World War II Memories, 1996 (Part 1)

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A Calendar
./C EhzIl2&
fI
A!lJt(//7/
Cfj)Of fd CjfJal~ II
/f! e/no/tt&s/
Book 'rwo
Valdosta Visions
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Front Cover...
!iss Ruth Ragan and
Lieutenant Owens
Speak Vows at
Twilight Ceremony
r ca Afternoon,
At twilight, s~~ Mi~S Ruth Ragan
December 5, 19 , t once Oliver
and First Lieute"?-a~at Moody Field
Owens were ma~~~~g was solomized
Chapel. The ~~aplain George M.
by Army
Johnson was
Williams. Miss Ma~y Best Man was
Maid of Honor an
C tain JuliuS Barnes .
ap
!ked out of the
When the couple wa showered with
chapel, they were the Moody Field
rice as a grouJ f~':re Comes the
Band playe .
groom drove
Bride." The brlde an~Uggy followed
off in a mule dra~g uThe 'Old Gray
by the band playm
Mare."
t the Moody
A reception followed a
Field Officers Club.
III the top picture, the lIlaid of honor, Ma ry
is sta lldillg with the best
man, jlllill s Barnes. 1/1 the lower picture, Barnes
is holdillg the reili S.
johllsoll (Challlbers)
Heroism, Meritorious Service
&Gallantry...
Virgil 1. Barber
Lavoid "Dick" Sirmons
ArillY
"''''diml Dt'laell/I/CIlI
3rd ClIellliml Morlar Battaliol/ / 3rd lIifimlry Re:illlcl/l / 3rd Ill/alliry Di"i,ioll
French Ex/,cdiliOlltlry Cor/" (allael/t'ti)
Both joined the service before the United tatesentered the war. Barber was from Berrien County and irmons lived in Lanier County. They
had known each other during theirschool days. Barber was in a mess hall "chow line" at Fori Bliss, Texa«, when he turned around and was
surprised to find Sirmons next to him. From that moment, their destinieswere foreve r entwined.
Theyserved in Tunisia, the staging area for the Sicilian Invasion. They participated in the invasion of Sicily and Italy. One of theirassignments was in support of the 1001/1(Go For Broke) III(alllrVBattalioll. In the Battle at Monte Cassino.It alv, thev were attached to the Frcnctt 211.1
Moroccall Di"isioll. It was for gallantryin this action thai they were each awarded the Si/i-a lar.
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The citation reads "for their courageand concern for the safety of a comrade in the face of gran' peril." They rushed into a mine field to rescue a wounded French comrade, disregarding their own safety and the warnings of their companions. The two soldierswere warned to wait
for a mine detector. Learning that the soldierwas severely wounded, they followed along a hazardous path to reach him. They rendered first
aid and placed him on a litter, makingtheir way back toward the aid station. As they were leaving the field, they tripped a mine. The resulting explosion injured both of them, blinding Sirmons.
"Dick" is picturedwith his wife, Margaret Jones, of Norwich. Connecticut.
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Pierce Herring Wade
J,
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Army
17th OrdnanceComlJany
Philippine Gllerilla Force
\
t
When hostilities began in the Philippines, he was assigned to the 17th Ordnance Company which
gave support to the 192nd and 194th Tallk Bat/alions. Defea ted by overwhelming japanese forces, he
defied surrender and fled into the hills, form ing a PhilippineCuenll« Force. From 9 April, 19.12 until
his capture 5 May, 19.13, his group fought in desperate circumstancesagainst the superior japanese
Occupation Army.
Charles R. Johnson receives Distingllished Scrticc
Cross from Lieutenant GeneralMark W. Clark,
Italy, 1944.
A prisoner, tried, convicted and sentenced to be executed, he was moved to Tobata Prison, in japan,
15july, 19.1.1. The sentence was never carried out. At the war's end, the Japanese abandoned the
prison. Hearing that the American forces were nearby, he and two others left the camp, walking
away to join with the 11 th Airbome Oil'ision, September, 19.15.
Charles Raymond Johnson
The Sitter Stnr was awarded him for his gallantry in action in the Philippines, Subsequently, he was
awarded the Legion ofMerit in recognition of his outstanding military service.
Army
Company C
168th Infantry RegimCllt
34th Infantry Division
Charles R. johnson entered servicewith Va ldosta's National Gllard, CompallY G, 121st Izifilllt ry RegimCllt.
He transferred to the "Red BIIII" Division and fought with them in Tunisia, North Africa, and in Italy.
Clarence E."Plesh" Clanton
Army
Company A / 25th Armored Engineer Bn.
6th Armored Dil'ision/ 3rd Army
Received the Silver Star 11'ith oneBronze OakLeaffor
Known as the "Swamp Hunter" from Georgia, his exploits were described in Bill Mauldin's Up Front.
a notable book by the famous "Willie" and "[oe" cartoonist.
johnson and a fellow soldier, Harold D. Wilson of Hocking, Ohio, achieved the distinctionof bcing the
first Americans to reach Cassino.
For outstanding acts of heroism against an armed encmy, during action between 7 january, 1944 and
27January, 19.1.1 at Monte Cassino, Italy, he was awarded the Distillgllished Serrice Cross and two Sillw
Stars. For the same actions, the Italian Covcmrnent (then fighti ng on the Allied side) bestowed upon him
the AL VALORE MIL/TAR E(Military Valor Meda/).
2
gallantry in action with his unit in France, Belgium,
Luxembourg, and Germany during the period
27july, 19.1.1, to 18April, 19.15.
3
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Wa lter Greene Aultman, Jr.
NI1l'y
LCI574
Served as a Radarman aboarda LOII/lillg
Crt!ft Illfalltry in the Europea n Theatre.
James Carroll Agner
ArillY
Baltery A
12th Field Artil/en! BIl. [Ind Illfalltry Dil'isiOIl
Departed October 8, 19~3 on the LisT Tholllas H. Barry, landingat Belfast,
orthem Ireland Thevtrained there until thevembarked to participate in the
lormandv invasion. [une 9, 19~~, they landed at Omaha Beach, to support the
"Illdiall H:'ad" division infantrv, which had preceded them,
Mm'ing from Normandy, they secured Brest and later were engaged in the
Battle of the Bulge. March 21, 19~5, they crossed the Rhine into Germany,
.
ending the war at Pilsen, Czechoslovakia.
Deward Francis Bass
Navy
A Chief Machinist Mate, he served in the EuropeanAfrica n-Middle East and Asia tic-Pacific Campaigns.
Lawrence Leverne Baggett
Marille Corps
4thBIl. Corps Artil/l'ry / M Baltery
14th Marille Regilllt"llt / 4th Marilli' Dioision /5th Alllphibiolls Corps
HisArtilleryBa ttalion supported operations against theJapanese
in Pacific Island invasions, incl uding the action at Iwo [irna.
After the war, he enlisted in the Georgia AnI/if Nntiono! GilaI'd
and served as the NCOin chargeat the Valdosta Naliona! Gllllrd
Armon'.
James Henry Bell
ArIIll!
3475th Qllarterlllllster COIII1'~t Co. / I ArillY / III ArlllY
Landed at the Normandy beachhead June 9, 19~. They
helped set up an ammunition depot, moving forward with
the advance, It was "aconstant move" keeping up with the
fro nt line forces, and out of range of the German artillery.
frank Bird,Jr.
ArillY
19111 III~lI/l ry l(egillwlIl
24 111 IlIf nlllry IJipi,ioll
Served in thl' South Pacific
with the '" Victory" Division.
Cornelius Ashley Bird
Arll/Y
Mediml Corps
463rd Siglllli l Impy COII,l ruclio ll HII.
13111 Air Force
Battalion Surgeon with the ArIllY
Ellgilleer, in Ilawaiian Islands, Guam and
Okinawa. The Bnllll!ioll engaged in construction of air fields for the ArlllYAir
Force, .
Esther Abramson Bird
ArillY
Willi am Wylie Bird
NilI'><' Corps
75tll 51111ioll 110,pilll!
She mel !\shk')' Bird when they wrnstationed togl'l her in Hawaii. They
were marriedJ,lIluary 3, 1 9~ 5 .
I(
ArlllY Air Forces
Fllr 1:11>/<'1'11 Air Forct'
In the Philippines when
hostilitieswith Iap.m bl'ga n
in 19~1 , Ill' II"l S taken prisoner and survived the
Bata.m Death Ma rch.
He died in an airplane
crash in Mississippi,
July 29, 19~6.
Robert Wesley Blanchard
ArillY
,
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Charles Brooker Blanton
NtH'll
llSS Illdillllll /lB58
In tlu-picture at left, he is f.lr right, fron t row, a member of till'support
group for till'catapult aircraf] aboard the battleship 1155 Illdillll tl. The lndion«
is pictured (rom 1200 feet as it headed for Nauru Island, DecemberH, 19H
,
.
111e catapult plane
fli ght crew is pictured
,1bm'l' st,lIlding by
the aircraft.
4
5
Archie James Bloodworth
Arll/Y Air rom',
8th Air rorc<'
735 BOlllb S'/I/lldrol/
453 BOIl/V Grol/I'
Was a Flight Engineer on a
B-2-1, flying from England.
February 6, 19-1-1, his fifteenth bombing mission
was against a target ill
Tours, France. Returning to
base, the damaged plane
crashedbut he survived,
although injured.
Fran k r. Bracewell
ArillY
Sill RCI'IIIC<'lIIl'I1t O<'l'ot
Was inducted in early 19-15 and sent to the
Philippinesforassignment, arriving July8,
19-15.
David L. Ilrandon, Jr.
ArlllY Air rorc<',
860111 BOIIIV Sql/lldrol/
93rd BOIIII, Wil/S
3rd Air Oi"i,iol/
8th Air Forc<'
With his crew mates,he
is third from left in top
roll'. As a Navigator, he
flew thirty combat missions in B-2-1 and B-17
aircraft. Hisstation was
Ipswich, Suffolk,
England.
George Wesley Brogdon
AnI/II Air Force:
Trained as a tail gunner in B-2-1 and
B-25 aircraft.
Served .IS.I
David L. Branch, Jr.
NtIl'Y
Served in the Pacific Theatre. lifter
the war,he earned an RO. r.e. commission in the AnI/ifIlIf lllltry.
John Yancey"J. Y." Brooks (l)
Al'IIlIl Air Forc<',
Link Trainer Instructor, Mllrilll/IIII Fil'1d, Florida.
* HiramThomas Fisher (R)
ArlllY Air Form
(Sc<, I'"S<' 13)
Robert lvey Brown, j r.
Nllvy
USS W'''I' CV7
USS Prince IVil/illllis AVCI9
joined the crew of the Wasp,
january 2. 1942. They made
two voyages to the
Mediterranean island of
Maltaand they went to the
South Pacific where the IVasp
was torpedoed by a japanese
submarine, September 15,
1942, damaged so badly that
it had to be sunk. This was
during the Cuadalcanal
action .
Surviving this action, he
joined the crew of the I'rill c('
Wil/illlliS.
jerry W. Brown
Ar/llY
CO/llPlIlIyG
121 sl/llj ililiry
.lOt" IlIjilillry Dh'isioll
Ar/llY Air Forc('s
5/21" BO/llb Sqlllldroll
3761" BOlllb GrollI'
471" Air WillS
151" Air Forc('
l ie was called to duty with Valdosta's
Nliliolllli Gllllrd Comp,lIly and later trans[erred to the Ar/llYAir Forc{'s. Trained as a
pilot, he flew fifty combat missions during 19H.
ja mes Benjamin Black
Nil,,!!
USS WIiSP CV-7
Hugh llennett Brown
M11'Y
Served in the l'ar ifir.
In the top photo, he is on the far right.
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USS Sl1I1l1sri-La CVA-38
A pilot flying Corsair fighter aircraft,
he was with the WIiSP when it was
lost. Ill' finished the Wil l' fl ying OWl'
the Tokyo Bay surrender CerL'l1lOny.
Hurrarn M. Barfield, [r,
Ar/llY Air Forc('s
383rd Air Sav ic{' Gmllp
241" COlllbli1 MlippiliS SI/lIIldl'l'"
In the China-Burma-India Theatre
the mapping squadron sun-eyed and
prepared maps for largeting and
bombing operations.
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Lloyd L. Burns,Jr.
Amll/ Air r"rce,
397/l"lIIb CrollI' / 515 li"III /"'" Sqlladro" / SIll Air r"rce
~lJl /l"lIIb Cro"l' / /(,9 /l"III/'er Sqlladro" / 10/11 Air r"n...
George William "Bill" Carmichael
ArillY
5tll l"fillltry Dipisi""
50tllOrd"a""e Allllllllllilio" C",
Ord"allce AIllllllllliti"II /lIl.
rirsl ArlllY
Served with the 5111 11ifilll try Dii'isio" in Iceland. He
transferred to an Ordllllllce Batia/iull which was
attached to the First Arllli/ in the ETO,
/()(If ll
Burns is standing at right, pictured wilh Fred Kaufman,
his co-pilot. Kaufman was
killed June 19, 19H, during ol
mission in support of the
Normandy landings.
William E. Calley, Sr.
ArIllY
COlIIl'a"y A
5U~tIlPamcll"lel"fillll ry l{cgilllCllt
81".1 Air/lome Dil'isi"l1
*
The crew of Burns B-17 is picturcd bl'sidl' their plane in
England.
Bruce Arthur Cuter
C"lIIl'a"yC
J1 /,;t !lIfillltry ReSilll1'l11
30tll !,,{tllltrl/ Dil'isi""
Mi/itan/P"lice Dt'la(/lI"elll
F"rt ·Mas"". Cali{tJrllia
Entered service with the V~ldosta Nati"lIa!
Gllard. He was discharged .11 end of term of
service, but later drafted and served as a
military policeman.
Golden Robert Carter,Jr.
Amil/
Alllerical Dii'isi"l1
Jesse Ralph Carter
NtH,y
USS 7i.'I"" AGG14
C'"lll'a"y A
5J9tll Militari/1'"/it·eU".
8111 Al'/lll/
Served in the Pacific Theatre,
Jesse J. Clements
Ar/l/if
Headquarter, Baltery
im. Field Arti//L'I'Y
2nd Baltalion
An AntitankGun Crewman, he
served in the North African
Campaign and in the ETO.
Harvey Holcomb Chapman, Jr.
Ar/l/Y
260th QuarterJ/w,ter Railhead Co.
Earl Scott Davis
Napy
H<'I1dquarter" 8th Napal Disiric! I New Or/<'I1u" Loui,iana
Headquarter, I Fir,t Corp, I 11th Ar/l/Y
Served with the QuarterJ/w,ter Corp, in Guam and the Philippines.
In Japan for the occupation, he was assigned to Fir,t Corp,
H<'I1dql/llrter,.
Ordllllnee Supply Branch I Nal'l1/ Supply Depot-Gua/l/
Yates BushChambers
ArJ/n!
244th Engineer CO/l/vat Bu. I 3rd Ar/l/Y II 8th Ar/l/Y
Was a combatengineer in the European Theatre.
* James Hugh Chitwood
FrankS. Christian
A1'1111/
191 5 Engineer Apiation Bn.
7/h Air Force
Served in the Pacific in support of
the Ail' Forces.
Joe E. Coleman
Ar/l/Y
CO/l/pany E
507th Parachu te Injantry Regi/l/£'I1t
82nd Airvol'lle Division
D-Day he jumped into Normandy. Fighting
there, he was wounded on June 22, 1944.
Forgallantry in action, he was awarded the
SilrerStar.
8
Mariue Corps
5thMorine I(egi/l/ent
1;;t Marine Diuision
Landed on Cuadalca nal, Solomon
Islands, on the morning of August7,
1942, in the fi rst U.s. ground offensive
against Japanese forces. He was killed by
sniper fi re during the first two weeks of
fighting August 20,1 942, whileserving
as point man on an intelligencegathering
patrol.
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George C. Cook, Jr.
ArlllY Air Forces
Pictured above in 19~~ at Maxwell Ficid,
Alabama, at work in the Supply Room.
Leon Wade Coody
ArlllY AirForces
3rd Plloto Reconnaissance Sqlladron /99tll BOlllb Squadron /20tll Air Force
Dewey Crawford
Army Air Forces
In the above picture, Leon Wad e Coody is third from left, with a group of friends in
Hawaii, 1 9~~ . He was an Aircraft Maintenance Mechanic, "keeping them fl ying".
Calvin J. Courson
ArillY
Quartermaster Corps
3595tll Service Comllland Unit
A truck driver, he saw service in the Aleutian Islands and
Alaska-Canada (Alcau) Highway.
William Edward Crane
Raymond A. Cook
Mary Margaret Wilson Cook
NallY
Fleet Airsllips, At/alltic
Blimp Squadrou 21
NAS Ricinnond, Florida
NallY
W.A.V.E.S.
NallY Dispeusary, Key West, Florida
7tll Nallal District, Miallli, Florida
Navy
A Nal'l7l Aviation Cadet , he received an appointment to
the United States Nara! Academlj.
January 28, 1 9~5 , Raymond A. Cook and Mary Margaret Wilson were
married. They both were serving in the Navy.
William F. Dame
ArlllY Air Force,
32 7/11 BOlllb Squadroll /9 211d BOlllb GrollI'/ Eigll/II Air Force
5111 Ferryillg Gro llI' / Lo,'e Fit'!d, 7['.1:as/ Third Air Forcc
Entered service June 27,1941 , in the ArlllY Air Corps Cadet Program.
Served as a B-17 pilot flying 31 combat missions from England.
Returning to the states, he joined the Ferryillg COli/lira/rd.
He was recalled to activeduty during the Korean War and served with
the 15/h Trallspor/ COII/IIlalid Squadro ll at Tachikawa, Japan evacuati ng
wounded from Korea to Japan and the Philippines.
Caulie William Dasher, Jr.
Arll/Y Air Forces
805th AAF Basc Llllil
Moody Field, Georgia
Assigned to /\ll oody Field from October,
1942, until his discharge in 1945, he
worked in aircraft maintenance in
Operations and Engineering.
Ernest William Tullis, Jr. (L)
Arill if
Joseph Clendall Dasher
A1'11I.11
COII/PlillY B
309/I1II1(1m/ry Regill/ellt
78th IlIflilitry Dh,isioll
Fought with the "Lightll illg Dipisioll"
from Remagen Bridge and into
Corma ny After hostil itiesended, he
served with occupation forces in Berlin
until his discharge, September, 1946.
Charles R. Dasher (R)
12 1s! III(lmtrif Regi!lIclil / 30tll lllfi mlry Dh,isioll
Photo taken at Fort Jacksoll, S.c. in 1940, where the division
was training. Tullis served in the European Theatre with the
11 7th III(llIltry Rcgilll<'llt, 30/h llifimtry Dil'isioll. He was
awarded the Sill'er StilI' for gallantry in action, during the
crossing of the Rhine River.
Earl Henry Daniels
Roy T. Dasher
iV!arilic Corps
151 MarillcAir Willg
Vlv!TB 2.13 / Vl,IF iu / VMF 217
Dasher was discharged at the end of his enlistment, before
the U.S, entered the conflict.
10
ArlllYAir Forces
Sqlladroll C
1103 AAF Base Llllit
Was in Italy with his unit. After hostilities
ended, he was transfered to the Caribbean
island of Trinidad.
11
james Buford Courson
i\rm.JI
.J63rlf Pamdlllll' Field Artilll'r1/ BII.
IO/~t Airlltlrtll' Diili~hl/l
A pack arttlk-rv gunner-his first
combat jump Wib in Sicilv Other
campalgns he fought Wl';l'
Rome-Arne. Southern France,
Rhineland, Ardennes, and
Central Europe.
Joe V. "Bud" Dasher
Serving as an enlisted man, he was in the Mexican
border action in lYl6and during WorM \Var 1was
in France. Called 10 activeduty a~.111 officer in the
Corl's of Ellgilli't'r~, during Worid lVIIT 11 he worked
on the construction nfthe Alaska-Canada
Harry M. Davis
Army
Army
SStll Rt'C{lII. Sq/lillfn.lJI
5fll Armored Dic.';~hl/l
Ht'adqllaTta~ Btltkry
Natty
541::.t CMBW / ~St'J1bt't':-:~
W,1:'. J ~hip'~ fitter working on steam boilers, stationed on Okinawa.
joseph P. Da\'js
Dil'i~it.m Artillt'TII
Stll AT/lWTt'd Diri:-'iOl/
These brothers served in the Arlt/ilr Br.1I1ch, in Europe.Shortlv after the
crossingof the RhineRiver, March. 19~5. Harry learned that [oe'... unit
was opt.'re, ting about fortv milt'S north of his. Harrv traveled north and
located his brother. This picture was taken during 'thl'ir visit.
(ALCAN llli~h\\",y.
Felton Davis
ArlllY
ClITP~
tlf ElIgillt'l'T~
ALCAN t/i~IJl{'Uv
WJlitdl(lr~' , YltktJll i.,ritory, ell/llt/a
jean W. Lnvell Hravisl
Felton Davis, Jr.
Army
Army
,\ '/lr:'( Corp:-
Ib1:-:t S/lItitlll Ho:-/,itlll
Akdim/ Alfll1;/I;~ITlIlii,(,
/61~1
CtlrJ'~
Stlll;m/ HlJ5I'itlll
As part {If the occupation force. thl')' were both stationed .11 Sapporo,
Hokkaido, [apan. whore Ihl'y were married june .lU. )946.
Sue Dennis
ArmyAir Forct'"
W(lmt'''~ ATIII~' Corp~
Bollifl:\ Fit'll!. tu:
An aerial photographer in the ~\J\C
.b:-;ignl'd to the Air Forct''',
Caraway "Red" Sikt'S
AnI/II A" Ft)f(l'"
Edman L Douglas
ATII/II
105tll OrJIlQJ1c(
/l!rdi/l'" M,lil/tt1lQlfCf Co.
Served in Nl'''' Cuinea and the
Philippines.
* Leonard Arlie Douglas
Arm"
15Sth IIl~mlTl/ R~"/Il 'lIt
90th IllfmJtry Di..N OIJ
Killed in action in France, Augu.. ' IS,
lQ4-1 while ~'f\'ing with tlw
TtIllX" 'ombrt'$" Division.
(5 ,'( JId;i:l' 57J
Frederick C. Dodson
Army A" Ftl1'Ct":'
14711, F(~ ',tt"f Sqllodfllll
EiShll, Air Foret
Theyare pictured togcthcr.enli-tmg in the Air FOr(l'50 at Mtlt"'y Flt'M
under a IQ.Jl drive Enh , at Hom.., and St.ly at Home", They had
both worked .11 ~f(l(ldy a civ ilianAirrratt Dispatch..·!'S and kept their
same job, after enli...trncnt.
Sikescompleted fus military 't'f\ in' at M IlOt(II, Dodson was Iran....
ferred after eightl'l'nmonth.. '>t'f\ iccthere.
Dodson..career continued in England. Ill' received battlecredits for
~onnandy !Nurthl'm I"rancl'! Ardennes Rhineland and European Air
Offensive.
Willie Lee "Cut" Edwa rds, Jr.
Nal'll
S T "Ned" Douglas
Hardy B. Doug!"
Armll
,\QZ'II
691Onl/wllerAmmlllJltion Co.
.1rdAm/1l
Served on cl LCI landing
infantry al Omaha Beach durin~ the D-Da~ invasion IIi
Europe. Transferred 10 the
Pacific theatre. he served on J
LST making landings on
Okinawa. He later joined the
\larin ..", and serv cd two Yl'a~
in Vietnam, retiringin 19i1.
USS Mllt'/ ../, DDn O
H» ... hip first com oycd \ l~ls in the
.orth Atlantic 10 'orth Africa. England
and France. L.1Il'r. thl.'y went to the
PanamQUlnal 7~1 1I' where thl') were a
t.ll).;l't ship for trainingsubmariners.
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. Garvev,
Army Air Fore :
JOI? .. Cowbo·...·
Jl ,t Ht'at/qllartt'~ SqUill/rem
Ah,i.V fidJ, Grorgia
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Jack LeRoy Estes
ArmyAir Forcc
Was a B-1 7 Instructor,
Fred George
Army
50211.1 Pilrachllic llifillltry Rcgimt'llt / 10151Airbol'llc Dil'isioll
Standing at right, he is pictured while serving with Compillly G, 1215/
1Iifillltry Rcgimcllt, Nilliollill Gllilrd. before the war, Heenlisted inI 9~1 ,
training in the Pill'llchlltCII1/il1ll ry, He jumped with his regiment on D-Day,
fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and jumped into Holland and Germany,
James Howard Fambrough
Army
COII/PilllyG
26th ll1fillltry Rcgill/cllt
151 1Iifill/try Divisioll
Graduated from the University ofGeorgia,
March, 19n and received his ROTC
Commissionas a Second Lieutenant. InJune
he was headed for the front, landing at Oran,
French Morocco. He fought in the campaigns
in Algeria and Tunisia,
Emba rking from a port in Libya, August,
1 9~3, he was in the first wave invading Sicily,
November, 19~ 3, he disemba rked in England
in preparation for the invasion of France,
On June6, 19~4, D-Day, he was with the second wave landing on Omaha Beach, In the
Normandy fighting, he 11'.1 wounded at
Avranches, where he received the Siiixr Star
for gallantry in action,
* Hiram Thomas Fisher
Robert H, "Bob" Ferguson
ArmyAir Forces
465thSqllildroll/ Moody Field, Gcorgiil
He is shown with other members of his class attending radio mechanic school at Tl'llilx AAFB, Madison,
Wisconsin, in October 19~4 ,
Army Air Forn's
81h Airforcc
A B-17 pilot, he was killed in combat over
Europe, i overnber 13, 1 9~ 3. while flying
from England,
Keley E. Folsom
Headqllllrtas COlIIpllllY
21ld Bllltll/ioll
6011l1llfillliry Regilll"llt
9tlllll/lllltry Dil'isioll
With the "\"lTsily Division", he served in
North Africa. Sicily. France, Belgium,and
Germany. This picture was taken in Sicily.
George W. "Tony" Henry
ArlllY Air Forc,'s
731;;1 BOlllb Sqlllldnlll
~521ld BOlllb GrollI'
Stll AirForct'
William E. Henry
ArlllY Air Forces
391s/ BOlllb GrollI'
S/II Air Forc,'
The Henry twins entered service separately, "Tony"
(see page -11) was first commissioned asan I1lfi1ll1r.'l
officer, bUI transferred to the Air Forces. lloth
received pilot training .1t Moodlf Ficl«. Above,
lViliiam'swife is pinning his pilot's wings ,11 Mt~ld!l
Fic/d. Both new B-l7's in the £iS1II1I Air Force, from
England.
lVilliam L. "lVoot"Goodloe (see page I ) was
"Tony's" brother-in-law,Al right, this picture of the
Henry twins, with " \\'001" (later known as
"Dynamite"], was taken at lVilllIlIl RidS'" t1rkilllsils,
where the Henrys were taking aviation basic tr,lining
and Goodloe was working in the fhll1l1ft' St'ctil"'.
Below, " 1(111)''' (standing third from left) is with the
crew of his 13-17, in [ ngl,1l1d.
The Fountains
Harold Fountain
Nm·y
Alllpilibiolls Forct's / Beacl: Bllttll/ioll
USS Ltlillllde;; APA 15~ / Fiftll Fil'et
Wilbur Fountain
ArlllY
S211d Air/loTl/" Dh'i;;ioll
Edgar Fountain
I
m'y
Fleet Ocellll Iitg / Tllird Fleet
Charles E. Salter
ArillY
1253rd Ellgilleer COIII/mi BIl.
Served in the E.1.O.,in Germany. He
married Helen Miller, Februa ry 10, 1 9~ 6 .
These brothersare pictured leftto right.
14
15
Woodrow Wilson Webb
Navy
USS Nl'mda BB-36
Ellison Terry
Merchallt Marille
Orner Hillhouse
Army
Military Police Corps
December 7, 1941, the N,'vada
was attacked and beached to
avoid sinking at l'l'arl Harbor.
John Thomas "J. T." Griffin
MacJIIlII t A'ladlll'
SS Fred G. Harlll'd / / SSAI. A. Halllw
Sailed the Great Lakes between Detroit and
Cleveland to Duluth, Minnesota, transporting
coal and iron ore for the war effort.
Webb transferred to a tran'.
port. hip, which was torpedoed and sank during the
1942 North African Inva ion.
William Roy Guess
AmlY
Hcadqllarll'l"S Ballcry
510/11 AAAGIIIl Balla/ioll
Serving with the Coast Artillery at Fort Kamdwmdw,
TH.• December 7. 1941. he was present during the
Pearl Harbor attack. He campaigned in the Central
Pacific. New Guinea,and the Southern Philippines.
(See page ~ 3 and page47)
* Arthur Fred Gwaltney
Army AirForccs
51st Figlita Sqlladroll
Completed his training at SpCIIC'- Field. Moultrie. and was
posted to the Pll/WIlWCll/wl ZOIlI'. He died in a crash near
Aruba. SA. while on a patrol, March 28. 1 9~5.
Alphonso Rosevelt Hall
Army
8391h Ellgillt'<'l" Aviatioll BII.
Served on Okinawa and in Japan. Assimilated
into the AirForcc, he continued his career and
saw combat servicein Vietnam.
William J. Harris
Nm'y
USS Bamcs CVE-20
Paul Bennett Hatcher
A1"1111/
Headqllarters Coml'a;,y /211d BattaliOlI
85th Irifalltry Regim<'llt
10Ih MO/llliaill Dil,isioll
In the snap hot below, he is at the front
with other members of his squad, in a
trench, northof Florence, Italy, Easter
Sunday, 19-t5.
,
..J
Ezekiel Hall
Navy
51111 Diego NAS/ Key West NAS
A World War I veteran, he served in the
Army. La ter, he enlisted in the Navy, from
which he was retired. He was recalled to
activeduty during World War II and as a
CPOserved as a ChiefStorcman.
Emory G. Hatcher
Army
406t1lll1falltry Re,'im<'llt
10211.1 llIjillltry Dil'isiOJI
Served in France, Belgium, Holland
and Germany. They first fought as
part of General Bernard L.
Montgomery's ArmyCrollI'. The
"Dzat):" Division joined with the
Ru ssian forces at the Elbe River, as a
part of Nillih Army.
Robert E. "Bob" Hansen
Army AirForces
Class 45-8
Moody Field, Ceorgia
Bob graduated in the last
advanced twin-engine (B25)
pilottraining classat Moody
in April, 19-t5, receiving his
commission in the AAF.
From there he was transferred to Truax Field,
Madison, Wisconsin.
Charles IV. Hatcher
Army
llIjillltry Traillillg C<'IIter
Fort Ord, Calijomia
Entered service with Nniiona! Cuard
Coml'allY C, 121st Illf all try Resimellt,
30th llIjillllry Ui;'isioll. Was cadre
with the 8th IlIflllltry Di;,isiOJI and
later assigned to the Fort Ord
llIjillltry TraillillS C<'II/er.
I
Curtis C. Hampton
Army
16
John Earl Hall
NOl'y
LCl519
Was a Signalman/Quartermaster
on a craft making landings in New
Guinea, the Philippines, Okinawa
and China. He and Frank Christian
(page8) metin Okinawa in 19-t5,
photographed outside Frank's tent.
17
Cooper Barry Henderson
Army AirForces
SOlltllellst Tmillillg Comlllalld
Cocllmll Field, Georgill
James Glenn Gregory
Army
4499tl, Sm'ic<' Commalld Ullit
Military Police
Army Sen'ia FoTCt's
William Maynard "Bill" Ea nes
Army AirForce»
4tll Wmtller S')Iwdroll
A Weather Cryptographer, he coded
and decoded weather messages.
lsben S. Giddens
Army
A'lcdical Corps
Served ,1S an Illfillltry Battalion
surgeon in the Pacific Theatre.
"
Warren C. Graham, Jr.
Navy
Enrolled in the V-12 program, he completed his
studies at the Uniled Stales Nava l Academy in 19~8 .
Pictured with him arc his mother Margaret Roberts
Graham and sister, Catherine Young "Snookie"
Graham (Cobb).
John J. Langdale, Jr.
Na vy
USS Peter H. BII,."elle IX104
Clarence H. Heidemann
Army AirForces
30tll Plloto Recollllai;';'llllc,' Sq.
9/11 Air Force
This mobile unit stayedclose
behind the lines, processing and
interpreting photographs made of
enemyinstallations by 1'38
reconnaissanceaircraft .
Edward J. Hobrat
Army AirFoTCt's
1377 AAFBas" Ullit
AirTrallsport Commalid
Helped operatea water purification
unit supportingan air base in the
Azores Islands. He shared Indiana,
Pennsylvania with Jimmy Stewart, as
thei r hometown.