War Effort

Her first name might be Catherine, but she earned the name of Rosie — as in Rosie the Riveter. Catherine "Katie" Pitts turned 90 on Dec. 29, 2010. The milestone was celebrated with friends and family at Julia Manor in Hagerstown, where she has lived for almost four years. As she shared stories of her life, one of great significance revolved around the years she worked at Fairchild Industries. After seeing the classified advertisement in 1942, she was one of many women hired for traditional male jobs while the men were in the service during World War II. Pitts, whose maiden name was Slick, worked for Fairchild for about a decade, bolting seats into C-82 cargo planes during the war. After the war, she helped construct C-119s, also known as the "Flying Boxcar," by gluing fabric to wooden wing frames.

pepperb@herald-mail.com About 500 area military personnel are in undisclosed parts of southwest Asia and others are standing by to be deployed as part of the United States' Operation Iraqi Freedom. Eileen Mitchell, spokesperson for Fort Detrick in Frederick, Md., said about 180 people, including a U.S. Marine Corps reserves unit based out of the U.S. Army installation, have been deployed to parts of southwest Asia for the war effort. The Marine unit, the 4th Light Armored Recognizance Battalion, was activated during 1991s U.S. Operation Desert Shield.

Oil is reason enough To the editor: As of late, there has been a lot of unwarranted criticism directed toward people who do not support the war effort in Iraq. I remind everyone that freedom of speech and freedom of choice are rights that every United States citizen is entitled to exercise. The most prevalent reasons for supporting the war effort are 1) The war will eliminate weapons of mass destruction available to Iraq's evil government, 2) We need to free the people of Iraq from oppression and 3)

Thumbs up to the organizers of a reunion this week for a few dozen of “The Ritchie Boys” at the former U.S. Army base in Cascade. The men, German Jews who fled to the United States before World War II, are now in their late 80s and early 90s, and were a key part of the U.S. war effort. Thumbs up to the six people who comprise the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2012. Clayton Anders, Harold “Ted” Brumbaugh, Jim Hutson, Jimi Massey, Richard “Rick” Schultz and Joe Tischer will be honored during a banquet in late July for their contributions to county athletics.

kevinc@herald-mail.com There is a popular tale, so old it is difficult to verify, that underage children itching to see action during the Civil War would insert slips of paper with the number 18 scrawled on them into their shoes. When recruiters would then ask if they were "over 18," the enterprising youths could answer in all honesty, "Yes. " Boys will be boys, but when Union and Confederate troops squared off between 1861 and 65, many boys were forced to become men far too soon.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Ethel Bovey remembers her husband, Max, as a news junkie. "My husband just lived and breathed the news," she recalled this week. And so it was no surprise that they were at their Martinsburg home and listening to the radio on May 8, 1945, when they heard the official news that the Nazis had surrendered to the Allies. "Oh, what a joy that was there's no way to express it except we were very happy about it and relieved," said Bovey, 89. "Everybody was excited about it and talking about it excited and relieved.

Author gives space to 'ignored' battle In an area where the Civil War often dominates the popular historical culture, the French and Indian War gets far less attention. That's not fair, said Allan Powell, a Hagerstown historian and retired college professor who has made promoting the study of the French and Indian War one of his favorite endeavors. "Here is one of the greatest events in this area's history and yet it's largely ignored," Powell said. That's one of the reasons Powell wrote "Maryland and the French and Indian War," a 268-page coffee-table book that depicts in words, drawings, maps and photographs the colony's involvement in a sometimes-forgotten chapter in history.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- Letterkenny Army Depot will welcome its first female commander Sept. 25, when Col. Steven Shapiro leaves the depot after two years and prepares to deploy to Kuwait. Col. Cheri Provancha will be the first woman to assume command of the depot in its 67-year history. She comes to Letterkenny on the heels of a 15-month stint in Iraq. "She's going to be very current from the fight," Shapiro said. Shapiro's new role in Kuwait calls for him to manage the retrograding of equipment coming out of the war. It marks the 15th time he's moved in 24 years with the U.S. Army.

At least one North End neighborhood in Hagerstown erupted with fireworks on May 8, 1945, when the official end of World War II in Europe was announced. Although he was just 11 years old on V-E Day, R. Noel Spence said he recalls that some of his fellow Mealey Parkway neighbors celebrated the event in that traditional and noisy American fashion. "Someone had some fountains and Roman candles," he said. Spence 71, retired two years ago as a Washington County District Court judge after a long career as an attorney in Hagerstown.

To the editor: I grew up during World War II, and my memory is of a time when my father was absent for almost three years while he was overseas. It was a time of many blue stars hanging in windows and too many of gold, denoting that someone had made the supreme sacrifice for his country. It was also a time when we at home proudly displayed the, "A", "B" and "C" gas rationing stickers on our windshields - a small enough sacrifice to ensure that our armored vehicles had fuel.

The City of Hagerstown, the Hagerstown-Washington County Conventional and Visitors Bureau and the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area were recognized Jan. 31 at a Maryland Historical Trust awards ceremony at the Governor Calvert Ballroom in Annapolis. The Maryland Historical Trust, or MHT, selected 10 projects, organizations and individuals as the recipients of the 2013 Maryland Preservation Awards. The awards, presented annually by MHT's board of trustees, are the highest level of recognition for historic preservation and heritage education projects in Maryland.

Thumbs up to the organizers of a reunion this week for a few dozen of “The Ritchie Boys” at the former U.S. Army base in Cascade. The men, German Jews who fled to the United States before World War II, are now in their late 80s and early 90s, and were a key part of the U.S. war effort. Thumbs up to the six people who comprise the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2012. Clayton Anders, Harold “Ted” Brumbaugh, Jim Hutson, Jimi Massey, Richard “Rick” Schultz and Joe Tischer will be honored during a banquet in late July for their contributions to county athletics.

I wrote a column last year about Memorial Day and what that day means to Americans. But recently I received a new perspective about the day, as well as memorials in general. A new good friend, Al Salter, a local historian and World War II veteran, commented on my wife's and my radio show that “the World War II Memorial (in Washington, D.C.) is a memorial to glory, while the Vietnam (Veterans) Memorial is a memorial to grief.” Glory and grief are both heartfelt emotions experienced by those who visit either of these memorial sites.

Omaha Beach was stained red with blood when the steel door of 19-year-old Robert Blair's landing craft crashed open on June 7, 1944. A day earlier, on D-Day, thousands of American GIs landed there to begin the Allied invasion of western Europe. The bodies of dead Americans and Germans remained on the beach. "I remember that day really well," Blair said recently at his Paramount home. "When we got there, I saw nothing but blood. It was one of the most horrible days of my life.

Her first name might be Catherine, but she earned the name of Rosie — as in Rosie the Riveter. Catherine "Katie" Pitts turned 90 on Dec. 29, 2010. The milestone was celebrated with friends and family at Julia Manor in Hagerstown, where she has lived for almost four years. As she shared stories of her life, one of great significance revolved around the years she worked at Fairchild Industries. After seeing the classified advertisement in 1942, she was one of many women hired for traditional male jobs while the men were in the service during World War II. Pitts, whose maiden name was Slick, worked for Fairchild for about a decade, bolting seats into C-82 cargo planes during the war. After the war, she helped construct C-119s, also known as the "Flying Boxcar," by gluing fabric to wooden wing frames.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -- Letterkenny Army Depot will welcome its first female commander Sept. 25, when Col. Steven Shapiro leaves the depot after two years and prepares to deploy to Kuwait. Col. Cheri Provancha will be the first woman to assume command of the depot in its 67-year history. She comes to Letterkenny on the heels of a 15-month stint in Iraq. "She's going to be very current from the fight," Shapiro said. Shapiro's new role in Kuwait calls for him to manage the retrograding of equipment coming out of the war. It marks the 15th time he's moved in 24 years with the U.S. Army.

Editor's note: Each Sunday, The Herald-Mail publishes "A Life Remembered. " This continuing series takes a look back -- through the eyes of family, friends, co-workers and others -- at a member of the community who died recently. Today's "A Life Remembered" is about Katherine Hanna "Kate" Poffenberger, who died May 16 at the age of 94. Her obituary was published in May 18 edition of The Herald-Mail. WILLIAMSPORT -- When Jerry Knode was a youngster, he remembers his mother taking the trolley from Williamsport to her job at Montgomery Ward in downtown Hagerstown.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Wednesday night's debate between U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito and Democratic challenger Mike Callaghan was light on fireworks, but offered spirited discussion on issues such as the war in Iraq, the Congressional page controversy and other issues. Spectators packed the auditorium at Martinsburg High School to hear Capito, R-W.Va., and Callaghan give their arguments about why they should be allowed to represent West Virginia's second district in the House of Representatives.

karenh@herald-mail.com FUNKSTOWN - Too emotional for words, Ross Cline's mother scrawled 10 lines of advice for her son when he left for the U.S. Army. Though the note survived its travels from home to warring shore and back, Cline never saw his mother again. Monday, about 60 years after he left the U.S. Army, Cline showed the note to veterans, family and friends who had gathered at the American Legion post in Funkstown to see him receive his Bronze Star for meritorious service.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Ethel Bovey remembers her husband, Max, as a news junkie. "My husband just lived and breathed the news," she recalled this week. And so it was no surprise that they were at their Martinsburg home and listening to the radio on May 8, 1945, when they heard the official news that the Nazis had surrendered to the Allies. "Oh, what a joy that was there's no way to express it except we were very happy about it and relieved," said Bovey, 89. "Everybody was excited about it and talking about it excited and relieved.