Three Powell River residents have finally been recognized for their contributions in World War II. Sergeant Marino “Babe” Mitchell, Private George Bruce Butler and Sergeant Carl William “Tiny” Beacon, all members of the First Special Service Force, will be honoured with a United States Congressional Gold Medal. Both the Senate and House of Representatives approved the bill awarding the medal and it was signed by President Barack Obama.
The First Special Service Force was the first unit of its kind. Developed in 1942 at the request of Winston Churchill, the force consisted of 1,800 Americans and 600 Canadians, all volunteers.
Troops were trained in paratrooping, mountain warfare and hand-to-hand combat. German soldiers gave them the nickname “die schartzen teufel,” or “the black devils.” From this came the monicker for the group, the Devil’s Brigade.
Babe was a paratrooper in the force. He was wounded by mortar fire outside of Naples, but recovered to return to his unit, in which he continued to fight until it was disbanded in 1944. He went on to become part owner in Powell River’s local grocery store, Mitchell Brothers.
His son, Peter Mitchell, owns the store today. “I think it’s nice that they were recognized, because they did make a large contribution,” he said of the members of the force. “I don’t know that they were really looking for the recognition themselves, but I can see how the families would appreciate it.”
Peter said that although his father rarely spoke of the war, he knows the Devil’s Brigade made a big impact. “They were truly in the front lines for a long period of time and they put their lives at risk,” he explained. “They were pretty amazing people really.”
Beacon was another soldier who hailed from the Powell River area. One of the originals who started training at Helena, Montana, in 1942, he served throughout World War II in Italy and southern France. He went on to fight in the Korean War as well, and ended up as Regimental Sergeant Major of the famous highland regiment the Black Watch.
Neil Butler’s father was also a member of the brigade. George volunteered for the force while serving in the Westminster Regiment in Italy. He went on to fight through the liberation of Rome and southern France, and was known as one of the regiment’s greatest athletes.
“It’s a real honour,” said Neil. “They weren’t looking for any recognition from anybody else, but all the guys back then deserved something.”
He said Americans already received their awards, but the Canadian portion of the force and their family members have been fighting for American recognition for years. Now, he added, it comes a little too late. “There’s only a handful left,” he said.
The remaining members of the force and family members get together every year for a reunion, and Neil guesses that was when the medal would be given out. “We don’t know 100 per cent what’s going to happen yet,” he said.
The 67th reunion of the First Special Service Force will be held September 25 to 28 in Windsor, Ontario. For more information about the Devil’s Brigade, interested readers can visit firstspecialserviceforce.net.
