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SALUTE TO VETERANS
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2020
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Wes and Katheryn married after the war, in 1948, and set- tled in Fremont. She died four years ago at age 94. The couple had two daughters, Peggy Wolverton of Omaha and Mary Jo Howe of California, and a son, Charles Howe of Norfolk, Nebraska. Howe worked in paint and autobody repair, and his wife worked as a dental hy- gienist in Fremont before staying home to raise their kids. According to the fam- ily, she was the second person to be a licensed dental hygienist in Nebraska. Later, she did bookkeeping for the family’s busi- ness, Fremont Body & Frame. Wes Howe was first stationed on the is- land of Papua New Guinea, just north of Australia, and by the time the war ended, he TRUCKS from Page D8
was stationed in Japan helping to set up air strips for the occupa- tion. He was among the first American soldiers to set foot on Japanese soil at the end of the war and wit- nessed the surrender ceremony. When Howe came home in 1945, he put away his uniform and got on with life, rarely talking about the war. That changed when he was interviewed for “Forever Heroes,” a book on Nebraska’s World War II veterans by Fremont author Joyce Winfield. Daughter Peggy said learning about her dad’s experiences at war and those of his comrades has deep- ened her appreciation of their sacrifices. (Her mother, she said, had talked more freely of her experiences in San Diego.) “I have this big feel- ing of respect for their level of patriotism and dedication to free- dom,” she said.
in Sardinia at the time.” His group was in Alghero, Sardinia, from November 1943 to March 1944, then were taken across to the island of Corsica. “Rome was liberated in June 1944, and in June, knowing that was happening, they moved the air base to Naples, where they repaired planes until they went up to Rome,” George said. Merle said it was just weeks after Rome was liberated that his unit worked in Salina, near the beach. “We had to lay down met- al sheets on the beach so the planes could land, because it was so sandy,” Merle said. Finally, Merle’s group moved up to Pisa from October 1944 to May 1945. “At the time, the Germans still had the town of La Spezia, so they were quite close to the fighting,” George said. George said that winter through intelligence Merle found out his brother was on the front lines in Italy. “Merle caught a ride up and visited his brother,” George said. “They were living in tents and he spent a day with his brother. May 7, 1945, was Victory in Europe Day. “Merle said they found out the day before that the Germans had signed, but it wasn’t an- nounced until May 7,” George said. “Amazingly, when it was over, it was over, because two days later, he was on a plane back down to Naples.” Since they weren’t flying the planes anymore, they didn’t need the mechanics, George said.
Job Vigil / The North Platte Telegraph This map of Italy shows where Merle Cheek served as the Allied troops moved the Germans out until the surrender.
Christian college — Colorado Rockmont Christian College” now Colorado Christian University, Merle said. Merle’s future wife, Stella, starting attending Rockmont where they met and got married in their senior year. “I got my degree in biblical studies,” Merle said. “I was a senior in high school when I re- ceived Jesus as Savior.” Merle said he has seen a lot in his nearly 101 years. “I never thought I’d live this long,” Merle said. “The world has changed a lot over my life- time and there’s a lot of changes we could have done without.”
“He had to wait six weeks in Naples to catch a boat in June of 1945,” George said. “They went back to Newport News beach and took a train back to Denver and got mustered out of the ser- vice.” Merle was riding the bus from Denver to Steamboat when the bus broke down. “The bus driver said, ‘Merle, get up here,’” George said, “and he got the bus fixed that night.” He got in at 5 a.m. and called his parents to come pick him up on July 3. On the Fourth of July, he was at the parade in Steamboat. “I worked on the ranch and used the GI bill and went to a
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