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#4563541 - 04/10/21 11:26 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(April 6, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – It is with a heavy heart, World War II veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Charles H. Coolidge dies at 99.

He was Chattanooga’s hero of World War II. He was a symbol for all of the heroic sacrifices of the city’s service men and women in the 1940s. He was Tennessee’s bravest man, who refused to surrender.
Those are not Charles Coolidge’s words. He was humble to a fault. But he was undeniably proud of his place in our city’s history, and that of our nation.

Charles H. Coolidge died Tuesday, April 6 at the age of 99. He was four months shy of his 100th birthday on August 4. His death leaves only one surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient, 97-year-old Woody Williams of West Virginia.
The praise that Coolidge received from his peers in the military, from journalists, and from those who admired him was hard earned.

The shy young man who had been described as the best rock-thrower in the neighborhood, blossomed into a leader of men. At the age of 23, he found himself, unexpectedly as the senior enlisted man, leading a group of young recruits against a German infantry. Coolidge’s troops were outnumbered 4-1.

It was in France, on October 24, 1944, and the standoff would continue for three days. Despite a German commander’s demands for the Americans to stand down, Coolidge would not surrender. Calling it self-preservation, Coolidge led his band of 30 soldiers, and he wouldn’t back down.
“Come and get me,” he said.

He dodged German tanks, hiding behind tree trunks, tossing hand grenades along the way. Coolidge and his men killed 26 enemy soldiers, wounding 60 others. Coolidge was the first to approach the Germans, and the last to leave.

Ten months later, he received a hero’s welcome at a packed Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium. It was Charles Coolidge Day in Chattanooga honoring the city’s only Medal of Honor recipient, and we still celebrate him every day, at the park and the highway named in his honor. Had fate not intervened, he would have been perfectly happy as an anonymous book binder at his family’s printing company, still in business, 111 years after its founding.

Instead, he became a larger than life symbol of heroism, courage, and patriotism. The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center stands as a lasting tribute, sharing Charles Coolidge’s story with those who remember the sacrifices of the greatest generation, and those who are too young to recall a nation truly united in its quest for freedom.

Charles Coolidge’s life spanned almost a century, surprising no one more than Coolidge himself. He never forgot staring down near certain death during those days in France, and throughout two years of constant danger. He often said he was lucky to be alive. Maybe so, but we are really the lucky ones.

Funeral services will be Friday, April 16, at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church. Burial will follow at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. Visitation is Thursday, April 15, from 4-6 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home, East Brainerd Chapel.

Attached Files Coolidge.jpg
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#4563542 - 04/10/21 11:28 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(APRIL 9, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.

The Duke of Edinburgh and his generation will forever be treasured by the Armed Forces for their leadership and sacrifice during World War II.”

Prince Philip from the Britroyals.com Philip was born Philippos Prince of Greece and Denmark on the Greek Island of Corfu in 1921. His father was Prince Andrew, younger brother of King Constantine of Greece, and his mother Princess Alice of Battenberg. He is a great-great-grandchild of Queen Victoria though his mother’s family.

The monarchy of Greece was overthrown in 1922, and George V sent a Royal Navy ship HMS Calypso to rescue them. The one-year-old Philip was carried to safety in an orange box. The family lived in Paris, but his parents’ marriage broke up and Philip went to school in England, Germany and then Gordonstoun in Scotland where he was head of the school cricket and hockey teams and became head boy.

Princess Elizabeth and Philip first met when they attended the wedding of Philip’s cousin, Princess Marina of Greece to The Duke of Kent, who was an uncle of Princess Elizabeth, in 1934.

Philip joined the Royal Navy in 1939 and attended Dartmouth college whereas a cadet Philip of Greece he showed round then 13 years old Princess Elizabeth. He saw active service in WWII in the Mediterranean taking part in the Allied invasion of Sicily, and with the British Pacific fleet was present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrender was signed.

He returned to Britain in 1946 and served as a staff officer at Greenwich Naval College. In 1947 he became a naturalized British subject, and adopted the surname Mountbatten, the anglicized version of his mother’s name of Battenberg. He converted from Greek Orthodox to the Anglican religion and renounced his allegiance to the Greek crown.

A constant supporter and ambassador of the Armed Forces throughout his lifetime, he will be very much missed by members of the military community.

Attached Files Philip.jpg
#4563544 - 04/10/21 11:30 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(APRIL 10, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – It is with a heavy heart, we learn the news that Army medic Ray Lambert, D-Day survivor, WWII torch bearer, dies at 100.

Lambert died at his home in Seven Lakes, North Carolina, with his wife and daughter by his side, said neighbor and friend Dr. Darrell Simpkins. The physician, who accompanied Lambert to France in June 2019.

“Ray was talking coherently, conversing on the phone, and enjoying visitors until yesterday,” Simpkins wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “He was an amazing man.”

The Alabama native was a medic with 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, part of the Army’s 1st Division — the “Big Red One.” He took part in the Allied invasions of North Africa and Sicily before his war came to an end June 6, 1944, on the sands of Omaha Beach.

Sgt. Lambert was in the first wave of the assault. He was helping a wounded soldier in the heavy surf when a landing craft ramp dropped on him, pushing him to the bottom.

“Ray was only 23, but he had already earned three Purple Hearts and two Silver Stars for fighting in North Africa and Sicily,” then-President Donald Trump told a hushed crowd in 2019 at the American Cemetery overlooking the beach.

“They came to the sector, right here below us,” Trump continued as Lambert sat behind him, his favorite purple “D-Day Survivor” cap on his head. “Again and again, Ray ran back into the water. He dragged out one man after another. He was shot through the arm. His leg was ripped open by shrapnel. His back was broken. He nearly drowned.”

At the end of his speech, Trump turned to face Lambert.

“Ray,” he said. “The free world salutes you.”

For many years, the diminutive businessman refused to talk about the horrors he had witnessed and experienced overseas. But as he aged and his fellow veterans began passing away, he felt a sacred duty to share his story, and theirs.

“I did what I was called to do,” he wrote in his book, “Every Man a Hero,” published shortly before the 75th anniversary.

“As a combat medic, my job was to save people, and to lead others who did the same. I was proud of that job and remain so. But I was always an ordinary man, not one who liked being at the head of a parade...

“My job now is to remember, not for my sake, but for the sake of others.”

Lambert had made many trips to Normandy in France, visiting classrooms and posing for innumerable photos. During the 2019 trip, a French elementary school student asked Lambert if he still had nightmares about Normandy.

“When I go to look at the beaches at Omaha, I remember all my friends that were killed there,” he said. “And when I look at the Channel and the water is rough, I, it seems at times that I can hear voices.”

That morning in 1944, as bullets whizzed and mortar rounds splashed around him, Lambert scanned the beach for something, anything behind which he could safely treat the wounded. He spotted a lump of leftover German concrete, about 8 feet wide and 4 feet high (2.4 meters wide and 1.2 meters high).

“It was my salvation,” he said
.
A plaque installed in 2018 now recognizes it as “Ray's Rock.”

Simpkins said Lambert requested that his ashes be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and that some be scattered on Omaha Beach.

Lambert is survived by his wife, Barbara, and daughter, Linda McInerney. He was preceded in death by his son, Arnold Lambert.

Attached Files Lambert.jpg
#4570460 - 05/30/21 11:08 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(APRIL 12, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS -- World War II veteran Bill Anderson has been remembered by his family for his heroic battles serving the Allied forces. He was 98.
Bill Anderson was born in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, on January 6, 1923 - and was the eldest son of 12 children. He first met his future wife Jenny when they were 14, and she worked near where he lived. William and Jenny married on June 30, 1945, shortly before the war ended.
And at the age of 20, Anderson joined the war as a tank driver - with his first day of service on June 6, 1944. The veteran drove a Sherman M3 tank onto Juno beach on the day of the Normandy Landings and commanding the first tank to cross the Orne River Bridge during Operation Tonga. His vehicle was the only one in the Troop not to be destroyed.
Bill's only son Richard, 68, from Southminster, Essex, described his dad as a "fantastic guy" and an "absolute model of respect."
He said: "It was a privilege and an honor to know him and to be his son. He was my dad, but he was also my best friend. "For him to have survived everything he did during the war and live to tell us the tale was terrific.
"If I can achieve half of what he achieved in his life, I know I will have lived a good life."
Richard keeps the memory of his father well and truly alive - and has written 100-page records of Bill's life, which he shares with his children.
Bill, who served with the A Squadron Troop 4 as part of the East Riding Yeomanry, was thrown into the D-Day action on his first day of active service on June 6, 1944.
His son said: "They were at full throttle. The ramp went down, and a half-track went off first and disappeared.
"Dad saw an arm come out of a window, but it sank, and that was it. Someone stepped in front of the visor and signaled Bill to stop, and the ramp came up again.
"The next thing he knew, the ramp had opened again, and he was on Juno Beach with the Canadians."
He added: "He fought his way through Belgium and France to support the 51st Highland Regiment. "He fought in the Ardennes forests, and his regiment went to Holland and helped to clear the enemy resistance.
"His experience meant he was also an excellent mechanic, and he received a citation for ensuring his tank was not once found to be not battle-worthy."
Bill's wife Jenny, now 98, has survived her husband and lives in the home the couple shared in Althorne, Essex.
In 2019, Bill attended the 75th anniversary of D-Day at Burnham war memorial - where he was shocked to find people wanting to shake his hand. Richard said: "He thought he was just going there to remember his mates, but there was a queue of people wanting to shake his hand."
Speaking at the time, Bill said: "I never imagined so many people would want to shake my hand, thank me for what I did and wish me well.
"I was amazed and humbled by it all, especially as I only did what I was trained to do."

Attached Files Anderson.jpg
#4570461 - 05/30/21 11:09 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(APRIL 21, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS -- Pearl Harbor veteran and Ohio resident Mr. Joe Whitt has died at the age of 97 - leaving less then 50 known Pearl Harbor survivors alive.
Joe Whitt was aboard the USS San Francisco when the horrific attack on Pearl Harbor was launched on Dec. 7, 1941.
For decades after the attack, the man who served his country proudly would recall the “boom, boom, boom,” sounds of the bombs coming from the planes.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a statement to the Enquirer saluting a true patriot and hero.
“On Wednesday, Ohio lost one of its true patriots and heroes in Joe Whitt, who survived the Pearl Harbor attack that began America’s involvement in World War II. Joe had been in the Navy for almost exactly a year and was aboard the USS San Francisco when the bombs fell out of the sky and changed our world forever,” DeWine said in his statement.
“Joe was a resident at our Ohio Veterans Home in Georgetown and was a warm and engaging man. I had the honor of meeting him on Veterans Day in 2019. Joe had trouble with his sight in his later years and would often hold the hand of the person with which he spoke to show his appreciation and make sure his thoughts were being shared. Our condolences and prayers go out to his devoted wife, Judy, and the many other loved ones he leaves behind — all of us a little wiser and truly grateful for his amazing deeds and life.”
In a 2016 interview with the Enquirer, Whitt said he could clearly recall the horrors of the Pearl Harbor attack.
He and other seamen were dressed in white Navy shorts and T-shirts. Some were attending church as the attacks began just before 8 a.m, according to our media partners at the Cincinnati Enquirer. The San Francisco was in dry-dock, and a huge crane covering it helped prevent damage to the ship as the bombs fell.
“They sounded ‘Battle Stations,’ " he said. “I was out in the open. You could see the Japanese planes. All you could hear was ‘boom, boom, boom.’”
Whitt witnessed the sinking of the USS Arizona, USS Oklahoma and USS Utah, which were hit by bombs or torpedoes. He remembered being given a Marine rifle to use; very few arms and little ammunition were aboard the San Francisco while it was in drydock.
“They sent us to the rear of the ship, and we were shooting at planes with our rifles,” he said.
That day, 2,403 Americans died and 1,178 were wounded.
Whitt served for six years and in 17 major battles during World War II. When he left the Navy, he was a Bosun Mate first class. He worked for 38 years as a service technician for Coca-Cola.
Whitt is survived by his wife Judith, and his son, Rodney (Judy) Whitt and daughter Carolyn (Jon) Larson. He had six grandsons and seven great-grandchildren, according to our media partners at the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Whitt, of Bethel, Ohio, was born in 1923 in Elliott County, Kentucky to Estill and Sarah Whitt. He was one of nine children and is survived by three siblings.
His grandson, Peter Larson, said the proud veteran will be sorely missed by his family.
“Joe Whitt was a man of action with seemingly endless stories. He fought from Pearl to Tokyo Harbor. He built his home with his own two hands and filled it with his art,” Larson said. “He lived like no one I’ve ever met and he loved his family beyond measure. We will miss him dearly.”

Attached Files Whitt.jpg
#4570462 - 05/30/21 11:10 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(APRIL 21, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – Normandy World War II Veteran, Arlen Butler, dies at 100.
Services are pending for Arlen Jay Butler, 100, who resided in the Cash community just south of Greenville. Butler was reported to have died Monday.
In the spring of 1943, Private First-Class Arlen Butler was fresh out of boot camp, preparing to head overseas to do his part for the United States Army in World War II.
Seventy-Six years later, Butler, can still tell the stories of landing at D Day and fighting through Northern France into the decisive Battle of the Bulge as a member of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division.
He earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart among many other awards, but don’t expect Butler to claim he was a “hero” for his military service.
“I am just a plain old ex-GI, but I have done a few things,” Butler said.
In more recent times, Butler has been active in relaying his tales of the war and in fighting to make sure veterans receive the benefits they have coming.
“I may be the only World War II vet here in Hunt County that took part in the invasion and in the Battle of the Bulge both,” Butler said. In fact, he realizes that there aren’t that many World War II veterans in the county these days.
“The American Legion has got four or five guys that are World War II vets,” Butler said. “There’s not a whole bunch of us here in Hunt County.”
Butler said he was among the thousands to land on Omaha Beach and marched across France and into Germany.
“We made the very first bridgehead across the Rhine River,” Butler said.
His unit was involved in helping liberate European POW camps.
“You could count their ribs, they were so skinny,” Butler said of some of the prisoners they freed. “They were almost skin and bones.”
Butler was wounded in the right leg and foot when the 23rd Infantry encountered German soldiers while attempting to diffuse booby traps.
He made trip to France for the 50th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion and received a special gold medal to recognize his efforts.
Butler helped organize the Texas Veterans Coalition and served as its president for most of its history. For several years, the group was dedicated to making veterans aware of the benefits they had earned and how to apply for them.
“We closed it out earlier this year,” Butler said. At the start Butler said 35 to 40 veterans, many of whom had served in World War II, regularly attended the meetings.
“And then it just gradually came down,” Butler said. “I think this last meeting we just had seven people.”
Butler was involved and stood guard annually for nine years during the Veterans Vigil program at Texas A&M University-Commerce. He also speaks regularly about his experiences to students at Ford High School in Quinlan and Bryan Adams High School in Dallas.
“They call me, and I’ll go over and talk to them,” Butler said.
In October, Butler was also a lecturer as part of the East Texas War and Memory Project at the university.
He helps his wife Trevelyan operate a gift shop in Quinlan and occasionally on Friday nights he will entertain an audience by singing karaoke to the tunes of Hank Williams, Eddy Arnold or Lefty Frizzell.
While still with the Coalition, Butler helped bring “The Moving Wall”, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, to the West Tawakoni City Park.
“We had some money left over, so I bought a vet memorial which is down there now,” Butler said.
He recalled busloads of children arriving to check out the “Moving Wall” and learn more about the sacrifices made by those who served. Butler hopes to see it again.
“We are trying to see if we can get the wall brought back to Hunt County within the near future, say the next couple or three years,” Butler said.
Until then, Butler said he intends to keep doing what has kept him busy for the past several years.
“I am going to keep on fighting for veteran’s rights,” he said.

Attached Files Butler.jpg
#4570463 - 05/30/21 11:11 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(APRIL 25, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – It is with a heavy heart, we learn the news that Clayton Schenkelberg, who was believed to be the oldest Pearl Harbor survivor, dies at 103.
Born a year before the Spanish flu swept the country, his final year included a run-in with the current pandemic, COVID-19. He caught it but didn’t get sick, family members said.
In between, he experienced one of the most fateful days in modern U.S. history, the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor that led to the United States’ involvement in World War II. A Navy torpedoman at a submarine base, Schenkelberg volunteered to drive a train loaded with the underwater missiles away from strafing Japanese airplanes. Then he ran to an armory, grabbed a rifle and started shooting back.
After the war, he stayed in the Navy for two more decades, got married and raised seven children, and eventually settled in San Diego, where he had a second career as a high school custodian.
His motto through the years: one day at a time.
“If you asked him about any of it, he would tell you he was just doing what needed to be done,” his son Patrick said. “He didn’t think it was anything special. He had a job to do, and he did it.”
Born Oct. 17, 1917, in Carroll, Iowa, Schenkelberg knew hardship early on. His mother died when he was 9. When he was 12, the stock market crashed, triggering the Great Depression. At age 17, his father, a livestock salesman and grain-elevator operator, was killed in an accident.
In 1937, he followed an older brother into the Navy and was sent to Pearl Harbor and into torpedo work. On the morning the Japanese planes attacked, his shift was just ending. He was looking forward to spending the day with his girlfriend.
Of the roughly 50,000 American service members on Oahu, Hawaii, that day, about 2,400 were killed and 1,200 injured. More than 30 ships and hundreds of airplanes were destroyed or damaged.
The survivors who helped win the war and got on with their lives were dubbed the greatest generation. There is no official roster of how many are still alive.
“I would say less than 100,” said Stuart Hedley, 99, who for decades has been San Diego’s most active and visible survivor, giving talks, visiting schools and riding in parades.
That estimate includes four men with ties to the now-defunct Pearl Harbor Survivors Assn. chapter in San Diego. At its peak, with almost 600 members, it was thought to be the largest chapter in the nation. When it shut down two years ago, it was believed to be the last one still operating.
Hedley believes Schenkelberg had been the oldest survivor in the country. Patrick Schenkelberg said various officials in recent years told him that was the case too.
If so, it was a badge he wore modestly. At various memorial events, he routinely deflected attention from himself. “We’re still paying our respects to those who didn’t make it,” he said in 2016 during the annual Pearl Harbor Day remembrance at the USS Midway Museum.
He retired from the Navy in 1967 and worked for almost 20 years as a custodian at Patrick Henry High and other local schools. He was active with Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in El Cajon, collecting donations and distributing food and clothing for more than 30 years.
“He was an outstanding gentleman, very humble and always ready to lend a hand,” Hedley said. “I’m honored to have called him a friend.”
Survivors include his children, Marlene Luedtke of Cut Bank, Mont.; Karen Boyle of Round Rock, Texas; Robert Schenkelberg of San Diego; Patrick Schenkelberg of San Diego; and Carrie Harris of San Diego; and more than 40 grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife of 74 years, Alithea, and two sons, Barry and James.

Attached Files Schenkelberg.jpg
#4570464 - 05/30/21 11:11 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(APRIL 26, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – It is with a heavy heart, we share the news that the beautiful and famous World War II Canteen Lady Ms. Dorothy R. (Loncar) VanBuskirk has died. She was 95.
Dorothy, "BABA" as she was lovingly called and meaning "Grandmother" in Serbian, was born on March 15, 1926, in Sidney, NE, to Mike & Rose (Novak) Loncar, Yugoslavian immigrants. She graduated from North Platte Senior High School in 1946.
As a teenager, she proudly served alongside her mother, Rose Loncar, and sisters, Pat (Burns) & Rosetta (Farley), welcoming the countless troop trains filled with U.S. Servicemen at the North Platte Canteen during World War II.
During the early days of World War II, troop movements were considered a military secret. UP special agents reportedly gave the word about the upcoming arrival of troop trains in North Platte only to head canteen officials. They would alert other volunteers to come to the depot by calling and saying, "I have the coffee on."
At first, canteen workers had to prepare food items in the nearby Cody Hotel and store their treats in a shed near the depot. Rae Wilson then personally approached Union Pacific President William M. Jeffers (who was a native of North Platte) for permission to use the vacant station lunchroom for a canteen center. Jeffers quickly agreed. The workers moved into the lunchroom shortly before January 1, 1942.
At the peak of the war, 3,000 to 5,000 service personnel were provided with food, magazines, and entertainment during their brief stops at the canteen. The canteen was operated entirely by volunteers from about 125 communities in and around the state. Funds were raised from different sources: scrap drives, dances, concerts, movie benefits, and cash donations. Even decades later, servicemen and women who had traveled through North Platte remembered and appreciated the efforts of this plains community.
The North Platte Canteen finally closed in April 1946. The Union Pacific station in North Platte was torn down in 1973 when passenger train service ended. However, a historical marker built out of bricks from the old depot now marks the spot and tells the story of the canteen.
On August 31, 1946, Dorothy married Robert L. VanBuskirk of North Platte, NE, in Sioux City. Robert was soon transferred to the Airway Traffic Control Center in St. Louis, MO, to continue his work as a federal air traffic controller. Daughter Pamela was born in St. Louis on August 15, 1947.
Upon returning to North Platte, Dorothy again worked for Sweetbriar Shop, a women's clothing and accessory shop, where she had begun working when she was a Junior in High School.
In March of 1950, she became the store manager, and her business acumen and work ethic were highly regarded by management. The company newsletter stated that Mrs. Dorothy VanBuskirk was "loyal, ambitious and energetic," and due to her "efficient management," her store earned the title of "The Store Of The Month" in June 1956.
In March 1962, Dorothy & Robert purchased Rhoads Exclusive Women's Wear, a well-recognized clothing boutique in North Platte that Dorothy operated until her retirement in the early 1980s. The VanBuskirk Building that housed the business stands in downtown North Platte today.
Dorothy had a gift for selling her high-end and exclusive women's wear and accessories to ladies near and far.
Many of her clients were Nebraska Sandhills ranch wives, with some of them traveling to North Platte by airplane to be picked up by Dorothy and driven to her store where she would dress them in items they never imagined wearing. She developed a loyal following, many of whom she would purchase exclusively for at the Dallas and New York markets annually. Her exquisite gift wrapping papers and bows, along with her distinguished style of wrapping, were a signature of her store, and countless husbands were threatened should one of her special packages not be under the Christmas Tree!
Dorothy was active in many community organizations, including PEO Chapter G, Lincoln County Historical Museum, Red Cross, North Platte Country Club, Lochland Country Club, and Winter Dance Club.
Dorothy was an accomplished quilter and needlepoint artist and would often gift her handmade items to fortunate friends and family. She would happily provide sewing repair on all types of clothing items for her grandson Justin, a cherished highlight of her life. She also loved caring for her daughter Pamela's cats and spending time doing puzzles with fellow Kensington residents and her great-grandchildren. Dorothy was always known to have Old Westerns or Husker Sports playing on her TV.
Many loved Dorothy, and her wonderfully warm personality and smile brought joy and love to those in her presence. She was most fortunate to have spent her final years at The Kensington, where the excellent staff and residents became her extended family.

Attached Files VanBuskirk.jpg
#4570465 - 05/30/21 11:12 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(APRIL 28, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS -- Prominent World War II veteran WILLIAM LOUIE, a Utah architect who designed many of the state's most prominent buildings, has died at 98.
Born on January 18, 1923, in Ogden, Utah to Wing Louie and May Szto Shee, Will grew up with five brothers and four sisters. After high school, he worked at Hill Air Force Base until he enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II.
LOUIE was 19 years old. He served in the celebrated 354th “Pioneer Mustang” Fighter Group and was stationed in England, France, and Germany. During the war, while LOUIE was painting a mural in the mess hall, someone told him he should go into architecture. That was the first time Will even considered the profession.
On April 3, 2021 LOUIE was awarded the Chinese-American World War II Veteran Congressional Gold Medal.
After the war ended, with the support of the GI Bill, LOUIE was one of seven members in the first graduating class of the School of Architecture at the University of Utah in 1951.
LOUIE was the first minority and Asian to be licensed as an Architect in the State of Utah in 1957. After graduation, LOUIE worked in the offices of Scott and Beecher. In 1958, at the young age of 35, LOUIE was offered a partnership and the firm was renamed Scott and Louie, later evolving into Scott, Louie, and Browning. Over the next 40 years, the award-winning firm would go on to design over 250 buildings. Capping a long career in architecture, LOUIE was the recipient of the American Institute of Architects' Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
LOUIE married Merrie in October 1951 and raised two sons and five daughters. Our dad was a creative spirit. He created many beautiful works of art including annual Christmas cards for family and friends. He received notable recognition for his watercolors at the Utah State Fair with multiple “Best in Show” awards. Additionally, LOUIE was an avid fan of the University of Utah football and basketball and the Utah Jazz. He was an aficionado of exotic cars and enjoyed golfing, fishing, and camping with his family.
Please join us in celebrating the live of World War II veteran WILLIAM LOUIE.

Attached Files LOUIE.jpg
#4570466 - 05/30/21 11:13 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(MAY 03, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – It is with great sadness, we learn the passing of WWII and Korea veteran, Phillip L. Brown.
Phillip Linwood Brown, son of Ernest A. Brown and his wife, Lillian V. Brown, was born and raised in East Baltimore. He was a graduate of city public schools.
Mr. Brown attended what is now Morgan State University and was a graduate of the Apex Beauty College and Barber School. He established a beauty salon and operated the business until closing it when he enlisted in the Army in 1942, serving in both the European and Pacific theaters.
After being discharged, he returned to Baltimore and completed his studies for a master barber’s license. He opened the Uptown Barbershop on West North Avenue in 1945, and with the outbreak of the Korean War 1950 closed the business and returned to active duty with the Army, serving for two years.
After being discharged in 1952, he reopened his shop and continued barbering until the outbreak of the pandemic last year.
“He was in his 90s and still cutting hair,” said Michele Harrison, a grandniece who lives in Baltimore.
Active in Masonic circles, Mr. Brown joined the Samuel J. Ennis Lodge No. 106 in 1960, and three years later was its worshipful master, helping to expand its membership. He later transferred to St. John’s Lodge No. 5, where he was its longtime worshipful master and treasurer.
For 27 years, he was an instructor in the Lodge of Instructions, assistant and later deputy Grand Master and a past Grand Master. He was a former past patron of the Order of the Eastern Star, Clare R. Overton Chapter No. 59, and was the past high priest of the Royal Arch Masons, Keystone Chapter No. 10.
He was a life member of American Legion Post 14 and was a charter member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 6188. He was a charter member and past president of the North Avenue Merchants Association, and was chairman of the board and treasurer of the Walbrook Merchants Association.

Attached Files Brown.jpg
#4570467 - 05/30/21 11:14 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(MAY 11, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – It is with great sadness; we learn the passing of World War II veteran Edgar Harrell last surviving Marine from the USS Indianapolis.
Harrell was stationed aboard the USS Indianapolis in 1945, guarding components of the atomic bomb it was carrying. In one of the most notorious stories of the war, the ship was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine and sank, leaving its crew fighting for their lives in shark-infested waters. Of the crew of 1195 men, Harrell was one of only 316 to survive. He later returned to the U.S. and owned and operated the Pella Window Company in Rock Island, Illinois, for 35 years until his retirement in 1985. Along with his son, David Harrell, he wrote the book “Out of the Depths,” relating his experience in the USS Indianapolis disaster. In 2018, Harrell and the other remaining survivors of the USS Indianapolis were honored with the Congressional Gold Medal. His death leaves only five survivors of the disaster still living.
To perpetuate the legacies of our nation's heroes, please consider a donation to support the mission of The Greatest GENERATIONS Foundation.

Attached Files Harrell.jpg
#4570468 - 05/30/21 11:15 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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MAY 16, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – D-Day veteran awarded highest Dutch honor dies aged 104.
Major Ken Mayhew played a pivotal role in the liberation of the Netherlands from Nazi occupation.
In 1946, Major Mayhew was knighted by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, the great-grandmother of the current monarch, King William-Alexander.
He was awarded the Knight fourth class of the Military William Order, the Dutch equivalent of the Victoria Cross and the Légion d'Honneur. The Order's motto means bravery, leadership and loyalty.
Born in Helmingham in 1917, and educated at Framlingham College, Major Mayhew was a keen sportsman representing his school, regiment and county in cricket, hockey and squash.
He joined the Territorial Army in April 1939 and was commissioned into The Suffolk Regiment in May 1940, reporting to the Depot in Bury St Edmunds. There he was ordered to collect 150 recruits from Warley and take them to the 1st Battalion in Somerset to join the remnants of the battalion who had just escaped from France at Dunkirk.
Once the threat of German invasion had passed the battalion started training as one of the assault divisions for the eventual liberation of France. Three and a half years later Major Mayhew landed with 1 Suffolk in Normandy on D-Day. By then he was a Captain commanding the carrier platoon.
He served continuously until February 1945, apart from three weeks recovering from his injuries.
In Normandy he took part in the battles for Hillman on D-Day, Chateau de La Londe and the Tinchebray crossroads.
On August 16, commanding three sections of his carrier platoon “Ken Force”, he was part of the vanguard to liberate the town of Flers, subsequently receiving the Freedom of Flers from a grateful town.
His Commanding Officer wrote: "He proved himself a magnificent and courageous company commander, showing a contempt for his own safety which shortly was to win for him the admiration of every man under his command.
"His tall figure, proceeding unconcernedly from man to man under most dangerous conditions in action have won for him a place of admiration and respect achieved by few in North West Europe.”
After the war, Major Mayhew built successful grain and transport businesses, while maintaining close contact with his Suffolk Regiment comrades.
At the age of 70 he took up golf, continuing to play into his 90s, and at the age of 97 he was still carrying his clubs. He is survived by his wife Trish, his mainstay and support for 40 years, and family.

Attached Files Mayhew.jpg
#4570469 - 05/30/21 11:15 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(MAY 16, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – It is with great sadness to learn that Normandy World War II veteran Del Tiedeman who piloted the celebrated Douglas C-47 Skytrain, transporting paratroopers D-Day. He was 100.
Even among revered members of the North Bay’s vastly diminished corps of World War II combat veterans, Del Tiedeman of Healdsburg stood out with his simple elegance and his kind nature and palpable gratitude for life and for his many young comrades in uniform who sacrificed all.
“He was a patriot. He was a humble and gracious and honorable man,” said friend Tony Fisher, who met Tiedeman while helping to run the Healdsburg Senior Living care facility, where the war veteran lived the past few years and where he died.
Ardell Clifford Tiedeman was born June 24, 1920, and grew up on a farm in Verona, North Dakota. He entered military training in ROTC at the University of North Dakota and in 1942, the same year he married college sweetheart Jean Gustafson, was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps.
Soon, the officer fulfilled a dream to learn to fly. He honed his skills in a Douglas C-47 Skytrain, a twin-engine workhorse known affectionately as the Gooney Bird or Dakota, or Dak.
A military version of the DC-3, a globally praised early civilian airliner, the C-47 was essential to World War II military operations that included the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France. Tiedeman was just short of 24 and in the pilot’s seat on June 6, 1944, when his C-47 took its place among the waves of such planes that would drop paratroopers and gliders near the beaches of Normandy.
Tears would come to Tiedeman many decades later as he revisited the valor of the young men who stepped from his plane to great uncertainty and peril, and many to their deaths.
“I had a complete thankfulness to those kids. A lot were 18, 19 years old,” he said in a 2019 interview with The Press Democrat.
“This is what they trained for, and they were anxious to get on the way. None of them cried and said, ‘I can’t go. I can’t go.’
“They were all well-trained, and they were patriotic. And they were gentlemen.”
Tiedeman called his plane “Patty Jean,” for his and his wife’s first-born child.
Patty Jean’s father did not relish speaking about combat, but if asked he would recount experiences from the many missions he flew during the blood-bathed Allied liberation of Europe.
During the Battle of the Bulge, he commanded a high-risk mission by five C-47s to airlift to England more than 100 wounded soldiers. The loaded planes hadn’t been in the air long when his crew chief told him, “We have a problem. We have a GI who’s screaming to beat the band.”
Tiedeman was told the soldier was in great pain from wounds to his legs, and his howling was maddening to the other injured GIs. Tiedeman called out to a medic to do something to ease the pain from the soldier’s legs.
At this point in the story, Tiedeman choked back tears. He recounted the medic telling him: “Captain, he doesn’t have any legs.”
Tiedeman said all five C-47s landed safely and the casualties were loaded into ambulances and trucks. The next morning, he recalled, a telephone call came in for him at the airport. A British officer told him all of the men had arrived at a hospital and all were still alive.
Then the officer asked Tiedeman, “Did you know you had a wounded German?” The pilot was pleased to have helped save a young, wounded soldier who happened to have been on the other side.
After the war, Tiedeman and his family settled in Minnesota because his wife’s folks lived there. Tiedeman began a career in banking but didn’t take to it. He learned of an opportunity to go to work in the propane business in Sacramento.
The Tiedemans moved to California, and the vet hired on at Cal Gas. He rose in time to president of the firm. When it was purchased by Dillingham, then a large construction and engineering company based in Hawaii, the Tiedemans moved to Oahu.
Late in his career, Del Tiedeman transferred to the Bay Area and he and Jean lived in Tiburon. He retired at 63 in 1983. For years, he and Jean split their time among North Lake Tahoe, Rancho Murietta, between Sacramento and the Sierra Nevada foothills, and Palm Desert.
Preceded in death by his wife and by children Patricia Tiedeman and James Tiedeman, Del Tiedeman is survived by his daughter in Stanislaus County and his son in Shasta County, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His family plans for a celebration of his life later this year. Story produced by Chris Smith.

Attached Files Tiedeman.jpg
#4570470 - 05/30/21 11:16 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(MAY 18, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS: It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that the World War II Superstar, Mr. George Kenneth Jensen, has died. He was 98.
Born George Kenneth Jensen, he was the ninth of fourteen children born in the Jensen family. He was the only surviving child at the time of his death. George graduated from Dannebrog High School in 1940 as the Valedictorian of his class. He was offered scholarship opportunities to attend college but remained on the family farm during the early years of World War II to assist his parents.
In the summer of 1944, George was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served from August 1944 until November 1946 in the Pacific Theater, assigned as an infantryman replacement for the Battle of Okinawa. The Army set their sights on the isolated island of Okinawa, their last stop before reaching the mainland of Japan.
On May 20th, George and his fellow soldiers continue to push inland, fighting hill after hill when George was seriously wounded. During a one-month visit to the Naval Hospital on Guam, George was given seven shots every day for 20 days of the new drug penicillin. He was transferred and spent another month on Saipan in a hospital as the Atomic Bomb was dropped on Japan. Once his wounds were healed, George later rejoined his unit in the Philippines and Japan and served as occupational forces. At one point in time, George and three brothers simultaneously served their country in WWII.
Both sides suffered enormous losses in the Battle of Okinawa. The Americans bore over 49,000 casualties, including 12,520 killed. Japanese losses were—about 110,000 losing their lives. It’s estimated that between 40,000 and 150,000 Okinawa citizens were also killed.
After the war, George met the love of his life, Darlene Franzen Jobman. They were united in marriage on March 14, 1954. The weekend of George’s marriage to Darlene was significant in his faith walk. He was baptized, confirmed, communed, and married to Darlene at Zion Lutheran Church in Gothenburg, Nebraska.
To this union, four children were born, Monte, Lane, Jana, and Becky. George and Darlene raised their family in Cozad, Nebraska, where George worked for the United States Post Office until retirement. George filled his free time in many ways. He was a terrific gardener, carpenter, baseball/softball coach, sports fan, farmhand, a supporter of his children’s and grandchildren’s activities, and husband extraordinaire. George’s greatest hobby was golf. He was a member of the Cozad Country Club, where he aced four holes! All four holes in one were after his 80th birthday.

Attached Files Jensen.jpg
#4570471 - 05/30/21 11:17 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(MAY 24, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – It is with great sadness; we learn the passing of U.S.S. Alabama (BB60) World War II HERO John Edward O'Hara, of Narragansett. He was 99.
John was born March 20, 1921, in Reddish, Stockport, England, the son of John O'Hara and Clara "Worthington" O'Hara. When John was two years old, the family immigrated to America, moving to Riverside, RI, before settling in North Providence, Rhode Island.
As a child, John lived through The Great Depression. During John's teenage years, he became a graduate of La Salle Academy before joining the Civilian Conservation Corps (the CCC), Unit- S 51, Charlestown, RI, on the Burlingame's road-building crew.
In 1942, John enlisted in the U.S. Navy immediately after the Pearl Harbor attack leading to WWII. John bravely served in the three significant theatres of WWII: the European Theatre, the Pacific Theatre, and the Mediterranean- African & Middle East Theatre.
During "Operation Torch," the invasion of North Africa, he served with the Western Task Force (Battle of Casablanca) under Major General George S. Patton and Rear Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt. On November 12, 1942 - while below deck on the U.S.S. Hugh L. Scott (AP-43), a German submarine, U-130, torpedoed the Hugh L. Scott, hitting the starboard side, which burst into flames. Wounded and fighting for his life, John was able to get out before the ship floundered, awarding him a purple heart.
After recovery, John was assigned as a member of the crew of the U.S.S. Alabama (BB60) Battleship, where he served until the end of the war. John served as Gun Captain of the 40 MM anti-aircraft guns and crew. During his tour of duty on board Alabama, John was engaged in many furious naval battles!
In 1943, Alabama was involved in the Invasion of Sicily, Operation Citronella, and Operation Governor against the German naval force. August 1943, the U.S.S. Alabama left the Atlantic for the Pacific for operations against Japan. Alabama joined the Fast Carrier Task Force (T38 3rd Fleet & T58 5th fleet) under Admirals Raymond "Quiet Warrior" Spruance, William "Bull" Halsey, and John "Slew" McCain Sr. John soon rose to the rank of Gun Captain of the 40 MM anti-aircraft guns. In November of 1943, Alabama took part in Operation Galvanic—Tarawa and Makin Islands and participated in Operation "Forager during the spring of 1944.
Alabama also saw heavy action at the Battles of the Philippine Sea and the battles at Okinawa, Luzon, Kwajalein, and Surigao Strait. During a significant Battle of Leyte Gulf and specifically the Battle off Cape Engaño, the American fleet destroyed four Japanese carriers. It damaged two battleships in what is known as the Liberation of the Philippines. In December 1944, Alabama encountered the fierce typhoon "Cobra" that sank three American destroyers and caused Alabama to roll more than 30 degrees.
In May of 1945, off the Japanese home island of Kyushu, the American fleet came under intense aerial attack. The U.S.S. Alabama's Gun Captain John O'Hara expertly commanded his 40 MM anti-aircraft gun crew, who successfully shot down two Japanese aircraft and helped to destroy two others. One kamikaze nevertheless penetrated the fleet's anti-aircraft defenses and struck the U.S.S. Enterprise (CV-6) carrier.
Alabama, nicknamed "The Might A," led the U.S. fleet into Tokyo Bay after the formal surrender, and documents were signed on September 2, 1945. As a crew member, John often referred to being part of a proud moment in U.S. history.
During Johns' military career, he had engaged in 13 major battles. He is the recipient of the Purple Heart, 13 Battle Stars, and 2 Silver & 3 Bronze Stars, along with numerous other medals & ribbons. John ended his tour of duty in November of 1945.
John was a man of many talents. He was a professional photographer for over 50 years and authored two poems: "Shirley, His Only Love" and "World War II." He appeared in three WWII documentaries and one Japanese documentary on Okinawa. John's war memoirs and poems are registered at the Navy College Library of Newport, Rhode Island.
After the war, John moved to N.Y.C. to work at The New York Journal-American daily newspaper. Before returning to Rhode Island, he was hired at the United States Postal service and enjoyed a 34-year career rising to the position of Postmaster before retiring.
In 1961, John met with President John F. Kennedy. The momentous occasion was documented by a photograph of both men discussing a US Postal bill.
John was a member of numerous organizations, including AARP, NARFE, Silver Hair Legislators, Seekonk School committee & Town Representative member. He was also an honored member of Kelly Gazzerro-VFW Post 2812 of Cranston, RI.
In his senior years, John dedicated his time to touring the local schools of Rhode Island, New London Counties of Connecticut, and Bristol Counties of Massachusetts, delivering lectures to children and young adults on his experience during WWII.
Throughout this time, John was able to meet and positively impact many wonderful young men & women before their journey into adulthood.
John was a proud parishioner of Saint Peters by the Sea Episcopal Church, Narragansett, RI.
John was the husband of the late Shirley Elizabeth (Johnson), who was the love of his life. On April 23, 1949, the two were married and moved to Seekonk, Ma. Since 1955 John and Shirley summered in Breakwater Village, Point Judith, Narragansett, where they finally settled during their sunset years.

Attached Files O'Hara.jpg
#4570472 - 05/30/21 11:18 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(MAY 24, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – It with great sadness; we learn the news that USMC Veteran Mr. R. Clifford Banks, known to friends and family alike as "Buzzy," passed away peacefully in his home. He was 103.
He was born in 1917 in Kansas City, Missouri, to Rufus Clifford Banks and Jessie Marie Odell. Buzzy graduated from the University of Kansas as a pre-med major. While in college, he joined the United States Marine Corps (USMC) reserve as a Private First Class in 1939. With the advent of war brewing in Europe, instead of entering medical school in August 1940, he was honorably discharged to accept a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the USMC.
After training at Miramar Naval Air station in San Diego, he became a Naval Aviator in September 1942. He was soon deployed to the Pacific Theatre, where he served as a transport pilot until the war. He then joined USMC reserves and ultimately became the commanding officer of the Midland detachment and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 1972. He met his first wife, Lucile Halsell Combs, in 1940, and they were married a few years later.
After the war, they settled in Fort Worth, Texas, where his son Richard C. Banks was born in 1947, followed by his daughter Mary H Banks in 1951. In 1952 Lucile and Buzzy were divorced. He reconnected with the also newly divorced Jean McIntyre, whom he had met during the war in California.
In 1953 he married his beloved Jean and moved to Midland with her two children Charles Gilbert and Ann Gilbert, to enter the newly booming oil industry. He was a devoted husband to Jean for 65 years, a loving stepfather to Chuck and Ann, and a supportive and loving father to Rick and Mary. He worked as an independent oilman well into his 90's until his longtime assistant Wyoma Whitlow passed away peacefully at age 84 in 2013. Buzzy was an outstanding athlete and shared a love of fishing, helicopter skiing, camping, dancing, travel, golf, and tennis with Jean.
The Midland Country Club (MCC) recognized his years of devotion to golf by making him an honorary member, an honor he shared only with President George Bush. He was also an honorary member of the Midland Racquet Club, where he played tennis into his 90's. He was most proud of the two hole-in-one plaques earned at MCC. He continued playing golf into his 100's. He was also an avid tennis player and continued participation until he could no longer find partners well into his 90s.
Buzzy was an avid and gifted skier, taking on the challenge of the most challenging ski areas and trails he could find; he continued that pursuit into his 90's with wearing a helmet being the only concession to his age. He loved gardening and was still working in his yard and greenhouse after turning 100. Until a few weeks before his death, he could be seen walking a mile every day through his neighborhood.
Buzzy served his community by service to the Red Cross and other civic associations. He was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church for almost 70 years. He is survived by his son Richard Banks, Charles Gilbert, his daughter Ann Gilbert Wylie, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Attached Files Banks.jpg
#4570473 - 05/30/21 11:18 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(MAY 26, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – It is with profound sadness that we learn that World War II veteran Mr. Andrew Sterrett has died. He was 97.
Sterrett was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area and started college at the University of Pittsburgh. He had dreams of becoming a mathematics professor, but in June of 1943, he was called to active duty with the newly formed 44th Infantry Division.
His unit, largely inexperienced, was thrown into the front lines of France in November 1944. They soon became engaged in a desperate battle with the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division (armored infantry).
The 44th Infantry Division landed in France via Cherbourg, 15 September 1944, and trained for a month before entering combat, 18 October 1944, when it relieved the 79th Division in the vicinity of Foret de Parroy, east of Lunéville, France, to take part in the Seventh Army drive to secure several passes in the Vosges Mountains. Within 6 days, the division was hit by a heavy German counterattack, 25–26 October.
On Nov. 5, 1944, without warning, the Germans began shelling the American position near the eastern French town of Luneville. Sterrett was caught in the open. A shell exploded near him, almost severing his left arm and badly injuring his right arm.
He spent the night in an unheated bunker where a combat medic fought to keep him alive. The following day, he was evacuated to a rear area medical facility. He regained full consciousness days later to find himself in a body cast.
A Red Cross volunteer offered to write a letter home for Sterrett since he had lost his arm. That was his first indication of the seriousness of his wounds. He was evacuated the following day.
“Even though I lost an arm, I wasn’t the only one,” he said.
“When I was still overseas, I was in a group of 20, and I would say, waiting to get on a ship to come back to the States. Nineteen of them had one or two legs off, and I had lost an arm. So, I wasn’t by myself.”
“When I got back here, I ended up in a hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan with three other men,” he continued. “They all had lost two hands or two arms, and I had lost only one, so I never really felt sorry for myself. Since I wanted to be a teacher, I knew it was something I could live with.”
He obtained his first full-time college teaching position at Ohio University. In 1953 he began his teaching career at Denison University. In addition to serving as the mathematics department chair, he was also dean of the college in the 1970s before his retirement in 1989. Additionally, he served multiple terms on the Granville school board, was treasurer of the First Baptist Church in Granville, and served as a Granville Foundation board member.
Based on his “selfless and remarkable service to country and community,” Kevin Bennett, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army and a current Granville Township trustee, recommended Sterrett for the Legion d’ Honneur.
“It’s the story of a quiet young man of education and bright future but who answered his country’s call in its hour of need,” Bennett explained.

Attached Files Sterrett.jpg
#4570474 - 05/30/21 11:19 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(MAY 28, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEART: MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE – It is with great sadness; we learn the news that Normandy “D-DAY” veteran, Roy Vickerman, has died shortly before he can marry wartime sweetheart after COVID-19 delayed wedding.
Roy Vickerman was 95.
Roy Vickerman and Nora Jackson met as childhood sweethearts in Stoke-on-Trent but World War II tore them from one another's sides - only to rekindle their romance 70 years later
Roy Vickerman, one of Stoke-on-Trent’s last surviving Normandy veterans, was engaged to his long-time sweetheart Nora Jackson. But sadly, he passed away in his sleep on May 19 before the pair could finally wed. The pandemic had forced the lovebirds to live apart, but they were still hoping to tie the knot once the lockdown eased. Instead of a wedding, his loved ones are now planning a funeral.
Family, friends and other former soldiers hope to give him a fitting send-off at Stoke Minster, reports Stoke-on-Trent Live.
Roy and Nora's love story began in the 1940s Stoke-on-Trent when World War II tragically tore them from one another's sides. The family had been evacuated to North Staffordshire after their home in London was bombed during the Blitz.
His 91-year-old brother Alan Vickerman, who now lives in Bournemouth, recalled: “Stoke-on-Trent was a safe area. We got digs in Central Avenue, Bucknall, where we all had to sleep in one room. Two big growing lads and our parents.”
Roy and Nora had begun their romance after meeting at school, but he was called up to serve with the Black Watch at the age of 18 in 1944. He joined the Army Intelligence Corps and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded by a sniper’s bullet during the invasion of Germany.
At barely 19 years old, he returned to his family’s one up-one down home in Bucknall a decorated war hero. The experience on the frontline had left him not only physically injured but suffering post-traumatic stress. It also led to him splitting up with Nora. But the pair would rekindle their romance 70 years later when Roy was given Nora’s address in Shelton and arrived by taxi. He had intended to simply give her a bunch of flowers and apologize for the way their romance had ended after the war. Instead, Nora threw her arms around him and, soon after, Roy proposed using the ring he had originally given her during the Second World War.
Nora now lives at Marrow House Residential Home, in Meir Hay. Due to the pandemic, the couple hadn’t been able to set a wedding date but remained engaged right up until Roy’s death.
His son Howie Vickerman, 63, said: “They talked on the phone and face-to-face through FaceTime.
“After he got back together with Nora, he was happier than I had seen him in years. He had a glow in his face.”
Just last year, Roy spoke about his relationship with Nora during lockdown.
He said: "I want to be with Nora, but you have got to stay positive. The best advice I ever received from a teacher was to ‘always remember to have a positive mental attitude’."
Howie recalled how Roy was a ‘brilliant dad’, who was close to his grandson.
He had a career as an architect, known for designing local landmarks including Stoke-on-Trent's Golden Torch nightclub.
He had remained remarkably lucid and fit for his age, even taking on a cycling challenge during the pandemic.
Roy managed to complete 500 miles in less than 40 days by using an exercise bike at home, raising funds for the NHS and Marrow House along the way.
But Roy had seen his health fade in his final weeks.
He hadn’t been able to shake a cough after suffering a chest infection, and he died at his Hartshill home without fulfilling his dream to wed Nora.
Howie said: “I was talking to the British Legion and the Normandy Veterans’ Association, and they would like to arrange a military honor back-up. I said that would be absolutely brilliant.
“We haven’t confirmed the date yet. My phone hasn’t stopped ringing since he passed away.”
Alan summed him up as a ’very brave man’. “We all loved Roy,” he added.

Attached Files Vickerman.jpg
#4570495 - 05/30/21 02:56 PM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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Happy Memorial Day F4UDash4!

and thanks for caring. salute


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#4571651 - 06/13/21 11:16 AM Re: The Passing of The Greatest Generation. [Re: F4UDash4]  
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(JUNE 03, 2021) FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS – It is with a heavy heart, we share the news that William St. John, one of San Antonio's last Pearl Harbor survivors, dies at 99.
William St. John, one of three Pearl Harbor survivors in San Antonio, had looked forward to turning 100 on Aug. 28. His family planned to celebrate him with 100 balloons.
But St. John kept losing weight and finally stopped eating, and he died Wednesday, his son, David St. John, said.
“We were hoping that he would make it to the 28th of August. He couldn’t do it, couldn’t do it,” he said. “So they kept him comfortable.”
St. John was on the ground floor of America’s entry into World War II, which started at dawn on a sleepy Sunday in Hawaii. Waves of Japanese planes appeared out of nowhere at 7:55 a.m., stunning those on the ground and darkening a tropical blue sky with black smoke rising from Battleship Row.
His death leaves San Antonio with just two surviving Pearl Harbor veterans — retired Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kenneth Platt, who recently turned 100, and retired Navy Chief Petty Officer Gilbert Meyer, 97.
The local Pearl Harbor group had 64 members in 1992 but has dwindled, particularly in the past two years.
A Japanese strike force of 353 aircraft launched from the decks of four aircraft carriers pounded the Navy’s, Pacific Fleet. The attack lasted just 75 minutes and left 2,403 Americans dead, including 68 civilians. Within days, Japanese forces landed near Singapore, took Guam, and invaded Thailand, the Philippines, and Burma. British Borneo and Hong Kong fell, as did a small U.S. garrison on Wake Island just before Christmas.
Now a memorial in Honolulu, the U.S.S. Arizona was one of eight battleships, and 21 ships in all, that were damaged or destroyed in the war’s most lopsided and humiliating American defeat — and the Navy’s worst ever. The attack missed four U.S. aircraft carriers at sea, which would form the nucleus for American victories that would halt the Japanese momentum by summer.
St. John had just gotten off work with fellow sailor Woodrow Strauss at a new air station on Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu, surrounded by three 180-foot towers. Both couldn’t believe what they saw in the distance — buzzing aircraft dropping bombs.
“I was coming off midnight shift, so I was up and about and was eyeball to eyeball with one of the Japanese pilots,” he recalled in a 2017 interview. “The only reason he didn’t shoot me as he had a tower he had to go up and over, so he didn’t have a shot at me. And he would have ripped me in half.”
At 98, St. John struggled with dementia. When he awoke the Saturday before the annual Pearl Harbor Survivors Association luncheon marking the 78th anniversary of the attack in 2019, he knew something big was ahead but was confused about what it was.
“I asked him today if he was ready to go, and he said, ‘Well, what’s today?’” recalled David St. John, 69, of San Antonio, a semi-retired automotive repair shop owner.
At first, his father thought it was Thanksgiving. The younger St. John reminded him that they were attending a lunch to honor survivors of the attack, “unless you don’t want to go.”
“He said, ‘Oh, no! I want to go. I want to go.’ He says, ‘I remember that!’” David St. John recalled.
It was William St. John’s last reunion gathering. The following year, the lunch was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic.
His 100th birthday was a milestone everyone looked forward to, maybe especially St. John himself.
“He asked if there would be balloons for his party, and my wife said, ‘Oh, yeah, there’s going to be plenty of balloons for you,’” David St. John said.
The plan was to have 100 of them. But St. John’s spirits weren’t the same after his wife’s death. COVID came, and the family tried a Facetime visit with David St. John’s daughter in Midland, but it confused him. The family decided against window visits during the pandemic because those, too, could be a problem given his dementia.
His health was on the wane, in any case. St. John became too frail for trips away from the Poet’s Walk nursing home for lunch at Luby’s. He eventually was able to see one or two visitors at a time on a patio with people who had received the COVID vaccine.
The younger St. John said he had been with his dad for his last four or five days.
“I told him, ‘Hey, it’s OK, dad. The Lord’s waiting with open arms, mom and your brother and your sisters, they’re all there waiting, so it’s OK. Don’t be afraid and don’t worry about us. Go ahead and take the leap.’”

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