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There’s No Place Like Home

by Priscilla Rall

Marion William Rice was born to Marian Warfield and Ethel Metheny Rice in 1927 in Mountaindale. One of five children, the family lived in a house next to a small grocery store that Marion’s parents ran. When he was six years old, he walked three miles to the closest school in Lewistown. Later, he moved to live with his grandmother, Mrs. John Kesselring, to be closer to the Thurmont schools. She lived in Thurmont on Frederick Road, just above Camp Cozy.

His parents had a large garden and raised hogs. Marion, or “Bill” as he was called, missed school when they butchered. His job was to keep the fires going under the butchering kettles. Bill’s favorite meal was hog maw, which his mother would make at butchering time. At his grandmother’s, Bill’s job was to feed the chickens. He fondly remembered playing baseball in the summertime. Bill vividly recalled when he was playing ball in Mountaindale; a man came running out of the store, yelling that Pearl Harbor had been bombed. He responded, “Where’s Pearl?” Once a year, the family would go to Frederick to buy new clothes for school. That was a special day!

His family listened to the radio every night. Bill especially remembered Lowell Thomas and President Roosevelt’s (FDR) fireside chats. In fact, he saw FDR several times when he would drive up Frederick Road, sometimes in an open car. Often, he would stop to fish at the old ore pit at Catoctin Furnace, which was stocked with trout just for the president.

Bill worked part-time for the local florist, Allen Creager, collecting ferns growing in the mountains for funeral wreaths. Once, he looked up and saw two men with guns drawn running towards him. Bill had strayed too close to Camp Shangri-La. He was taken in a police car to the post office to be identified before being released. That was an exciting day!

Bill graduated from Thurmont High School in 1944 at 17 years of age, and he decided to join the U.S. Navy. “Mom was ironing and a’crying and a’crying.” She didn’t want her son to sign up, nor did his father, but eventually, they signed his papers. Bill remembered that the older men, the “Home Guard,” would march and do practice drills using broomsticks.

Before he joined the Navy, Bill was an air raid warden. They had a station on Payne’s Hill. Once, Bill had to stop Doc Birely because he was driving with his car lights on during a blackout. But the old Doc protested that he was rushing to see an ill patient.

Bill took the bus to Baltimore and then the train to Bainbridge for training. He spent several months in specialized training in electrical work. With his training done, Bill took the train cross-country, arriving after five days in San Francisco. There, he boarded a ship that sailed to Pearl Harbor, where one could still see remains of the Japanese surprise attack. It was “pretty emotional” for the young sailor. Then, he was quickly shuffled onto an airplane but was not told his destination.

The plane landed on different islands, and Bill finally ended up on Okinawa. Climbing down from the plane, he was given the order, “Go up on that hill and find an empty tent with a cot.” Bill stayed there for a month or so. He could explore where airplanes had crashed and exploded. Then, a tremendous typhoon came through the island, with 180 mph winds. Bill, and a few others, found refuge in a burial cave. When it was over, they crawled out; there were wrecked planes everywhere. He was assigned to the hospitals to set up electrical generators and to keep them going. Once, a gas drum exploded in his face, and he thought he was permanently blinded. Fortunately, he recovered. There were a lot of Japanese POWs who were helping repair the damage that they had done to the island.

Finally, the war ended, and Bill was granted a 10-day furlough to Shanghai, China. He bought a few souvenirs, including two kimonos for his sisters. He returned to Okinawa and continued doing electrical work until 1946 when he returned to the U.S. and was mustered out of the service.

Back in Thurmont, Bill began working for the town for a total of 44 years! Marion “Bill” Rice had a life that spanned almost a century and saw tremendous changes in the world. Bill never hesitated to serve his country when the time came. He was one of our “Greatest Generation,” a home-town boy turned sailor who saw the world but decided that the best place is home.

If you are a veteran or know a veteran who is willing to tell his or her story, contact the Frederick County Veterans History Project at priscillarall@gmail.com.

Bill and Nancy Rice.

Lewistown---Department-SpotWhen you think of a volunteer fire department, the first thing that comes to mind is the serious nature of the firefighter’s job and all the dedicated volunteers who take on this responsibility. However, that’s only one side of the story. The other side of the story: Volunteers of all ages come together to work hard, and have some fun, while serving their community.

I met with several of the members of the Lewistown District Volunteer Fire Department: Mike Fogle, Chief; Donald Stull, Sr., President; Karen Stull, Secretary; Lena Stull, Treasurer; and Steve Stull, Board of Directors, to learn about the volunteers who make up the department. It was immediately apparent to me that this group works very hard, yet also genuinely enjoys each other’s company and has a great time. They spoke with pride about the volunteers who work extra time during severe weather or emergency situations. They also mentioned the fun they always have during the annual awards banquet.

Company 22 serves approximately thirty-three square miles, which includes Lewistown, Utica, and Mountaindale. The department was established in 1970 and began service to the community with Engine 222, the first diesel fire truck in Frederick County. Engine 222 was eventually replaced and sold. However, according to a recent fundraising letter sent to the community, “This year we have been afforded the opportunity to receive back one of the department’s original fire trucks from a very gracious gentlemen that had purchased it.”

I was especially interested in the volunteer opportunities available. The jobs that require training and certification are: Firefighter, Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician, Emergency Medical Technician, Firefighter/Emergency Medical Responder, and Emergency Medical Responder. To find out more about these positions, contact your local fire station. If you have the desire to be a part of the team, you will need to join the department. Training is provided free for members of the department. Certifications are required for all three jobs. Although Frederick County career staff supplement the Lewistown department, volunteers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Raising funds to keep the department running is a monumental task that requires lots of volunteers. Activities at the fire hall include the famous ham, turkey, and oyster suppers; bingos; raffles; weddings; and other private events, as well as school and community events. You don’t need any training to volunteer for events. If you like to cook, you can help with food preparation. Servers and clean-up crew are always appreciated. According to Karen Stull, you can sign up on the website to be a volunteer or just show up. “We will find you something to do and try to make it fun for everybody.”

Company administration includes: Line Officers—Chief Mike Fogle, Deputy Chief Mike Stull, Assistant Chief Wayne Wachter, Assistant Chief Doug Wallick Jr., and Assistant Chief Scott Stonesifer; Administrative Officers—President Donald Stull Sr., Vice President Chuck Jenkins, Secretary Karen Stull, Assistant Secretary Mary Frances Bostian, Treasurer Lena Stull, and Assistant Treasurer Lisa Monday; Board of Director members—Jacob Howell, Donald Martin, Scott Martin, Scott Stonesifer, Steve Stull, and Wayne Stull.

Many of the members are very involved in all aspects of the department. I first met Chief Fogle while he was working in the kitchen during the community yard sale at the fire hall. Steve Stull is not only on the Board of Directors, he is also a firefighter/EMT and works on various committees. If you would like to reserve the fire hall for an event, you can contact Karen Stull. Donald Stull, Sr. is the president, but he said that he does “anything that needs to be done,” including driving the fire truck. Everyone works together to help out. They are a family.