Evening star., 1936-07-05
THREE NOMINATED
FOR VALOR MEDAL
Or. Roggenkamp and Mr..
and Mrs. P. P. Castle, Jr.,
Cited for ResCueS.

Two more nominations for the
Rainbow Division Veterans Medal of
Valor, all the result of accidents on
the water, were received by The
Evening Star last week.
All we're civilians. one the chiropo-
dist who swan ashore to summon aid
for sinking cabin cruiser off the
Naval Air Station in Anacostia, and
the others man and his wife, both
employees of the Treasury Department,
who rescued a man from swamped
rowboat in Chesapeake Bay.
The doctor responsible for the
rescue of group of 13 young men
and women from the cruiser Casino
June 81 was Oswald E. Roggenkamp,
27-year-old chiropodist, of 1923 Con-
necticut avenue He is secretary
treasurer of the District Podiatry
Society
Swan Ashore in Dark.
The vessel struck some submerged
piles and was filling with water when
DR.. Roggenkamp swan 100 yards to
shore, late at night with no lights to
guide him, and then ran almost a
mile to the air station TO telephone
the police harbor precinct for aiI
Those remaining behind managed by
pumping to keep the cruiser af1oat
until the police launch arrived and
took them ashore.
DR.. Roggenkamp's nomination was
made by Miss Joyce Edwards of 1876
Seventeenth street.
The other nomination was for Mr.
and Mrs. Philip P Castle, jr., of the
New Amsterdam Hotel, who brought
Roland Wilburn, jr, ashore in theil
motorboat when his rowboat was
being swamped by the choppy waves
Off Wilburn Beach, near Poplars, Nd.
June 13.
The rescue was one Of series oi
events which ended in the death ot
Hugh B. Henderson, %, of 2lll First
street, who died of a broken neck
when he dived after an oar lost while
he and his friend. Aubrey Stinson
2e-year-old carpenter. who lived at
the same address. were out in row.
boat of Wilburn's Beach.
Went to Aid in Rowboat.
Henderson and Stinson were out il
q boat they had rented from youni
Wilburn when a storm. described a
the worst in several years came uu
When Henderson and Stinson SCENE;
to be having some difficulty, Wilbur
started out in another roWboat to helI
them
Before he reached them, however
the choppy waves had nearly swampor
his boat, and the Castles, who welt
sitting on the porch of their cottage
nearby. decided to go to his aid.
Putting on a life preserver. Mrs
Castle got in the boat. powered witt
an outboard motor. with her husband
They soon reached Wilburn's boat. I
was nearly filed with water, but they
transferred him to their boat despit;
the choppv water, and towed his boa
to shore. They later cruised about IL
an effort to find Fendersons body
but were unable to do SO. The body
was not recovered until two days later
Deprecate Paft IN ReSCue.
Advised that they had been nomi-
mated, both Mr. and Mrs. Castle depre-
Gated their part III the rescue. Castle
said:
I don't feel like we did anything
heroic. 1t was a little windy, all right
but it's quite possible Wilburn could
have got back to shore without our
help. We just wanted to be on the
safe side
Nevertheless, witnesses of the Incl
dent agreed that 1t was windy" enough
for several others on the beach at the
time to permit" Castle and his wife
to go out alone to aid Wilburn. Stinson
finally managed to drift ashore and
save himself.
The nomination will be turned over
to the selection jury. composed of a
group of members of the Rainbow
Division Veterans, and a representa-
tive Of the District Commissioners,
Police Supt Ernest w Brown and Fire
Chief Charles E. Schrom.
From nominations made up to May
IS. 1887, the jury will select fireman,
policeman and civilian deemed worthy
of the Gold Medal of Valor. The nom
ination of Mr.. and Mrs Castle was
made by Miss Marian Daniels, Park
Lane Apartments, who read of their
exploit in The Evening Star. Nomina-
tions may be made by any reader to
the Rainbow Division Veterans Medal
Of Valor Editor, The Evening Star,
WASHINGTON n C