Post by kanowarrior on Apr 6, 2012 11:43:49 GMT -5
By JOHN REYNOLDS
The State Journal-Register
Posted Apr 05, 2012 @ 10:45 PM
Last update Apr 06, 2012 @ 06:38 AM
SPRINGFIELD — When Graham McCoy of Chatham started searching a field near Southwind Park with his metal detector a few years ago, he had no idea he would find a long-lost dog tag that had been worn by a local farmer who helped rescue soldiers from the English Channel during World War II.
The dog tag, which was buried about five inches under the plowed ground, belonged to Walter Alvin “Bud” Krell, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the war.
Tim Krell, a Sangamon County Board member and Bud Krell’s son, said the family never knew his father had lost the dog tag, but they are happy to have it back.
McCoy, a member of the Collier-Harrison Marine Corps League, returned the tag to the Krell family during a league meeting Thursday. He said he’s been metal detecting for 17 years and always tries to return any personal items he finds.
“If there’s something like a ring or an item with a name on it, I’ll research that to find the owner,” McCoy said.
Bud didn’t talk about war
Like many World War II vets, Bud Krell didn’t talk a lot about his wartime experiences.
Over the years, Tim Krell learned that his father was on a wooden-hulled Coast Guard boat sent to England to support the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.
“Dad just said that he drank enough of the English Channel to last him a lifetime,” Krell said. “What they were doing was picking guys out of the water. They were picking up survivors, and I’m sure they pulled a lot of bodies out.”
After the war, Bud Krell returned to the family farm, which was near what is now Southwind Park. He farmed there a few years with family members before moving near Williamsville in 1953.
Bud and his wife, Mary Alice, had five sons. Bud died in 1998, and Mary Alice died eight years later.
Krell family tracked down through church friend
Tim Krell has no idea when the dog tag might have been lost. It could have been before Bud shipped out in 1943, or his father could have lost it after he returned home.
McCoy said this is the first dog tag he has ever found with his metal detector.
He served with the Marine Corps from 1962 to 1965 and is familiar with dog tags. The WWII Coast Guard tags were circular, which is a little different from the familiar rectangular Marine Corps tags.
“But it had all the pertinent information,” McCoy said.
A few months back, McCoy’s wife saw the tag and realized that a woman in her Bible study class had the same last name. The woman was able to put the McCoys in touch with Tim Krell.
Now that he has the dog tag, Krell is thinking about putting it in a frame with some of his father’s other wartime memorabilia. Bud earned ribbons while serving, and the family also has the flag that was used during his funeral service.
Tim Krell has read about the work done by Coast Guard sailors during the war, and he imagines his father saw a lot of suffering during the invasion.
“I’m sure that what he endured during those few days at Normandy probably stayed with him the rest of his life,” Tim Krell said.
***
The matchbox fleet
During the spring of 1944, 60 wooden-hulled Coast Guard boats were transported to England on freighters. The boats were part of Rescue Flotilla One, which was assigned to rescue soldiers from the English Channel.
The 83-foot-long boats were nicknamed “the matchbox fleet” because of their wooden hulls and the fact that a single incendiary shell could set them on fire.
Operating under enemy fire, the boats saved more than 400 men on D-Day alone. One boat, USCG 1, which escorted the first wave of assault troops, rescued 28 soldiers from a sunken landing craft.
By the time the unit was decommissioned in December 1944, its members had saved 1,438 men.
Source: United States Coast Guard website
National Guard company returns home
Ceremonies were held in Springfield and Rock Falls Thursday to welcome home 170 Illinois Army National Guard soldiers who served in Iraq as part of the 1644th Transportation Company.
The unit mobilized in July 2011 and deployed to Kuwait in August. While overseas, members completed 175 transportation missions in Kuwait and Iraq with no casualties. The soldiers traveled 4.1 million miles, hauled more than 35,000 tons of cargo and transported more than 7,500 pieces of equipment to help the United States withdraw from Iraq.
The 1644th was the last long-haul transportation convoy to leave Iraq on Dec. 18, 2011, as the United States concluded operations.
“This was a historic moment for the United States of America and the people of Iraq,” said Capt. Michael Barton of Greenview, commander of the 1644th. “Just the fact that the Illinois National Guard and the 1644th played such a big part of the final convoy is very special.”
The 1644th was previously mobilized from October 2004 to October 2005.
During the recent mission, the achievements of the 1644th resulted in 185 awards, including 28 soldiers being recommended for the Bronze Star.
The State Journal-Register
Posted Apr 05, 2012 @ 10:45 PM
Last update Apr 06, 2012 @ 06:38 AM
SPRINGFIELD — When Graham McCoy of Chatham started searching a field near Southwind Park with his metal detector a few years ago, he had no idea he would find a long-lost dog tag that had been worn by a local farmer who helped rescue soldiers from the English Channel during World War II.
The dog tag, which was buried about five inches under the plowed ground, belonged to Walter Alvin “Bud” Krell, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the war.
Tim Krell, a Sangamon County Board member and Bud Krell’s son, said the family never knew his father had lost the dog tag, but they are happy to have it back.
McCoy, a member of the Collier-Harrison Marine Corps League, returned the tag to the Krell family during a league meeting Thursday. He said he’s been metal detecting for 17 years and always tries to return any personal items he finds.
“If there’s something like a ring or an item with a name on it, I’ll research that to find the owner,” McCoy said.
Bud didn’t talk about war
Like many World War II vets, Bud Krell didn’t talk a lot about his wartime experiences.
Over the years, Tim Krell learned that his father was on a wooden-hulled Coast Guard boat sent to England to support the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.
“Dad just said that he drank enough of the English Channel to last him a lifetime,” Krell said. “What they were doing was picking guys out of the water. They were picking up survivors, and I’m sure they pulled a lot of bodies out.”
After the war, Bud Krell returned to the family farm, which was near what is now Southwind Park. He farmed there a few years with family members before moving near Williamsville in 1953.
Bud and his wife, Mary Alice, had five sons. Bud died in 1998, and Mary Alice died eight years later.
Krell family tracked down through church friend
Tim Krell has no idea when the dog tag might have been lost. It could have been before Bud shipped out in 1943, or his father could have lost it after he returned home.
McCoy said this is the first dog tag he has ever found with his metal detector.
He served with the Marine Corps from 1962 to 1965 and is familiar with dog tags. The WWII Coast Guard tags were circular, which is a little different from the familiar rectangular Marine Corps tags.
“But it had all the pertinent information,” McCoy said.
A few months back, McCoy’s wife saw the tag and realized that a woman in her Bible study class had the same last name. The woman was able to put the McCoys in touch with Tim Krell.
Now that he has the dog tag, Krell is thinking about putting it in a frame with some of his father’s other wartime memorabilia. Bud earned ribbons while serving, and the family also has the flag that was used during his funeral service.
Tim Krell has read about the work done by Coast Guard sailors during the war, and he imagines his father saw a lot of suffering during the invasion.
“I’m sure that what he endured during those few days at Normandy probably stayed with him the rest of his life,” Tim Krell said.
***
The matchbox fleet
During the spring of 1944, 60 wooden-hulled Coast Guard boats were transported to England on freighters. The boats were part of Rescue Flotilla One, which was assigned to rescue soldiers from the English Channel.
The 83-foot-long boats were nicknamed “the matchbox fleet” because of their wooden hulls and the fact that a single incendiary shell could set them on fire.
Operating under enemy fire, the boats saved more than 400 men on D-Day alone. One boat, USCG 1, which escorted the first wave of assault troops, rescued 28 soldiers from a sunken landing craft.
By the time the unit was decommissioned in December 1944, its members had saved 1,438 men.
Source: United States Coast Guard website
National Guard company returns home
Ceremonies were held in Springfield and Rock Falls Thursday to welcome home 170 Illinois Army National Guard soldiers who served in Iraq as part of the 1644th Transportation Company.
The unit mobilized in July 2011 and deployed to Kuwait in August. While overseas, members completed 175 transportation missions in Kuwait and Iraq with no casualties. The soldiers traveled 4.1 million miles, hauled more than 35,000 tons of cargo and transported more than 7,500 pieces of equipment to help the United States withdraw from Iraq.
The 1644th was the last long-haul transportation convoy to leave Iraq on Dec. 18, 2011, as the United States concluded operations.
“This was a historic moment for the United States of America and the people of Iraq,” said Capt. Michael Barton of Greenview, commander of the 1644th. “Just the fact that the Illinois National Guard and the 1644th played such a big part of the final convoy is very special.”
The 1644th was previously mobilized from October 2004 to October 2005.
During the recent mission, the achievements of the 1644th resulted in 185 awards, including 28 soldiers being recommended for the Bronze Star.
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