Lou’s View

Normally, around the Fourth of July, I write something somewhat patriotic. I mean, something that I consider to be genuinely patriotic, reflecting on some of the great parts of Clinton County’s connection with American history.

I’ve done a lot of these before, to the point I have to try a bit harder to find a new topic to write about. I’ve written about the Tiadaghton Declaration of Independence, Fort Reed, the Civil War, Lock Haven in World War II, presidents who visited Clinton County, and the Liberty Bell. If I’m going to keep up at this rate, we’ll have to start making more history.

But I just stumbled onto an old article in the Clinton County Times: “Two Service Men Receive Citation For Excellent Work.” It ran on April 13, 1944, during World War II. I like discovering these things by accident, because otherwise I’d have to work.

Archie Shearer and George Fenton were awarded a citation by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. I’m not too concerned with George, who was from Mauch Chunk (present-day Jim Thorpe) and therefore not from Clinton County originally. But Shearer was from McElhattan, which definitely falls within my limited attention span.

“Sgt. Archie Shearer, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Milton Shearer, of McElhattan, and Lt. George Fenton, a pilot, son of George Fenton of Mauch Chunk, both former Piper employees, members of the Army Air Force India-China Wing, recently received a presidential citation for his excellent work in flying supplies over Burma,” began the article.
Admittedly, the Clinton County Times took a long road down a short path with the phrasing there. But the story was interesting.

Archie Shearer was born in McElhattan on October 20, 1915. In 1936, he married Mae Confer, and the two of them settled in Mill Hall. They had two children, Archie Ronald and Sylvia May. Shearer went to work for Piper Aviation soon after, when they moved to Lock Haven, and met George Fenton, who moved to the area specifically for Piper.

The two of them were some of the men who went to war when America joined World War II—Piper had a lot of those. Shearer joined the Air Force on October 2, 1942, and was sent to Duncan Field, Texas, for training. Then he was sent to Chanute Field, Illinois, for more training, and you’d think at this point, he’d have had enough training, but no, he was then sent to a special course in Detroit.

All of this prepared him for his mission over Burma. Burma was an important strategic point to the Japanese during the war—Don’t ask me why; I’m not the World Book Encyclopedia. But American forces were sent there to protect the country, and Shearer’s mission was to supply them.

He did well at that, for reasons never fully revealed in the Clinton County Times. On February 18, 1944, he was given the presidential citation from General Hoag, signed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. All of the men in the Air Transport Command of Northern India were, actually, but he’s the local one I’m concerned with.

Shearer died on April 6, 1977, and is buried in Rest Haven. So is Fenton, for that matter. So while you’re grilling your hot dogs and lighting off your fireworks, take a moment to think about them—Two patriotic soldiers who provided me with a column this July.