COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL May 13, 2015
Cottage Grove Retrospective
CITY BEAT
A look back at Sentinel stories from 30 years ago
B.t. attack begins
After several weeks of warning, Cottage Grove
residents fi nally saw and heard spray helicopters
overhead last week as the massive eradication
project moved into the South Lane area.
The helicopters doused the town and surround-
ing hills four days in a row with the biological
insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) to kill
gypsy moth caterpillars.
Most of the spraying was performed Saturday
and Sunday.
Aerial spraying in Lane County began May 1
and is expected to continue through June. Most
of the 227,000 acres infested with gypsy moth
have received the fi rst of three application. Some
snowy high-elevation areas have not received a
fi rst dose because the moth eggs have not hatched
into caterpillars, coordinators say.
For B.t. to work the moths have to reach cater-
pillar stage and eat B.t. with foliage. B.t. causes
caterpillars to stop feeding and die but has no
known harmful effects on humans or higher life.
Spraying of the Cottage Grove urban area
should have taken only one day, said Rachel
Sound Nunn, a public information offi cer of the
project.
David Keim, plant protection and quarantine
offi cer, said one helicopter began dousing Cot-
tage Grove on Thursday. The operation was
halted 30 minutes later beca the helicopter blew
a hose in the pump into the spray boom, which
controls the outfl ow of the pesticide.
POLICE BLOTTER
Cottage Grove Police Department 24-Hour Anonymous Tip Line: 767-0504
May 4
May 5
Burglary, Church of the Naza-
rene
The complainant said that a rock
was thrown through the kitchen
window on the southeast side of the
building sometime during the night
and that the pastor’s offi ce was ran-
sacked as well. The stolen property
was a box containing numerous
checks in the amount of approxi-
mately $800, and cash and coin in
the amount of several hundred dol-
lars.
Theft, N. Lane / Bridge
The caller’s 16-year old son broke
up a pencil sharpener, cutting his
arms in the process. Medics deter-
mined that the cuts were superfi cial
and transported the subject to the
ER for further evaluation.
The caller said that her vehicle
was broken into sometime during
the previous 48 hours, but she did
not immediately report it. She now
sees the suspect wearing her sweat-
shirt that was stolen from the vehi-
cle. Offi cers contacted the reporting
person, but she didn’t want to fi le
a report; she was more concerned
about the proximity of the suspect.
Offi cers told the subjects under
the bridge to clean up the mess
they had made or else they would
be charged with trespassing and lit-
tering.
Reckless burning, S. 17th St.
A caller said there was fi re on
the front steps of his business, with
some damage occurring overnight.
May 6
Criminal mischief, Chambers
Bridge
Oregon’s Doolittle raiders made
history in startling ways
T
his article is the third in
a series about Oregon’s
connection to the famous Doo-
little bombing raid on Japan,
conducted in 1942 just a few
months after the bombing of
Pearl Harbor.
The audacious air strike was
delivered by the Army’s Pend-
leton-based 17th Bomb Group,
taking off from the deck of the
Navy’s brand-new aircraft carri-
er U.S.S. Hornet. Last week, we
talked about four of the aviators
with deep Oregon connections;
this week, we’ll fi nish up with
three more.
Col. Dean Davenport
Dean Davenport was origi-
nally from Tacoma but grew up
in Portland and graduated from
6
high school there. He was a law
student at Albany College (now
Lewis and Clark) before he be-
came a Flying Cadet in Febru-
ary, 1941.
Davenport was co-pilot on
Plane 7, known as the “Rup-
tured Duck.” That name turned
out to be apropos, because after
dropping its bombs, the Rup-
tured Duck ran out of fuel over
the East China Sea just short of
the beach it was trying to reach
and land on and plunged into
the water. Davenport and his
pilot, Ted Lawson, were thrown
through the plane’s windshield,
still strapped into their seats.
Despite severe injuries, they
managed to get out of their
chairs and make it to shore.
Picked up by Chinese Nation-
alist fi ghters, they were carried
south through hostile coun-
try in various primitive carts
and trucks, a journey that took
-day
weather forecast
THURSDAY May 14
FRIDAY May 15
44° | 70°
46° | 71°
A.M. Showers
Partly Cloudy
SATURDAY May 16
SUNDAY May 17
45° | 63°
44° | 68°
Cloudy
Cloudy
MONDAY May 18
TUESDAY May 19
44° | 71°
47° | 69°
Partly Cloudy
May 8
The complainant said that an
unknown person had started a fi re
near the locomotive sculpture at the
bridge. The complainant put the fi re
out.
Offbeat Oregon History
BY FINN J.D. JOHN
For the Sentinel
May 7
Suicidal subject, Birch Ave.
Found child, Conoco gas station
The caller reported an unattended
six-year old female child at the loca-
tion that appeared to have wandered
away from home. Offi cers trans-
ported the child back to her home,
and DHS responded to the location
to interview parent and conduct
safety check.
Also, 211 gallons of the pesticide were spilled
on the ground at the Cottage Grove airport on
Thursday when a spray pilot accidentally fl ipped
the emergency dump switch, which ejects all the
liquid from the helicopter container, Nunn said.
She added the switch is used in critical cases in
fl ight when a pilot needs to lower the aircraft
quickly.
Thursday’s spraying was discontinued at 6
a.m. until Friday.
Similarly, Friday was fraught with problems,
this time weather problems, Keim said.
The clouds and the rain caused the operation
to cease shortly after 6 a.m., he said. Only 492
Cottage Grove acres were sprayed that day with
370 gallons of the insecticide.
Partly Cloudy
Criminal mischief, Main St.
The reporting person said that a
male subject threw a rock through
the front window of the location.
seven weeks. Finally they were
rescued by an Air Force plane,
which took them home to re-
cover.
The Ruptured Duck’s story
was told in a 1944 movie titled
“30 Seconds Over Tokyo,” in
which Tim Murdock played
Davenport’s role. As part of the
movie, Davenport re-enacted
the takeoff from the Hornet
in another B-25, with a pier in
Santa Monica standing in for
the aircraft carrier.
Davenport retired in 1967;
his awards include the Distin-
guished Flying Cross, Silver
Star and Legion of Merit. He
died on Feb. 14, 2000.
Staff Sgt. Jacob DeShazer
Jacob DeShazer was born in
Salem, the son of a Church of
God pastor, and grew up on a
wheat farm in Madras, graduat-
ing from Madras High School
in 1931. He enlisted in 1940
and became a bombardier and
airplane mechanic in the Air
Corps, and when the Doolittle
raiders took off, he was at the
bomb sights in the last plane
to take off — Plane 16, dubbed
“Bat out of Hell.”
DeShazer’s was one of the air-
planes that ran out of gasoline a
little too early. Forced down in
Japanese-controlled territory,
they found themselves almost
The suspect was described as tall,
with short curly hair and glasses,
and he was last seen heading west
on Main St. The damage was esti-
mated to be $500.
Suicidal subject, CG High School
The caller requested units to re-
spond to the location for a suicidal
subject on the buses from the track
meet. Offi cers checked the area.
May 9
Unlawful entry into a motor
vehicle, Row River Rd.
The reporting person said that a
guest’s car was broken into during
the night. Offi cers contacted the
victim, who said that $150 of wine
was stolen from his vehicle some-
time between 8 p.m. on May 8 and
7:30 a.m. on May 9.
immediately in the power of
their infuriated enemies.
It seemed the crew of the “Bat
out of Hell” had found its way
back into hell, along with three
surviving crewmembers of an-
other plane. There followed,
at Japanese high command, a
fi erce debate over whether the
aviators were prisoners of war,
to be interned as per the Geneva
Convention; or “war criminals,”
to be tried and executed. A com-
promise was reached, in which
all were sentenced to death, but
the sentences of all but three
were commuted to life in pris-
on.
In prison, the Americans
were treated very poorly, un-
derfed and frequently tortured.
DeShazer’s bitter hatred of the
enemy changed, though, when
he was given a Bible to read for
three weeks before passing it on
to the next prisoner. Returning
to the faith of his youth (from
which he had strayed), he fi n-
ished out his time in prison as a
devoted Christian.
After the war, DeShazer en-
rolled in Seattle Pacifi c Uni-
versity, and in 1948 was fl ying
once again back to Japan — to
serve as a missionary there.
While there, he made a new and
lifelong friend in an ex-Imperial
Navy fl yer named Capt. Mitsuo
Fuchida — the man who had,
from the cockpit of his torpedo
e
v
i
t
o
m
o
Aut
s
e
i
t
l
a
i
c
e
Sp
The City of Cottage Grove’s annual tree branch
pick-up service will occur on Tuesday, May 26.
The Public Works crew will pick up branches that
are placed in street parking areas on this one day
only. Those with questions regarding the Tree
Branch Pickup Program or who would like a copy
of the informational brochure which outlines the
specifi c program guidelines area asked to call the
Public Works Department at (541) 942-3349, stop
by the Public Works offi ce located in City Hall at
400 East Main Street, or go to the City’s website at
www.cottagegrove.org.
Sports Advisory Council
The City Manager attended a meeting of the Eu-
gene, Cascades and Coast Sports Advisory Coun-
cil. The Council reviewed the Sports Marketing
Plan for 2016 and discussed the impact of sport-
ing events in Lane County. The Council reports
that, as of April 28, events have been held in Lane
County that have resulted in 10,605 hotel rooms,
bringing 41,235 visitors to the County with an eco-
nomic impact of $6,977,547. These sport events
do not include any U of O, NCU, LCC or any
other school games. The Council also discussed
upcoming events that will have an impact on the
area economy.
Chambers Covered Bridge
Site Vandalized
The City reports that, on Friday, May 1 some-
time that weekend, one of the Chambers Railroad
Covered Bridge Park site’s light was broken off
at the base, exposing live electrical wires. Public
Works cut power to all the site lights to eliminate
the danger of electrical shock and the area was bar-
ricaded until repairs could be coordinated on Mon-
day. Over that weekend, the damaged light was
also thrown in the river. On Monday of last week,
the City says light was retrieved from the river and
taken to the shop. The damage to the light is sig-
nifi cant and it will need to be replaced with a new
light. The City urges those who observe vandalism
anywhere in the community to notify the Cottage
Grove Police or Public Works Departments.
bomber, led the fi rst wave of
Japanese attackers into Pearl
Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
DeShazer’s awards included
the Distinguished Flying Cross,
Purple Heart and Chinese Breast
Order of Yung Hui. He died on
March 15, 2008, at his home in
Salem.
Major Gen. David M.
“Davy” Jones
David M. Jones was origi-
nally a Marshfi eld (Coos Bay)
boy, although he graduated
from high school in Arizona. He
was the pilot of Crew 5, and was
publicly identifi ed by Doolittle
himself as his top pilot.
Jones and his crew had as
close to a routine fi nish as was
possible under the circumstanc-
es. He guided his plane as close
as possible to a known friendly
city before giving the order to
hit the silk; none of his men
were captured or injured.
After the raid, Jones was as-
signed to command the 319th
bomb group in North Africa
fl ying B-26 Marauders against
Rommel’s forces. In December
1942, the Germans managed to
shoot him down, and he found
himself a prisoner of war.
Jones quickly developed a
reputation in his prison camp,
Stalag Luft III, for defi ance and
harassment of his German cap-
tors. Soon he was on the camp’s
“X Committee,” or escape com-
mittee — the secret group of
prisoners who controlled and
coordinated all attempts to es-
cape.
After the war, Stalag Luft III
and its X Committee became fa-
mous for the audacious bustout
told of in the Steve McQueen
movie “The Great Escape.”
Jones led the digging team for
the “Harry” tunnel (the commit-
tee’s plan involved three tun-
nels, named “Tom,” “Dick” and
“Harry”; only “Harry” made it
to completion). In fact, the char-
acter of Capt. Virgil Hilts (“the
Cooler King”), played by Steve
McQueen himself, was partly
based on Jones.
Jones retired in 1973, and
died at his home in Tucson on
Nov. 25, 2008. His awards in-
clude the Legion of Merit, Dis-
tinguished Flying Cross with 1
Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal,
Purple Heart, Commendation
Ribbon, and the Chinese Order
of Yung Hui.
(Sources:
doolittleraider.
com; ohs.org; archives of Sa-
lem Statesman Journal and New
York Times)
Finn J.D. John teaches at
Oregon State University and
writes about odd tidbits of Or-
egon history. For details, see
http://fi nnjohn.com. To contact
him or suggest a topic: fi nn2@
offbeatoregon.com or 541-357-
2222.
Protect your world
Auto • Home • Life • Retirement
PRACTICING THE ART OF TRANSMISSION REPAIR SINCE 1991
Manual & Automatic Transmission Repair
Tune ups
30-60-90K Services
Brakes, belts, hoses and cooling system
services
Muffl ers & Custom Exhaust
Drive-train repair such as clutches, u joints
and differentials
All makes and models.
RETAINING WALL BLOCKS IN STOCK
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE AFFORDABLY
LANDSCAPE AND
BUILDING MATERIALS
WE LIVE IN THE SAME TOWN WE WORK IN
“ NO MONKEY BUSINESS!”
Open 7 days a week!
79149 N. River Road
www.automotivespecialties.biz
541-942-4664
Tree Branch Pickup Service
Tuesday, May 26
DUSTIN TULLAR & RUSS OWENS
541-942-8022 • COTTAGE GROVE
Call me today to discuss your options.
Jfd\ g\fgc\ k_`eb 8ccjkXk\ fecp gifk\Zkj pfli
ZXi%Kilk_`j#8ccjkXk\ZXeXcjfgifk\Zkpfli_fd\
fiXgXikd\ek#pfliYfXk#dfkfiZpZc\$\m\epfli
i\k`i\d\ek Xe[ pfli c`]\% 8e[ k_\ dfi\ f] pfli
nfic[ pfl glk `e >ff[ ?Xe[j# k_\ dfi\ pfl
ZXejXm\%
ERIK BENSON
541-942-2605
(*'>8K<N8P9CM;
:FKK8><>IFM<
\i`bY\ejfe7XccjkXk\%Zfd
Insurance subject to terms, qualifications and availability. Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Co., Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Co., Allstate
Insurance Co., Allstate Indemnity Co., Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Co. Life insurance and annuities issued by Lincoln Benefit Life Company,
Lincoln, NE, Allstate Life Insurance Company, Northbrook, IL. In New York, Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York, Hauppauge, NY. Northbrook, IL.
© 2010 Allstate Insurance Co.
113896
May 15, 1985
5A