Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 20, 1995 TAG: 9507200006
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A: The Marine Corps was busy.
The war front in the Pacific was well-suited to the Marine Corps' mission and training.
Assaulting and holding islands with small, mobile fighting units backed up with sea and air firepower was a lot different from the Army's task in assaulting the European continent.
Some Marines, perhaps 1,000, were in Europe, though. A few supported the D-Day Normandy beach landings, though the waves of assault troops were all Army men.
The Marines' major contribution in Europe was made in the Office of Strategic Services, forerunner of the CIA.
They helped run spy networks and coordinated with the French Resistance to derail trains, cut telephone lines and run the occasional ambush.
There's a great OSS yarn about Marine Lt. George Hearn, who contacted a village full of retreating German soldiers in Italy late in the war.
Leaving behind his small group of Marines and Resistance fighters, Hearn told the heavily armed Germans he had come ahead of American bombers and infantry to accept their surrender.
The Germans agreed to give up if Hearn would call off the air attack. Hearn agreed, though no such attack was planned. Then he asked how many troops would be disarming themselves. "Eleven hundred," the German officer replied.
Backyard ditch
Q: When will the city of Roanoke repair the drainage ditch through Monterey Hills subdivision?
R.S., Roanoke
A: The ditch in Monterey Hills Northeast has been a source of complaints for years. It carries water only during rainy spells or storms.
The city has surveyed the ditch in recent weeks and has some preliminary engineering plans to offer to residents at a meeting in September or October, the city engineer's office said.
One suggested solution probably will consist of realigning, grading and seeding the ditch, perhaps with sloped sides so it can be mowed. Another choice might be a concrete-lined channel.
Residents in a situation like this often prefer a closed-pipe system, but there's no money on hand for a pipeline, and it's not a good solution from an engineering standpoint because limited capacity can cause water to back up, an engineer said.
Inherit the lottery
Q: The lottery winner's purse is spread out in payments over 20 years. If a winner dies, does the remaining balance go into his estate?
B.W., Huddleston
A: Yes, a winner's remaining purse goes into the estate. Taxes are due immediately on the entire balance, which can bankrupt some beneficiaries or heirs.
Many winners, especially older ones, split their winnings immediately to reduce the tax damage. They can arrange for shares of the yearly payments to go directly to a spouse, children or grandchildren starting with the first payoff.
Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.
by CNB