The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1945-07-12

Mrs. Maisie Adams, Route 2, Ha
gerstown, has been awarded tn,
Bronze Star medal for participation
in campaigns in Germany. He is
member of Co. H, 29Oth Regiment
18th Infantry Division.
Sec. Lieut.. John A. Doarnberger
son of Mr.. and Mrs. Harry L
Doarnberger, 139 North Cannon
avenue, whose wife resides in the
Calvert Apartments, is at Letter.
man General Hospital San Fran
cisco, Cal, recovering from wound;
received in action on lie Shims
Island in the Pacific. The heuten-
ant is a platoon leader in the vet.
eran nth Infantry (Statue of Lii
berty) Division.
In an interview at the hospital
Lieutenant Doarnberger gave the
following story of the landing on
the tiny island:
Before the Infantry hit the
beaches of lie Shima, tiny island OF
the Ryukyus group" said Lieuten
ant Doarnberger, ''its Jap defend
ers were given the works. The Ma
wy pounded them with thousands of
shells and rockets. Heavy bombers
dropped their loads on the concen-
trated target, and fighters swooped
low to strafe the Jap positions.
with all that preparation, we
thought we'd have an easy time of
it, but it was the same old story all
over again. Somehow the Japs
survived all we could throw at
h m. When the Doughboys
reached the beaches, they came out
of their caves and tunnels full of
fight
"One hill dominated the whole
island and the Japs made that high
ground the core of their defense.
From the slopes of the hill their
automatic weapons could sweep
most of the island. Our rifemen
had to work their way up to each
Jap position and knock it out with
a flame thrower or grenades.
"But that's the way the Infantry
has been trained to fight and that's
the kind of war it has been in the
Pacific all along"
Lieutenant Doarnberger won the
Bronze Star Medal for gallantry in
action and the Purple Heart for a
wound during the fighting that
ended in the humiliation of the
Japs on lie Shine.
He was cited for the bravery he
displayed in leading his platoon
against a strongly fortified Jap po-
sition A few days later he was
wounded in the foot by shell frag-
ment and temporarily deafened by
the conclusion of a mortar shell.
These injuries resulted in his evac-
uation to the United States.
In addition to the Bronze Star
and the Purple Heart, the young
officer has been awarded the Com
bat Infantryman Badge for exem-
plary conduct in action against the
enemy. He has the Philippine Lib
Grafton ribbon, and his Asiatic-Pa
cific ribbon bears three stars for
his major campaigns.
Lieutenant Doarnberger was in
Quoted into the Army in 1941 and
began his military career in the
Coast Artillery. He was stationed
in Newfoundland for seven months
and then was transferred to the In
fantry. He returned to the United |
States to attend Officer Candidate
School at Fort Benning, Georgia.
There he received his commission |
and was assigned to the Statue of !
Liberty Division. Prior to the lie
Shima invasion, the lieutenant had
taken part in the fighting on Guam
and Leyte.
Oklahoma City Air Technical Serv-
ice Command, Tinker Field, Okla.
= Now stationed at Tinker Field is
Pfc. Ralph L. Freeze, son of Mrs. v.
M. Freeze, 1876 Mitchell Ave, Hag-
erstown, Md. He is assigned to an
AAF Air Base Unit at this model
establishment of the Air Technical
Service Command for the main