Bill Larimer would later serve community as town justice

By Ginny Kropf

Ginny Kropf

Those of you who know me, know I am passionate about warbirds and the heroes of World War II. I have met several of those heroes and have had the pleasure of riding in several historic airplanes of that era.

One of the most heroic men I ever met was the late William Larimer of Albion. I had actually learned of three men who were on that horrific death march – Larimer, a Medina man by the name of Grabowski and the other a man from Batavia whose name I think was Harry Boyd. Each had a very different perspective on the march.

Larimer was matter-of-fact about it. It was horrible, but he survived it and chose to focus on that. I never met the Grabowski from Medina, but I’m told he refused to talk about it until the day he died. Boyd was consumed by it. It ate at him and terrified his nights. He attended the VA in Buffalo for counseling on a regular basis during his entire life.

It is Larimer’s story I am going to tell. I was introduced to Larimer by former Albion Mayor Donna Rodden, who was a personal friend of his.

As a little background, Gen. Douglas MacArthur was commander of the Filipino-American forces on the Philippines when the Japanese attacked the island just a day after bombing Pearl Harbor. Most of the American Air Force on Bataan was destroyed. (This information was given to me by Boyd when I interviewed him 20 or more years ago.)

The Filipino-American defense of Bataan was hampered by many factors – a shortage of ammunition, food and medicine, as well as tanks, trucks and gasoline to fuel them. Filipino troops were poorly trained, most had never fired a weapon. American forces included non-combatant outfits and civilians. Yet the defenders of Bataan continued to hold their ground, without reinforcements and being re-supplied. As a result, disease, malnutrition, fatigue and a lack of basic supplies took their toll.

On March 11, 1942, MacArthur was ordered to Australia. General Wainwright took over on Corregidor as commander of the Philippine forces, while General King became commander of the Fil-American forces.

Around the later part of March, General King and his staff assessed the fighting capabilities of his forces and determined they could only fight at 30 percent of their efficiency. On April 3, 1942, the Japanese launched their all-out final offensive to take Bataan.

On April 9, General King surrendered his forces, after the Japanese had broken through the Fil-American’s last main line of resistance. What followed was one of the most horrific atrocities in history.

Even though trucks were available, the Japanese chose to force the prisoners, numbered between 60,000 and 80,000, to walk a reported 60 to 69 miles in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.

During the march, prisoners were given little food or water and many died, from sun exposure, sickness and severe physical abuse.

Larimer told of an 18-year-old young man who was ill and was being held up on the arms of two of his fellow soldiers. When he stumbled and fell, a Japanese soldier bayoneted him and threw his body into the street. The prisoners were forced to stop and watch as a tank drove back and forth over his body until there was nothing left in the cobblestones but the shreds of his uniform.

On the entire march, Larimer said the men existed on a single ball of rice daily the size of their fist.

When they arrived at the end of their march, they were crowded into hot, metal box cars for a day-long ride to their prison camp. Prisoners were packed in so tight, they couldn’t sit down. If one died, and many did on the ride, they couldn’t fall down. There were no toilets and when one had to go to the bathroom or was sick from dysentery it ran down his legs and onto the other men.

At their prison camp, the prisoners were forced to work in Japanese factories, walking miles there and back every day. Larimer said they had been taught to keep their eyes open for anything, like medicine, which might be used to help their fellow soldiers, so when he spotted several bottles one day, he stuffed them in his pockets. It turns out it was saltpeter and nothing which would have benefited the prisoners. As punishment, Larimer was taken into the courtyard in freezing cold and forced to sit naked in a tub of water.

He said the Japanese guards took every opportunity to torture the prisoners. One guard in particular was extremely cruel to the men, and was responsible for the death of many. The prisoners were kept in a barracks, where a hole was cut in the floor for their bathroom needs. The men then slept above their human waste.

The day the word came that the Japanese had surrendered, Larimer said a group of prisoners grabbed the cruel guard and threw him down the hole, drowning him in their human waste.

Larimer returned home, a shell of his former self. I seem to recall he weighed about 80 pounds. But he recovered, married and lived a full life, serving many years as a justice of the peace in Albion.

He wasn’t bitter about his experiences. He simply said, “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Editor:

Memorial Day is the day veterans honor our comrades who have gone to the post everlasting.

They are not to be mourned but to be paid the honor they deserve. They do not want us to cry at their grave, they want us to salute them.

To many people Memorial Day is the beginning of summer and to have fun. But few know the meaning of Memorial Day, especially the young people in our country. Memorial Day is part of our history.

Too many liberal educators and politicians do not want American history taught as fact, but want it to be what they say – not the true facts.

Memorial Day is the day we give honor to the veterans who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free from tyranny, freedom of speech, religion, press, freedom of assembly and the right to carry arms.

This is great, but we have elected officials who want to take away these rights. The members of post everlasting mourn for us and cry for us so we will not think they gave their lives for us and what we have and the guts to correct what is happening in our country. This is their message. “Lest we forget.”

Carl Boyle

U.S. Army veteran

Medina

Editor:

I am writing in response to hearing Cuomo announce the tuition lottery teens can enter if they get the Covid vaccine shot. This is outright coercion, using a carrot to dangle in front of parents on the miniscule outside chance that their teen will win a spot.

The use of Covid relief money in this way is abhorrent. Medical decisions (especially for minors) should not be based on gambling for economic gain, and in the case of teens, who have very little risk of dangerous disease outcome from Covid.

What’s next? Maybe green cards for illegals if they agree to experimental drug trials? For now it’s the “chance” for winning tuition from the coerced participation of giving experimental vaccines to minors.

Heather Stone

Kent

Editor:

Frank Buckles. Died February 27^th, 2011.

He was the last American veteran of The Great War. World War One. The War to end all wars.

We know that was wishful thinking – Just a short 20 years later, the world would be mired in a conflict that would make the Great War seem like a sandbox scuffle at school.

Best estimates put the total number of deaths – civilian and military – between 30 to 40 million! As a child, my dad told me of a neighbor, at the start of the US involvement in World War II, five Blue Stars hung in the window. By war’s end, five Gold Stars had replaced the Blue.  In all over 16 million Americans volunteered or were drafted (for the duration of the

war + 5 years).

This weekend and holiday, as you sit down to your cookouts, or cramming stores for the best sales of the start of summer, I ask you to consider: By best estimates, there are now only 500,000 veterans of World War II left in the US.

The youngest of those are in their 90s. They are dying at a rate of 1,000/day – not counting the toll the pandemic is taking on them. Which at this rate, by Veterans’ Day 2022 the “Greatest Generation” who “Saved the World” will no longer be with us.

I ask each person who reads this to take a moment and walk through the Gardens of Stones, read the names, look up their battles, and truly be grateful for all that we have today. Is our world perfect? No. Not by a long shot. But it is much better than it could have been. And we owe that to those resting in Honored Peace.

I realize that Memorial Day is for the Fallen. (For veterans, every day IS Memorial Day). Veterans’ Day is for the living.

If you happen to be lucky enough to still have members of the Greatest Generation still with you, please spend time with them! Talk to them, learn from them! Too soon they will just be another reason why it is called Memorial Day and you will have missed out on learning from those who were there.

Respectfully,

Steve Goodrich

Commander of Houseman-Tanner Post 1603

Lyndonville

Editor:

Republicans oppose a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection and attempted overthrow of our government. Even after granting everything Republicans asked for in the negotiations for the committee, they voted against it. (This is the same tactic used during the Obama era; negotiate over long time and when they get their demands met, they still oppose it.)

Republicans are again demonstrating their unwillingness learn facts to legislate and govern effectively. Instead of finding facts Republicans want to cling to myths and scapegoating, blaming others for problems.

Obviously this now includes national security matters. This is not the first time Republicans have rejected national security concerns for perceived political gains. When Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley were informed that their committees were spreading Russian propaganda that Hunter Biden was involved in some kind of shady Ukraine deal, they did not care.

Even after investigating with full subpoena power for seven months, there was no subpoena looking into underlying financial records or to substantiate their allegations. Instead of finding facts, all they wanted to do was spread aspersions of their political opponents, even if those aspersions are Russian propaganda, which they were.

Despite the threats against legislators, including Republicans on Jan. 6th, finding facts about the insurrection is too much for Republicans. However, for our government to work we need to have facts and accountability of those responsible for misdeeds.

We need a commission to study the causes and find solutions for the problems that put our democracy in peril. Thank you.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

After reading the many comments posted on the State’s DMM site regarding the proposed wind project in the Town of Barre, it occurs to me that what we have here is an experiment: We have a new approval process (Section 94-c); we have a project using larger machines than have ever been used in a densely populated rural part of the United States (680 ft. tall); and the wind resource is far from ideal.

All the experts, on both sides, are of necessity basing their opinions on extrapolations of past experience with different conditions. So we don’t really know whether people’s health or property values will suffer, or whether the project will actually produce the amount of electricity promised.

If the state is going to use the people of Barre as subjects in this experiment, it should also provide some measure of protection for them in case the promises and assurances made to them by the state and the developer turn out to be false.

A fund should be established to pay claims from those injured by the project during its construction and after it is operational. The corporations benefiting from the project should finance this fund.

Baseline property appraisals and health assessments should be conducted at project approval, and changes monitored throughout the process. The amount of electrical energy both generated and consumed by the project should be monitored and made public regularly, to see if the project lives up to the claims that justified its public support.

This is really the only way to be fair to the people whose lives will be disrupted by this project. Complaint resolution procedures have often proved to be inadequate, leaving people to spend their life savings on lawsuits where they are often outmatched by corporations with far greater financial resources.

At the same time, knowing that there may be real repercussions for building a project that is causing demonstrated harm, all wind developers working in New York State will be encouraged to be on their best behavior.  Why do we care about this?  Well, if the state is to meet the ambitious goals it has set for renewable energy production, it will eventually have to construct similar wind developments throughout the state, even around Cooperstown, or in the Hudson Valley, or out on Long Island.

If the Barre experiment fails, public pressure against future projects may spell the death of on-land wind development in the State of New York.

Andrea Rebeck

Barre

Editor:

Much is being reported concerning the crisis on the Southern border. We hear many different accounts of the atrocities being committed against those making the journey from the Northern Triangle of Central America.

There are some who say it isn’t a crisis, just a temporary inconvenience. According to CBP (Customs and Border Protection) and HHS (The Dept. of Health and Human Services) 172,000 migrants were encountered in March, including 19,000 unaccompanied minors. This is up from February with 101,028 migrants which included 9,431 minors. CBP and HHS are predicting that anywhere from 22,000 to 26,000 unaccompanied minors will arrive monthly from now until September.

To address this “crisis” $47.5 billion was set aside from the $1.9 trillion CARES Act. HHS has discretionary authority to use these funds where needed. To date HHS is spending roughly $60 million a week to house the unaccompanied minors. Ten emergency facilities were set up after HHS filled its 7,700-bed facility. At this writing there were eight facilities in Texas housing at least 16,000 and two sites recently opened in California to house 2,500 migrant teens and children.

Mexican officials reported that in the first three months of 2021, 660 Mexican national minor children were returned to Mexico to be reunited with family. Since the first of the year 50 migrants who drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande were recovered. Untold numbers have suffered and died making the journey through Cartel and gang controlled territories.

The videos are heart wrenching of the young boy crying because he was abandoned near the border, the two little girls, 3 and 5 years old, dropped over a 30-foot fence by smugglers and the five little girls, 1 to 6 years old, abandoned in the desert, saved by the grace of God and the rancher and his wife who live along the border, while Border Patrol Agents monitoring the wall rescued the boy and two little girls.

In California the SUV packed with 25 migrants broad sided by a semi leaving 13 dead including children. Recently the California based Coast Guard and first responders rescued migrants after the smugglers boat capsized in rough waters, several hospitalized and three drowned.

How much longer and at what cost do we continue to ignore these tragedies on our Southern borders?

Rochelle Moroz

Holley

Editor:

I am writing to encourage voters to write in Ann Bunch as a candidate for the Medina Board of Education.

Dr. Bunch has served on the Board for almost nine years. She was instrumental in preventing a proposed tax increase to the upcoming budget. She polled members of the community for their views on a tax increase and found that residents were opposed.

Considering that state and federal revenue coming in will exceed $6 million, education for students will not be impacted. She was sensitive to the financial hardships so many have suffered due to Covid, and she realized that it was not in the best interest of the community to raise taxes while alternative sources of revenue are available.

I believe Ann Bunch is a valuable asset to the village and to the Board of Education. Please consider writing in her name next Tuesday for the Board of Education.

Cynthia Servé

Medina

Editor:

I’m writing in support of write-in candidates Jennifer Buondonno and Debbie Tompkins for Medina School Board of Education.

Debbie has served all of the children in our district for several years on our PTSA. Jennifer has served our community as a member on our Audit and Finance committee.

Both of these women have a genuine interest in providing a solid education for our students, while both also have a keen awareness of the cost to provide that education. I’ve been on the board for 11 years and I would be proud to serve with either of them.

Please write in their names at the bottom of your ballot on May 18th in the Medina District Office from noon until 8 p.m.

Wendi Pencille

Medina

Editor:

Congressman Chris Jacobs is quick to blame The American Rescue Plan and pandemic stimulus payments for disincentivizing workers, without evidence. It is true that there are about 9.7 million Americans actively looking for work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and businesses, especially in the service sector face an inability to hire workers.

The cause, however, is unclear. The evidence for blaming The American Rescue Plan is only anecdotal. In fact, there are several studies looking at the $600 of unemployment insurance paid out last year that dispute the Republicans’ claim. One study by Joseph Altonji et. al. at Yale University reported: “The findings suggest that, in the aggregate, the expanded benefits neither encouraged layoffs during the pandemic’s onset nor deterred people from returning to work once businesses began reopening.”

Another study by the Federal Reserve of San Francisco reported: “The findings in this Letter suggest that the $600 UI, (unemployment insurance), benefit supplement in the CARES Act had little or no effect on the willingness of unemployed people to search for work or accept job offers.”

Recent studies point to other reasons people are not looking for work. Aaron Sojourner, a University of Minnesota economist found a correspondent between people worrying about the virus and seeking jobs. “The first-order issue is the virus, and if that’s what caused the crisis, then it is also the path out of the crisis,” said Professor Sojourner.

No one wants to get a deadly virus slinging burgers. While government should get everyone back to work, it should not force employees to work with the general public when those in the general public feel it is their right to put the health of those employees at risk. (Refusing to wear a face mask or get a vaccination maybe your right but your deadly germs stop at my nose and thus you have no right to be in public).

Another possible reason why people may not be seeking employment is family care concerns. The Census Household Pulse survey showed that in late March about 14 percent of adults were not looking for work because they had to take care of a child not in school or an older person.

Further studies are needed to substantiate the cause of unemployment while businesses are looking for workers. What is clear is using anecdotal evidence is the knee jerk, lazy reaction of Republicans more interested in grabbing headlines and soundbites than solving problems.

William Fine

Brockport

Editor:

The Orleans County Legislature would like to thank the Police Reform Committee volunteer members: Trellis Pore, James White, Margarita Aldaco, Eddie English and Thaddeus Nauden.

Each community member that served gave concerns and input from our community members pursuant to requirement of Executive Order 203: New York State Police Reform and Reinvention collaborative. This committee met for two months, holding five in-person meetings and two meetings via Zoom to gather input from the public.

The members offered the knowledge, experience and professional judgement, combined with data, analysis and research to develop our Sheriff’s Office policing strategies, policies and procedures to accomplish compliance for the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative.

Each volunteer offered knowledge through each of their various community and/or professional knowledge. Trellis Pore handled the use of force which is governed by New York State Penal Law Article 35; as he is certified use of force and training instructor with NYSDOCS. Mr. Pore also gave insight on corrections programs, discrimination, anti-bias policies, trainings, community-based outreach and conflict resolution. As a reverend he also has great insight of community issues.

As a member of the Marine Patrol Division, James White provided skills through de-escalation training with Law Enforcement Academy Trainings, curriculum content, deployments, policies & procedures.

Margarita Aldaco contributed restorative justice through her advocating for victims as a program administrator of the PathStone Domestic Violence Program. She also provides Spanish interpretation, works with community-based outreach and conflict resolution.

Thaddeus Nauden supplied awareness on how to handle discrimination through his community-based outreach and conflict resolution skills, anti-bias policies. Mr. Nauden is a Vietnam veteran and represented the senior citizens of the county.

Eddie English contributed input on discrimination as a participant of community-based outreach and conflict resolution, anti-bias policies. Mr. English is also a Pastor of the Lord’s House.

As participants each of these individuals proved to be a great asset and was very helpful in the discovery of community needs during this process keeping the committee’s goals on track and moving forward.

We want to thank the wonderful Advisory committee members for their vital insights, perspectives and leadership in creating a plan that is the beginning of reform and reinvention, not the end.

Lynne M. Johnson, Chairman of the Legislature

Chris Bourke, Orleans County Sheriff

Editor:

There are two excellent candidates running for the Medina School Board as write-in candidates: Jennifer (Palone) Buondonno and Debbie Tompkins.

Jennifer is married to John Buondonno, was born and raised in Medina and has two children in the district. She is employed at Tompkins Bank of Castile, and is involved in many local organizations, such as Medina Mustang Band Boosters and the 2020 Leadership Orleans. This past year she was a community representative on the Audit/Finance Committee for the Medina Board of Education. I am certain that she would bring a fresh approach to the current issues and goals for the district.

Debbie is married to Medina graduate Chris Tompkins and has two children in the school district. An employee of Tompkins Bank of Castile, she is actively involved in Medina Sports Boosters, Medina Band Boosters, Growing Orchard Foundation President, Home for the Holidays Co-President, and past President of the Medina PTSA. She too would bring forth fresh ideas and work with the Board of Education in setting policies benefitting both the children and the taxpayers.

Both candidates have excellent leadership skills and good business backgrounds. I wholeheartedly endorse them for election to the Medina School Board.

Please vote on May 18 between noon and 8 p.m. at the District Office of the Medina Central School District.

Nelda B. Toussaint

Medina

Editor:

As you know President Trump’s attorney Sydney Powell and Tucker Carlson took the same tact in lawsuits and claimed what they say is too outrageous to be believed.

Fox entertainment persuasion is now being used as a  defense by one of the criminals who broke into the capital. Unlike many, his defense is not that he legally obeyed a President’s orders.

This new defendant is claiming Fox brainwashed him into it. He therefore avoids having to show what President Trump’s orders actually were. The defense is called “Foxitis.”

Unlike the failed defense of “affluenza” which claimed people are too spoiled to understand the consequences of their actions, the symptoms of “Foxitis” include delusional thinking leading to the irresistible urge to follow the entertainers’ urgings to storm the Capitol.

It’s ingenious since it’s already known that Fox entertainers contributed to people taking the pandemic less seriously and that resulted in more deaths. Logically this defense could have “legs” with a similarly naive jury.

This is another interesting detour in the Trump, ultra-conservative media, propaganda axis which is using fear, lies, TV and social media to distort information.

Will a jury decide it’s enough to ignore the Rule of Law?

Conrad F. Cropsey

Albion

Editor:

New York State has established a new fast-tracked route for large-scale renewable energy projects (over 25 megawatts) to obtain a certificate of operation. The new regulations that have been established seem to be very much advantageous to the developer, to the extent that if an application is not decided upon by one year of the application submission, a certificate is automatically granted.

The proposed Heritage Wind Project proposes 33 industrial wind turbines 686 feet tall for the town of Barre. The application has been submitted to the 94-C process, and right now is possibly the only opportunity for public involvement, which can be done through comments on the ORES site.

Link to share comments on this application, click here or by  attending the virtual (webex) public comment hearing on May 20, 2021. Participants must register to participate by 10 a.m. on May 19 for Public Statement Hearing Via webex.com or Via phone: 1-800-342-3330.

The Town of Barre board members were shared with on Monday (May 3, 2021) for the first time a presentation by an attorney hired by the Town to represent the Town in this matter and informed that the 60-day public comment period will end on May 21 at 5 p.m., and in their (Knawf and Shaw, Labella Engineering and Town Attorney) review of the application they found many significant areas where the application does not comply with the Town’s recently revised local law. Below is a brief list of some of the areas where compliance is not met.

Noise Standard – Application does not demonstrate compliance with Town’s nighttime 9-hr noise limit for non-participating residences of 40 decibels (dB) and 50 dB for participating residences.

Potentially 102 non-participating residences may experience  greater than 40 dBA but less than 45 dBA. This is about 13% of the Town of Barre residences!

It is very quiet at night in our town. Decibel levels are in the low 20s. Residences that have a 20 decibel increase in noise level will may experience the increase as “intolerable” according to DEC noise guidelines.

The application appears to be non-compliant with ORES 1-hour LEQ for substations of 40 dBA at receptors 119 and 158.

Shadow flicker – Non-Compliant with 25 hour per year shadow flicker standard in Wind Law. ORES proposes to override this requirement and apply ORES standard of 30-hours per year at non-participating residences

Modeling in application indicates 40 non-participating residents with potential for more than 30 hr/yr of shadow flicker.

Setbacks – Confirmation of waivers from participating properties included as a pre-construction permit conditions. These waivers have not been provided to the town.

Blade glint – Wind law requires Blade Glint Study and this has not been completed.

Property value assessment – Town law requires a study regarding this and the completed study is not included in application. ORES has indicated is it not required by ORES. Issue is not related to public health and safety or the environment, which are requirements for adjudication.

Decommissioning – Application factors in salvage value in financial surety calculation, whereas the Local law does not allow for this.

Local law provides for 90 days to execute decommissioning plan, with extensions available for a total of 360 days. Application and permit provide if non-operational for 12 months, and no waiver granted by ORES, facility must be decommissioned in 6 months.

Post-Construction noise and structural assessments – Local law requires fund for an independent “third party” company to do twice a year structural and noise assessments

Draft permit provides for pre-and post-construction noise assessment and noise complaint procedure for post-construction noise evaluations. Post-construction noise assessments required (“leaf-on” and “leaf-off”) with first within 7 months and second within 13 months of commercial operation. Additional assessments based on results. This does not provide certainty of ongoing testing.

Aircraft detection lighting system(s) (ADLS) – Local law requires ADLS or similar to extent allowed by FAA or, if not allowed, a lighting mitigation plan.

Post-construction surface/ground water impact assessment – Local law requires biennial assessment for 4-year period to confirm anticipated impact. Draft permit requires pre-and post-construction water supply well testing based on proximity to construction activity with well replacement requirements. This testing may not be sufficient to clearly understand the impact to local wells.

Performance bond for spills – Local Law requires bond for response to environmental contamination causes by spills. Draft permit includes a description of spill response and control measures, but no financial assurance for cleanup response by the Town (though applicant would be liable the town may have to go after the company to get the funds for cleanup).

Whether you are a resident of the Town of Barre or reside in the surrounding community, this proposed project will have an impact on you, and the list above is not an exhaustive list of the impact this project would have – only areas where the application does not comply with our local town law, which is intended to protect the health, safety and welfare of our residents.

If you are concerned about any or all of these proposed infractions of our town law, or others please take five minutes and express these concerns to ORES through the comment section on the link at the top of this article by May 21, 2021 (you do not need to provide a solution, only what your concerns are).

Comments will be used to determine what aspects of this application, if any, will be adjudicated, or if the application will be approved as is. No matter what your stance is on industrial wind turbines, I hope that we can agree that the impact to our health, safety and welfare should be limited and our residents protected.

Click here for link to Heritage Wind Application and comment section on DPS, Department of Public Service Matter Number 21-00026.

Click here for link to Town of Barre Workshop where the above information was shared.

Kerri Richardson

Town of Barre Councilwoman

Barre

Editor:

Every citizen has a duty to obey the law and every police officer has a duty to enforce the law. If you haven’t yet jumped aboard the anti-police rhetoric train, please take a moment during this National Police Week to acknowledge the men and women of law enforcement.

And on May 15th, which is National Peace Officer’s Memorial Day, please remember New York State Police Sergeant Harry Adams – End of Watch September 1, 1951, and Orleans County Sheriff’s Deputy David Whittier – End of Watch September 8, 1989.

Both of these individuals made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the citizens of Orleans County.

Steve Smith

Churchville