Hans "Hank" Spear was a member of the 30th Infantry Division's Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) during WWII. He is being recognized and honored on Wednesday February 27th, 2008 at 10:30 a.m. at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, after waiting 63 years, when he will be awarded the Bronze Star ("For Supervising Interrogations under Fire"). Although Hans was originally declared an "Enemy Alien" and initially inducted into the Medical Corps, he was later transferred to Camp Ritchie, Maryland where he graduated on January 31, 1944 from the "Military Intelligence Center" and was an original member of the "Ritchie Boys". He joined the 30th Infantry Division shortly after the landing at "Omaha Beach" on D-Day plus four. Hans will celebrating his 90th birthday in December 2008. He will also be a keynote speaker on Sunday March 16, 2008 at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona at 11:30 a.m. during the 125th Anniversary of the B'nai B'rith in Ariizona (founded in 1883 in Tucson, Arizona Territory). The event is hosted by the B'nai B'rith Sahuaro Lodge #763 (Hans Spear is the Lodge Chaplain), and will recognize, honor and thank our military veterans in attendance at the gala celebration banquet.

Hello all.

This is my first post here. We (a group of 5 interested people) are looking for the first American soldier who was killed in action in Holland. We know that 4 solders were killed that day. We also know that the first soldier was KIA near our village Noorbeek.

Untill a few years ago people thought that Leonard P. Hoffman was the first man who was killed in action in Holland but he was killed just a few hunderd meters before the border so he was killed in Belgium (nearby Voeren). Are there any people who can help us? Perhaps with rosters or reports from that day.

We are also making plans to ercet a monument on that spot. We know the exact location. We also know were the German was who killed the American.

Please help us.

Regards,

Frank Gubbels