Veteran *s Day November 11
Finding the forgotten soldier
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 a 1 1 1 V1 1 •• 11 • V 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Morrow
County
unofficial
Election
Results
Page 5
Bessie Wetzell Newspaper Library
University o f Oregon
Eugene. OR 97403
Lorraine American Cemetery near St. Avoid, France. There
are 10,489 Americans buried there, including Guy Sykes.
HEPPNER
imes
VOL. 125
NO. 45
10 Pages
Wednesday, November 8,2006
Morrow County, Heppner, Oregon
New youth center to open in Heppner
Teens play air hockey at a special preview of the new youth center
A love of kids and a
desire to give them a safe
place to hang out prompted
Heppner native Bobbette
Lovgren to open a new
youth center in Heppner.
Opening is scheduled for
Wednesday, November 15,
at the former Napa Auto
Parts. 148 E. Center St.
“There has been a
need for y e a rs ,” said
Lovgren. “People have tried
before, but now the timing
must be right. This will be a
place where kids are wanted
and welcome.”
The youth center will
be open from 3-9 p.m.
weekdays and noon to 11
p.m. S aturdays. Private
parties are also available any
day of the week.
The center will offer
arcade gam es, such as
h unting, Pirates o f the
C arib b ean and driving
games, a basketball hoop, air
hockey and additional games
for younger kids, such as the
alligator game. The center
will feature a special room,
the “Stable of Youth", for the
younger kids, featuring a bar
with cowboy saddle seats.
For the older kids, a stage
will be available for jamming
and dance nights will be
scheduled.
Vending machines
offering candy and drinks
will be available and Lovgren
says that a snack shack is
coming soon.
The center, for
school-age children up to 18
years old, will be supervised
at all times by adults.
continued page 2
Stroll Heppner on November 30
Stroll Heppner and
the 10th annual Parade of
Lights will be held Thursday,
Nov. 30.
People may “stroll”
Heppner all day and visit
businesses, view Christmas
trees and gingerbread
houses, visit the Heppner
City Hall open house and
listen to carolers. Pictures
with Santa will be taken at
city hall from 4:30-6 p.m.
The Christmas tree lighting
will be held on Main Street
at 5:30 p.m.
The Parade of Lights
starts at 6 p.m. Individuals,
families, businesses and out-
of-town entries are invited to
enter the parade. Entrants
will line up at 5 p.m. at the
Green Feed and Seed store.
The parade will go through
town twice. Prizes will be
awarded for the following:
best community float. $75;
best commercial float. $75;
best individual float. $75;
and best school float, $75.
The
Pioneer
Memorial Home Health and
Hospice/Heppner Chamber
of Commerce tree auction
and raffle will take place
immediately following the
parade. Tree raffle tickets are
one for $1. six for $5, and
30 for $20.
Remembrance
Day to be held at
HHS
H eppner
High
School will hold their annual
V eteran's R em em brance
Day on Monday, Nov. 13,
starting at 10:30 a.m. in the
Heppner High School Gym.
H eppner
High
School invites all veterans to
attend the program to honor
them for their service to our
country. H eppner High
School also invites the public
to come to this program. A
lunch for all veterans and
their spouses will be
provided after the program.
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
became curious. I asked my waited for a reply, but did not
father and m other more want to get my hopes up.
about him before they died, Then I receiv ed the
and was told nothing new. following email:
Several years ago I began
PFC Guy Beverly Sykes
checking books at the book “David,
E d ito r's
note: store and library with names
“As luck would have
Veteran's Day, our day o f o f war dead, h o ping to it. 1 caught Darrel! Todd at
national remembrance, is maybe see him listed there. I home when I telephoned.
November 11. Following is found nothing.
D a rrell w as a tank
a story o f remembrance. It
A couple of years commander in C Company,
is also a story about my ago 1 began using the and remembers your uncle
uncle, Guy Beverly Sykes, a Internet, and then one day Guy. He is more than happy
soldier killed in war.
out of nowhere after lots of to talk with you, and can
Guy, my fa th e r 's searches, lo and behold. 1 probably put you in touch
younger brother, was killed found something.
with others in his unit that
in WWII. Until recently this
There it was, on a might remember Guy. Just
was virtu a lly all I knew single Internet page, so you will know, Darrell
about him. Following is not dedicated to an American becam e a tank ‘a c e .' by
only a story about my efforts cemetery in France, was his d estro y in g fiv e G erm an
to learn more about this name in big block letters. I tanks during the war, two or
forgotten soldier, but also a stared almost in disbelief. three o f them at H atten-
story o f how he fought and That page told me more than Rittershoffen.
died fo r his country and fo r I had ever known about him.
Best Regards, Jim. ”
our freedoms.
It told me he is buried at the
Thinking there was
/ write this not to Lorraine
A m erican som eone still alive who
glorify my uncle, as there are Cemetery near St. Avoid. knew my uncle was exciting
many who have also fought France. I was fascinated. His and fascinating to me. It
and died, but more so that body had never been brought somehow seemed almost too
his, a n d a ll v e te r a n s ’ home. The page told me he good to be true. Again, not
sa c rific e s,
w ill
be had been a private first class wanting to get my hopes up,
remembered.
serving
with
t h e l 4 Ih I w aited to hear from
Armored Division, 48"' Tank Darrell.
By David Sykes
Battalion. And it told me he
Then one day not
1 was born five years died Jan 12, 1945, a date 1 long after on a Saturday
after the end of World War had never heard before.
m orning the call cam e.
II. I am a baby boomer.
This was more Darrell Todd from California
G row ing up it information than I ever had, was on the line. Yes he said
seemed as if all the adults 1 and at that point 1 began to he did indeed know my
knew had served in WWII. fill in the blanks about a man uncle. He told me Guy was
My mother and her sister I knew nothing about, but a hard worker and a quiet
served in the Women’s Army was connected to by name and dependable man. He said
C orps together, an o th er and blood. I was determined he and Guy were in the same
uncle served in the army, to now find out more, and I tank company. There were
another in the navy and my dug deeper.
five Sherman tanks in C
father also in the navy,
I
looked
up Company and Darrell was
fighting the Japanese in the inform ation on the 14"' the c o m m an d er o f tank
South Pacific.
A rm ored D ivision and number 1 and Guy was the
I remember visiting learned they fought bravely loader in tank number 3. This
my cousin’s home and there against the G e rm a n s ’ was amazing information.
was army gear, helmets, counter offensive called
He went on to say
canteens and gas masks all operation Norwind in the that my uncle was killed in
over the garage. We had fun winter of 1944-45. 1 also the battle o f H atten-
dressing up. At my home in learned
they
were Rittershoffen. a large tank
the back yard was a large nicknamed the "Liberators" battle near two small towns
rubber raft my sister and I because of the 200.000 allied in northern France. The
would fill with water and use troops they later liberated battle raged from Jan 9- 21
as a swimming pool. Later I from German prisoner of and was one of the largest
learned it was my d ad 's war camps. The division also tank battles of WWII. It w as
U n d erw ater D em olition liberated a Jewish death overshadowed, and did not
Team raft he used on two cam p
after
entering receive as much publicity as
island invasions. The Germany. 1 found out there the Battle o f the Bulge,
remnants and memories of was a book written on the which was going on at the
war were everyw here.
history of the 14"' Armored same time.
We had many family Division. It is out of print,
I listened as this man
g ath erin g s when I was but with the Internet I am I had never met told me more
young, and everyone was still searching.
about my soldier uncle than
there, all the veterans-
Then one day last I had ever heard before.
everyone except my uncle month I came across an Darrell said Guy's tank was
Guy Sykes. Growing up I Internet site that virtually hit January 11. 1945, in the
had heard stories about Guy. broke the dam. It was the turret by a shell from a
I heard how he liked to camp home
page
for the German Tiger tank, and that
at Yosemite park, and how asso ciatio n o f the 14"’ out of the five crewmen, Guy
his family all went to Mexico Armored Division, and there and two others were killed
and got lost. But I never was a name and an email (Guy died the next day on
heard anything about his address on the web site. The Jan. 12). Darrell told me that
army service, or his death. name was Jim Lankford, because of the high
For whatever reason, neither National H istorian and casu a ltie s, my uncle, a
my
father
nor
my editor for the “Liberator", private first class, had been
grandparents ever talked the web site and official promoted from a loader to
about him. All I knew was n e w sle tte r o f the I4 'h tank co m m an d er, and
that he was killed in a tank Armored. I quickly wrote actually had a lieutenant as
som ew here in Europe Jim an email asking for any driver working under him
information he could give me when he was killed.
“during the war".
O ver the years I about my unknown uncle. I
continued page 2
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