A WWII STORY

I have not yet written a blog for Friday. Today’s editorial in the Courier about the PMUA is right but what it advocates will never happen.

While I ponder, I am posting a copy of a letter from Thunderbolt, the 17^th Airborne Veterans newsletter written in 2004. This is one of the lighter sides vignettes about WWII. It reminds me of the day our battalion liberated a “Dopplekorn” distillery inside Germany.

“Sgt Coleman and His Champagne Procurement

I joined Company A, 1st Battalion, 194th Glider Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division at Camp Mackall, North Carolina in May 1943. I was a brand new 2nd Lieutenant fresh out of Officer Candidate School.

Sgt Edgar B Coleman, our Mess Sergeant, was with the original Cadre for the 17th Airborne. The basic troops were “draftees” just 18 years of age. They arrived at Hoffman, NC on troop trains and all in civilian clothes. We issued them uniforms and started our basic training

It seems liked I bounced around between A and B Company but never very far from Sgt Coleman. Except for training in the field we had a Battalion Mess facility instead of the Company Mess. We survived basic training and the Tennessee Maneuvers and shipped over to England in August 1944.

The initial combat for the 194^th Glider Infantry was during the “Battle of the Bulge”. From 26 December 1944 to 26 January 1945 Company B suffered severe casualties. Three of the six Officers were killed and three of us were wounded. The War Department “War Department Records Branch” indicates that Company B had 25 Killed in Action and 78 Wounded in Action.

Following my stay in a Hospital in England I returned to Company B , 194th GIR , there in France in mid March 1945. Due to the reorganization that included the break up of the 193rd GIR I was sent back to Company A, 194th GIR.

The “Buzz” at that time was the unit was going to be committed to an operation over the Rhine River. On possibly my 2nd day back from the Hospital our unit was getting ready to go into the “Marshaling Area” for the Rhine River crossing.

Sgt Coleman had planned a “Big Feast” for the troops and needed some help to get some champagne. By March 1945 the basic materials for a successful Winery virtually disappeared as a result of the War. Several of the very small units were still in operation. The vast underground facilities generally escaped war damage. The major problem apparently was a supply of wine bottles.

There was plenty of wine and champagne for sale but the buyer had to bring in the bottles for the exchange. Sgt Coleman, a driver, a self proclaimed French language expert and myself with a jeep and an empty 1/4 ton trailer departed our camp area for the nearest French Champagne Distillery to procure some distilled spirits for a big steak dinner.

We arrived at the place that looked like a stone fortress. We were escorted into a large court yard that contained a huge pile of empty wine and champagne bottles. This pile must have been 100 foot long, 60 foot wide and at least 20 foot high. All were loose empty bottles —none in cases.

We parked the jeep with empty trailer next to the bottle pile. I departed for the Sales Office with the “French Language” expert to negotiate a deal for some champagne. Sgt Coleman and the driver stayed with the jeep. After possibly 15 minutes with the head man and not understanding a word that was said we returned to the courtyard.

What I saw was unbelievable. Sgt Coleman and his driver had loaded up that 1/4 ton trailer with bottles from the pile. In short order a deal was made for some 25 cases of champagne. We loaded up and departed for our Company area.

That night Company A, 194th Glider Infantry had a “CHAMPAGNE DINNER PARTY THAT WAS FIT FOR A KING”. Thanks to Sgt Coleman and his “Mess Crew” the entire Company had a great send off for crossing the Rhine River in Operation Varsity.

I am sure that the “Statutes of Limitations has expired” so that I can tell this story and not worry about the Owners of the Champagne distillery coming after us. Gosh was thatChampagne Good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by Del Townsend.”

Can't believe that was 67 years ago!

POTPOURRI PLUS

For a breath of fresh air today will be very limited in local political news. Instead; thank goodness baseball spring training has started although not official yet.

The pitiful Mets may be interesting to watch at times. AS one who went to the Polo Grounds to see Marvelous Marv , and Choo-choo Coleman etc. I have always had a fondness for the Mets. That probably is because I was always a 'Wait until Next Year" Brooklyn Dodger fan, Watch their games on my 5" Black and white Dumont TV. This was the team of Jackie Robinson and Plainfield's Joe Page (spelling?). A;so Duke Snider the least appreciated of New York's three great center fielders.

The Knicks suddenly have a marketable exciting guard. Two plus more weeks before March Madness. There will be plenty to watch for a couch potato.

Have you read the commentaries this past week and Mark Spivey's article in Thursday's Courier. If you are truly concerned about this land of OZ, all are required reading.

I am concerned about the number who felt that the mayor did wrong but the Council should not have made any issue of it. This is the type thinking that permitted the Arab dictatorships to flourish for so many years.

A final thought about the old cliche; Do as I say not as I do". Mapp should have for ethical reasons reclused himself from any recent votes on appointments to the PMUA. Tish tish.

FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY or PARTISAN POLITICS

It is most distressing that several Council members continue to ignore their fiduciary responsibilities and instead practice the lowest level of partisan politics by misrepresenting the focus of the WBLS payment investigation

The matter of the WBLS investigation although not per-se on the agenda occupied a substantial portion of the Council meeting

When Chairman of the Committee of the Whole Reid introduced a Resolution authorizing an additional $11,000+ reimbursement for the WBLS inquiry investigative attorney resolution to pay the attorney he could not resist making a lengthy comment.

Once again he expounded upon the foolishness of the Council spending over $20,000.00 to investigate a matter of $5000.00. Councilwoman Rivers also agreed on how it was a wasted of time and money that could have been used for other projects. Councilwoman Greaves joined the other two in voting unsuccessfully against the resolution.

At the end of the meeting during public comments, Plainfielder Roland Muhammad and another citizen also vehemently chastise certain Councilors for spending money to disrespect the Mayor who had acted in an emergency situation. He prophesied that the two members who are up for reelection will be defeated by his" brothers”; friends and relatives who live all over the city.

The two Council seats up for election this year are “At Large” and Third Ward.

Those individuals on the Council and some City employees conveniently forget the fact that the investigation was only to determine if there were any irregularities in providing the funds for WBLS’s services. They conveniently disregard that much of the increased investigative cost was due to the time spent resulting from the Mayor and other employees refusal to cooperate with the investigation.

No one has answered the question of who has picked up the Mayor’s attorney’s fees or how much he was paid.

Several months ago because of Corporation Council Williamson' s potential conflict in the investigation, it was noted that a Special Corporation Counsel was appointed for the investigation; reimbursed through the Corporation Counsel’s accounts. If so by whose authority did the City pick up the Mayor’s legal costs in this affair?

These individuals, because of Partisan Politics, have tried to turn the issue into an inconsequential one of only a few dollars. They disregard the fact that the issue was not one of dollars and cents; but was instead an issue of integrity and adherence to fiduciary responsibility. In plain English one of right or wrong.

The investigation itself found that protocol and procedural rules were not followed. Indeed funds designated in one line (media) were inappropriately used for this function. There was also a question about the use of a check designated for the 4th of July Celebration for the WBLS's services.

If council members are supporting or even condoning inappropriate use of designated funds; they too are guilty of violating their fiduciary responsibility.

Guys it is well past time for all you Councilors to stop political posturing and work for the benefit of the community. That is what you were elected to do. There should be no more 4:3 votes without honest justification.

MORE ON THE cOUNCIL

Monday's meeting started on time , if you accept 8:08pm. However, once again after some housekeeping items and a delightful ceremonial performance by a young 12 year old self-assured girl , Havana Terborg, reciting Mary McLeod Bethune's "What does American Democracy Mean to Me" In honor of Black History Month, the Council went into Executive Session and did not reconvene until 9PM.

Somewheres,I believe, in a NJ Court ruling or perhaps hidden in the 'Rules of Order" is the concept that a scheduled Public Meeting should start on time and not be interrupted for a closed executive session. At the least both impingements on the public time is an unconscionable discourtesy.

Once again a technical but inconsequential deviation from parliamentarian procedures occurred when Administration "withdrew" a series of resolutions. Once they are on the agenda Administration can do no more than request that they be tabled either indefinitely or for a definitive period of time. The Resolutions at that point of time belong to the Council and any action is its prerogative.The matter is not of earth shaking importance but as the Council has remarked; procedure and rules should be followed.

During public comments before action on the Resolutions several speakers spoke against the Council giving its approval to a revised slate of Commissioners recommended by the Mayor.

It was pointed out that a recommendation for appointment was for one of the two individuals who PMUA Chairman Mitchell had inferred to have made the agreement without the Board's authorization to pay the two "retired" executives almost a million dollars in terminal compensation. The others represented either patronage or nepotism.

The resolution needed 5 votes to be included on the agenda since it had not been discussed at the Agenda Setting Session. With only Reid, Grieves, Rivers and Mapp voting for it, it failed to be acted upon.

A Resolution that was reintroduced and adopted by a 5:2 vote, Storch and Williams voting no, was to provide funds for Rivers and Reid to attend the National League of Cities convention in DC. It is the hope of this blogger who felt that it should be on the agenda that Councillor Rivers will better understand her fiduciary responsibilities after attending this meeting.

A resolution authorizing an additional payment of$11,014.48 to the Independent Attorney Investigator for the WBLS payment incident passed by a 4:3 vote. The nays were Reid, Rivers, and Grieves.

Approval was given for appointments to the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION,the SHADE TREE COMMISSION, and the PLANNING BOARD.

SHORT NOTE ABOUT COUNCIL MEETING

The late hour and a poor nights sleep will delay an in depth report of the Council meeting. Bernice's Plaintalker II has covered two of last night's important actions

The temporary expediency of employing South Plainfield's full time Administrator and CFO as a part tine "maybe 5 hours a week" again demonstrates a weakness of Plainfield's Mayor in providing for a competent administration.

Along the same lines the other major event was the withdrawing of every Resolution that involved the awarding of a contract. That was due to as City Administer Berry pointed out to the lack of a Compliance Officer. Purchasing Agent Spaulding had served in that role for years, although it would seem to me to have the individual who writes and awards contracts be the one that certifies there legal correctness as a poor policy. It was his involvement in the WBLS check writing that may have caused the Council rightly so to refuse to reappoint him to that role.

HEAVEN

No picture can better express the Administration's, BOE, and PMUA's opinion of the Plainfield electorate. Such complete trust.



Molly (thanks Rita)