Fallen Heroes: Corporal Charles W. Newton

Many of the men covered in this series of profiles were young men, in the prime of their lives, when war took them away from their friends and families. This profile illustrates that point better than many, the “young man” was barely a man when he went off to war. The ancestors of Charles W.Continue reading “Fallen Heroes: Corporal Charles W. Newton”

Fallen Heroes: Private Joseph (Joe) Aspinall

Once again I have come across the story of a fallen hero whose family had only recently arrived from abroad. This soldier served a country that his parents had decided offered them, and their children, a better life. Like so many before and after him, this immigrant’s son would be called on to make theContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Joseph (Joe) Aspinall”

Fallen Heroes: Private Adam Frantz

Typically my fallen heroes stories focus on those who gave the ultimate sacrifice while in service. In this case I have chosen instead to look at the service of a man who fought for independence during the American Revolutionary War, became one of the earliest American settlers in Tuscarawas County, and yet somehow escaped attention.Continue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Adam Frantz”

Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Loren Ray Miller

The story of every fallen hero is a sad one to write, but occasionally I will come across one that seems more so. When I sit down to research each fallen hero I often come across efforts by others to document some aspect of that person’s life, showing me that they have not been completelyContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Loren Ray Miller”

Fallen Heroes: Private Fred Heintz

The stress of combat can affect soldiers differently. World War One was notorious for a perceived new ailment called “shell shock”, an ailment we now refer to as post-traumatic stress disorder. Private Fred Heintz (1888-1923) was a different man when he returned from the fields of France, and like many veterans his life would beContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Fred Heintz”

Fallen Heroes: Signalman Second Class Charles Robert Maus

When one enters into military service, one does so knowing that there is a possibility that they may be killed while engaged with an enemy. Unfortunately, there is also the risk that one may be killed accidently by their own comrade-in-arms. Charles Robert Maus was the victim of just such an incident. The Maus familyContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Signalman Second Class Charles Robert Maus”

Fallen Heroes: Corporal James R. Bair

I imagine that when Corporal James R. Bair (1931-1952) learned he would be sent to Korea, he had no idea how long that deployment would last. Unfortunately, his service there was cut short and he returned home far sooner than anyone expected. James Bair was born in 1931, the youngest son of Raymond Bair (1898-1993)Continue reading “Fallen Heroes: Corporal James R. Bair”

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 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”