Dow Field Observer

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April 18, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Includes a lengthy profile on S/SGT. Grant F. Walsh, another article profiles base PX worker and Bangor native Charlie Share, a detailed story about the 135th Squadron of the 6th Wing of the Army Airways Communications -- completed with brief biographies of several officers, and a full page write-up, with many photographs, of "The Hub," the Priorities and Traffic Section of Dow Field.
April 4, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Feature articles include promotion of a USO show by the Wilfred Mae Trio, features about 1st Lieutenant Armel H.C. Opp, PFC Vera Edwards, T/SGT. Irving N. Meltzer, and soldiers "from away" being asked about likes or dislikes about Maine.
August 15, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

"Victory!" reads the headline. The smaller print proclaims "Historic Week Quiet on Base." A parade and gigantic picnic are announced to celebrate the end of the war.

In lesser news, LT. Robert W. Shannon and Captain Thomas M. Slamal are shown with trophies for winning the doubles tennis competition; and a story telling of the return of three buck sergeants, Joseph Johns, John Moore, and Francis Breyne to Dow Field after a 15 month stay at Labrador in the arctic.
August 22, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Among the items in this packed issue are: S/SGT. Leslie Brogdon was elected new president of the NCO Club; First Lt. Helen V. Price became new commanding officer of WAC Squadron C; SGT. William Willis won at the Dow Field tennis courts; 2nd LT. Paul Hanley married Gladys Ryder at a base ceremony; and the base celebrated Japan's surrender.
August 8, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Touts "an afternoon Tea Dance in the Pavilion at Branch Pond ... on Sunday of Camp Jordan for use by soldiers and their guests" (transport from base via hourly trucks and buses); features a story about PFC. Venerable McFarland and his invention; an extensive article, with numerous photographs, of the base's 58 firefighters; and details the promotion of Air Inspector Lewis W. Graham to major.
December 12, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Promotes a Friday, December 21st Victory Dance at Bangor City Hall; Janet M. Reid provides the newest gossip among the civilian personnel; the landing of a B-29 is heralded; and Celilia Riley gives us the scoop on the aircraft maintenance department's activities on base and off.
December 19, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Provides extensive details about the Victory Loan Dance to be held at Bangor City Hall on Friday, December 21; has a photograph of four engineers (Bernie Noden and his son Richard Noden, Frank Clark, Jim Cunningham, and Herb Willey) after a successful bear hunt near Cherryfield; and features "civilian chit-chat" from Cecilia Riley, Dorothy Bates, Marion Dickson, Theresa O'Brien, and Marie Pecorelli.
December 5, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Tells of 1st LT. Robert Gross, the personnel officer of the 13th AACS Squadron, who had traveled to Greenland on the Arctic schooner, the Effie Morrissey; shows a captioned photograph of a group of workers of the visiting plane the Hag of Hardwyck; and reveals that civilian employees had began to outnumber military personnel on base.
February 14, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Major Charles W. Hume was named president of the board of directors of the Dow Field Officers' Club; CPL Harding "Deane" Good won the quarterly physical fitness test at the base, edging out Second LT George E. Doran, Jr.; Captain John T. O'Connell rose to the position of Flight Control Officer; CPL James F. Burns had a poem published in the Bangor Daily News; Lt. William Albert McKinley we Dorothy A. Ross; SGT Stanley Milkelk, Information and Education NCO, gets an extended biography; and PVT Margaret (Dickinson) Gilmore also gets a lengthy profile.
February 28, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

LT COL Orie O. Schurter, formerly executive officer of the base, takes over as commanding officer, replacing the transferring COL James C. Jensen; we meet LT. Frank Obermeyer, Jr. an assistant Post Exchange Officer at the base; PFC Tony Mule, PFC Sol Schiff, and PFC Michael Zagar sit at a table, sharing coffee and cookies; and we also get profiles of CPL Clemente Gaud and Ulysses A. Providence.
February 7, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

"Who's Who of Enlisted Men" spotlights CPL Archie Silver, base baker of General Mess; CPL Silver contributes a column himself about the recent doings in General Mess; pages 4 and 5 are (almost) full pages telling the steps taken in the production of the Observer, showing LT A.G. Thompson, PFC Pasquale Grosso, SGT "Fritz" Snyder, Jim Coghill, J.M. McLeod, Edward Goodin, CPL James Burns, and SGT Stanley Mikelk in action; and we meet WAC corporals & sisters Phyllis and Stella Stappler.
January 17, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Three Maine heroes, two of them posthumously, receive honors. These men were: Second LT. Rodney S. Gerrish, of Holden, killed in action in aerial combat; S/SGT Walter C. Rich, a prisoner of war in Germany, of Union; and 1st LT Alfred C. Chamberlain of Ellsworth, who was also killed in action.

We also get a profile of S/SGT Clarence Riley; two full pages detailing the military travels of S/SGT Donald F. Martin, crew chief at Dow Field; and a brief biography on WAAC 2nd LT Florence Foy.
January 3, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Page One recounts the November 29, 1944, landing and capture of two German spies, Erich Gimpel and William Curtis Colepaugh, undertaking Operation Elster at Hancock Point on the Schoodic Penisula.

The Observer had previously "scooped" the nation with the story just a few weeks prior. Much of this issue provides a wealth of details of this incident perhaps long-forgotten or not previously known.

This issue also profiles WAC LT Mildred Hearon, PVT Frances Dickerson, PVT Alice Fillion, and PVT Ruth Collins; and we see SGT Chester C. Sutton and PVT Samuel A. West making yarn mats.
July 25, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Dow Field gets two new chaplains, Chaplain Edward J. Morkowski and Chaplain Paul F. Ketchum; Thomas C. Nowdy, Oliver Cormier, Edmund J. Boucher, Lester V. Vasseur, and Guy Allen answer the question "What problems have confronted you since receiving your discharge?"; Major George F. Bryon is promoted to LT. COL; and we see pictures of Captain Earl R. Holm and Captain Willie Knutson.
June 13, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

LT COL Orie O. Schurter, former CO of Dow Field, welcomes the new Commanding Officer, LT COL Edwards F. Tindall; Captain Elbert Stallard, the Chief of Dental Services at Dow Field, gets an extended profile and photo; winners in the handball tournaments on base include CPL Leo Stein, SGT Abel Seidman, LT Jerome Grossman, CPL Sheldon Rosenthal, CPL Charles Brown, and W/O A.G. Sprague; Alta Edgecomb has "prettiest smile" in Hanger 1; Mrs. Louise F. Bell handles Red Cross at hospital; and we get a story entitled "20 Women Doing Men's Jobs on Hangar Line of the Base" which name-drops Genevieve Marcus of Bangor, Lilly Langlais of Old Town, and Arvilla Thayer of Bangor.
June 20, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Soldiers and civilians featured in this issue include: S/SGT James A. Mayne; 1st SGT Thomas Shanley, 2nd LT George Doran, 1st LT Earl R. Holm, 1st SGT Paul M. Engle, SGT Mario Sirabella, Louis Belliveau, Lillian M. Talbot, and SGT Joe Crooks.
June 27, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Page 6 announces 40,000 attend Dow Field open house. LT COL Edward F. Tindell greeted the crowd.

Soldiers mentioned in this issue include: Herbie Blinn, PFC William Fleming, CPL Leon Tarien, SGT Stanley Mikelk, SGT Carleton Cummings, S/SGT Millard Meier, PVT Doris Ramer, and CPL Myra Harris.

16 year old Bangor girl, Caliope Mourkas, won the grand prize of $1000 bond at the Open House raffle.
March 7, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Captain John J. Fischer and 1st LT Curtis Patterson receive decorations and commendations, complete with photograph; T-4 George E. Schach tells of his deployment at Gander Bay in Newfoundland; PVT Don Croskey, CPL Rex Russell, CPL Grant Jessop, SGT Alfrieda Wauben, and PFC Saul Hennes answer the question "If there had been no war and you were living the normal life of a civilian, what do you think you would be doing now?"; PFC Joseph Pohlman was leading scorer in base basketball games, and the engagement of PFC Katherine Green to T/SGT Stanley Lyons is announced.
May 16, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

PFC Maceo Simpson was tops on base in the PT quarterly tests; CPL Audrey Moulton was the first Dow Field soldier discharged under the new point system; PVT Fred Gaymon, T/SGT Robert Miller, PFC Frank Dillon, and SGT Joseph Milanesi answer a pressing question on a base policy change; and George Cameron describes his role of being in charge of the base's motor pool.
May 23, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

SGT George Barton "makes with the needle and thread to sew on the new Dow Field insignia"; LT Grace Manning, a WAC commanding officer, is profiled; PFC Pisetzner Aaron, PFC Floyd W. Tidwell, PVT Mary Skillings, CPL Alfred Richardson, and SGT Joseph Milanesi answer the question of the fairness of the point system; CPL Lloyd McFarland marries PVT Alice Fillion at the Dow Field Chapel -- complete with a newlywed photo; and Page 5 displays photographs of various soldiers cleaning the facilities at the base. The cleaning soldiers include: SGT George Ciminera; SGT Dan "Mailman" McCarthy; CPL Harry "Ticker Taker" Tsucalas; S/SGT James "Money Order" Haffey; CPL William "Photogenic" Beattie; CPL Mason Burcham; SGT Edgar Marcotte; SGT John Clifford; CPL Norman Benning; CPL Edward Chell; CPL Lowell Dahlberg; and CPL Anthony Videtta.
November 16, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

The virtuousness of Bangor's women are extolled (combatting a poor reputation brought on by the book and movie "The Strange Woman"); Captain Robert S. DuBois, CPL Neal E. Johns, CPL John L. Jonking, CPL Colin A. Williams, and Millie Allen are commended for their work processing passengers at U.S. Customs on base; and Forrest Clancy is congratulated on the birth of his baby girl.
November 23, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

S/SGT Bob Senser, PFC Andrew Misthos, T/SGT Harold Benenson, SGT Harry Morris, T/SGT Byron Hutchinson, SGT Adolph Diers, and S/SGT C.J. Pelezynski reveal their post-war plans; Joe Axelson spent a weekend at his hunting lodge in Glenburn; Hollis Parker and Forrest Clancy share notes about their newborns; Genevieve Marcus sold her house trailer; and Estelle Cassell, Gerry Williard, and Eleanor Savoy await the return of their husbands from overseas.
November 9, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Soldiers and base personnel mentioned in this scaled-back issue of the Observer include: Henry Law; Keith Googin; Harris Mower; Kermit Clements; John Spinney & Gertrude Wood -- they were wed; Winfred Lane; Dick Rall; Irving Hoisey; and Irving S. Blau.
October 10, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

Barbara Magee of base Air Supply anxiously awaits the return of her husband T/SGT Thomas E. Magee; Eleanor Bradeen, of the PX restaurant branch, and her daughter Sue Bradeen are pictured; and a large group of Dow Field soldiers, civilians, and WACS visited Quebec -- those on the trip included (and photographyed): S.J. Westock; John Plesnarski; John Crawford; Inez Campbell; Idelia Schleusner; Mary L. O'Brien; Phyllis Stappler; Kathleen Conlon; Eileen O'Reilly; Ruth Alger; George Anthony; Ruth Miller; Euleta Lake; Ernestine Stem; Gunrun Jacobson; Doris Singleton; Esther Swanson; Carrol Kasey; Margaret Scholz; Joseph J. Marshall, Herbert Huebner; and John McNaught.
October 17, 1945

Dow Field Personnel, Bangor, Maine

SGT Jack Ross, PVT Bill McGaughey, PVT Clarence Dyer, PFC Ardayo, and PFC Hilford Daveer are shown mowing the grass at Dow Field; First LT Edward J. Bartlett replaces LT Frank Obermeyer as Post Exchange Officer (Bartlett and his wife, the former Miss Marie Boutin, live on Ohio Street in Bangor at this time); Louie Belliveau serves as the only barber on base; and we see a photograph of LT Helen V. Price, LT Marjorie Raynor, LT Florence F. Foy, CPL Eleanor Krasnopolska, CPL Lillian Lenore, acting 1st SGT Idelia Schleusner; PFC Mary O'Brien, PFC Mary Dingley, PFC Minnie Baumann, PFC Frances Savage, PFC Frances Dickerson, and PFC Linn Hill.