The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-06-08
VETERAT PLIERS
 GET DECORATION
Additional Oak Leaf Clus= ter Awarded Sergeants
 Fahey, Machin

ed Oak Ieaf Clusters to Inelr AIT Medals for "meritorious achievey ment" during heavy bombing at- tacks on Nazi military and indus trial installations and in coordina- tion with Allied ground forces.
 The airmen are Staff Sergeant Francis M. Fahy, 24, son of MT. and Mrs. John Fahy, 35 Edgehill ave- nue, who has been awarded the Fourth Oak Leaf cluster; and Staff Sergeant Willis H. Machin, 30, son of MT. and Mrs. Willis H. Machin, Glenwood avenue RED No. l, Mid dlebury, Connecticut who received his Third Oak Leaf cluster.
 A veteran of more than 30 mis- sions as a nose gunner of B-17 Flying Fortress, Sgt. Fahy has par ticipated in heavy bombardment missions over targets at such places as Munich, Frankfurt, Nuremburg, Berlin and Bremen.
 With 200 combat hours to his credit, Sgt. Fahy said, The Nurem- burg marshalling yards was the most memorable mission. The bomb-bay doors were closing when flax wounded our waist gunner, tearing about sixty holes in the ship The rest of the crew was lucky and our plane limped back to the field in England
 Sgt. Fahy is member of the 487th Bomb. Group commanded by Colonel William K. Martin of Og- den, Utah. The group is unit of the 3rd Air Division which was cited by the President for its now historic England-Africa shuttle bombings of the Messerschmitt plants at Regensburg in August, 1943.
 With more than 25 missions be- hind him, Sgt. Machin is an en- listed bombardier on an Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress. Before enlisting in the Army Air Forces in January 1914 he was student. He received his fighting training at Denver, Colorado and was awarded his wings in September, 1914.
 Sgt. Machin is a member of the 94th Bomb. Group which was cited by the President for the historic bombing of the Muhlembau air craft assembly plants at Brunswick, Germany. This group also partici- pated in the Third Air Division England to Africa shuttle bombing of Messerschmitt aircraft assembly
 plants at Regensburg, Germany in August 1943 for which a Distin- guished Unit Citation was awarded to the entire division.
 With the Fifth Army, Italy-Ser- Armand Dupre, 27, of Waterbury. Conn, recently was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroic achievement in action on the Fifth Army front curing the italian cam paign.
 He is a member of the 36lst h. fantry Regiment, 9lst Powder River Division.
 Dupre observed an enemy machine gun position and attacked it alone, the citation stated. Firing a sub-machine gun as he advanced, he killed one German and wounded an- other before they could put their gun into action. His prompt, deci- sive action prevented his platoon from suffering casualties and en- abled his company to continue the advance.
 Before entering service in August, 1943, Dupre was employed as a His wife, Mrs. Amelia Dupre, lives at 445 Pearl Lake road, Waterbury.
 Two Waterbury servicewomen have recently been promoted. They are: Flora Perrell, daughter of MT. and Mrs. Vincent Perrell, Geddes Ter race, who has been advanced to first class seaman with a WAVE unit at the Naval Air Station at Memphis, Tenn, and Flora M. Butler, daugh- ter of MT. and Mrs. George w. But Ter. 199 Circuit avenue, who has been promoted from second to first lieutenant in the Army Medical Corps.
 Lieutenant Louis c. Backhus, who was practicing physician here be- fore entering the Navy in April, 1914, recently completed short leave here and has returned to the West Coast for sea duty.
 T-Sgt. John Ritucci, son of MT. and Mrs. Dominic Ritucci. A Raw ley avenue, was recently promoted to his present rank in France, ac- cording to a letter from his com- officer. The letter cited Ritucci for loyalty to duty and progressive initiative" Ritucci has been overseas seven months.
 Corporal Joseph H. Byrne, 12 Hopkins street, Waterbury, Conn.,, was recently awarded the Good Conduct medal at Westover Field, Mass, where he is presently on duty. The medal was awarded for "exem- plary behavior, efficiency and fldel- lty.'
 439th Troop Carrier Group, France-Staff Sergeatn Willard A. Booth. son of MT. and Mrs. Clar- ence N. Booth of 142 Scott Ave, WatertoWn, Conn, has been over seas with this troop carrier group for many months.
 As crew chief on giant CAT "Skytrain," Sergeant Booth has played an important part in the activities of this unit and has done much to bring about his groups highly successful batle record for which the sergeant wears five battle participation stars on his European Theater ribbon. He also wears the Unit citation ribbon and the Air Medal.
 During the major tactical opera tions this unit of Major General Paul L. Williams U. s. Troop Car Tier Forces was part of the might air arm of the First Allied Airborne Army. Recently, toward the close of the war and after the German equalization, it flew thousands of gallons of vital gasoline to the front and returned with thousands of