When a soldier, sailor or marine goes off to war there is always the chance that they may not return. In some cases not only is one killed, but their mortal remains are unable to be recovered and sent home for burial. Oftentimes these cases, like the following story, occur among those serving in aircraftContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Richard K. Breting”
Tag Archives: Veteran
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: Specialist 4 Thomas Michael Struchen
The stories of fallen heroes are composed of long lists of “All American Boys.” Young men often went from their high school playing fields to the jungles of Vietnam within a few short months. They, like many heroes before them, gave their lives far from the people they loved and the country they served. TheContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Specialist 4 Thomas Michael Struchen”
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: 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 First Class Thomas Alan Johnson
Bases, roads, hospitals and so much more are essential to the military’s operations and the soldiers responsible for constructing them are often overlooked. Much of their efforts are done under hostile enemy fire and can be just as dangerous as any other soldier’s duty. This is one of those cases. David Johnson (1857-1920), relocated fromContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private First Class Thomas Alan Johnson”
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”
Tuscarawas County Stories 