I have been hesitant until now to write of a fallen hero from the Vietnam War. Many of my friends’ fathers and uncles served in that conflict and that “closeness” makes it difficult. Even in writing this post, I found myself getting more emotional than I typically do when writing of these heroes. Martin DouglasContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: SP 5 Martin Douglas Klann”
Category Archives: fallen heroes
Fallen Heroes: Private William Davy
Often what makes historical research so frustrating can also be what makes it so fulfilling. I decided to look into the brief life of Private William Davy (1844-1863) precisely because I could find so little information about him. Now having done so, I am proud to bring his story of service out from under theContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private William Davy”
Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Wilbur R. Bailey
The hedgerows of the Normandy countryside can be beautiful, but during the days that Wilbur R. Bailey (1921-1944) spent among them in July 1944 they proved fatal. According to one newspaper account reporting his death, Wilbur was the only World War Two casualty from within the limits of Mineral City. Wilbur R. Bailey was bornContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Wilbur R. Bailey”
Fallen Heroes: Private Ralph James Fivecoat
When Private Ralph James Fivecoat (1896-1919) died in France, the war had officially been over for nearly three months. Nonetheless, the Tuscarawas County coal miner, who had been fatally wounded, never returned home. John Fivecoat (1872-1963) and his wife Nora Shaffer (1875-1965) lived in the community of Tuscarawas when they welcomed their first child, andContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Ralph James Fivecoat”
Fallen Heroes: Private John D. Corpman
John D. Corpman (1840-1863) found himself, along with his comrades in the Union Army, marching across Tennessee in the winter of 1862. After a year and a half of service he had luckily managed to avoid serious injury and disease. Unfortunately, his luck would soon run out just northeast of the town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.Continue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private John D. Corpman”
Fallen Heroes: Private George H. Timmerman
Most Americans have seen still photos or film, either real or cinematic, of the Allies’ D-Day assault on the coast of France during World War Two. While those images are dramatic and informative, only those who were there can truly speak to the horror, and bravery, that occurred on those beaches. Fallen Tuscarawas County heroContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private George H. Timmerman”
Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Fred Schenk
I have used the phrase “fallen heroes” to describe all of the service individuals I have written about to date. Very rarely, if ever, do I find an eyewitness account of the individual’s heroic sacrifice. In researching the life of Tuscarawas County’s Staff Sergeant Fred Schenk (1915-1945), and his death during the Battle of theContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Fred Schenk”
Fallen Heroes: Private Daniel F. Freed
If you have read any of my previous Fallen Heroes posts you know that many of the heroes profiled do not die on the battlefield. Accidents and disease occur that take the lives of those prepared to sacrifice it in the service of their country. Sometimes the most heart wrenching losses occur shortly after aContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Daniel F. Freed”
Fallen Heroes: Private Joseph Lawver
Any death by soldiers serving their country are tragic losses, sometimes those deaths occur in battle, sometimes from accidents, and oftentimes due to illness. The tragedy of the death of Joseph Lawver (1893-1918) in World War One was tragic for other reasons as well. Joseph was the only son of Sugarcreek Township, Tuscarawas County farmerContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Joseph Lawver”
Fallen Heroes: Private Robert C. Watson
Very rarely do we learn the details of how a fallen hero met their death and, often, the oral history of what may have happened can be flawed or incomplete. In the case of Newport, Tuscarawas County’s Robert C. Watson (1922-1943), how he lost his life serving overseas was well documented by his unit. RobertContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Robert C. Watson”
Tuscarawas County Stories 