Joseph Flaherty Reported Wounded In Action In France

Pfc Joseph Flaherty, 21, youngest of the Fighting Four Flahertys, was wounded in France according to a telegram received by his family from the War Department last Sunday.

Pfc Flaherty has been in the service since March, 1943, and was in the infantry.

He is the son of Mr. John Flaherty of 47 Nichols street and the brother of S/Sgt John P. Flaherty of the ground crew of the Eighth Air Force in England, Peter Flaherty, Gunner’s Mate 3/c on a Navy destroyer, and James Flaherty, motor machinist’s mate 3/c. also in the Navy and stationed in Newfoundland.

TSgt. O9Leary, S-Sgt. Pyne, Both With Bomber Crews Are Reported As Missing

O’Leary, Radio Gunner; Pyne, Turret Gunner

Communications from the war department have reported two more Norwood boys missing in action. Both members of bomber crews, they are T/Sgt. James O’Leary, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael O’Leary of 5S0 Pleasant Street and S/Sgt. Arthur Pvnc, 21, son of Mr. and Mrs. George H. Pyne of 7 Douglas avenue.

Giving a pint of his blood for the eighth time on Wednesday night. Theodore Davis of Norwood added up blood donations totaling a gallon. An employee of J. S. Cushing Co., Mr. Davis is that concern’s blood donor representative working with the Norwood Blood Donor Committee.

O’Leary, a radio gunner on a B-24 liberator bomber, was reported missing in word received here August 23rd. His plane failed to return to its base from a bombing mission over France.

He entered the service on January 7, 1943 and was trained in radio at stations in Tennessee, Mississippi Sioux Falls, South Dakota. and Kearns Field, Utah. He attended gunner school at Fort Myers. Florida, and then went to Blythe, California, where he was assigned to the crew of a B-24 liberator. He went overseas about three months ago, to England, and shortly after arrival there was promoted to Technical Sergeant from Staff Sergeant.

O’Leary, who was employed by Norwood Lumber Co., before joining the service, holds the Air Medal with three clusters for “meritorious achievement over enemy territory.” He has a brother, Michael. Jr., a Seaman first class in the Navy who is on active duty as a Navy gunner and is believed to be in foreign waters.

S-Sgt. Pyne, a turret gunner on a bomber, was stationed in Italy. On August 10th, his plane went out on its bombing mission from which it failed to return to its base. He entered the service in September 1942 and trained as an aerial gunner at Kingman Field. Arizona and Peterson Field in Colorado Springs. Colorado He also has a brother in the service. Cpl. Everett W. Pyne, USA, stationed in Sardinia.

(All articles originally published in the Norwood Messenger)