Members of the Port O’Connor Service Club modeled their purchases from their Spring Garage Sale. Pictured left to right: Marie Hawes; Autumn Anderson (most complete Garage Sale outfit); Evelyn Kitchens; Susan Braudaway (most stylish); Susie Onishi; Linda Orrick; Donna Vuichard; Madeline Bourg and Becky Carville.

POC Community Service Club is ready for summer. Our Spring Garage Sale was a huge success and our members rocked the food and drink ticket booth at the Crawfish Festival. We awarded two scholarships to local grads to help them further their life plans and helped to complete some great community projects this past year.
As we do every year, we will be cutting our monthly meetings to one only for May, June, July and August. The first Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m. we will meet in the back room of the POC Community Center and continue to work on current service projects and manage our outreach. We will be actively involved in the community and the many summer activities during this time, but taking a well-deserved break from two per month meetings.

Big congratulations to Miranda Stringo and Robyn Stringo on their recent graduation and receipt of our 2016 Service Club Scholarships. We love to see our local graduates do so well, and we look forward to seeing the exciting next chapter of their story. A story with deep POC roots, so we are proud to have a part.
These hot summer months are the perfect time for you to clean out some closets or drawers and donate good used items for our October Garage Sale. The County building behind the library is available for storage of those donations. Feel free to drop them off M-Th and we will put them to good use.

It is also a perfect time to organize your recipes and pick the best for our upcoming cookbook. There is still time for you to include your favorite dessert or best recipe, most successful cooking tip or family meal in the next issue of the POC Service Club Cookbook series. Generations of cooks swear by them already, and you can add your expertise to the next edition. Get your contribution to any service club member to be included. Very limited copies of the previous cookbooks are still available. Get yours before they are gone.

Have questions? Need Information? Want to be a part? Come join us for our June 2 meeting and see what we are all about. We welcome women of all ages and talents to join us as we make a positive difference in our little place in Port O’Connor. You might find the perfect place to plug in and be a part of something good!

So, until next time, be safe, live simply, love openly, forgive generously and remember this from an anonymous quote I love: “Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” Come cast your vote for a positive POC.

Elia “Bea” Milligan

On May 6th Elia Milligan joined the ever growing population of centenarians.

Born on May 6, 1916 in Egan, Louisiana, Elia was the 4th child of 9 children born to Joseph and Belzire Sensat. Sometime in her 20’s she moved to Texas and then found and married Theo Milligan. Together they raised their family in Seadrift, Texas their 4 children include: Johnnye Joy Williams of Victoria, Texas, Phyllis Dierlam of Seadrift, Texas, Henry “Hank” Milligan of Gonzales, Texas and Donald Milligan of Austin, Texas.

Elia is in excellent health and still lives in her home alone in Seadrift, Texas and is able to attend to her daily needs on her own. Her daughter Phyllis helps her with shopping, cleaning, some yard work and various things. Phyllis and other family members check on her on a regular basis.

With her family and friends on Saturday May 7th, she was honored with a celebration of her 100th birthday at the home of Shane and Vicki Dworaczyk, (granddaughter) in Seadrift, Texas. The celebration was attended by nearly 100 guests of family and friends.

Elia’s day started off with a little pampering from her great-granddaughter Heather Shimek Marburger of Edna, Texas, owner of Bohemian Blush, a mobile Salon and Boutique. Heather treated Grandma to a day of beauty by styling her hair and make-up so she could be ready for her special day. Thanks to Heather for providing her time and service!

She was then greeted by her family and friends and received a Birthday Blessing from Father Tommy Chen of the Catholic Church. Elia has been a active member of the Catholic Church of Seadrift until last year by her own decision she gave up her keys to drive. A very kind and genuine person who our Grandma just adores, Becky Gray, a lay person of the Catholic Church, comes on Sunday to bring her Holy Communion. Special thanks to Father Tommy Chen and Becky Gray for kindness and services they have provided.

Grandma said her secret to a long life is a positive attitude, being thankful to God and she prays the Rosary every day; with great enthusiasm she plans to keep going as long as the Good Lord keeps her here.

Grandma’s family is still growing today and we want to acknowledge all of them as part of the family. There are 11 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great grandchildren, too many to list each name. Family members traveled from various area’s of Texas to be here for the celebration but her grandson Jason Milligan travelled all the way from Martin, Tennessee just to be here for her 100th Birthday! Thanks, Jason for your long journey to be here with us!

The day was very special for her and her family and we want to thank everyone who came out and celebrated with us!!
-Shane and Vicki Dworaczyk

The Village of Arromanches showing remaining sunken concrete barges from the World War II Mulberry Harbor

This past year, I was privileged to accompany my Father on a trip to the Normandy area of Northern France. The area is famous in history as the site for the D-Day Landings during World War II. The D-Day landings were the amphibious operations on June 6, 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy. The landings were the largest in history and began the liberation of occupied Europe from German control and eventually resulted in the Allied victory over Nazi Germany.

Previously in Part 1, as found in last month’s issue, I wrote about our visit to the La Cambe German war cemetery, Sainte-Mère-Église, Utah Beach, and Carentan.
Pointe du Hoc was the first stop of our second day in Normandy. Pointe du Hoc was a high point of land with cliffs facing the water between Utah Beach and Omaha Beach. Starting in 1943, the German Army had fortified the Pointe du Hoc area with concrete bunkers and gun pits. Six 155mm guns and other weapons were positioned in the fortifications. The 155mm guns could have easily reached both the Omaha and Utah Beach landing areas. U.S. Army Rangers under the command of James Earl Rudder were given the task of capturing Pointe du Hoc. Among the support vessels for the operation was the Battleship USS Texas.

Early on the morning of D-Day, the landing craft carrying the Rangers approached the cliffs of Point du Hoc. Among their equipment were rocket propelled grappling hooks with ropes and a few 100-foot long ladders requisitioned from the London Fire Brigade. The assault was very costly, with the Germans firing on the Rangers as they climbed up the ladders and ropes against the sides of the cliffs. After the Rangers took Pointe Du Hoc, they made the shocking discovery that the 155mm guns had been previously removed from their mountings and moved further inland by the Germans after pre-invasion bombings. The six guns were later discovered by the Rangers and disabled. By the end of the day, only 90 out of the original force of 225 Rangers remained able to fight.

Pointe du Hoc was preserved after the war and was transferred to U.S. control. Today the American Battle Monuments Commission is responsible for its upkeep. Heavy damage can be seen on the remaining German fortifications. The area is also pockmarked with deep craters from aircraft bombs and the USS Texas 14” fourteen inch guns. Entryways to the various bunkers are marked with bullet holes and grenade damage. On top of the German command bunker is a monument to the Rangers that was dedicated by President Ronald Reagan on June 6, 1984. To my surprise, I saw a plaque with a State of Texas Seal bolted to the inside of the Command Bunker. It commemorates James Earl Rudder, the native Texan who led the Pointe du Hoc assault. Rudder was a high school football coach and teacher before the war. After the war, he served as Mayor of Brady Texas, Texas Land Commissioner, and then President of Texas A&M from 1959 until his death in 1970.

Craters today at Point du Hoc

Our second stop of the day was Omaha Beach. The five amphibious landing beaches were codenamed East to West; Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. U.S. Troops would land at Utah and Omaha Beaches, while British, Canadian, and Free French Troops would land at Gold, Juno, and Sword Beaches. The primary objective at Omaha beach was to secure a beachhead between the British landings at Gold Beach to the east, and the U.S. forces landing at Utah Beach to the West. The amphibious assault was to be carried out by the 1st Infantry Division, 29th Infantry Division, and Army Rangers. The soldiers landed under heavy fire from gun positions in the bluffs overlooking the beach. The landing areas were also mined and covered with obstacles.

Very little went as planned during the landings at Omaha Beach, navigation errors caused many of the landing craft to miss their assigned landing areas. Many of the amphibious Sherman tanks launched offshore were swamped by the waves and sank. The German defenses were unexpectedly strong, inflicting heavy casualties on landing U.S. troops. Under heavy gunfire, army engineers struggled to clear the beach obstacles while the exposed troops on the beach suffered many casualties. A total of 2,499 U.S. soldiers were killed on D-Day at Omaha Beach.

German WN65 bunker on Omaha Beach with 50mm gun

Omaha Beach today is built-up with houses, roads, and a seawall. I even saw a beachfront house built using a concrete bunker as its foundation. A few intact German bunkers and gun positions can still be seen in the bluffs. One German Bunker with its 50mm gun is preserved as a tourist attraction. Designated as WN65 by the Germans, this bunker caused many casualties among U.S. troops until finally being taken out and captured around noon on D-Day.

The Overlord Museum in Colleville-sur-Mer contained excellent artifacts & displays from the Omaha Beach landings, as well as relics found over the years in the beach area. Another stop was a small museum in Port-en-Bessin containing amphibious tanks and other equipment salvaged from the ocean near the landing areas over the years.

The Normandy American Cemetery was our next stop; it is located on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach. The Cemetery is also under the control of the American Battle Monuments Commission, covers 172 acres, and contains the graves of 9,387 U.S. military personnel. Those buried there include 307 unidentified U.S. Soldiers, three Medal of Honor recipients, four women, 33 pairs of brothers, and a father and son. After the war, the next of kin was asked if they wanted their identified loved ones brought back for burial in the U.S. or remain buried in France. The marble crosses marking the graves of unknown soldiers are marked: “HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY A COMRADE IN ARMS KNOWN BUT TO GOD”. It is a very beautiful and somber place that makes one appreciate the sacrifices our troops made to liberate Europe. 1,557 U.S. personnel remain missing or unidentified in the Normandy Area and remains of soldiers continue to be found in the area to this day.

Monument at Omaha Beach

One notable burial at the Normandy American Cemetery is Theodore Roosevelt Jr, eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt. A World War I veteran, he was given command of U.S. troops landing at Utah Beach. Roosevelt was the only general on D-Day to land with the first wave of troops. At the age of 56, he was also the oldest U.S. soldier in the invasion. His son Captain Quentin Roosevelt II was among the first wave of soldiers to land at nearby Omaha beach. Walking with the aid of a cane and carrying a pistol, Theodore Roosevelt Jr personally made a reconnaissance of the area around Utah Beach to coordinate the attack on the German positions, Roosevelt’s famous words on D-Day were; “We’ll start the war from right here”. On July 12, 1944, a little over a month after the D-Day landings, Roosevelt died of a heart attack near Sainte-Mère-Église in Normandy. Some years after the war was over, General Omar Bradley was asked to name the single most heroic action he had ever seen in combat. His reply was; “Ted Roosevelt on Utah Beach.”

The small beachfront village of Arromanches was the last stop of our second and final day in Normandy. Arromanches was in the Gold Beach landing area on D-Day and was important as one of the two sites for the artificial harbors the Allies built to hurriedly offload supplies and troops for the invasion effort. The British built huge floating concrete barges that were sunk to provide an artificial harbor. These pre-fabricated harbors were known as Mulberry Harbors. The Arromanches Mulberry Harbor was in service by June 12, 1944, a mere six days after the D-Day landings. During its 100 or so days of operation, the harbor landed 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles, and 4 million tons of supplies. Today, Arromanches is mainly a tourist town. The sunken concrete barges from the Mulberry Harbor can still be seen in the waters around the town.

Our visit to the D-Day towns, beaches and cemeteries in Normandy taught me a lot about World War II history that I didn’t know. I am thankful that I was given the opportunity to go with my Father, Elmer DeForest, to see these sights.

Pointe-du-Hoc bullet holes

Map showing Utah Beach, Pointe du Hoc, and Omaha Beach

Normandy American Cemetery

Wow!!! Who would have thought that the 4th Annual Crawfish Festival would have turned out to be such a success, due to the fact that the previous week it was predicated to be 90% rain on the designated day. So glad everyone enjoyed themselves.

Now the Chamber is gearing up for the Memorial Day  Events on May 28th. Annual Kids Fishing Tournament will begin with registration at 9 a.m. at the fishing pier at King Fisher Park & Beach. The tournament will last from 9:00-11:00 a.m. This event is free and bait will be furnished. Trophies will be given to winners.
After lunch the Kite Contest will begin at 1:00 p.m., so bring your chairs, blankets, sunscreen and come on down to the park for a fun  filled family day.

The Chamber appreciates the new and renewed memberships for 2016. With everyone’s busy lifestyles, some have overlooked renewing their memberships; just a reminder, if you are not a member we can’t put the name of your business out when receiving calls or emails asking for information, may it be gift shops, motels or any other business. The Chamber receives calls nearly every day, requesting information for names and phone numbers of businesses.

Next meeting will be June 13th, 6:30 p.m. at POC Community Center. Come out and get involved in your community.

Have a safe time in POC!

New &  Renewed Memberships
Carl Ray
James & Amy Severson
Coastal Bend Marine
Ron Elkins Guide Service
Beacon 44 Seafood
Beacon 44 R.V.Park
Lowtide Guide Service
Cliff Blank’s Rentals
Steve and Susan Gumina
Salt Blossom Gifts
Bayflats Lodge & Guides
Tejas Propane & Landscaping