Rolling Thunder Indiana Chapter 6 May 2015 In this Issue: Presidents Letter POW/MIA News Chaplin s Corner Calendar of Events Patch Recipients Chapter 6 - General Orders, Debriefing & Sergeants Stand Down Executive Board President Jerry Blake Vice President Tim Mahone Secretary Mary Jane Miller Treasurer Darrin Maxey Chaplain Steve Suter Board of Directors Chairman of the Board Jack Miller Board Member W.D. Buckner Board Member Bob Hayes Board Member Donna Hohiemer Board Member Jeff Meeks Jerry Blake- President Letter from the President Hi Everyone, I want to thank all of you for supporting Rolling Thunder and the things that we do. We have done a lot of great things these past few weeks and it makes you feel good inside when you see the faces of the people you are there to see or help. We even had a gentleman at the airport that asked to help us when we did the flag line for Steve Koressel. He was retired from the Army and was headed back to North Carolina and when we gave him one of our coins, he broke down and told us he would never forget what happened. Again it was a busy start to May with the meeting, Run for the Son and Blessing of the Bikes. We have a lot more coming up this summer so please keep your eyes on the web site, your emails and the meetings for information. CALL ME WITH ANY CONCERNS OR SUGGESTIONS Thanks, Jerry Blake Rolling Thunder, Inc.'s major function is to publicize the POW-MIA issue. To educate the public of the fact that many American prisoners of war were left behind after all past wars. To help correct the past and to protect the future veterans from being left behind should they become Prisoners Of War/Missing In Action. We are committed to helping American veterans from all wars. Rolling Thunder, Inc. is a non-profit organization and everyone donates his or her time because they believe in the POW/MIA issue. 1
'The truth needs to be told' about Japan's war history WASHINGTON Lester Tenney endured three hellish years as a Japanese prisoner during World War II, but with the passing of decades and repeated visits, he's made peace with his former enemy. Yet as Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prepares to address Congress (May 2015), in the 70th anniversary year of the war's end, something rankles the U.S. military veteran about Japan's attitude toward its past. "They don't want the young people to know what really happened," complains Tenney, now 94. The Associated Press spoke to three U.S. war veterans about their surrender in the Philippines in 1942 and their exploitation as slave laborers in Japan. It's an episode of history most notorious for the Bataan Death March, when tens of thousands of Filipino and American prisoners of war were forced 65 miles on foot to prison camps. Thousands are thought to have perished. The AP also asked the veterans for opinions about Japan today. The U.S.-allied nation issued a formal apology to American POWs in 2009 and again in 2010 and has paid for some veterans to travel to Japan, leaving them with a more positive view of the Japanese people. All three veterans, however, remain adamant that their wartime experiences, and those of the POWs who didn't make it, should not be forgotten. Lester Tenney Tenney, with the 192nd Tank Battalion, U.S. Army, said he was made to march for eight days after his capture. "You had to stand on your own two feet and you had to keep moving. If you fell down, you died. If you had to go to the bathroom, you died. If you had a malaria attack, you died. The Japanese would just kill you, period. You had to stay on your feet... If you looked at a Japanese soldier in the wrong way, he would beat the hell out of you." After a 28-day journey by ship to Japan, Tenney worked at a coal mine near the town of Omuta run by the Mitsui Mining Co., shoveling coal 12 hours a day for three years. He said British, Australian and Indonesian prisoners also worked there and they had no protective gear, and they'd self-inflict injuries to get days off. His weight dropped from 189 pounds to 97 pounds. He said Mitsui has never responded to his letters calling for an apology. (Mitsui & Co., which was disbanded after the war and then re-established as a major industrial group, denies having any legal or historical responsibility for Mitsui Mining Co.'s treatment of forced laborers before or during the war. It says therefore it cannot comment on complaints or requests for apologies.) "If Mr. Abe comes here I would like him to say, 'I bring with me an apology from the industrial giants that enslaved American POWs.' He could say that very easily... I'm afraid that when Mr. Abe leaves here, all of it's going to be forgotten. They're going to forget about apologies to the POWs, they're going to forget they did anything wrong. It's going to like whitewashing the whole thing." "You can't have a high-ranking country today if you're not willing to face your past. They have to admit their failures. If they admit their failures, then by golly they deserve to have the best." After the war, Tenney became a professor of economics at Arizona State University and today lives in Carlsbad, Calif. He has returned to Japan five times and was instrumental in starting Japanese government-supported "friendship" visits by POWs. "The Japanese people were wonderful. They were very kind, they were very hospitable, no question about it. They treated us beautifully... And there's no reason why they shouldn't. We didn't do anything wrong (in the war)." Lester Tenney poses next to a memorabilia display in his home in Carlsbad, Calif., on Monday, April 20, 2015. Tenney endured 3 years as a Japanese prisoner during World War II and wrote a book called 'My Hitch in Hell.' Article credits: http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/japan/the-truth-needs-to-be-told-about-japan-s-war-history-some-vets-say-1.342262 Associated Press writer Elaine Kurtenbach 2 in Tokyo contributed to this report.
How do we handle the daily pressures of life? Chaplain's Corner Our jobs, lousy bosses, too much pressure? Do you feel like you re the only one working sometimes? How do you handle these problems? Take it out on your spouse? On others? Or yell at your children? Jesus was beaten with a leather whip with metal imbedded in the ends. It tore his flesh, thorns were pushed into his head, and he was nailed to a cross. For what? For us? Yes! He loved us so much; he did all this for us. Next time pressures feel too much to bear, think of what Jesus bore for us, for me, for you. Psalm 56:2-3-4 KJV 2. Mine enemies would daily swallow me up; for they be many that fight against me. O thou most High. 3. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. 4. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Matt. 5: 16 KJV 16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. If you have a spiritual need or in need of someone to talk to, call Chapter 6 Chaplain Steve Suter at 812-925- 3627 or e-mail at kspl69@wowway.com. 3
Rolling Thunder, Inc. Indiana Chapter 6 Rolling Thunder IN Chapter 6 Calendar of Events Revised 5-5-2015 Month Date Event May 16 2015 River Run traffic support 21-23 Ride to the Wall in DC 28 Honor Flight Meet and Greet 30 Honor Flight Welcome Home June 5 Board of Directors meeting 6 Membership Meeting (6p) 25 Vet Center Cookout 25 ESGR Golf outing setup 26 ESGR Golf Outing 28 Chapter 6 Benefit Ride for Veterans July 4 Mt Caramel Parade 10 Board Meeting 11 Membership Meeting 9a 31 Board meeting (For August) August 1 Membership Meeting 6p 27 Vet Center Cookout September 3,4,5,6 2015 Wall Project 4 Board Meeting 5 Membership Meeting 9a For anyone wanting to share pictures or events please send information to perkeme@gmail.com. We will do our best to include all information. Don t forget to check out the Rolling Thunder Indiana Chapter 6 Website as well, www.rollingthunderin6.com and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/rolling-thunder-indiana-chapter-6 4
May Patch Recipients Congratulations! Chapter 6 BBQ Team! For 12 Saturdays this summer, the Franklin Street Farmer s Market presents us with a wonderful opportunity to raise funds for our Chapter! Each time we sold BBQ on market day in 2014, we SOLD OUT! Now, every man on earth claims he is the best on the grill so putting together a team of expert grill masters should be easy! Work one Saturday or all twelve just sign up with the BBQ Champions of Rolling Thunder Indiana Chapter 6 to make the most of our Franklin Street Location (thank you VFW 1114!) 5
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In case you ever wondered if what we do makes a difference Very early this past Thursday morning after being up all night dehydrating (you know what I mean) Rita was still insisting we get on the bus so I would not miss the welcome home after our trip to the Vietnam Wall in D C. I finally made the decision we were staying in Virginia. {note -Rita fell ill in DC.} The "welcome home" didn't matter. Friday, when we walked into the terminal at the Evansville airport I didn't notice anything until Rita turned around and looked at me with a big smile on her face. There stood Jerry Blake and behind him Indiana Rolling Thunder Chapter 6 flag line. Also there were Brothers from Point Man of Newburgh. Barry Martens and Sparky Perette were the only ones we were expecting to see. They were going to take us home. I have no idea how to express my feelings at that moment other than to say "Thank You" Rolling Thunder. But that is not enough. I had become very bitter towards my country due the way we were treated when we came home. Thanks to Rolling Thunder a lot of that bitterness, after thinking about it all night, has been washed away. Maybe now thanks to Rolling Thunder, even after 45 years I can start feeling like I am welcome in my own country GOD BLESS the U. S. A. Steve K. The major function of Rolling Thunder, Inc., is to publicize the POW-MIA issue, to educate the public that many American prisoners of war were left behind after all previous wars and to help correct the past and to protect future veterans from being left behind should they become Prisoners of War- Missing in Action. We are also committed to helping American Veterans from all wars. ARTICLES IN THIS NEWSLETTER ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE VIEWS OR OPINIONS OF ROLLING THUNDER, INC. 5/5/2015 ### 10