Monday, February 11, 2013
Off to Cleveland!
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Radio Man Saw Action
Recently, I came across this article written by Sheila Naveau, staff writer for the Northwest Signal, Napoleon, Ohio and published in the July 14-15, 2007 edition. It features my uncle, Alfred Elling, and his story of service in World War II.
It definitely serves as a reminder of the sacrifices an entire generation made to protect our freedom.
"Liberty Center - Aug. 22, 1942, 20 year old Liberty Center native Alfred Elling was drafted into the U. S. Army.
He started his journey in Port Eustis, Va., with basic training, but when the trainees were shipped off to new destinations, Elling was not among them. He and another soldier, Bob Bogart - also of Henry County - were left behind.
'I don't know why we weren't sent,' Elling said.
Until the next wave of draftees were brought in, Elling and Bogart had to work at the base. 'They (the base officials) didn't know what to do with the two of us, so they gave us a choice what we wanted to do,' Elling said. 'Bob took KP (mess hall) duty and I took guard duty so I could get a 24 hour pass when I was off duty.'
When the new draftees arrived, Elling said he had to go through basic training again. 'At least this time I knew what to expect,' Elling said with a laugh.
After the basic training was over, it was time for Elling to move on to train in a specific field. He said he wanted to drive trucks, but the Army had other plans. Elling was sent to Athens, Ga. for four months of radio school. He learned to operate the communications radios and became proficient in Morse code. He received his T5 stripes after completing his training.
'You hear it so long, it just comes natural,' he said.
Elling then spent a stint in Norfolk to be trained in amphibious operations, which he found later would come in handy as his battalion landed at Normandy.
March 15, 1943, Elling was stationed at Camp Davis, NC and was assigned to the 115AAA Battalion. Elling's outfit spent six to seven months in South Hampton,England before shipping to Normandy.
'It was November in England and very cold,' he said. 'We slept in pup tents that only had three sides, so we took the tarps off the trucks to cover the opening to keep out some of the cold.'
Being a Morse code operator, Elling said he was at the front line a lot of the time. 'When Patton was moving forward, the radios followed,' Elling said.
His outfit had Sherman tanks that were equipped with bulldozers to clear hedge brush and make roads for convoys to get through. Elling traveled in a trailer with his radio equipment. He had large batteries and power to run his radios while they traveled.
'I had to keep in touch with 13 corps,' he said.
The secret code was changed two to four times a day to make sure the Germans hadn't broken it and knew what the troop positions were.
Elling recalled many times his outfit sat along the roadway camouflaged, and he heard unidentified humming noises on the radio. Knowing they had been detected by German fighter planes, Elling said they had to stay off the air waves until the planes were gone.
When Elling's outfit went into Normandy, it was days after D-Day. He said the casualties were tremendous. 'There were bodies everywhere,' he said.
When the outfit first reached Normandy, it was running low on ammunitions and the Germans were still coming.
'We rigged our 90's (ammunition) with a clock and fuse set to go off shortly after being shot,' Elling said. 'Normally, they explode on impact.'
Elling said his outfit went into France and took over a house in Sarreguemines, but the Germans continued to attack and Elling became ill, possibly by the fumes from the smoke. He was evacuated to Nancy, France and then given his discharge...
Some 30 years after his tour in WW II, in 1974, Elling and his wife became involved in the Henry County Amateur Radio Club. The couple have been ham radio enthusiasts and continue to this day to talk to people all over the world who enjoy their passion for Morse code and ham radio.
Thank you for your service, Uncle Al!
It definitely serves as a reminder of the sacrifices an entire generation made to protect our freedom.
"Liberty Center - Aug. 22, 1942, 20 year old Liberty Center native Alfred Elling was drafted into the U. S. Army.
He started his journey in Port Eustis, Va., with basic training, but when the trainees were shipped off to new destinations, Elling was not among them. He and another soldier, Bob Bogart - also of Henry County - were left behind.
'I don't know why we weren't sent,' Elling said.
Until the next wave of draftees were brought in, Elling and Bogart had to work at the base. 'They (the base officials) didn't know what to do with the two of us, so they gave us a choice what we wanted to do,' Elling said. 'Bob took KP (mess hall) duty and I took guard duty so I could get a 24 hour pass when I was off duty.'
When the new draftees arrived, Elling said he had to go through basic training again. 'At least this time I knew what to expect,' Elling said with a laugh.
 |
| Corporal Alfred Elling |
After the basic training was over, it was time for Elling to move on to train in a specific field. He said he wanted to drive trucks, but the Army had other plans. Elling was sent to Athens, Ga. for four months of radio school. He learned to operate the communications radios and became proficient in Morse code. He received his T5 stripes after completing his training.
'You hear it so long, it just comes natural,' he said.
Elling then spent a stint in Norfolk to be trained in amphibious operations, which he found later would come in handy as his battalion landed at Normandy.
March 15, 1943, Elling was stationed at Camp Davis, NC and was assigned to the 115AAA Battalion. Elling's outfit spent six to seven months in South Hampton,England before shipping to Normandy.
'It was November in England and very cold,' he said. 'We slept in pup tents that only had three sides, so we took the tarps off the trucks to cover the opening to keep out some of the cold.'
Being a Morse code operator, Elling said he was at the front line a lot of the time. 'When Patton was moving forward, the radios followed,' Elling said.
His outfit had Sherman tanks that were equipped with bulldozers to clear hedge brush and make roads for convoys to get through. Elling traveled in a trailer with his radio equipment. He had large batteries and power to run his radios while they traveled.
'I had to keep in touch with 13 corps,' he said.
The secret code was changed two to four times a day to make sure the Germans hadn't broken it and knew what the troop positions were.
Elling recalled many times his outfit sat along the roadway camouflaged, and he heard unidentified humming noises on the radio. Knowing they had been detected by German fighter planes, Elling said they had to stay off the air waves until the planes were gone.
 |
| 115th Gun Battalion, U.S. Army |
When Elling's outfit went into Normandy, it was days after D-Day. He said the casualties were tremendous. 'There were bodies everywhere,' he said.
When the outfit first reached Normandy, it was running low on ammunitions and the Germans were still coming.
'We rigged our 90's (ammunition) with a clock and fuse set to go off shortly after being shot,' Elling said. 'Normally, they explode on impact.'
Elling said his outfit went into France and took over a house in Sarreguemines, but the Germans continued to attack and Elling became ill, possibly by the fumes from the smoke. He was evacuated to Nancy, France and then given his discharge...
Some 30 years after his tour in WW II, in 1974, Elling and his wife became involved in the Henry County Amateur Radio Club. The couple have been ham radio enthusiasts and continue to this day to talk to people all over the world who enjoy their passion for Morse code and ham radio.
Thank you for your service, Uncle Al!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
In the Old Lock Box
As to the translation...the last part of the verse is easy, but I'm not at all certain about the first part. Could anyone translate for me?
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Grandma's No-Fail Pie Crust
It's been a long time since I've made a pie, but when I do, I always turn to my mother-in-law's recipe for no-fail pie crust. She made a pie almost every Saturday morning of her adult life...and she lived to 93! When she passed this recipe on to me, I looked at it and found some of the ingredients a little odd for pie crust, but I have found it tastes wonderfully flaky and light, and it is so easy to make. I now use this recipe exclusively.
The recipe can make 2 upper and lower crusts, but today I am just making bottom crusts - one to use for dinner tomorrow and two to put in the freezer for Thanksgiving pies. The rest of the dough will be put to another use...you'll see.
NO-FAIL PIE CRUST
CUT TOGETHER:
3 cups flour
1 cup shortening (I use Crisco Butter shortening)
1 1/2 tsp. salt.
IN A SEPARATE BOWL, WHISK TOGETHER:
1 egg
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. white vinegar
Make a well in the dry ingredients you have mixed together with your pastry cutter, and pour in the liquid ingredients. Stir and form into a ball. Don't overwork the crust. Keep it light. Roll out the dough and place in pans.
Here are the three crusts I made this morning. One is intended for a butternut squash pie for tomorrow's lunch...shhh, I'm telling the kids that it's pumpkin pie.
The other two were sealed into bags for use at Thanksgiving time. They will go straight to the freezer.
Now, what about that nice ball of dough left in the pan? I follow my mother's example and always use it for cinnamon and sugar pinwheels. Roll the leftover dough ball into a rectangle.
Spread butter/ margarine over it and sprinkle with white sugar and cinnamon.
Roll into a log, rolling lengthwise and then cut into 1/2 inch wheels. Place into ungreased pie pans and bake at 350 until browned, maybe 25 - 30 minutes. Mmmm...flaky, bite-sized goodness. These won't last long! Happy baking!
The recipe can make 2 upper and lower crusts, but today I am just making bottom crusts - one to use for dinner tomorrow and two to put in the freezer for Thanksgiving pies. The rest of the dough will be put to another use...you'll see.
NO-FAIL PIE CRUST
CUT TOGETHER:
3 cups flour
1 cup shortening (I use Crisco Butter shortening)
1 1/2 tsp. salt.
IN A SEPARATE BOWL, WHISK TOGETHER:
1 egg
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. white vinegar
Make a well in the dry ingredients you have mixed together with your pastry cutter, and pour in the liquid ingredients. Stir and form into a ball. Don't overwork the crust. Keep it light. Roll out the dough and place in pans.
Here are the three crusts I made this morning. One is intended for a butternut squash pie for tomorrow's lunch...shhh, I'm telling the kids that it's pumpkin pie.
The other two were sealed into bags for use at Thanksgiving time. They will go straight to the freezer.
Now, what about that nice ball of dough left in the pan? I follow my mother's example and always use it for cinnamon and sugar pinwheels. Roll the leftover dough ball into a rectangle.
If it looks and tastes like pumpkin pie, it must BE pumpkin pie, right?
We shall see if I can fool the young foodies tomorrow!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
It's Pillowcase Time
Another group of pillowcases went into the mail today to Conkerr Cancer to be distributed to pediatric cancer patients. Mine are directed to Cleveland Clinic, but many hospitals welcome the donation of a bit of cheer to brighten up a boring, white, hospital bed for a child undergoing tests or treatments.
To find a home for your donation of pillowcases, check out this directory which lists participating hospitals by state.
If you need the directions to make a pillowcase (the easiest way), check out this site. This is the pattern I use and it's very fast and neat...and if I can do it, anyone can.
These are two of my favorites this time around -
Silly Monkeys
and Crazy Sock Monkeys.
If you have the time and resources,
please consider helping with this cause.
Join the ONE MILLION pillowcase
challenge
and bring a smile to the face of
a child in a hospital near you.
To find a home for your donation of pillowcases, check out this directory which lists participating hospitals by state.
If you need the directions to make a pillowcase (the easiest way), check out this site. This is the pattern I use and it's very fast and neat...and if I can do it, anyone can.
Silly Monkeys
and Crazy Sock Monkeys.
If you have the time and resources,
please consider helping with this cause.
Join the ONE MILLION pillowcase
challenge
and bring a smile to the face of
a child in a hospital near you.
Golf Outing Follow-up
golf outing to benefit the Jason Kline Memorial Scholarship. It was cool and a little breezy, but the rain held off until all the golfers were finished and checked in. (Then it poured!)
Once again, the donations for raffle prizes were amazing!
All kinds of sports memorabilia, NBA, NFL and MLB tickets, a flat screen tv, Ipad, the newest Kindle, and so many other gifts filled the table. Congratulations to the winners!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Jason Kline Memorial Golf Outing
Second Annual
Jason Kline Memorial Golf Outing
Plans are in place for the golf outing in memory of Jason on September 22, with all the proceeds to go to support the Jason Kline Memorial Scholarship. The teams are filling up, the raffle tickets are ready to be sold and the prizes donated are wonderful.
Today I picked up some nice flag poles from Bill Niccum, one of Jason's high school classmates. He makes these himself and they are so nice! He makes many other items and will do custom work, too. Check out his website:
I know many folks don't golf (me, included), but if you are interested in helping, a hole sponsorship is $50 or if you would like to make a donation to the raffle or the scholarship fund, please contact me at dikline@hotmail.com for a mailing address or information. Checks to the scholarship may be made out directly to the "Wapakoneta Area Community Foundation - JCK Scholarship".
Many thanks to Mark Koch, Kenny
Wayman, Keith Jacobs and Luke Sargent and Jennie Kline for planning the event. Jason's wife and good friends strive to make sure that his memory is honored through this scholarship. Jason would be so humbled by the support this event has been given.
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