Alumni Sandstorm ~ 03/21/05
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6 Bombers sent stuff: 
Lois Weyerts ('56), Burt Pierard ('59)
Judy Willox ('61), Maren Smyth ('63 and '64)
Greg Alley ('73), Jill Walser ('81)
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BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Donna McGregor ('57)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Marji Brewder ('69)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Molly Hinkle ('79)

BOMBER CALENDAR: Richland Bombers Calendar
    Click the event you want to know more about.
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>>From: Lois Weyerts Harrold ('56)

To all of you who are sending information to Lois Weyerts Harrold ('56)
and Nola Davey Meichle ('56), if you are married to a graduate of 
Richland High School, please include the year your spouse graduated. 
Club 40 is interested in this information for their database. Thanks to 
all who have responded so far and we hope to hear from many more!

We just noticed in the Tri-City Herald that another of our 1956
classmates has died. Sandra Reninger Whiting died March 18 at Kadlec 
Medical Center in Richland. Our thoughts and prayers go to her husband 
Gary and family. The obituary has not been in the paper yet.

-Lois Weyerts Harrold ('56) ~ in Richland, Home of the fabulous Bombers
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>>From: Burt Pierard ('59)

To: Dick McCoy ('45 and '46)
Re: Columbia Camp Revisited
 
Since it occurs on an approximately annual basis, it is about time for
someone to write in claiming that German and/or Italian POWs were inmates
at Columbia Camp, so I am jumping in first. It is obvious that McCoy (and
probably others) were not convinced by the documentation that was cited
last year. To review, I cited the Richland Villager and East Benton
County Historical Society accounts that stated that there were NO POWs
ever confined in the camp although Conscientious Objectors were
acknowledged as inmates and would explain the German & Italian speaking
people that some mentioned as encountering. The prisoners were all
Minimum Security (referred to as "security prisoners" in the DuPont Final
Project Report) from McNeil Island. I cited the Geneva Convention Accords
to show that there was a slim chance that any POWs were even confined at
McNeil (POWs could only be sent to prison for committing serious enough
crimes (escape attempts didn't qualify) in Camp to justify a judicial
proceeding (trial)), let alone sent to an Honor Farm.

Since last year, I've discovered two more sources that should put this
issue to rest before it even comes up again.

The first is the DuPont Final Project Report which stated "Prison
inmates, guards, and others employed in the undertaking were cleared 
by the Protective Security Unit before they were permitted within the
Project Area. The identical rules and restrictions limiting Project
employees applied." This means they were granted Security Clearances and
were allowed to traverse the Project Area at least as far out as White
Bluffs to tend the orchards and vegetable farms. By definition, POWs are
non-USA citizens and to my knowledge, the only non-citizens granted
Clearances were the scientists and critical Project personnel. It is
beyond me how anyone could believe that a POW would have been Cleared to
be in the camp and work on the Project site.

The second is Leslie Groves concern about any POWs being close enough to
any of the Manhattan Project Sites that they could escape and commit
sabotage. (Remember, there was no fence around Columbia Camp.) In the
recent Robert Norris biography of Groves, "Racing for the Bomb," Norris
cites a memo from Groves complaining " ... that some German prisoners
were to be placed in a hospital in Walla Walla, only sixty-seven miles
from Hanford." If Groves was that concerned about POWs being sixty-some
miles away, how can any reasonable person believe that he would allow
them in an unfenced facility near Hanford and even on the Project Site?

The Defense rests.
 
Bomber Cheers,
-Burt Pierard ('59) ~ Richland
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>>From: Judy Willox ('61)

Re: RHS Journalism Class fundraiser this week at Barnes & Noble
  http://richlandbombers.com/Xtra05/RHS-JournalismFundRaiser.jpg
    This voucher can be printed and used at Barnes & Nobel for the valid
dates. If customers use the voucher when making purchases at the Columbia
Center Mall Barnes & Noble between March 18th and March 25th, 2005, the
RHS Journalism will receive a percentage of those sales. Any funds raised
will be used to help subsidize the cost of Journalism students attending
this year's National convention that is being held in Seattle this
Spring. The convention will be a great skill building event for our
journalism students.

-Judy Willox ('61)
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>>From: Maren Smyth ('63 and '64)

Re: Iditarod Update - Checkpoint #27 - Nome
    #1 Robert Sorlie ~ Time: 9:18:39:31 with 8 dogs

  www.iditarod.com/ and/or www.cabelasiditarod.com/
            www.buserdog.com/buserdog/

78 mushers started
16 (so far) have scratched
54 finished between 3/l6 and 3/20
#55 thru #62 finished yesterday

55 Andrew Letzring
56 Debbie Moderow
57 Greg Parvin
58 Tom Knolmayer
59 Jeff Holt
60 Lachlan Clarke
61 Shane Goosen
62 Perry Solmonson

#63 RED LANTERN - Phil Morgan - the only team still on the trail -- is 
resting at checkpoint #25 (White Mountain).

I'll give reports until the last musher (Morgan) has crossed the finish
line in Nome.

Stay tuned... 

Bomber Cheers,
-Maren Smyth ('64 & '64) ~ Gretna, LA
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>>From: Greg Alley ('73)

Re: Bringing down the house.
    The event at the high school last night was well done but extremely
poorly attended. It was only 15 bucks for the Kingsmen, another band
called Mudshark and some great school memorabilia, let alone money
towards a new weight room. I know a Saturday night in Richland is filled
with sooo much entertainment that its hard to choose. I know that a beer
garden was always nice when we all saw the Kingsmen at the street dances,
but try to pull that off at a high school or college campus. The tables
set up in the OLD gym that will come crashing down soon were really well
done with lots of pictures and trivia from all the years at the schools
(Col-High, Richland, and all the grade schools). The people dancing on
the Dawald hard floor probably have chin splints this morning. For the
amount of people who live in Richland and have gone to the school over
all the years, it was a sad turnout. 

-Greg Alley ('73) ~ It's raining in town but we need a lot more.
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>>From: Jill Walser ('81)

    I would like to announce the unveiling of my new website: 
http://www.igotthejob.us
    If you or someone you love needs a professional resume, interview 
coaching or job finding assistance, I provide a great resource.
    All Bombers or friends of Bombers will get a 20% discount on resume 
services!
 
-Jill Walser ('81) ~ Bellevue - Where it is overcast and finally rained 
                 yesterday
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That's it for today. Please send more.
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