In the picture reading from
left to right are Mrs. J. L. Myers; Col. C. G.
Sage, commanding officer of the 200th C.A. from
Deming; Captain Henry M. Miller, regimental
Plans and Operations Officer, Clovis; Lt. Col.
Harry M. Peck, Regimental Executive Officer,
Albuquerque; Miss Pompenetti Francisco; Lt. Col.
John C. Luikhart, Commanding Officer of the 2nd
Bt., Clovis; Lieutenants John F. Beal and Fred
H. Jordan, Clovis; Captain Winifred O. Dorris,
Commander of Battery A, Clovis; Lt. Cash T.
Skarda, Clovis; Mrs. Fricke; Captains William B.
Reardon of Battery E and Burney Smith of
Regimental Headquarters Co., Clovis. |
“The following is an article received by Mrs. Max Miller
from Captain Henry M. Miller which will be of interest to
many Clovis people as much as it records something of the
social activity of some of the officers of the 200th C.A.
especially Clovis officers. The accompanying picture was
received by Mrs. Milton Brown from her sister, Mrs. J.
Meyers, who will be remembered as Miss Lucy Patin by many
friends here in Clovis. She is residing now in the
Philippines and her home was the scene of this fine
gathering.
‘On November 20th, 1941 Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Meyers of the
Philippine Islands, were hosts at a Thanksgiving Dinner
to officers of the 200th C.A. whose residence is in
Clovis and who are associated with the Clovis Batteries
at present.
‘Our hostess, Mrs. Meyers, is the sister of Mrs. Milton
Brown of Clovis. She has been in the Philippine Islands
for a number of years having come over as an army nurse.
Her organization in the evacuation of British subjects
from Shanghai in 1940 won her personnel commendation
from the Royal Family of Great Britain in the form of an
engraved silver plaque.
‘Guests present were Col. Chas. G. Sage, commanding
officer of the 200th C. A.; Lt. Colonels Harry M. Peck
and John C. Luikart; Captains Henry M. Miller, Winifred
O. Dorris, William B. Reardon and Burney Smith;
Lieutenants Fred H. Jordan, Cash T. Skarda, and John F.
Beal; Mr. and Mrs. Fricke, and Miss Pompenetti
Francisco.
‘Usually one does not speak of the meal in detail but
such a dinner is a treat and a rare privilege in the
islands. A thirty pound turkey from the states did the
honors with all the trimmings and to me who had not
tasted home cooked meals for quite some months now, it
was truly a grand event. With all due respect to the
appetites of those present there was turkey left for
hash the next day. What in appetites the rest of us
lacked Lt. Skarda made up for it.’
“Other similar events are being planned for the enlisted
personnel and our boys are not lacking for attention and
thoughtful interest on the part of friends.”
Source and date unknown
* * *

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When the Regiment was
split after the attack on Clark Field
December 8, 1941, the 200th's Executive
Officer, Harry Peck assumed command of the
newly formed 515th Coast Artillery
(Anti-aircraft). Colonel Charles Sage, the
200th's Commanding Officer, was placed in
command of the newly formed Groupment A (AA)
in March 1942. In April, Groupment A became
the Provisional Coast Artillery, comprised
of all elements of the 200th and 515th Coast
Artillery Regiments with Sage designated as
Brigade Commander. Memory Cain, Executive
Officer of the 200th was placed in temporary
command of the 200th until LtCol Luikart,
Executive Officer of the 515th, assumed
command. |

 |
Major Henry Max Miller
died when the “Hell Ship” Shinyo Maru was
sunk on September 7, 1944. |

 |
LtCol John C. Luikart
survived the sinking of the “Hell Ship”
Oryoku Maru, but was lost in the bombing of
the Enoura Maru on January 9, 1945. |

 |
Following liberation,
and while a patient at Bruns General
Hospital in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Captain
Cash Skarda married the daughter of LtCol
Luikart with the 515th's Morgan Jones
serving as Best Man. |

 |
Captain Burney H. Smith
died January 5, 1943 at Umeda Bunsho POW
Camp in Osaka, Japan. |

 |
Captain Fred H. Jordan
died at Fukuoka POW Camp #1 on the island of
Kyushu, Japan on February 3, 1945. |

 |
Captain John F. Beall
died at Fukuoka POW Camp #1 on the island of
Kyushu, Japan on February 8, 1945. He is
buried in a common grave at Jefferson
Barracks National Cemetery with three other
men from the 200th Coast Artillery Regiment. |

 |
Mrs. Joel Lindsey Meyers was the sister of
Mrs. Agnes Brown of Clovis, New Mexico and
Mrs. Edwin Neer of Portales, New Mexico.
After December 7, 1941, the first word the
women received about their sister and
brother-in-law was in an October 1942 letter
written by Mrs. Jennifer White who had been
repatriated in an August 1942 prisoner
exchange via the Swedish ship
MS Gripsholm. Mrs. White reported the Meyers
were in good health in a prison camp near
Manila. When Santo Tomas civilian prisoner
of war camp was liberated in February 1945,
Mr. Meyers sent word that his wife had died
during their internment. |

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Pomponette J. Francisco
was the daughter of Louis J. Francisco, a
prominent Manila businessman from New
Orleans, interned with Pomponette and other
members of the family at Santo Tomas. Miss Francisco was
liberated at war’s end. |

 |
Mrs. Fricke may have been Dorothy Fricke,
wife of Herman Fricke. The Frickes survived
interment at Santo Tomas. |
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