Re: Skillicorn's of Watsonville, CA
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In reply to:
Re: Skillicorn's of Watsonville, CA
Dale Skillicorn 2/11/02
Hello Dale!
Sorry to say I am not THAT Dick WIlliams-I am the old Oakland A's manager in disguise heh-heh.
Actually I am desc of George H Williams and Clarissa Ann Spear. As I sed, they came to Watsonville in Nov '52 from Cape Girardeau. I think it was with the 7th Chiles-Walker party, not sure anymore, went thru it all years ago. The Parrotts and Columbus H Smith's family from same area all intermarried. George H. opened a bank, the rest were merchants and planted the first apples, it is said.
Now, I can give you one small excert about your lost cousin. Source: A Guide To Pohnpei-An Island Argosy by Gene Ashby, Rainy Day Press, Eugene Oregon/Pohnpei FSM Second Rev Ed 1993 pages 97-98: "...(Another Marine pilot was downed and lost earlier. While visiting Pohnpei in 1989, Mark 'Breeze" Syrkin, a former fighter pilot in the Leatherneck Buccaneer Squadron VMF 433 [sic], told the author of his friend who had crash landed in 1944 and was last seen waving from his downed Corsair fighter. Syrkin searched for signs of his downed mate, but passing decades had dimmed memories and the jungle had claimed any wreckage. No trace of the downed pilot or his plane were ever found. ..."
The correct VMF is 422. Major Syrkin died in 2000, so I never had a chance to interview him. I DID interview a lot of people there-I am an ex-patriate resident and was just on the phone with my old friend Hiroshi Yamaguchi born 1931, last evening. I have this minute just returned from the post office from mailing him is twice-weekly Japanes newspaper that I subscribe to here and send on.
This is mentioned because I have very close ties with many people who were there during the war. I have talked with many about the war years.NO ONE has ever mentioned an American aviator being captured. I will check again with today's revelations, and surely let you know. I have also written NARA for the War Diary of the squadron for the months of April and August, 44 when the losses occured. They will tell us more, all of which I will share with you.
The January 18, 1946 date on the Memorial (I'm told via abmc.gov) engraved on the Wall of the Missing at Ft. McKinley, Manila, Philippines might be incorrect. Perhaps it was then he went from MIA to KIA via verification.I am not sure. The American Navy arrived about 6 months after the war officially ended with Japan, August 45 .The person who died looking for him was shot down on April 8, 1944, and of course your counsin was downed shortly prior. Please contact me on my regular email. I have more to tell you, but do not want to clog a genealogy thread with it. Dick