Sisters veterans served in World War II

Sisters is home to a number of veterans of World War II - men who all made their individual contribution to end a war that ensnared the whole globe. That terrible conflict ended 70 years ago, with the final surrender of Imperial Japan on September 2, 1945.

The outcome of the war is told in the individual stories of our World War II veterans. These men are soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, caught up in a conflict so brutal that the trauma of those experiences would stay with them all of their lives. So we mark the passing of 70 years from 1945 to 2015, and pause to remember our veterans in Sisters.

Bob Grooney served as a rifleman with the 25th Marine Regiment 4th Marine Division, on the island of Iwo Jima, in the Pacific in 1945.

He served as a military policeman and was a "brig warden," guarding captured POWs. Grooney's time in service was July 1944 to December 1949. He is married to Claudia, and they have five children: Sheri, Vicki, Lori, Kim, and Tami. There are 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Bob is a successful businessman who arrived in Sisters in 1979.

Those World War II veterans who carried the Marines into battle were in the Navy. Two Sisters Navy veterans are Marvin Emmarson who served in 1941 to 1945 - surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor - and Joe Emmons, who served on the USS Intrepid later in the war.

Marvin's ship, the USS Selfridge, was torpedoed and severely damaged and he had to take it 7,000 miles to the United States for a rebuild.

Joe experienced life at the end of the war converting his ship into a troop carrier to transport men back to the States after the war.

Marvin is married to Margie, and they have a son, John Tehan. Joe is married to Bonnie, and they have two children and three grandchildren. Joe also worked at the Salem Fire Department while raising his family.

Another Navy veteran of World War II is Cecil Hector, who served from 1943 to 1951 in the Pacific Theater. He was trained as an aviation metalsmith. Cecil has a long record with the Navy, with 20 years service. Then he transferred to the Air Force for four years and then the Army for seven years, where he worked on telephone communications in Berlin, Germany.

Cecil has a daughter, Kathaleen, living close by in Sisters.

Army veterans from World War II include Robert Stephenson and Richard Pennington. Richard served in Okinawa and Korea from 1942 to 1946 as an ordnance handler, repairing 37mm cannon and hauling ammo and supplies back and forth from the ship to the front battle lines.

Bob Stephenson was infantry, serving from 1943 to 1946. According to his wife, Pat, he was "in the thick of it," fighting the Japanese Army on Okinawa and Guam. Richard and Bob live at Absolute Serenity assisted-living facility. Bob and Pat have four children.

Representing the Army Air Corps, Sisters has veterans John Turner and Russell Williams, who flew over Europe in World War II. John was a B-17 gunner and served in the Air Corps from 1943 to 1945, then joined the Army for 28 years. Russell was a navigator on board a B-24 bomber and flew some of the last sorties of the war. Russell enlisted in 1943, completed basic training and then was chosen to go to flight school to become an officer and navigator, graduating in June 1944.

Russell flew 31 bombing missions in Germany in 15 different B-24s. He only had one crash-landing, which all his buddies survived.

John Turner is married to Barbara, has three children and four grandchildren. Russell is married to Nancy.

Jack Scheffer Kinsey graduated from Weirton, West Virginia, high school in 1943 and volunteered for the U.S. Navy in October the same year. He was assigned to Seabee's 32nd Special Construction Battalion and arrived at his wartime duty station with the 6th Marine Division on the island of Samar in the Pacific Theater. Jack was a communication specialist responsible for receiving and transmitting war messages by Morse code and other means. When asked how he heard about the end of the war, Jack replied, "The Army commo unit on the hill above us came running down yelling, "The Japanese have capitulated! The Japanese have capitulated!' All celebrated with appropriate liquid refreshments!"

Regarding his thoughts about what he did during World War II, Jack said, "I would not want to do it again, but I am very proud of what I contributed to our victory!"

Two months later Jack boarded a freighter and sailed to Tsingtao, China, where he served in the occupation forces during the remainder of 1945 until mid-1946. Upon return home Jack entered Bethany College, West Virginia, where he majored in education and played varsity football for four years. He became a teacher/coach and eventually moved to California, working his way up to become the vice principal and Dean of Students at Oakdale High School.

He also operated a real estate business. Jack and Marilyn moved to Sisters upon retirement from the real estate business, and here they have lived "happily ever after!"

Frank Jackson was born July 1, 1925 at Hammond Lumber Camp near what is now Detroit, Oregon. Frank volunteered for the Navy at age 17, requiring his parents to approve his enlistment. He served during the war from May 10, 1943 to May 21, 1946. Frank was trained as an electrician and served a very critical role by rebuilding the electrical systems of warplanes, first at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, then at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida. This important mission kept the planes ready for battle and made sure they functioned correctly when engaging the enemy.

After the Japanese surrendered, Frank served in the occupation forces in Japan and China. He also served on a ship bringing Marines out of China and transporting them to the Marine base at San Diego, California.

Upon completion of military service, Frank worked with Pacific Tel and Tel (later became Pacific Northwest Bell Telco) from November 1946 to October 1982. Frank went on the Honor Flight to tour the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, in May 2011. He described this tour as "a very impressive recognition of our victory in World War II."

Frank resides in Sisters with his wife, Doris. They have six children, 12 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Marine George Chaney was born in Gibraltar, Michigan, in 1922. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942 to "Go help clean house in the Pacific Theater!" George went through boot camp at San Diego, California, and was eager to get in the war to defend his country. His dream of being a part of the island-hopping Marines was modified by the Marine Corps.

Because of his high IQ and previous education, the Marine Corps ordered him to Aerologist School in New Jersey and then at Berkley, California. Achieving the rank of Master Sergeant, and stationed at El Centro, George performed the critical mission of getting the warplanes from the East Coast safely through the weather over the Rocky Mountains for deployment to the Pacific Theater.

George often lamented that he was not permitted to be in a combat unit, yet in his capacity of making sure the warplanes arrived safely contributed more to the war effort than he could have as an individual Marine in a combat unit.

Master Sergeant Chaney transitioned to civilian life and eventually moved to Sisters with Carol, the love of his life. Carol preceded him in death, leaving a huge void in his heart. Just the mention of her name caused him to go teary-eyed with love and loneliness.

George was an expert chess strategist and taught some of the other veterans the finer points of the game. Even as the shadows gathered round him and he could not remember what he had for breakfast, when he sat down at the chess board his countenance glowed with excitement and the lesson would begin with "Now, remember to do what with the King?"

George Chaney died in July 2015 with only a short bout with "old age." George is survived by three children: Paul, David and Laura.