December 26: Joe Ermer - 94

December 26, 2012 - we pay special honor to Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer who was born 94 years ago. Ermer's positive legacy is very much alive and well and will remain so.

Like so many from the Greatest Generation, Joe Ermer always had others in mind. His humor was priceless - Joe could walk into any room and lift folks' spirits.

Joe embraced everyone in the next generation - was a champion at sharing family history while always being open to the chapters of life being written by children, grand children and great-grand children.

Grandpa - thank you. Happy Birthday.

Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: December, 2012

This month had a wonderful Army/Navy football game with Navy pulling through with a 17-13 victory. Congratulations to both teams on again showing all that is good with collegiate athletics.

On December 26, 2012 - we honor the 94th anniversary of the birth of Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer. A wonderful, strong, funny, kind mentor, Mr. Ermer's legacy is very much alive and well today. Here is an excerpt from his journal.

In later invasions, Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer, crew mate on the U.S.S. Elmore, found himself part of a convoy sailing up the East China Sea for the next series of offenses. The U.S.S. Elmore got stuck in a punishing typhoon, which put at risk the team's timeline and mission. (Click here for audio version).

"The Admiral in charge ordered continued sailing at high speed. The wind was so strong that it blew off the tops of the waves and the air was semi-liquid. Our ship came close to the turn-over point. We were somewhat top heavy with all the landing craft on deck. Three destroyers in the group didn't make it; they capsized with large losses of life.

Rescue was almost impossible in those conditions, plus we had strict orders to maintain course. Some survivors were picked by the trailing escort vessels. I later met one of the surviving sailors on the troop train from New York to San Francisco.

We had a great Skipper, Captain Drayton P. Harrison, an Annapolis grad. At first, he was a three striper, Commander; he got his fourth stripe on board years later; I saw him in 90 Church St. with Rear Admiral boards on his shoulders.

U.S.S ELMORE - photo credit - Wikipedia.org

Captain Harrison was well-liked and respected. One time, he was sitting with a bunch of other officers outside the officers' mess (the Captain had his own). One of the Junior Ensigns came up after putting in a hard four hours training in the landing craft and was tired and sweaty. The Ensign announced, "OK! one of you deadbeats get off your lardass and let a working man sit down." Without a word, Captain Harrison got up and walked away.

We stopped once in Noumea, New Caledonia. The population was mostly Vichy French. For some reason I hadn't done any drinking (too busy beach combing); in the boat returning to the ship, most of the sailors started getting violently sick. It turns out that the liquor and beer had been highly adulterated.

That is also the place that we almost went aground on a leper colony. Noumea Harbor is surrounded by mountains. The wind can funnel through it in almost hurricane velocity. We were anchored in our assignment anchorage just off the leper colony. The wind got so strong that we started to drag our one bow anchor (we lost the other one). The Skipper had us drop the stern anchor, which was much lighter and not much help. He then ordered the Engineering Department to get up steam. They actually had it on the jacking lever, which meant they were producing a small amount of steam. That took care of our generators.

So we were dragging our anchors and heading for the rocks. The cliffs above them were lined with lepers, watching us. Finally, the engineers got up enough steam so that we could make slow headway against the wind. We up-anchored and got the hell out of there.

Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer, WWII

I mentioned losing an anchor. It happened in the Russell Islands, part of the Solomon chain. These islands were just peaks of mountains stuck up out of the water, with very deep water in between. We probably missed our anchorage by a small distance.

The old man yelled for us to drop the hook. At this time, we still had two bow anchors. I was on the anchor detail and hanging over with sound-powered phones on, calling on the fathom markers on the chain as it paid out. There was always a lot of noise and rust in the air. The chain just kept running and running. Apparently, it never hit bottom!

The brakeman was trying to slow the run out, but those breaks were never meant for anything like that. The brakes were disintegrating and Barrett, the brakeman, was being peppered with break lining. The First Lieutenant, Flaherty, ordered everyone other there. They all started running out when he noticed I was still hanging over calling out markers. He ran up to me, grabbed me around the middle and ran back. The phones popped off my head and almost immediately the anchor chain came to the bitter end.

Each link in that chain was a massive foot long and weighed over 20 pounds. The flailing end of that chain just about obliterated the part of the bow where I had been. We had to make do with just one anchor for the rest of the war.

Although our Ship was never directly hit by a bomb or torpedo, there were quite a few casualties among the crew: officers and men. Most occurred during the various invasions, in the small boats and on the beach. The most casualties on board were the gravely wounded that were brought back to the ship.

I don't like to think about some of the grossly mangled, poor souls who spent their last hours on our Ship and wounded up being buried at sea.

Kind of makes one a Pacifist.

I really would like to see all the war-mongering politicians out in the front of the rest of humanity where they would be the first to go.

I apologize for the length of this memoir. It actually felt good to get it out of my system. It is part of our family's background and history and deserves to be remembered. Love you all."

-- Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer

Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer Memoirs (click links below to view/hear):
Celebration of Life: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of life: early childhood: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: sports in the early years: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: early years: Boy Scouts: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part one: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part two: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part three: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part four: Joseph N. Ermer

Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: November, 2012

Honor all veterans

 

I’m 38 years old. I’ve never served in the Armed Forces. Veterans Day has always been important to me because it’s my chance to thank the men and women who set their lives aside, and put their lives at risk, leave their homes and families so that all of us have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

This Veterans Day is also the first time I won’t have an immediate family member who is a World War II veteran; both my grandfathers served in active WWII duty; my grandfather, Michael A. Lacche, U.S. Army, lived into his sixties; my grandfather, Joseph N. Ermer, U.S. Navy, lived until earlier this year - 93 years old.

In recent years when out in the community and I see a Purple Heart or Military Service license plate, my daughter and I will go over and thank that veteran for all he or she has done for the community. For all of us. It amazes me that the braver the person, the more they sacrifice, the more humble they are.

I’ve also reached an age threshold where now I am meeting veterans, Purple Heart recipients who are practically young enough to be my children. It puts into perspective what we all ask of these young men and women.

Between my years as a community newspaper reporter, then in my life as program/project manager and in county volunteer government, I must have met hundreds of veterans. Not a single one ever said they wanted a “hand out” and just to sit around; every veteran has only asked for the opportunity to continue to put their skills to work when they come home. It’s a pretty reasonable request. Local businesses should hire more veterans.

Sometimes there is a disconnect, maybe it comes from certain media, that creates the impression that all veterans think the same way, have the same experiences, want to do the same things after their service to our country is completed. Take every single trait, belief, practice, group of our community, and there is at least veteran who is that too. In summary, veterans represent all of us. Period.

If folks don’t agree with geopolitical decisions our government makes, the venue to make change is to replace the representative in the next election. That’s democracy. That’s freedom of choice and expression. No one needs to keep space between themselves and our veterans; when you welcome a veteran home; honor his or her service or just say “thank you” -- you are honoring the human side and the human risk and sacrifice that goes into keeping our country and our community free.

To all our veterans, and to my two grandfathers, where ever you may be -- thank you.

Veterans Day 2012

Never a single day should pass when any community doesn't pause a moment and thank the men and women who put their lives on hold and lives on the line to keep this great country free. Honoring our Veterans is not a political move, nor something that should be done without thought. Our families, friends and neighbors who serve, in whatever capacity, are the very fabric that traces back to the birth of this great country. God bless our troops. God bless are Veterans.

Army Football looks for second win next week at Eastern Michigan

The Army Black Knights Football team lost a tough contest to Kent State 31-17 on October 13, but the team at 1-5 has battled very well in four of their games and has plenty of reasons to remain focused for their last six games of the regular season.

Army averages 385 yards per game on the ground, and is looking to improve on their 67 yards per game passing statistic. The team remains disciplined with low penalty count and has a very strong 48 percent conversion rate on fourth down.

The Black Knights also have a solid 5-for-7 field goal tally so far.

Army Football tops BC 34-31

Call it long overdue, call it an upset -- we say it was a great Army Black Knight Football win over Boston College!

Senior quarterback Trent Steelman rushed for three touchdowns, which also including the game-winning score with under a minute left, as Army stunned Boston College, 34-31, October 6  at a sold-out Michie Stadium.

Army looks for their second win of the 202 campaign, hosting Kent State on October 13.

Tie score in Army-Navy Cup shows sportsmanship

Army and Navy Men's Soccer tied 1-1 in the inaugural Army-Navy Cup held before more than 3,500 fans in Philadelphia. It was an electric atmosphere and a result that while might not work in all sports, was something college soccer fans could all feel good about.

Nick Dubee put the Midshipmen up 1-0 in the 52nd minute; Michael Kim played hero for the Black Knights in the 87th minute.

Winston Boldt has seven saves for Army; Gavin Snyder stopped three for Navy.

Both squads are back in action next week.

September 11, 2012

We love playing baseball, watching baseball, talking baseball. This game is the great unifier -- brings all types of folks together in a safe and fun environment with a common purpose: having fun. Some of the our best and most loyal fans are those in the military, public service and/or jobs who in some way change lives and saves lives.

September 11 is a time we reflect on those brave, kind men and women who didn't get to see September 12, 2001. It's also a chance for us to look around and say thank you to our neighbors, whether they serve in the Armed Force, or the local Police, Fire Department, Safety -- and also the countless other folks who set their own lives, goals and dreams aside to help improve the lives of others.

It's good to have different options; have healthy debates; get involved in organizations -- what baseball and honoring those who allow us to live in a free country to enjoy sports reminds us is this: we remember and honor those who keep this community and country free. They deserve that from all of us.
With sincere gratitude,

Justin Lacche

Army Football looks for first win against Northern Illinois

The Army Black Knight Football Team (0-1) is back in action Sept. 15, hosting a well-balanced Northern Illinois team at Michie Stadium. Kickoff is set for 9 a.m. PST time and will be televised nationally on most carriers.

Army did have bright spots in its 42-7 setback at San Diego State, including 107 rushing yards from Raymond Maples and 100 yards on the ground from Terry Baggett.

Click here to visit Army Football's official web site.

Family History

  

Left: Joseph Ermer Sr; Right: Cesare Cerasoli (Mike Lacche's father-in-law)

"Vermont" by Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer, 1972

Countdown to 2012 Army Football

In less than three weeks, the Army Black Knights football team begins their exciting and challenging 2012 football season at San Diego State on Sept 8, 2012.

The game be televised regionally by NBC Sports.
Army Football practice has already moved into the scrimmage mode, click here to view the official team report.

09/08/12 at San Diego State, San Diego, Calif., 7:30 p.m. ET -- NBC Sports (check local listings)

Claressa Shields wins women's Gold Medal boxing

Congratulations to Claressa Shields who just won the women's Gold Medal in middle weight boxing at the London 2012 games.

Shields, 17, was in control throughout the bout and topped Nadezda Torpov 19-12.

Army football 2012: pre-season award watch

With college football about six weeks away, the Army Black Knights football team has four players on pre-season award watches.

Junior Raymond Maples - Dolk Walker award; sophomore Ryan Powis - Rimington Trophy; Trent Steelman - Davey O'Brien Award; Zack Watts - Lott IMPACT Trophy.

Army Football kicks of its 2012 season at San Diego State on September 8.

Thank you

To my grandfathers: S/Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche (La'KAY), United States Army Welterweight Base Boxing Champion, Fort Kamehameha, Hawaii, 1942 and  Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer, United States Navy, World War II Veteran and 75-year billiards player, thank you for all you for all your support and encouraged.

You two were the best role models anyone could ask for. This one's for both of you.

Black Knights 2012 MLB draft players making mark

Catcher, J.T. Watkins, drafted in the 23rd round of the 2012 MLB First Year Player Draft, has started his professional career with thee hits  (including a home run) in 11 at-bats for the Lowell Spinners of the New York-Pennsylvania League.

Watkins' teammate, Kevin McKague, a 21st round pick for the Atlanta Braves, has yet to see action; McKague finished a record-setting career along with Watkins for the Army Black Knights Baseball team.

Patriotic Week

This week, we honor the brave men and women who have sacrified more than any words can capture to keep this great country free.

The Fourth of July is time to be with families, friends and to reflect what we care about. We also take time to appreciate that the liberties we all share came from the strength and courage of others.

Thank you and God Bless America

Army baseball legend Zach Price named All-American

Congratulations to Zach Price who was named an All-American after completing one of the greatest baseball careers in the history of West Point. Price was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army and will serve in the Field Artillery branch in Fort Carson, Colorado.

Price completes his college baseball career with a resume anyone would be thrilled with: Patriot League's career walks leader (125); Army's all-time runs scored champion (174). Price also ranks third in Army history with 241 career base hits and fourth with 55 stolen bases.

Happy Father's Day -- 2012

To all our Veterans Of Foreign Wars, Active service men and women and those Dad's of those in the Armed Forces, we will you all a Happy Father's Day.

To any Father, the driving force is to see one's children and spouse save, happy, prosperous and free. We stand strong in the continued pursuit of liberty and justice.

Best wishes -- Mike Lacche Boxing.

This week in WWII history: USS Elmore (APA-42)

This week in WWII history: the USS Elmore (APA-42) was part of the invasion of the Marianas in June, 1944. The Mariana Islands have been a key Pacific strategic point for hundreds of years, located in the east Phillippine Sea.

In WWII, these islands were occupied by Japanese forces and eventually liberated by the Allies.

Army's Kevin McKague drafted by Braves

Army Black Knights stand out Kevin McKague was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 23rd round of the 2012 MLB First-Year Players Draft. McKague helped Army win the Patriot League title and advance to the 2012 NCAA Baseball Playoffs.

McKague completed his Army career as the school's all-time leader in multiple categories including games played, hits, doubles, and yes, saves. Talk about a versatile player.

No surprise McKague was a semi-finalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award.

Virgina tops Army 9-1, Black Knights still alive in playoffs

Virginia topped the Army Black Knights 9-1 in the opening game of the NCAA Charlottesville Regional; Army is still alive but needs a three-game winning streak to advance to a Super Regional.

The road begins tomorrow where Army will play second-seeded Oklahoma or third-seeded Appalachian State; the Black Knights would need to win that contest, then top Virginia twice to advance.

Click here to follow the team on Army's official web site.

Army, Virginia baseball will try again tomorrow

It seems these days the only opponent that can stop Army baseball are the heavy East Coast rain storms that again prevented the opening games of 2012 NCAA Baseball Playoffs in Army's regional.

The Black Knights will try again tomorrow noon EST against Virginia.

Follow Black Knights baseball all post season through the Army Baseball official web site.

Click here for more info.

Army Baseball waiting for NCAA Regional opponent

The Patriot League Champion, Army Baseball (41-13) team will play in the 2012 NCAA tournament; the team awaits official announcement of their first opponent.

Last week, the Black Knights took the third and final game from Holy Cross, 8-4. J.T. Watkins was the hero with a three-run home run as Army rallied late to take home the League Title.

Stay tuned for updates next week on the NCAA tournament.

League Champs! Army Baseball wins it all

The Army Black Knights Baseball Team (41-13) won the Patriot League Championship, taking the third and final game from Holy Cross 8-4. J.T. Watkins was the hero with a three-run home run as Army rallied late to take home the League Title.

The miracle season is expected to continue with the announcement of the NCAA 64-team field on May 27.

But tonight, the team is savoring victory in the greatest season in Army Baseball history. Well done!

Winner take all Patriot League game tomorrow

The Army Black Knights Baseball Team split their Patriot League Championship Series double header with the Holy Cross Crusaders tonight forcing a winner-take-all title game tomorrow at West Point, New York.

Army improved to 40-13 and Holy Cross is 33-21. Army's 40 wins establishes a school and Patriot League single-season records.

Tomorrow's champion game starts 12 p.m. EST and can be followed through Army Baseball's official site (click here).

Army Baseball to host Patriot League Championships

The Army Black Knights Baseball Team (39-12) will are back in the Patriot League Championship Series and will host Holy Cross (32-20) in the best-of-three series starting Sunday, May 20.

Army is looking for their sixth Patriot League Title all-time and is making their third series appearance in the last four seasons. The Black Knights last won the title in 2009.

Stay tuned for more updates leading up to this great event. Click here for the official Army Baseball site.

Army releases 2012 Black Knights Football Schedule

The 2012 Army Black Knights Football schedule was released in what has the makings on an exciting season for the gold and black.

Army's 2012 home games are: Sept. 15 against Northern Illinois; Sept. 29 against Stony Brook; Oct. 6 against Boston College; Oct. 13 against Kent State; Oct. 27 against Ball State; Nov. 3 against Air Force and Nov. 17 against Temple.

Dec. 18, Army travels to Navy to continue one of the classic rivalries in college sports history.

Click here for Black Knights Football.

Black Knights William Park to compete in NCAA Golf Regional

Army Black Knights golfer, William Park, the 2012 Patriot League Golfing Champion, will be competing in the upcoming NCAA Regional Golf Championships.

The 54-hole "Ann Arbor Regionals" will be held May 17-19 at the par-71, 6,723-yard layout.

Park has been in 36 career college events and averages a 77 through 88 rounds so far.

Click here for the official Army Sports article.

Memories of Mike: Boxing at the Berwick YMCA

Mike and brother Nick Lacche lost their father young; and like many in the same situation had to grow up fast. Mike left public school early and took on jobs to help do his part to support the family.

Some evenings, when he had a pocket of a few hours of free time, Mike would train at the old Berwick YMCA building, which was constructed in 1906. There he and friend were given the sports coaching that they missed out on because they could no longer attend school.

The Berwick YMCA had two stories dedicated to different sports and wellness, with the third floor for administrative offices. The building was located on a corner lot in a convenient part of town so that young people had somewhere constructive to go.

Mike was part of a boxing class/team that met Tuesday and Thursday evenings, where dedicated coaches would teach the young men the fundamentals of the sport; Mike learning like a sponge, punched with the force of a heavyweight and had no fear taking on bigger opponents. In short, the seeds of a future champion were planted.

Army preps for Track & Field tournament

The Army Black Knights Track & Field Team is headed to Holy Cross for the 2012 Patriot League Championships.

The Men's team was a 2011 League Finalist and the Women's squad has had many strong tournament teams in recent years.

The Patriot League Champions run this Friday and Saturday with top qualifiers advancing to regional on May 12-13.

Click here to follow on the Black Knights official site.

Army, Navy Tennis meet today for Patriot League Championship

What can be better? Army and Navy meet today for the  Patriot League Championship tennis title. The title will be played on Navy's home courts in Annapolis.

Army stands 16-12 and was No. 3 in the Patriot League, advancing to the title match after sweeping Lehigh. Navy, the league's No. 1 seed at 17-8, is 15-5 at home and was a perfect 5-0 in Patriot League matches.

Asika Isoh leads the Black Knights with s 21-13 record; Navy has three 20-match winners: Blake Daniel (20-9), Calvin Mark (27-7) and Peter McDonald (20-8).

Click here to follow results on the Patriot League's official site.

Army Lacross ready for Patriot League semifinals

The Army Black Knights Lacrosse team (7-6, 4-2) travels to Lehigh April 27 in the first Patriot League semifinal. Army is 3-0 in their last three contests.

Garrett Thul leads the team with 37 goals; John Glesener is tops with 16 assists.

Zach Palmieri is 7-6 with a 8.64 goals against average.

Click here for the team's official website.

Army Baseball stands tall at 31-9

The Army Black Knights baseball team is standing tall with a record of 31-9 going into weekend at home against Bucknell. Army played Navy (13-22) earlier in the season, sweeping the 4-game series at Annapolis.

Head Coach Joe Sottolano and coaching staff including Lt. Col. Dave Borowicz, Matt Reid and Anthony DeCicco have seen solid play across the board from the Black Knights.

Kevin McKague leads Army batters with a .374 average, four home runs and 35 RBI. Chris Rowley is a perfect 9-0 with a 0.95 ERA in 10 starts.

Click here for the Back Knights official baseball site.

Celebration of Life: early family life: Joseph N. Ermer

America was and remains a shining beacon for those young and old who seek a fresh start in life. So was true for Joseph Ermer, Sr. and  his wife, Christine (Karstens) Ermer. The two would making a loving family for their two children, Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer and Robert "Bob" Ermer.


"My mother was quite proud of her family. Her father apparently started off quite well-to-do I guess he didn't inherit too much business ability and gradually lost most of what he inherited.

Her mother conducted a school for streamstresses in their home. It was a fairly large house. I think it backed onto the Elbe river.

My mother had four brothers: Heinrich, Johannes, Karl (Kalli) and Max; there was another sister,

Marga. Marge came to America first. She got a job as a governess with a family in Bloomfield, New Jersey. After a while, she sent for my mother, who became a governess for the Horn's in Glen Ridge.

By one of those unbelievable coincidences, the job I got after discharge from the Navy was with Horn, Ogilvie & Co. Inc. H. Schuyler Horn, owner of this insurance agency and brokerage was the same Horn my mother worked for. I didn't find out until a year later, when I came across three pictures he had of his three children -- they were the same pictures my mother had of the children she took care of. It's a small world.

My father was orphaned at the age of nine. He was brought up in an orphanage. His stories, while not like the stuff in the news today, explained why he left.  As a small child, he lived on a farm and did such tasks as bringing in bread, beer and cheese out to farm workers for their lunch. He also brought prepared loaves to the village baker, once a week, to be backed in the big oven. My father used a wooden wheelbarrow for both jobs.

It was a large family and the children were separate when their parents died. My father emigrated to America several years before WWI. Before he left Germany, he looked up all his brothers and sisters.

My father had a friend in America, Henry Daut, who preceded him and got Dad his first jobs: one of them was installing metal roofing. It was done differently in those days -- all the seams were hand-soldered.

My Dad's training in Germany was as a machinist and eventually that is what he worked as. Dad lived in Brooklyn with various families as a boarder. He met my mother when a friend of his, Frank Neckerman, took him to Glen Ridge. Frank was going with Horn's cook, Viola. She was a transplanted southerner, from Virginia. The Neckerman's remained friends for many years after both they and my parents were married."


Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer Memoirs (click links below to view/hear):
Celebration of Life: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of life: early childhood: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: sports in the early years: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: early years: Boy Scouts: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part one: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part two: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part three: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part four: Joseph N. Ermer

Military All-Stars set spring 2012 schedule

The Military All-Stars have released their upcoming 2012 spring schedule, including the Celebrity Classic Weekend May 4-6, 2012 in San Diego, California.

Events include:

Saturday, May 5th

8 am Military All-Star Celebrity GOLF Classic
Location: Admiral Baker – 2400 Admiral Baker Road, San Diego, CA 92120

12pm Golf Awards LUNCHEON / AUCTION
Location: Admiral Baker Clubhouse

Sunday, May 6th

4:30 pm Batting Practice
Location: Tony Gwynn Stadium / San Diego State University

6 pm Military All-Star Celebrity SOFTBALL Classic
Location: Tony Gwynn Stadium / San Diego State University

6.50 pm Ground Zero Flag Presentation / Pre-Game Ceremony / Military Fly-Over

7.50 pm Military All-Star Celebrity BASEBALL Classic
Location: Tony Gwynn Stadium / San Diego State University

For Tickets or more information please visit: www.usmilitaryallstars.us

Memories of Mike: United States Army, 304th Regiment, 4th Battalion: part one

During WWII,  S/Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche, was part of the Army's 304th Regiment, 4th Battalion, which helped liberate Europe; the 304th Regiment was later assigned to the 76th Division during post WWII stabilization work in Germany.

Key organization dates (info credit, Wikipedia.org) includes the 304th Regiment ordered to active duty on June 15, 1942; disbanding August 31, 1945 in Germany; and reconstituted and assigned to the 76th division on October 7, 1946.

During the Allied push into Germany, the 304th Regiment, 4th Battalion crossed into Eisenach, Germany, February 24, 1945 and pushed all the way to Penig, Germany when Germany's surrender was completed May 9, 1945.

Click here to see a very thorough web site honoring the 76th division.

Fort Kamehameha: Sports History: 1920s

U.S. Army records show (click here for the National Archives site) Fort Kamehameha, Hawaii had a long history of athletic competitions: from boxing to baseball, basketball to archery.

National Archives Identifier: 533195 records a series of pictures and summary from Field Day 1922 at Fort Kamehameha, twenty years before Mike Lacche won the Welterweight Base Boxing Title, featured was a closely contested baseball championship game between the Fort Ruger and Fort DeRussey baseball teams.

National Archives Identifier:26337 has surviving film footage from the Department of Defense of the semi-finals of the 1953 Hawaiian boxing tournament.

 

Stay tuned as Michael Lacche Boxing and Army Historians continue to research and publish records of Mike Lacche's Title run.             

Celebration of Life: WWII part four: Joseph N. Ermer

In later invasions, Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer, crew mate on the  U.S.S. Elmore, found himself part of a convoy sailing up the East China Sea for the next series of offenses. The U.S.S. Elmore got stuck in a punishing typhoon, which put at risk the team's timeline and mission. (Click here for audio version).

"The Admiral in charge ordered continued sailing at high speed. The wind was so strong that it blew off the tops of the waves and the air was semi-liquid. Our ship came close to the turn-over point. We were somewhat top heavy with all the landing craft on deck. Three destroyers in the group didn't make it; they capsized with large losses of life.

Rescue was almost impossible in those conditions, plus we had strict orders to maintain course. Some survivors were picked by the trailing escort vessels. I later met one of the surviving sailors on the troop train from New York to San Francisco.

We had a great Skipper, Captain Drayton P. Harrison, an Annapolis grad. At first, he was a three striper, Commander; he got his fourth stripe on board years later; I saw him in 90 Church St. with Rear Admiral boards on his shoulders.

U.S.S ELMORE - photo credit - Wikipedia.org

Captain Harrison was well-liked and respected. One time, he was sitting with a bunch of other officers outside the officers' mess (the Captain had his own). One of the Junior Ensigns came up after putting in a hard four hours training in the landing craft and was tired and sweaty. The Ensign announced, "OK! one of you deadbeats get off your lardass and let a working man sit down." Without a word, Captain Harrison got up and walked away.

We stopped once in Noumea, New Caledonia. The population was mostly Vichy French. For some reason I hadn't done any drinking (too busy beach combing); in the boat returning to the ship, most of the sailors started getting violently sick. It turns out that the liquor and beer had been highly adulterated.

That is also the place that we almost went aground on a leper colony. Noumea Harbor is surrounded  by mountains. The wind can funnel through it in almost hurricane velocity. We were anchored in our assignment anchorage just off the leper colony. The wind got so strong that we started to drag our one bow anchor (we lost the other one). The Skipper had us drop the stern anchor, which was much lighter and not much help. He then ordered the Engineering Department to get up steam. They actually had it on the jacking lever, which meant they were producing a small amount of steam. That took care of our generators.

So we were dragging our anchors and heading for the rocks. The cliffs above them were lined with lepers, watching us. Finally, the engineers got up enough steam so that we could make slow headway against the wind. We up-anchored and got the hell out of there.

I mentioned losing an anchor. It happened in the Russell Islands, part of the Solomon chain. These islands were just peaks of mountains stuck up out of the water, with very deep water in between. We probably missed our anchorage by a small distance.

The old man yelled for us to drop the hook. At this time, we still had two bow anchors. I was on the anchor detail and hanging over with sound-powered phones on, calling on the fathom markers on the chain as it paid out. There was always a lot of noise and rust in the air. The chain just kept running and running. Apparently, it never hit bottom!

The brakeman was trying to slow the run out, but those breaks were never meant for anything like that. The brakes were disintegrating and Barrett, the brakeman, was being peppered with break lining. The First Lieutenant, Flaherty, ordered everyone other there. They all started running out when he noticed I was still hanging over calling out markers. He ran up to me, grabbed me around the middle and ran back. The phones popped off my head and almost immediately the anchor chain came to the bitter end.

Each link in that chain was a massive foot long and weighed over 20 pounds. The flailing end of that chain just about obliterated the part of the bow where I had been. We had to make do with just one anchor for the rest of the war.

Although our Ship was never directly hit by a bomb or torpedo, there were quite a few casualties among the crew: officers and men. Most occurred during the various invasions, in the small boats and on the beach. The most casualties on board were the gravely wounded that were brought back to the ship.

I don't like to think about some of the grossly mangled, poor souls who spent their last hours on our Ship and wounded up being buried at sea.

Kind of makes one a Pacifist.

I really would like to see all the war-mongering politicians out in the front of the rest of humanity where they would be the first to go.

I apologize for the length of this memoir. It actually felt good to get it out of my system. It is part of our family's background and history and deserves to be remembered. Love you all."

-- Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer

Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer Memoirs (click links below to view/hear):
Celebration of Life: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of life: early childhood: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: sports in the early years: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: early years: Boy Scouts: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part one: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part two: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part three: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part four: Joseph N. Ermer

Memories of Mike: Enlistment Day: September 21, 1939

S/Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche, United States Army Welterweight Base Boxing Champion, Fort Kamehameha, Hawaii, 1942 begain his military career September 21, 1939. Click here to hear radio broadcasts from WJSV from that day. This day, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was before Congress asking to repeal the Neutrality Acts and thus allow military aid to be sent to Europe to aid stopping German aggression (click here). This came hours after Poland's conquest and control by both Germany and the Soviet Union (click here).

Click here for audio version.

Army records show Mike Lacche was issued Army Serial Number 06893773, recorded his home county and state as Columbia, Pennsylvania of which his home city of Berwick is a part of. Mike Lacche had listed in his enlistment papers that one of his most recent jobs was working as an equipment operator in local movie theatres. In addition to becoming an Army Base Boxing Champion, Mike Lacche would also become an accomplished chef.
                                   
On September 21, 1939, the Philadelphia Athletics were 53-92 and the Philadelphia Phillies were 45-106; combined, they had less wins than the New York Yankees who the day Mike Lacche enlisted were 102-43 with a 17.5-game-lead over the Boston Red Sox.

Also on the day Mike Lacche enlisted, his two home state National Football League teams: the Pittsburgh Pirates were coming off a 10-0 loss to the Chicago Cardinals; the Philadelphia Eagles were coming off a 13-3 loss to the New York Giants.

Stay tuned for more on S/Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche, United States Army Welterweight Base Boxing Champion, Fort Kamehameha, Hawaii, 1942

Celebration of Life: WWII part three: Joseph N. Ermer

Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer was part of a crew that for years would take part in invasions, pick up troops, and get the badly wounded back to the hospital ship. Click here for audio version.

"We had four doctors and one dentist on board during invasions; we had three operating theatres and would usually take on board about 400 of the worst casualties. Needles to say, we had to bury some at sea - those who didn't make it.

At first my GQ station was in Damage Control, but I tried as a gunner on the 20 mm and I did quite well. They sent me to Gunnery School at Espiritu Santo in New Hebrides. After that, my GQ station was gunner on the 20 mm on top of Carpenter Shop near the fantail. I really liked the gun. It was the largest one-man gun, although I had a sightsetter and a loader. The gunner was strapped in and could fire in any direction, even directly overhead.

When we would run through a drum of shells, the loader would quickly change drums. The sightsetter would be given the range from fire control and would set it on the gunsight. The gunsight was electronic and would show the target in the middle of a lighted reticule.  The site would actually compute the lead by figuring the travel and range together. However, when planes were too close, we would fire by instinct. There wouldn't be any point in using the sight.

The whole mount would be raised or lowered, like a barber chair, to fit the height of the gunner. Since I was tall, I'd have it up pretty high, which enabled me to fire down at the water. That was handy when the torpedo planes came in.

If the gun got too hot, it could jam. We had an extra barrel in the tube welded to the side of the gun tube. It was the job of the loader and sightsetter to put on asbestos gloves and twist out the six-foot-long barrel and replace it.

Things got difficult when the Japanese started using Kamikaze tactics. Sometimes there were as many as 300 planes attacking the fleet at once. During the invasion of Leyte, in the Philippines, we got to do some mine clearing. We were one of the lead APQ's and we streamed paravanes. They looked like underwater kites from the bow. We had to maintain a steady speeds to have them run properly. If the

cable encountered a mine mooring, it would slide to the paravane and cut loose. The mine would come to the surface and we had sharp-shooters to blow them up.

We made quite a few landings in the Philippines. In one of them, we were involved in a night battle with a Japanese Destroyer off Manila Bay. During the Leyte Invasion, we were almost caught by the Japanese. The home fleet came down from the north and the East Indies fleet came from the southwest. They were after the transports off Leyre. That is the famous episode where they baited Halsey out with a flint in the north. He bit and rushed away, leaving the invasion fleet with just some escort carriers and a couple of cruisers a destroyer flotilla and some torpedo boats (JFK comes to mind).

The Japanese were throwing the book at us: Battleships, cruisers, anything. It apparently was touch and go for a while. We did lose several key ships, but the Japanese where turned back.
Stay tuned for more on the life of a true friend, mentor, artist and role model: Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer.

Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer Memoirs (click links below to view/hear):
Celebration of Life: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of life: early childhood: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: sports in the early years: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: early years: Boy Scouts: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part one: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part two: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part three: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part four: Joseph N. Ermer