343rd Engineer General Service Regiment

[Walt's Daughter]

Frerick McGulpin

Monday, April 11, 2005

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Fredrick Gordon McGulpin died April 6, 2005. He was born in Ryder, N.D. on July 7, 1917, and moved with his family to Alhambra in 1930. He attended school there until he was 17 years old, when he joined the Navy, where he served from 1934 to 1938. When World War II broke out, he joined the Army and after a month in the states was sent overseas with the 5th Army, 815th Engineer Battalion, later changed to the 5th Army, 343rd Combat Engineers. They invaded North Africa at Oran, where the Nazis had mined the harbor and where he recollects they had to fish the many allied casualties out of the bay and build ÒBoot Hill Cemetery.Ó Their duties consisted of destroying enemy roads, bridges and supplies and building new roads and bridges, and hauling in supplies for the oncoming troops. They stormed across North Africa, through the Kaserine Pass, invading Sicily at the time Mt. Etna erupted in 1943, then to mainland Italy where Mt. Vesuvius also erupted and where the lava was used to build new roads by the troops. They fought their way to Rome, Corsica and into southern France and on into Germany. Fred was honorably discharged after the war in 1945 and began working for the Department of Water and Power of Los Angeles. He drove supplies from Los Angeles to the High Desert for the installation of the aqueduct from Northern California to Southern California. He worked there for several years and then became dispatcher for the Western District of Los Angeles in power and equipment. He retired in 1973. On Oct. 7, 1943 he was married to Elizabeth Welden Buster. Fredrick leaves behind his wife, Elizabeth; his son, Patrick; his daughter, Eloise; his stepsons, David Buster and his wife Jamie, James Buster and his wife Sherry, and Mark Buster and his wife Linda; one sister, Hazel Milliron, and her husband Keith; 11 grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. He was dearly loved and will leave a vacuum in all our lives. Services will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday at Corona First Baptist Church at 155 W. Eighth St., at S. Main Street, in Corona. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Riverside National Cemetery, Staging Area No. 1 in Riverside. Kern Hesperia Mortuary is handling arrangements.