Ross

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Unit Citation for Company C 130th Infantry Regiment

Milo James Ross given Silver Star by Major General Clarkson

I wrote previously about Milo James Ross receiving the Silver Star. Today I wanted to share the order for the Unit Citation for Company C 130th Infantry Regiment of 33d Infantry Division. Grandpa received his Silver Star for the same activities that are referenced and the purpose for this Citation. Here is the language.

                                                            Headquarters 33d Infantry Division

                                                                                A.P.O   33

General Orders                                                                                                                  5 July 1945

Number 159

                                                                                     Unit Citation

 Under the provisions of Section 1V, Circular No. 333, War Department, 22 December 1943, the following unit is cited by the Commanding General, 33d Infantry Division:

  COMPANY C 130TH INFANTRY REGIMENT, is cited for outstanding performance of duty in armed conflicts with the enemy. Bilbil Mountain Province, Luzon, Philippine Islands, an extremely rugged forest covered, key defensive position was occupied by a company of Japs reenforced with a heavy machine gun section. A 90mm mortar section, and two sections (2 guns) of 75mm howitzers. This commanding ground afforded excellent observation and enabled the enemy to maneuver its forces and supporting weapons to advantageous positions to successfully repel seven previous attempts to seize Hill “X”, the strategically important knob on the southeastern slope of Bilbil Mountain. Hill “X” was honeycombed with prepared positions from which the enemy observed and harassed our movements along the Gallano-Baguio Road. On 12 April 1945, Company C, under the sweltering sun, laboriously climbed the steep mountainous trails, which followed the crest of an extremely narrow hogback ridge which, except for short cogon grass and spares bamboo growths, was devoid of cover, and pushed to within 400 yards of the crest of Hill “X” when they were met a heavy barrage of 90mm mortar fire which enveloped the entire ridge. Simultaneously, intense enemy machine gun and rifle fire emanating from the many camouflaged spider-holes and caves astride the trail inflicted many casualties forcing the company to dig it. A reconnaissance revealed no other route to the objective so the company evacuated its casualties and aggressively pressed against this seemingly impenetrable fortress throughout the day making the enemy disclose his strongpoints. On 13 April 1945, despite the fact that the men were weary from the strenclimb, the fierce fighting and constant watchfulness against night infiltration, the company launched a dawn attack. Undaunted by the intense fire which inflicted five casualties to the leading elements, the gallant fighting men of Company C imbued with an indomitable fighting spirit swiftly worked their way up the knifelike ridge, and in the fiercest kind of close-in fighting wiped out six Jap machine gun nests in succession, killing the defending Japs in their holes. The enemy fanatically contested with intense fire every foot of the way to the summit, but undismayed Company C seized Hill “X” and dig in, tenaciously holding on despite continuous harassing fire delivered from the dominating position on Bilbil Mountain. That night the Japs reenforced Bilbil Mountain and subjected Company C to repeated counter-attacks. Another company sent to assist in the attack on Bilbil Mountain on 14 April 1945 succeeded in reaching the summit only to be driven of by the fierce Jap counter-attack. The full fury and power of the Japs was again turned on Company C which alone held its position,, successfully repulsing all of the severe and determined counter-attacks. The tired fighting men of the Company C exhibiting unwavering fighting spirit, despite nearly 50 per cent casualties, tenaciously held Hill “X” for five days until reenforcements were available to continue the attack and annihilate the enemy. In the accomplishments of this mission, the unflinching devotion in duty and superb displayed by each man of the company reflected the highest traditions on the armed forces.

             BY COMMAND OF MAJOR GENERAL CLARKSON:

                                                                                                            A.T McANSH

                                                                                                            Colonel, G.S.C..

                                                                                                            Chief of Staff

Official:

   F.B WATSON

   Major, A.G.D..

   Actg. Adj. Gen

Distribution :

         “C”

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Spiral Jetty

The Spiral Jetty in September 2020

Stepping back to September 2020, the Ross family took a trip to the Spiral Jetty on the north side of the Great Salt Lake. When originally built, it was in the water. Don’t let the picture fool you, the water is beyond what looks like waves beyond. It is all hot, dry sand around it now. The white beyond looks like waves, but it is generally salt and some foam blowing off the Great Salt Lake.

Great Salt Lake looking toward the Spiral Jetty, Hemsley and Ross family standing in the distance

Here is a picture from way out on those salt lines looking back at the Spiral Jetty and our vehicles parked up on the shore or ridge above the lake. You can see the foam on the right, but the dry salt, crunchy ground that I walked out on to the point I am taking the shot back.

North Shore of the Great Salt Lake looking west

You can see how shallow the water is with the salt bubbles and foam on the water. The sand/soil under has this reddish/pinkish hue due to the bacteria in the water. You can see people walking out on the salt peninsulas. It was a pretty hot and very windy day.

North Shore of the Great Salt Lake looking South

This is looking south from the same point above. You can see the little waves in my immediate vicinity. But you can see as the lake gets deeper, the waves get bigger. None of us took off our shoes and waded out into the water. Mostly because we didn’t want to have salt in the car and we didn’t want to use our water to wash off. The second part was the bacteria in the water, an algae bloom of sorts. Not sure what was going on with the pink.

Salt on the ground on the North Shore of the Great Salt Lake

This picture is looking directly down. I caught more of my legs than I intended. But you can see the salt crystals on which we were walking. The whole thing had an other-worldly sort of feel about it. A forbidden terrain and environment you wouldn’t want to live in. The wind, the salt in the air and on the ground, the heat, all made a pretty unfriendly environment.

Aliza Ross and salt foam on North Shore of Great Salt Lake

This picture gives some idea of the foam that is building up. You can see who tall it is in front of Aliza’s feet. The wind and waves were blowing in this foam that was stopping at the salt and then drying out or blowing away.

The Spiral Jetty is almost 50 miles from Corinne, Utah. Some of it is pretty rough road and I would certainly not try it in anything but dry and warm conditions. You basically go to the Golden Spike National Historical Site and then go south another 20 miles. There were some limited signs. Take plenty of water. As you can see from the link, we also hit the National Historical Site on the same occasion.

We also took the opportunity to stop at ATK Rock Garden too. The ATK Rock Garden shows a great outdoor history of rockets. Orbital ATK still producing rocket fuel in the Utah desert.

ATK Rock Garden showing rocket history of Thiokol in Howell, Utah
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Cargo Plane Loses Wing Over Plain City

Standard Examiner article about Plain City plane crash

I previously wrote an article about the piece of airplane scrap Grandpa kept in his front yard. I referenced this newspaper article and that I would type it up and make it available. Here it is. Before, here is a picture of that piece of scrap Grandpa Ross picked up in Mike Pananzio’s garden.

Piece of airplane wreckage Milo Ross picked up in Mike Pananzio’s garden

Cargo Plane Loses Wing Over Plain City; 2 Die In Crash

Ogden Utah, Saturday October 15, 1960

Smoke Billow From Ship In Mid-Air, Witnesses Say

EXport 4-7711  80th Year No. 269  5 Cents

Plain City – At least two airmen were killed at 11a.m. today when a Capitol Airlines C46 twin-engined plane leased to the Air Force lost a wing and spun into a cornfield.

Eyewitnesses said the plane caught fire in mid-air and fell to earth in a field of Paul Knight at 1975 N 4000 W.

Debris was scattered for more than a mile and a gaping hole in the open field underscored the violence of the impact.

Identities of the dead were not known immediately. Parts of the two bodies were strewn over the area.

An Air Force spokesman said it was believed only the unidentified pilot and co-pilot were aboard.

No one in this community of about 900 people was injured but authorities evacuated residents living in nearby houses.

The Air Forces said the plane was owned by Capitol Airways of Berry Field, Nashville, Tenn. It was contracted by the Air Force to haul freight and was inbound to hill Air force Base about 10 miles southeast of the crash site.

The plane presumably was swinging into the fight pattern to approach the landing strips.

Plain City residents said it was traveling almost directly toward Ben Lomond peak when it came to grief.

Estimates of its altitude varied, but one source said it looked to be about 1,00 feet up.

Louis E Pierce of Brigham City was one eye witness.  He said saw the plane in the air and heard and engine sputter, then saw a black smoke cloud and saw one wing fall off.

Whether it broke loose before the plane nosed to earth or was blown that distance by the explosion could not be learned.

Hill Air Force Base officials were airlifted to the scene by helicopter.

Also called to the scene were the Weber County fire department and officers of the Weber County sheriff.

Moss ambulance Service was called, but the attendant said, “There was nothing to pick up. We saw parts of one body all over a field. Hill AFB officials would not release any information on the crash. They and officials of the Federal Aviation Agency were at the scene within the first hour and ordered the area roped off.

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I found this article online from the Standard Examiner on the 17th, two days after the above article.

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TRIO PROBING FOR REASON IN AIR CRASH.

A three-man investigating panel from the Federal Aviation Agency is probing today for the cause of a spectacular plane crash Saturday in Plain City which killed two civilians when the plane plummeted into a corn field minus a wing.
The crew from the FAA offices in San Francisco is headed by JACK BROWN and is headquartered at Hill Air Force Base.
Meanwhile, the scene of the crash, a corn field owned by PAUL KNIGHT of 1874 N. 400 W., is being guarded by members of the Weber County Jeep Patrol.
The wind that fell, carrying with it one of the plane’s two engines, completely blocked a road from the Plain City cemetery and created a serious fire hazard because of spilled fuel from the wing tanks.
The wing was removed from the highway by jeep patrol members.
FAA investigators are searching through a sea of charred and burned debris, scattered over a wide area extending in all directions from the 20 to 30-foot crater made when the plane hit the ground.
Enroute To Hill.
The plane, a C46, was enroute to Hill Air Force Base from Rapid City, S.D., carrying about 10,000 pounds of Air Force cargo and was under contract to the Air Force by Capitol Airways of Berry Field, Nashville, Tenn.
Killed instantly were the pilot and co-pilot, identified at REED A. BURT, 42, Salt Lake City, and Oliver N. CHADWELL, JR., Edmonton, Okla.
The crash and the movement of the plane moments before the crash took place place in full view of several eye witnesses.
The height of the plane and its apparent trouble drew the attention of several who said they saw the wing drop off and then saw the plane plunge to the ground, bursting into flames.
The intense heat of the fire made it impossible for anyone to attempt rescuing crew members and their bodies were so badly broken it was impossible for officials at the scene to determine the size of the crew.

Ogden Standard Examiner Utah 1960-10-17

Reed Allen Burt was born 30 September 1917 in Salt Lake City. He married Jewell Alma Butler (1920-2018) 16 February 1944 in Midland, Texas. His wife and three children survived him.

Oliver Henry Chadwell Jr was born in May 1929 in Oklahoma. I cannot see that he was married.

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Golden Spike National Historic Park

Jupiter at Golden Spike National Historic Park Sep 2020

We took a trip to Golden Spike in September 2020 for the kids to experience some Utah history. It was well worth the drive out to Promontory, Utah.

The Golden Spike has some significance on Amanda’s line. Her ancestor, Joseph Wayment, is standing in the photo taken 10 May 1869 on that momentous occasion. Below is a copy of the photo. You can see him with the hat and long beard. Look at the train on the left and the man standing right below the train light with his jacket open and white shirt; the man whose head is in front of that man’s right thigh (behind the guy with the partially raised hat). That is Joseph Wayment. Joseph Wayment was born 7 February 1844 in Whaddon, Cambridgeshire, England and passed 20 December 1931 in Ogden, Weber, Utah. He is buried in Warren. I wrote of his parents William and Martha Wayment previously.

Another interesting bit of history is that Joseph Wayment came to the United States on the ship “Amazon.” This is the same ship that my Stoker ancestors came to the United States. Not only is it the same ship, it is the same trip of the ship. Here is part of the history I wrote for William and Emma Stoker.

Joseph Wayment departed from London on a ship called “Amazon” 4 June 1863 (His parents and some siblings traveled later on “Nevada” in 1878).  George Q Cannon dedicated the ship which was entirely of Saints (880+) headed for Zion.  It was this same ship that Charles Dickens wrote that the Mormons were not taking misfits and scoundrels, but the “pick and flower” of England.  Even George Sutherland, future U.S. Supreme Court Justice was on this ship.  Here is a link to the story by Charles Dickens: The Uncommercial Traveller.  The LDS church also tells of the story that day at this link: Amazon Departure.  The ship sailed to Liverpool before finally heading out for America.

The “Amazon” landed at Castle Gardens, New York, New York on 18 July 1863.  The Saints took rail to Albany, Albany, New York and then to Florence, Douglas, Nebraska through Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.  From there they hoofed it on to Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah Territory arriving 3 and 4 October 1863 (depending on which of the two companies), just in time for General Conference.  Several of the company wrote of Brigham Young coming out to greet them and giving them advice. Brigham sent Joseph to Salt Creek (now Warren) to settle. He later was the first road supervisor and the father of the first born white child of Warren, Sarah Wayment in 1875.

I will have to spend some time telling more of Joseph and Ann Reed Wayment’s story another time.

My own limited tie to Promontory is just the fact the Sharps, taking my Grandpa Milo Ross, used to drive past the site out to harvest salt.

Hiram, James, Paul, and Aliza Ross on 7 September 2020
Hiram, Amanda, Aliza, and Paul Ross, Bryan Hemsley, Lillian and James Ross, and Jill Hemsley
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Amanda visit to Washington, District of Columbia

Amanda and Paul Ross, Washington, D.C. in 2005

I spent some time going through some old digital pictures. I stumbled upon a couple of these I thought I would share. I was still living in Springfield, Virginia, and working in Washington, District of Columbia, at the time. Amanda came out to visit early December. We were engaged to be married later that month back in Utah. I took her to a couple of the sites of the District while she was there.

U.S. Capitol, Dec 2005

Even today, these photos evoke the feelings that these buildings, symbols of our nation, laws, and republic, are designed to conjure from deep within the soul.

Amanda and Paul Ross at U.S. Capitol

We also made it over to visit the Lincoln Memorial.

Paul and Amanda Ross with Abraham Lincoln (in scaffolding) in 2005

The obligatory photo with the Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol in the background.

Amanda and Paul Ross with Washington Monument in background 2005 from Lincoln Memorial

You cannot go to Washington in December and not stop and see some of the popular Christmas light destinations! The Washington D.C. Temple is one of those sites, but some of the lights shut off by the time we took our photo. It was getting late.

Amanda and Paul Ross at Washington D.C. Temple in Kensington, Maryland

But the temple was lit up in all its glory.

Washington D.C. Temple in 2005
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Weber High School

Weber High School, Ogden, Utah

My father, Milo Paul Ross, graduated from Weber County High School 25 May 1961. A bond was passed in 1926 to build a county high school and construction began that same year and completed the next. The photo above is from 1927. The high school had an addition in 1953-1954. Weber County High School was located on the east side of Washington Boulevard between 11th and 12th Street. Weber County built a new high school in Pleasant View in 1972. The old building was abandoned and apparently tore down in the 1980s. Attached is the sketch that came with Dad’s Diploma.

West Weber County High School
Milo Ross Diploma from Weber County High School in Ogden, Utah

I will not be sharing his transcript as the Diploma indicates is/was attached. As Dad mentioned, he did not get to take any electives since he was retaking classes. GPA of 2.00, 359 of a class of 415. The newspaper indicated there were 416.

I am also attaching a copy of Dad’s Certificate of Graduation from Wahlquist Junior High School.

Milo Paul Ross Certificate of Gradulation from Wahlquist Junior High School in Ogden, Utah

Both Diplomas include the name of T. H. Bell, which caught my attention. Terrel Howard Bell (1921 – 1996) might ring familiar to some as he was an Education Secretary under President Reagan. Terrel graduated from Lava Hot Springs in 1940, from Albion State Normal College in 1946, and Superintendent of the Weber County School District from 1958 to 1962. Which is why his name shows on both of these Diplomas.

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Come Comming

Mary Ann Stoker Sharp (1861-1935)

I received a copy of this poem by Lillie M. Sharp. The reference to March 17th in the poem is the annual Plain City Founders Day Celebration.

My Grandpa, Milo James Ross, wrote in the top right corner of this piece of paper, “June 10, 1979 Milo James Ross My Grandmother” I linked the previous history written of Milo and Lillie Sharp. Much of that post was from Grandpa’s recorded memories.

Come Comming – By Lillie M. Sharp

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I’m feeling quite elated

with the prospect in view;

For a real good time for everyone,

That will come and join our crew.

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There’ll be lots of nice singing

And recitation with a vim.

It will be a joyfull day,

For those that will join in.

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There’s always plenty cooked

For the crowd that always comes

and every one enjoys it,

From Grandma to the sons.

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There you meet old friends

That you haven’t seen for years;

There’ll be joy and laughter,

Mingled with your tears.

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How we enjoy old comrads,

Coming many miles to see;

Their chums they loved in childhood

That means all you and me.

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We know not how long

the privelege we will have;

To meet our dear old playmates;

Or shake hands with dear old Dad.

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But we must make the best of it

And try to do whats right;

Have a smile for everyone

Try and make their troubles light.

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This big time I’ve been speaking of

I’d like you all to know;

Is on the 17th of March

And I hope that you’ll all go.

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Now you all must know

Thats its taken lots of work;

To get this big time up

And there has been no shirk.

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I think the least that we can do

Is to give to all three cheers;

That has helped to make it a success

For so many many years.

~

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20 Year Class Reunion Luncheon

Back (l-r): Jacob Catmull, Trevor Cook, Kent Hansen, Adam Haynes, Emily Neibaur Haynes, Mindy Van Tassell Robertson, Arriann Peterson Edgar, Charlyn Robinson Darrington, Paul Ross, Brooke Noble Christensen, Bobie Jones Story, Tiffany Cooper Darrington, Erin Zemke McKindree, Nicole Whitesides Wallace. Front: Patty Brown May, Cassie Tundag, Salvador Avila, and Jeremy Reeves

On 1 August 2017, the Minico Class of 1997 had a 20 year reunion luncheon. I am sharing this photo to preserve names in the photo and so others have a copy.