New Member Veteran Ceremonies
Twain Harte Branch 172
SIR #172 Twain Harte’s November 2022 luncheon celebrated and honor Veterans. This year, two new members Bill Ferrera (Vietnam) and Jeff Ramsey (Peacetime – post Vietnam), were presented with Certificates of Special Congressional Recognition signed by Congressman Tom McClintock recognizing their military service.
Presenters were Brigadier General Susan Escallier (USA Ret) and Colonel Ed Nissen (USAR Ret). General Escallier, daughter of branch member Don Escallier, retired in 2021 after a 32-year US Army career in the Judge Advocate General Corps. Colonel Nissen is a long-time branch member who retired from the USA Reserves after 20 years of service.
Our featured speaker was Mike Eachus, a Founding Member of our Branch. He served in the US Air Force during the Korean War, but, he spoke about his time as a teenager.
His mother, born in Germany, moved Mike and his younger brother from Pennsylvania to Schweinfurt, Germany in 1937, after her divorce. There, a ball bearing factory’s products were used by Germany for planes, tanks and other armaments and was a target Allies wanted to destroy.
They lived with his grandmother on the outskirts of Schweinfurt and, on the morning of October 14, 1943, Mike, age 12, was asked to gather turnips from their garden. He experienced an unusual and uneasy silence and soon, a squadron of 257 B-17’s came upon Schweinfurt. The P-47 Thunderbolts assigned to protect the squadron were so few that they left the bombers shortly after they entered Germany. The German Luftwaffe sent up 300 fighters to intercept.
Mike and his family were out of harm’s way, but, he lived through and experienced Allied bombers targeting and destroying the factory while many of them were shot from the skies. His emotional talk was heard by a silent audience who listened to a first-hand WWII story.
November 2, 2023
Allan Bell (USAF), Jonpaul Young (USN), Glenn Miller (USMC) and Dave Kerrins (USAF) are seen here along with presenters Dick Southern, representing the Vietnam Veterans of America, and Col. Ed Nissen, the branch senior military officer, as they are honored and receive a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for their service to the country. Walt Moneski (USN), not present, was also recognized.
SIR #172 Twain Harte’s November 2024 luncheon celebrated and honored new member Veterans. This year, three new members Friedhelm Peter (Vietnam), Joe Domogalla (Vietnam) and Randy Cole (Peacetime, Iraq), were presented with Certificates of Special Congressional Recognition signed by Congressman Tom McClintock recognizing their military service. Presenters were Col Ed Nissen (USA Ret) and LtCol Stu Heller (USAF Ret).
