RAFINO

RAFINO Report
ISSUE 23 - Winter 1999
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Message from Outgoing Editor:
"Chick" Cecchini

The following is a combination of an apology for this issue of the RAFINO Report being almost 4 months late and an explanation as to why.  I would like to say that it was something over which I had no control.  But that was not so.  Actually, there is hardly anything to which I would give priority over RAFINO--"my baby" but that rarity did arise, in the form of a "once in a life-time" duty and experience.  Following is the "why."

Over two years ago, the president of our WWII Society (the 89th Infantry Division) appointed me as one of four living in the DC metro area to be members of a committee tasked to plan and arrange a Tour of Remembrance-to be, in a sense, our "Last Hurrah"!  The basic task was to arrange a tour to which we could invite our still living buddies (1400 on record)--and any accompanying family members--to join in tracing the path we followed during our war-time days in Europe, i.e., in France, Luxembourg, and Germany.  The plan was: (1) to visit towns in Normandy where, following the war, we were stationed nearby to perform duties in connection with the out-processing of those U.S. outfits which had longer service in the theater than we; (2) visit several cemeteries to honor our KIAs still interred there; and (3) to hold a special memorial ceremony at St. Goar on the Rhine River where we made an assault crossing-and, unfortunately, lost a lot of men to artillery and automatic weapons fired directed at us in our light boats from the opposing west bank high cliffs, (4) to visit the site of the concentration camp (Ohrdruf) we liberated (first one liberated by Western forces in WWII) on 4 Apr 45; and, (5) to proceed to the farthest-most Easterly point to which we had advanced in WWII-just a few clicks west of the Czechoslovakian border (and, incidentally, for `yours truly`) the opportunity to visit the city of Lichtenstein, where I functioned as the "Burgermeister" for almost four weeks after the armistice-can tell many stories).

Through a fortunate contact we started laying the groundwork for the design and planning of the tour by visiting the Deputy Under Secretary of the Army for International Affairs, who was most enthusiastic about our plans to hold the ceremony at the Rhine River-and to invite the active German forces to participate.  The letters he sent to CinCEUR and CinCUSAREUR requested full support to us.  At the same time he opened the doors to the German Embassy in DC where we met with their military attaché.  Here we received the utmost of courteous and enthusiastic cooperation.  Likewise, letters went to the German Army HQ.  In quick order, project officers were designated in both armies.

The 40th Engineer Brigade, 1st US Armored Division, and the 40th Pioneer Brigade, 5th Panzer Division, were designated to provide the support.  We busied the Email channels and the telephone/fax lines between the DC area and Germany setting forth the ceremony details coordinating with the 1st Armored Div., the 5th Panzer Div. and the Burgermeisters of the four Rhine River towns involved.  At the same time we were coordinating with the American Battle Monuments Commission (manages the American Military Cemeteries overseas) and a tour agency which specializes in military trips such as ours.  On top of that we did the marketing among the members of the Society of the 89th Div., WWII, to interest members in making the tour.

The USAR outfit, the 89th Regional Support Command, a successor outfit bearing our colors and are dedicated and accommodating custodians of our history, provided us a reservist on active duty as a "Broadcaster" to professionally record our travels on video tape-which was later edited into an excellently finished souvenir.

When we gathered in Paris, France on 23 Sep to start the 15 day tour there were 50 of us vets among the 88 total, including wives, sons, daughters, and friends.

After two days of getting organized for our two-bus trek of we headed to Normandy to visit the three towns we knew so well 55 years ago.  It was a shock to be greeted almost as though we were their liberators.  The mayoral receptions we received, their speeches, the champagne, cider, cheese, cakes, etc., offered us were overwhelming!  We found that there was even a large club in Yvetot which has memorialized our division by wearing uniforms bearing our WWII patch and collecting, rehabbing, operating and maintaining WWII motor vehicles with 89th Div. markings!  The joyous and noisy rides given us around the town were exciting-especially for the ladies of our group!

We visited two of six cemeteries in which the 89th has dead interred.  The first at Normandy and the second at Luxembourg.  Our designated color bearers carried our WWII 48 star flag and 89th division colors.  At each ceremony our designated chaplain prayed a benediction.  Then were read the names of our dead at that location.  Two of our party placed floral sprays at the base of a grave marker.  Our president spoke appropriate words for each occasion.  Since we were in the THIRD Army, at Luxembourg we did the same for Gen. George S. Patton.


It was at St. Goar on the Rhine River where the centerpiece of our tour, i.e., the Memorial Ceremony took place, on the town's soccer field.  The field was decorated with all U.S. state and territory flags.  A fully staffed field medical station was set up with two ambulances at the ready.  The band of our U.S. host, the U.S. 1st Armored Division, played both American and German melodies of the WWII period.  Two large canopies were erected to shelter the spectators.  The full platoons of both countries were turned out in elegant "spit and polish" uniforms.  We made and heard speeches with translations.  Both sides placed wreaths, final volleys fired, and TAPS played.  All of this was followed by a fine luncheon in the restaurant in the ancient Rheinfels Castle above the town.  Late that afternoon riding along the Rhine we passed the famous Loreley (where we had hauled down the German flag in March of 45 replacing it with our US and 89th Division colors.  The next important stop was to visit the site of the former Ohrdruf Concentration Camp.  We knew that the German government had given their okay for us to enter the site.  We also knew full well that the buildings long ago had been bulldozed to the ground but we did want at least to stand where we knew that historical event-in which we had played central role-- had taken place.  We were doomed to disappointment, however, because we were admitted to the site through an entrance with which we were totally unfamiliar and recognized nothing!  (On reflection, though, we do understand that we could not have expected to be greeted with a band sounding "ruffles and flourishes" !)

Our final stop eastward was at Zwichau around which the 89th Div. had been deployed awaiting relief by the Russians.  "My town", Lichtenstein, was just a few miles NE.  Finally, we then drove back to Munich via Nuremberg from what until a few years ago we knew as "East Germany".  It is quite clear that there is a great lot of infrastructure "catching up" needed for that long neglected part of Germany.

Now, a little more about why this newsletter is so late.  One of my tasks as a committeeman was to honcho the recorded history of that tour.  Specifically was included my functioning as one of two 35mm still-photo cameramen-who took 528 shots.  I had to make up from those 528 a set (59 in the set) for mailing to 48 tour members (total of 2832 prints).  On top of that I dubbed and mailed 55 copies of the hour and a half video tape.  It took me until early January to wind it up!  With that out of the way, I finally was free to produce this RAFINO Report-the final one under my editorship.

And now I want to single out and thank those of you to whom I am greatly indebted for dedicated, constant, and indispensable support during my 12 or so years of editorship.  Without doubt, foremost among you is Bob Flewelling.  Without your peerless support (The "Member Manager" Program, specialized label program, supply of rosters and address labels, and so much more), I simply could not have done my job.  Looking back, even though Bob Teasdale has passed away, I must recognize his magnificent pioneering efforts in maintaining the membership database and formatting my input into newsletter form.  Last, I thank you Phil Anderson for your support over the years-and ask forgiveness for my "nagging" kibitzing.

And so now, I hand over the editor's blue pencil to Claud Wallace - your new Editor. Claud was a great choice, I assure you!