Transcribed by Ron Woodward from book entitled In Memoriam, prepared by the Thomas Stineman Post No. 15 of the American Legion, Mrs. Jeanne Grover, Forrest G. Baer and W.W. Wimberly. 52 pages, no date of publication given. Text mixed with photographs. If anyone reading the list would like a scan of a photograph I would be glad to provide one for them. Email: drwoodward@cinergymetro.net

CLAIRE ASKEW first lt in the infantry, who resided in North Manchester for four 
years before entering the service, was killed in action in France on Aug. ll, 
l944. He had participated in the fighting in France from the initial invasion.
A native of Pennsylvania, Lt. Askew was employed by the Northfield company in
North  Manchester.  Official notification of his death was received by Mr. and
Mrs. Russell Amberg.  

MAX EUGENE BAKER 22, staff sergeant in the army air corps, was officially 
declared dead in Nov., l945 after he had been reported missing in action Apr. 
l3, l944 while on a combat mission to Budapest, Hungary as assistant engineer and 
waist-gunner on a B-24 bomber.  The son of Mr. and Mrs. Esta Baker, Laketon, 
Max was born Sept. 12, l92l, was graduated from Laketon High School where he 
played basketball, entered service Nov. ll, l942 and went overseas in Dec. l943.  
Based in Italy, he participated in numerous flights over enemy territory in the 
Mediterranean theatre of war.  

VIRGIL BARTON l9, private in the 49th Armored Infantry division, U>S> Army, 
died from wounds received in battle in Germany on April l8, l945.  Pvt Barton 
served his country fifteen months.  Six months of that time was in overseas 
service.  His parents are Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Barton, North Manchester.  Three 
brothers, Robert, Max and Edward were also serving overseas at the time Pvt. 
Barton met his death.  

DELBERT BEERY 22, son of Mrs. Grace Beery, near North Manchester, was 
killed in a plane crash on Leyte March l0, l945, while helping to evacuate 
wounded by air, a task for which he volunteered.  He served as a clerk but asked 
to fly in emergencies so that patients would have needed care.  Cpt. Beery was 
first reported missing in action.  He entered service Feb 24, l843 and went 
overseas in Feb l944, serving in New Guinea and the Philippine Islands.  

PAUL A. BISHOP First Lt in the army air corps, who had won the Distinguished 
Flying Cross for completing more than fifty operational flights with 
extraordinary achievement, gave his life while on a mission over New Guinea
Feb l9, l944. First reported missing, the Wabash flier was later reported
killed in action in messages to the wife, Mrs. Jean Smith Bishop, Wabash,
and the parents Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bishop, Wabash.  Lt Bishop was a student
of Lagro and Wabash High Schools, enlisted June l5, l942, and went to the
southwest Pacific area in June l943.  He was employed at the General Tire
and Rubber Company.  A small daughter, Paula, also survives.  

ROBERT HENRY BOWMAN 2l, son of Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Bowman, Roann, 
was killed in action at sea at an undisclosed place while serving as a gunner's 
mate, third class. Born Nov l7, l923 in Roann he attended the Roann school 
until he enlisted in Oct l94l.  He was a member of the l942 class. He attended the 
First Brethren Church, Roann. Completing training at the Great Lakes Naval 
Training station he was assigned to the west coast.  Notification from the navy 
was received Nov 30, l944

FRANCIS P. BRADY 22, technician fifth grade in the infantry, was killed by an
artillery shell fragment April 6, l945 near Rittergut Bladenhorst, Germany. His
mother, Mrs. John C. Brady, was notified first that Cpl Brady was missing, later
informed of his death in action. A native of Elkhart, he had spent most of his
life in Wabash where he was a member of St. Bernard's Catholic church, attended
the parochial and Wabash High schools, and worked for the Minneapolis-Honeywell
Regulator Company, leaving there to enlist in Jan l943. He had been  overseas
three months.  He was buried in the American Military cemetery at Margraten,
Holland.  

GROVER B. BROTHERS  34, private first class, gunner in a glider division of the 
air borne troops, was the first Wabash man reported killed in the June 6, l944 
invasion of Normandy.  He was the son of Mrs. Effie L. Brothers, Wabash.  Born 
in Arkansas he had lived in Wabash county twenty-two years, attending 
Chippewa school.  He was employed by the Public Service Company of Indiana, 
Inc., entered  service early in the war and took part in the invasion of North 
Africa, Sicily and France.  He arrived overseas Mar 2l, l942.  

JOHN E. BUTCHER 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. John C. Butcher, Roann, and 
husband of Mrs. Betty Butcher, Kokomo, was killed in action on Aug 7, l944 in 
France according to a war department message.  Details of the action were 
lacking. Pfc. Butcher entered service in l943 and went overseas in May l944.  A 
daughter, Connie Jean, also survives.  

JAMES M. CALLOPY 27, cpl in an ant-aircraft unit and later in the infantry, died 
in France Dec 2, l944, killed in action after four months overseas service.  Cpl 
Callopy was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Callopy, Hamilton, Ohio, and had 
been employed at the General Tire and Rubber Company in Wabash for six 
years.  He was a member of St. Bernard's Church and the Elks lodge. Cpl 
Callopy entered service from Wabash June 27, l943.  

DEO J. CARLIN 34, private in the infantry, gave his life for his country on July 
3, l944, killed in the battle for France.  The son of Mr. and Mrs. William Carlin, 
Wabash Rural Route 2, Pvt Carlin was a graduate of Chippewa grade and high 
schools and a member of the Rich Valley United Brethren church.  He entered 
service June ll, l942, and went overseas in April l944.  

WILLIAM E. CLARK 29, had served in the infantry two years at the time of his 
death.  Pfc Clark was killed in action in France June 27, l944.  He had been 
overseas one year being stationed first in Ireland, then England.  Born in 
Wabash, Sept 8, l9l4 he attended Wabash schools.  Information concerning his 
death was received by Mrs. Glen Hohl, Wabash, a sister.  

THOROLD R. COLE 36, Wabash, died of head injuries received when a fighter 
plane struck a crippled bomber at an Okinawa airfield July 30, l945.  Pfc Cole 
was on duty at the time and died as the result of bomb blast injuries. Born in 
Somerset Aug 20, l908, he later moved to Wabash where he was employed at 
the Spencer Cardinal factory and belonged to the First United Brethren church.  
He entered service March l, l943 and went overseas in Dec l944.  Notification 
was received by his widow, Mrs. Mary Cole, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest 
Cole, all of Wabash.  

WILBUR E. COLE 2l, who won the Army Air medal with three oak leaf clusters 
during his year and a half of service was killed in a crash between two American 
bombers over Greece Jan ll, l944.  Notification that he was missing and later 
word of his death came to his widow, Mrs. Maxine Yarian Cole, Roann, and to his 
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Orville Cole, North Manchester.  He was a staff sergeant 
and a ball turret gunner on a Flying Fortress.  Born in North Manchester, July 
26, l922, he was graduated from Central Highs School and later worked at the 
General Tire and Rubber Company.  One son, Wilbur Gene, also survives.

F. DUANE COLLINGE Captain in the army air corps, was presumed dead by the war 
department one year after he was reported missing while flying vital supplies 
over the "hump" in northern Burma.  The transport plane of which he was co-pilot 
crashed Sept 29, l943 between Assam, India and China.  Born in Beloit, Wis., 
Capt. Collinge was graduated from Wabash High School, studied at Indiana and 
Purdue and enlisted on Thanksgiving day, l940.  He is survived by his widow, San 
Antonio, Texas, a daughter, Patricia Louise, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred 
Collinge, Wabash.
 
JOSEPH COOK 20, a private in the medical corps of the U.S. army, was 
posthumously awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action in France and the 
Bronze Star medal for heroic achievement in combat Dec 24, l944.  He was the son 
of Mrs. Mary Cook, North Manchester, to whom the wards were presented.  He met 
his death March l7, l945 in France as he moved forward down an exposed road to 
reach a wounded soldier.  Struck by a mortar shell he ordered his companions to 
continue on their mission.  Pvt Cook died from the wounds received in this 
action.  Three brothers also served their county. 

LOREN PAUL DAVIS a private first class in the U.S. Marine Corps, died in a 
Japanese prison camp after being reported missing in action from the Manila bay 
section on May ll, l942.  Pfc. Davis, son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Davis, Marion, 
was born in LaFontaine My l9, l9l4, was graduated from LaFontaine High School, 
worked on the Wabash Plain Dealer as a reporter.  He enlisted in the marines in 
June, l940 and served first in North China.  Aided by the Chinese underground in 
Shanghi he escaped to the Philippines where he was later taken prisoner, dying 
in an unidentified camp.

ELBA LAMOINE DIXON 38, seaman second class, was reported missing and later 
killed in action Jan 2, l944 while on a secret mission for the navy.  The ship 
on which Seaman Dixon served struck a mine and was sunk.  Born at Laketon Oct 
20, l905, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth Dixon, Laketon, and the 
husband of Mrs. Tressa Dixon, North Manchester.  He was a graduate of Laketon 
High School, a member of the Methodist church and the Knights of Pythias lodge.  
He was an employee of the Peabody plant in North Manchester. 

PHIL M. DOMER 3l, private in the army, gave his life Aug 30, l944 as the result 
of action against the Japs at Noemfoor island, off the northern coast of Dutch 
New Guinea.  Word of his death was received by his widow, Mrs. Maxine H. Domer, 
Claypool, and his parents Mr. and Mrs. Merle Domer, Fort Wayne.  Pvt. Domer was 
a star fullback on the Manchester college football team and later became 
recreational director at North Manchester.  He entered service in June, l943, 
and went overseas in March l944.
 
WENDELL DOWELL who was employed at the Container Corporation of America in 
Wabash when he entered service Jan ll, l942, was killed in action in the 
invasion of Sicily, July 3l, l943.  He was a private in the army.  Pvt. Dowell 
was born Aug 12, l9l9 and was the youngest in a family of twelve children.  His 
mother is Mrs. Ellen Dowell, Carbon, Ind. who received the Purple Heart in 
recognition of her son's sacrifice.

WILLIAM E. DRISCOLL, Jr. 28, a sergeant in the paratroops met his death in 
action at Noemfoor, New Guinea, July l6, l944.  Inducted June l8, l94l Sgt. 
Driscoll, who was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Driscoll, Urbana, went 
overseas in Oct. l942.  A graduate of the Urbana Schools, Sgt. Driscoll later was 
employed at the General Tire and Rubber Company in Wabash.  He was a member of 
St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Lagro.
 
JOHN BILL ELTZROTH l9, a private in the U.S. Infantry, was killed in action on 
March l5, l945 in Germany after only two months overseas service in France and 
Germany.  Pvt. Eltzroth was the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Raymond Eltzroith, 
Wabash Rural Route 3, and was born in Wabash county Oct 20, l925. He attended 
Linlawn High School and was employed at Wabash factories before entering service 
July 29, l944.
 
RALP EDMUND ELTZROTH 23, a first Lt in the army air corps, died in England on 
Jan 21, l944.  He was a bombardier and navigator and had completed thirty-two 
bombing missions for which he had received the Distinguished Flying Cross and 
the Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters.  Born in Wabash county Feb 14, l920 he 
had later moved to Huntington.  The widow, Mrs. Bonnie Eltzroth, Huntington, 
survives.
 
JOHN F. FITZPATRICK who was in Europe with the 35lst infantry, was killed in an 
auto accident Aug l, l945 after the cessation of hostilities. Transferred to 
ordnance as a clerk, Cpl Fitzpatrick was en route from Montova, Italy to Brescia 
with two soldiers when they encountered an Italian truck.  Swerving to avoid the 
truck, Cpl Fitzpatrick struck a concrete post and died from his injuries.  Born 
in Wabash Apr 12, l920, he attended Wabash schools and studies at the University 
of Chicago and Manchester College before accepting a position at the General 
Tire and Rubber Company in the cost department.  He was a member of St. 
Bernard's Catholic Church, Phi Delta Kappa fraternity and the Eagles lodge.  He 
was the only son of Mrs. Dorothy Fitzpatrick, Wabash.  He was buried in the 
American Military cemetery at Mirandola, Italy. 

LIONEL E. FORDYCE 19, a cpl in the Second Army Air Corps, was killed near Biggs 
Field, Texas, in the crash of a B-24 bomber on March 20, l944. The plane was on 
a routine training mission.  Cpl Fordyce was a graduate of Linlawn High School 
and entered training Feb 24, l943.  He received gunnery training but at the time 
of his death was serving ass first mechanic on the B-24.  War department 
notification was sent to the father, Arthur Fordyce, Wabash Rural Route 5. 

GENE D. FOSNOUGH 23, son of Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Fosnough, Wabash Rural Route 5, 
was killed when the B-24 on which he was tail gunner was shot down by a Jap Zero 
and exploded in mid-air ten miles off Wotje Island in the Marshalls Dec 26, 
l943.  He was first reported missing.  Sgt. Fosnough was graduated from 
Lincolnville High School where he played basketball.  He entered service Sept l, 
l940 and served in the southwest Pacific theatre of war for two months.

JOHN B. FRASURE 27, son of Mr. and Mrs. R.S. Frasure, Wabash, and a corporal in 
a tank destroyer division, was killed in action in France on Feb 2, l945. He had 
been in service for two years and eight months and overseas for five months.  A 
native of Kentucky and a graduate of Dayton, Ohio, high school, Cpl Frasure was 
employed in Louisa, Ky. at the time he entered the service. 

MARVIN GARBER lt in the army air corps, was presumed to have lost his life in an 
airplane crash Feb 4, l944 while on a flight between Amiens and Abbeville, 
France.  Pilot of a B-24 Liberator bomber, Lt. Garber is known to have ordered 
members of his crew to abandon the plane after it was struck by flak and caught 
fire.  Whether he was able to escape has never been established.  One survivor 
was taken prisoner by the Germans whose records, however, do not account for Lt. 
Garber or other missing crew members.  Lt. Garber was the son of Mr. and Mrs. 
Lawrence Garber, North Manchester. 

DEVON GEARHART 24, a private first class was killed in action on Luzon May 12, 
l945 while serving with the 27th infantry division.  He had been in the Pacific 
area for three months and had participated in much of the savage fighting 
against the Japs on Luzon.  Notification of his death was received by his 
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Gearhart, Disko.  A native of Wabash County, Pfc 
Gearhart attended schools at Laketon and Sidney and worked at the General Tire 
Plant in Wabash, before entering service in Sept. l944. 

MERRITT KEITH GILLESPIE 20, radio  man and gunner on a B-17 bomber, was presumed 
dead by the war department after all efforts to learn his fate had failed.  His 
damaged plane was last seen Nov 5, l943  over the west coast of France.  Sgt. 
Gillespie was the son of Mrs. Faye Gillespie, Wabash, and had enlisted in the 
air corps Nov 2, l942 going overseas in Sept. l943.

CECIL C. HARMAN l9, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Harman, Wabash, was killed in 
action on Christmas Day, l944, while fighting with his infantry division in 
France.  He was a private first class.  First official reports said he was 
missing in action as of Dec 25, l944.  Born Nov 24, l923 in Akron.  Pfc Harman 
attended school there, later moving to Wabash.  He entered service in Feb l944 
and went overseas Oct l of that year.  It was believed Pfc Harman had been in 
combat only a few days at the time of his death. 

JAY C. HARRIS private first class in the U.S. Marine Corps, met his death during 
his first battle and lived by a few hours after being fatally wounded in action 
in the south Pacific.  He was twenty years old and the son of Mr. and Mrs. 
Kenneth Harris, Wabash.  Pfc Harris was born in Roann, Sept 27, l923, attended 
Wabash schools and worked at the Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator plant before 
entering service in Dec l942.  Pfc Harris, who was among the first county 
casualties, was killed in Dec l943 after being overseas since Sept l943. 

ROBERT HECK 30, private first class in the infantry, was killed July l4 during 
the invasion of France after participating in the African and Sicilian 
campaigns.  He enlisted in the army on Sept 20, l940.  Notification from the war 
department came to Pfc Heck's grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. John Heck, Wabash, with 
whom he lived while attending grade school and to Mrs. Sam Palmer, Wabash Rural 
Route 3, his aunt, with whom he lived while attending Somerset High School where 
he was graduated in l933. 

ARTHUR ALBERT HUYS 25, U.S. Navy was Wabash County's first casualty of the 
Japanese war, presumably killed in action during the first attacks in the 
Pacific, Sunday, Dec. 7, l94l at Pearl Harbor.  Seaman Huys was the son of Mrs. 
Margaret DeVliegar, who lived in Wabash at the time of his death and later moved 
to Mishawaka.  Arthur Huys was born in Mishawaka Dec 3, l9l6 but attended school 
in Wabash and later Somerset where he was graduated.  He was employed by the 
General Tire and Rubber Company and at the American Rock Wool plant before 
enlisting Oct 8, l940. 

ROSCOE HAROLD JACKSON l9, met his death in action after one month's combat duty 
with the infantry in France.  Sgt. Jackson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Jackson, 
Urbana Rural Route l, died Nov 28, l944.  Born Dec 9, l924 in Miami County he 
was graduated from Urbana High School after moving to Wabash County.  He entered 
service March 26, l943 and went overseas in Feb l944, being stationed in 
Ireland, England and France.  He was a member of the Peoria Methodist Church. 

ELDON JENKINS 20, paratrooper, was killed on Luzon in action with the airborne 
troops on Feb l6, l945.  His mother, Mrs. Lulu Jenkins, North Manchester, 
received official notification of his sacrifice.  Pvt. Jenkins was born June 7, 
l924.  He enlisted in the army in Feb l943 and went to the Pacific area in May 
l944 where he participated in the fighting on New Guinea and other campaigns on 
the approach to the Philippines. 

ARTHUR DUTY,JR. U. S. Navy gunner, was killed in an accident when the pane on 
which he served as a side-bomber crashed in San Francisco bay, Calif. The navy 
notification was received by the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Judy, near North 
Manchester, May 2, l943.  Born March 22, l92l near North Manchester Arthur Judy, 
Jr. was graduated from Chester High School and attended Manchester College.  He 
enlisted in July, l942,  He was married to Patricia Roddy,  Detroit, who 
survives.  The body was returned to North Manchester for services and burial. 

SAMIE H. KARN 2l, who had been assigned to a service company of the 422nd 
infantry while serving overseas from March l945, met his death after the end of 
hostilities in a vehicle accident Oct 7, l945 in Germany.  His parents, Mr. and 
Mrs. Claude Karn, Wabash, were notified.  Pfc Karn was born Jan 3l, l924 near 
Roann and was educated in schools at Laketon, Linlawn and Gilead. He entered 
service in March l943.  Pfc Karn was the fourth Wabash county man to give his 
life after the end of the war in Europe. 

KARL BRUCE KENDALL 19, ship's cook third class, U.S. Navy, was first reported 
missing in action at sea and later presumed dead.  Notification was received by 
his grandmother, Mrs. Maude Brizendine, Wabash, Nov 28, l944. Name of his ship 
and base were withheld by the navy.  After making his home in Wabash and 
attending the Miami and Wabash High schools, he was employed at the American 
Rock Wool plant.  He enlisted in the navy during the summer of l943.  His 
mother, Mrs. Dolly Kendall, Maywood, Ill. also survives.

FRANK F. KINDLESPARKER 23, a staff sergeant in the army and the third Wabash 
county casualty of war, who had been reported missing in action as of May 25, 
l942 actually died July 2, l942 a corrected report from the war department 
disclosed.  He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gale Kindlesparker, Wabash.  After 
enlisting Jan ll, l94l Sgt. Kindlesparker trained at Fort Knox and on Sept 9, 
l94l sailed for Fort Stotsenburg, near Manila where he was stationed with the 
l7th ordnance division.  He became a prisoner of the Japs during their conquest 
of Luzon early in l942. 

ELMER KRATZ 26, a private first class in the army, was killed in action in the 
Philippine Islands March l4, l945 after two and one-half years service in the 
army.  The telegram of notification was received by Charles Scott and Miss Eva 
M. Scott, Urbana Rural Route l, with whom Pfc Kratz had made his home.  He had 
spent his boyhood in Wabash but entered the service while residing near Urbana.  
His father, George Kratz, Jacksonville, Fla. also survives. 

WALTER E. KRISHER 23, corporal in the army air forces, was reported missing in 
action as of Nov 26, l943 and later reported to have died in the sinking of a 
troop ship in the Mediterranean on Nov 27, l943.  The son of Mr. and Mrs. 
Charles Krisher and husband of Mrs. Dorothy Karn Krisher, all of near North 
Manchester, Cpl Krisher had been overseas for two months at the time of his 
death,  He was stationed in North Africa as a ground mechanic with the air 
forces.  A small daughter, Jean Marie, also survives. 

MELVIN E. KUHLOW 3l, staff sergeant in the infantry, died in battle in France on 
July l2, l944 after serving ten months overseas.  he had entered the army June 
25, l94l.  Word of his death came to the widow, Mrs. Edith France Kuhlow, 
Wabash.  His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Kuhlow, Wabash, also survive.  Born in 
Oshkosh, Wis., April 6, l9l3, Sgt Kuhlow had lived in Wabash for twenty years, 
where he attended the Christian Church and belonged to the Eagles Lodge.  He was 
employed at the Wabash Cabinet Company before entering the service. 

PAUL E. LAMALE captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, who was first declared missing 
while on a flight with Marine Air Wing No. l in the Pacific theatre of war, was 
later officially presumed to have lost his life while on hazardous aerial 
minelaying operations in late January or early February, l944.  While missing he 
was awarded the Distinguished Flying Crosss for heroism and extraordinary 
achievement in aerial flight as division leader of marine torpedo bombing 
squadron 233 operating against Jap forces in the Solomons-New Britain area.  
Capt. Lamale was the son of the Rev. and Mrs. Charles E. Lamale, Sharon, Pa., 
former Wabash residents.  A graduate of Wabash High School and Wooster College, 
he entered service from Wabash July 15, l94l and went overseas in June, l943. 

DWIGHT L. MCCROCKLIN 23, lst Lt attached to the Ninth Air Force 98th Bombardment 
group, gave his life while on a mission over Sulmona, Italy, being shot down in 
the Adriatic sea Sept 3, l943.  He was a navigator on a B-24.  His body was 
washed ashore at Chiente, Italy Sept 7, first buried there and later moved to 
the American Military cemetery at Bari, Italy.  Lt. McCrocklin was the son of 
the Rev. and Mrs. C.G. McCrocklin, former residents of Wabash, now living in 
Terre Haute.  He was born in Geneva, Feb l5, l920, graduated from Wabash High 
School and attended Indiana Central College.  He was employed at the 
Minneapolis-Honeywell plant when he enlisted in the army air force in July, 
l94l.  He went overseas in Nov l942 participating in the Tunisian and Sicilian 
campaigns for which he received the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters. 

RAYMOND E. MCPHEETERS 22, technician fourth grade in the 29lst infantry, was 
killed in the Coleman sector in France Feb 4, l945 less than a month after 
arriving overseas.  He is buried in the U.S. Military cemetery at Epinal, 
France.  Sgt McPheeters was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond McPheeters now of 
Denver Rural Route l.  He was born in Wabash Nov 8, l922, attended the South 
Side, Junior and Senior High Schools and was amember of the Wabash Street 
Methodist Church.  He entered service Jan l, l943 and went overseas Jan 8, l945 
and saw immediate combat duty in Belgium and France. 

FRANKLIN M. MACHMER 20, private first class in a machine gun company of the 
l5lst infantry regiment, 38th division, died in a hospital on Luzon Feb l0, from 
wounds received the previous day.  Notification came to his mother, Mrs. Charles 
Servance, Wabash.  Pfc Machmer was born in Wabash May 7, l924 and attended city 
schools.  He went into service with the local National guard company in Jan 
l94l.  Pfc Machmer had been in the Pacific area for more than two years at the 
time of his death. 

JOHN K. MAGNER 23, a private in Company G 383 Infantry, 96th Division, was 
killed in the vicinity of Maeda, Okinawa Island, April 30, l945 while helping to 
evacuate wounded men under heavy enemy fire as his company was assaulting a 
hill.  Posthumously awarded the Bronze Star medal for his heroic service in 
connection with this operation Pvt Magner was mortally wounded as he made his 
third trip under fire.  He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Phillip G. Magner, 
Wabash, where he was born March 6, l922.  He was a member of th Presbyterian 
Church.  A graduate of Wabash High School and a student at Purdue University, he 
entered the army in l943 serving first in the air forces and later transferring 
to the infantry.  Pvt Magner served in the invasion of Leyte before going into 
the Okinawa campaign. 

RICHARD A. MEECH 33, private first class in a headquarters company, infantry, in 
the American First Army, was reported missing and later declared killed in 
action Nov 6, l944 in battle of Aachen, Germany. Official word was received by 
his widow, Mrs. Betty Cooksey Meech. Pfc Meech was the son of Mr. and Mrs. C.E. 
Meech, Cleveland.  He was a graduate of Oberlin College and came to Wabash in 
l937 where he was employed at the General Tire and Rubber Company.  He entered 
service in Aug l943 and went overseas in June l944.

REX E. MERRITT 20, private first class in the army air forces, was presumed to 
have died in a raid on Tokyo Nov 24, l944.  He was a waist gunner on a B-29 
bomber which was disabled by a Jap suicide pilot and splashed into the sea after 
a second Jap fighter tore the tail off the plane.  Pfc Merritt was a brother of 
Herschel Merritt, North Manchester, with whom he made his home. Born in Peru 
April 12, l924 he was a graduate of Chester High School.  He entered the army on 
Feb 24, l943. 

JAMES W. MILLER 20, an army paratrooper, was killed in action in Holland Sept. 
20, l944 after serving overseas two months.  Word of Pfce Miller's death was 
received by the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Miller, Wabash.  He was born in 
Wabash April ll,l924 and educated in the local schools.  Pfc Miller enlisted in 
the army Dec l8, l942 and after receiving his training as a paratrooper was sent 
overseas in July, l944. 

SAMUEL T. MILLER, JR. l8, private in the U.S. Marine Corps, gave his life March 
2, l945 in the battle of Iwo Jima.  Pvt Miller was a foster son of Mr. and Mrs. 
Glen Ridgeway, Lagro Rural Route l, at the time of his entry into service Aug 
29, l944.  An orphan, he had attended schools at White's Institute, Lafontaine 
and Linlawn.  He was born at Lagro Aug 289, l926.  Rvt Miller was employed at 
the American Rock Wool plant.  He had been overseas three months. 

VAYLE MILLER, technician fifth grade, was killed in action on D-Day, June 6, 
l944 while attached to a commando outfit.  Word of his death was received by his 
sister, Mrs. Ed Railsback, North Manchester Rural Route 2, with whom he made his 
home after coming to this county from Norton, Kan. in l939.  Cpl Miller had 
worked as a carpenter before entering service.  He is also survived by his 
mother, Mrs. Lizzie Miller, Norton, Kan. 

VINCENT I. MILLICAN 26, a Lt in the army air corps, was killed on his fifty-
fifth mission as a fighter pilot on Aug 2, l944 during a bombing raid over 
Italy, near Bergamo.  Lt. Millican was the son of Lawrence J. Millican, Lagro, 
and the husband of Mrs. Ruth Gausman Millican of Peru.  His mother, Mrs. Wesley 
Sutton, Peru, also survives.  Lt. Millican entered the service in October, l942 
and was commissioned as second Lt at Napier field, Dothan, Ala.  He was sent 
overseas in April, l944. 

ROBERT C. MINEAR 22, a staff sergeant in the army air corps and only son of Mr. 
and Mrs. Charles Minear, North Manchester, was killed in action over Germany 
Sept. 28, l944.  Serving as an engineer and gunner aboard a B-24 bomber, Sgt 
Minear was thought to have been engaged in many shuttle bombing missions.  He 
was first reported missing by the war department.  Sgt. minear was graduated 
from Central High School and attended Manchester College.  He was in the garage 
business with his father when he enlisted in December, l942. 

IVAN E. MOTE 20, army sergeant, died in France Aug 8, l944, as the result of 
wounds received in battle.  Word was received by the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harry 
Mote, former Servia residents who now live in South Bend.  Sgt. Mote was born 
Jan 24, l924, in Servia where he attended grade school.  He attended Chester 
Junior High School and then moved to South Bend.  He entered the service in 
January, l943 and went overseas in May of the same year. 

HOWARD C. MOWRER an infantry private, was killed in action Aug 12, l944 while 
participating in the invasion of France.  War department notification was 
received by john C. Mowrer, his father, in Servia.  Pvt. Mowrer, 22, a former 
resident of Wabash where he attended school, entered service Sept 9, l942 and 
had been overseas eight months at the time of his death.  He was a farmer and 
contractor before entering service. 

JOHN F. MURPHY 23, a Lt in the army air forces and pilot of a P-47 Thunderbolt, 
was killed March 4, l945 in action over France.  He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. 
Ralph Murphy, Wabash Rural Route 4, and husband of Mrs. Mary Louise Reahard 
Murphy, Bonita Springs, Fla.  Two children, jerry F. and John Everett also 
survive.  Lt. Murphy was a graduate of Lagro High School and attended Manchester 
College.  He entered service Feb 28, l943 and was sent to England in January 
l945. 

FRANK MUSIC a private in the infantry, gave his life on Independence Day, July 
4, l944 in France, killed in action.  He was the 2l year old son of Mrs. Madge 
Music, near Wabash, and was a native of Kentucky.  He came to the Vernon 
community five years before entering service.  His home had been in Ashland, Ky.  
At the time of his death he had been in service just eight months, two of them 
spent overseas where he had gone into combat soon after arrival. 

ROBERT C. MYERS son of Mr. and Mrs. Bert Myers, Wabash, was the second casualty 
among Wabash county men during World War II.  A staff Sergeant in the army air 
corps, the 23 year old youth was killed in the crash of a four-motor bomber on 
which he served as aerial engineer when the plane crashed on a mountainside near 
Magdalena, N.M.  Sgt. Myers was inducted into the army in l94l and then was 
successful in enlisting in the air corps Sept 22, l94l.  He had trained at 
several bases and was stationed at Almogordo Air Field, N.M. at the time of his 
death.  He was a graduate of Linlawn High School where he was an active athlete.  
At the time of his induction he was employed at the Ford Meter Box company. 

NEIL MAX MYLIN 21, Lt in the army air corps, who had been missing in action over 
Germany since Sept 8, l944 was later presumed dead by the war department.  
Official notification was sent his widow, Mrs. Willodean Rager Mylin, Laketon, 
and his parents Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Mylin, North Manchester Rural Route 2.  His 
death occurred while he served as a crew member aboard a Flying Fortress bomber 
on a mission to Ludwigshafen, Germany.  Hit by flak before reaching the target, 
the plane exploded and crashed.  Lt. Mylin was born June 30, l923 in Ijamsville, 
attended school there and was graduated from Laketon High School.  He attended 
Chicago Air college and was employed at the Glenn Martin bomber plant in 
Baltimore when entering service in January l943.  Lt Mylin went overseas in July 
l944. 

JAMES NEIGHBORS 26, Lt in the U.S. Naval Air Corps, lost his life Sept 13, l944, 
when the Grumman Hellcat plane which he was piloting over enemy territory in the 
south Pacific area was directly hit, crashed and exploded. He had flown 2,000 
hours without accident previously.  Born in Wabash Jan l6, l9l8 he was the son 
of Mr. and Mrs. Owen J. Neighbors, was graduated from Wabash High School and 
Indiana University and entered the navy in June l940.  He served as an 
instructor in the U.S. for two years, then went to Hawaii and the south Pacific 
battle area.  At the time of his death he was serving as leader of his squadron 
and was based aboard an airplane carrier. 

ROBERT C. NOBLE 26, a private first class in an infantry unit, was killed in 
action in Germany Feb 24, l945, after serving overseas from Sept l944.  Pfc 
Noble was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ora O. Noble, Wabash Rural Route 5, former 
Wells county residents.  He was a graduate of Liberty Center High School and was 
employed in Richmond before entering service in April l944.  He is also survived 
by his widow, Mrs. Lucille Baker Noble, and a son, Larry, both of Richmond. 

CHARLES MARLOW O'BRIEN 33, an ensign in the navy, was killed when a newly-
designed navy high-altitude Corsair plane crashed at Brandywine, Md. Oct l9, 
l942.  Ensign O'Brien, who was a native of Wabash, had entered the navy as an 
apprentice seaman in l925 and was promoted to the rank of ensign June l5, l942.  
He had been stationed at encaustic naval Air Station since early l94l.  
Survivors include the widow, Mrs. Margaret Marie O'Brien, and four children, all 
of Washington, D.C. and an uncle James E. O'Brien , Wabash. 

WILLARD WARD OGDEN 23, aviation machinist's mate second class, was drowned 
accidentally off an island in the Admiralty group in the south Pacific Mar 19, 
l945 according to official word received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Russell 
Ogden, near Laketon.  His widow lives in Santa Rosa, Calif.  Born Oct 8, l92l, 
Billy Ogden attended the Laketon school and was graduated from the Laketon High 
School.  He entered the navy Aug 20, l942 and went into active sea duty in 
December l944.  He was a farmer.

CARL W. OLDFATHER 25, a cadet in the air corps, met his death July l6, l943  
in a plane crash at Pecos, Tex.,  His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred  
Oldfather and widow, Mrs. Cleo Butterbaugh Oldfather, near North Manchester,  
received official notification of the fatality.  Cadet Oldfather enlisted in  
the air corps in June l942.  He had been a farmer and won recognition by  
achieving the Wabash and Kosciusko county 5-acre corn plot championship  
several times.  Born April 29, l9l8 he spent the major part of his life in  
the North Manchester community.  He was a graduate of Laketon High School.  
A son, Kenneth Ray, also survives.  Funeral services were held at the South  
Pleasant Church with burial in the church cemetery,.  

BERNARD E. PLUM 23, private first class in the U.S. Marine Corps, was killed  
in action during the invasion of Iwo Jima, the navy notified his mother,  
Mrs. Alfred Plum, Wabash.  Pfc Plum enlisted in the marines Feb 12, l942 and  
after brief training was sent to Guatanamo Bay, Cuba, where he was stationed  
for sixteen months.  Returning to the U.S. he obtained further training and  
was then sent to the Pacific theatre of war in Jan l944.  He had seen action  
in the Marshall Islands, on Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima.  Pfc Plum attended  
Wabash High School and was a member of the First Methodist Church.  

LOWELL WALTER POOLE 31, a private in the U.S. Army , was killed in action in  
Belgium Jan 19, l945.  Official notification was received by Mr. and Mrs.  
Lester Stuber, near Lafontaine, with whom Pvt Poole had lived while working  
as a farm hand.  He had entered service in April l944 and went overseas the  
following fall.  Born in Wabash, Pvt Poole had been a resident of the  
community throughout his life.  Survivors include four children, Walter,  
Phyllis, Rosalie and Larry all of Wabash County.  

GEORGE W. PORTER Lt in the 6lst Division of the 92nd Infantry, was one of  
Wabash county's first heroes of World War II.  Stationed in the Philippines  
where he had been since l939 while serving an earlier enlistment as an  
aerial photographer, Lt. Porter led a group of Filipino soldiers in the  
valiant fight to hold Bataan and Corregidor against the invading Japanese.  
Taken prisoner he was interned in a Jap prison camp where he died of  
dysentery on Aug 30, l942.  Lt. Porter, 28, was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Arch  
B. Porter. Wabash,  was born in Wabash March 2, l9l5 and was graduated from  
Wabash High School in l932.  He was a member of the Presbyterian Church and  
the Elks lodge.  His first enlistment was in Dec l937 and he reenlisted in  
Mar. l94l while stationed in the Philippines.  

WILLARD H. PRICE 20, staff sergeant and radio operator on a B-24 in the army  
air corps, was killed by a burst of flak while on a mission over Germany Oct  
6, l944.  His parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. Chalmer Price, Wabash, were notified  
by the war department.  He was given military burial in England.  Sergeant  
Price was posthumously awarded the army Air Medal.  A native of Logansport  
where he was born Aug 6, l924, Sgt Price was graduated from Wabash High  
School and was a pre-medical student at Indiana University when he entered  
service April 7, l943.  He went overseas July l0, l944.  Sgt Price was  
Wabash and CIC tennis champion and a member of the WHS basketball team.  
He  
was a member of the First Christian Church where for eleven years without  
missing he attended the Sunday School class of Homer T. Showalter.  

DALE GORDON REED 24, private in the infantry, was killed by a bayonet in the  
Battle of Metz Nov l9, l944.  Word was received only a few days after he had  
been reported missing.  His widow, Mrs. Mary R. Reed, Twelve Mile, and his  
mother, Mrs. Pearl Reed Mendenhall, Rich Valley, were notified.  Pvt Reed  
entered service in No. l943 and was sent overseas two months before his  
death.  Born in Twelve Mile, Cass county, he had been a Wabash county  
resident for seven years.  A son, Frank Dale Reed, also survives.  

GEORGE D. RICHARDS Lt in the army air corps, was killed in the south Pacific  
area while serving as pilot of a P-38 pursuit plane Oct l9, l943 during the  
Solomon Island campaign.  Lt Richards, 26, was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ross  
V. Richards, North Manchester Rural Route l and husband of Mrs. Bette Nogard  
Richards, Valparaiso.  He was born in Chester Township Aug 5, l9l7 and was  
graduated from Chester High School.  Enlisting in the air corps Aug 4, l942  
he was commissioned April 12, l943.  Lt Richards was employed by the Urshcel  
Laboratories, Valparaiso, before entering the service.  He was also an  
amateur boxer.  

JACK C. ROBISON 2l, staff sergeant and waist gunner on a B-24 was killed  
Jan 29, l944 when his plane was shot down over Dinez, Belgium.   Official  
notification and accompanying information to his mother, Mrs. A.J. Lane,  
Wabash, indicated that Sgt. Robison did not bail out when the bomber was  
struck.  He had been overseas since September l943, one year after he had  
entered service.  He was buried in Neuville-en-Condroz, U.S. Military  
Cemetery.  Sgt Robison was a native of Bloomington where he completed his  
high school education and then came to Wabash for residence.  

MAX M. ROGERS 20, torpedoman third class in the U.S. Navy, was lost in  
action while on combat duty at sea in the south Pacific aboard the submarine  
Harder.  Loss of the ship during October with her entire crew was not  
revealed until January.  Torpeodoman Rogers made his home with his  
grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Justus Rogers, Wabash Rural Route 4.  He was  
graduated from lagro High School in l942 and enlisted in the navy the  
following October.  Other survivors include his mother, Mrs. S.J. White,  
Ijamsville.  

HAROLD DEVON RUDICEL 22, sergeant in the U.S. Army, was killed in action 
in France Dec l9, l944 when he went to the aid of his wounded lead scout as  
their squad moved forward to join their platoon when ordered to take a  
German road block.  Shot as he neared the scout Sgt Rudicel died instantly  
his parents Mr. and Mrs. Alvah Rudicel, Wabash, were informed.  Born in  
Wabash Sept 29, l922, he was graduated from Wabash High School and 
attended business school in Fort Wayne.  He entered service Dec 5, l942.  

FREDRICK J. RUPERT private in the U. S. Marine Corps, died of drowning at an  
undisclosed overseas station early in l943 according to an official  
notification received May l0, l943 by his widow, Mrs. Helen Hutchinson  
Rupert, North Manchester Rural Route l.  Pvt Rupert was l9 years old at the  
time of hid death.  Previous to his enlistment March l9, l942 he lived for  
several years at White's Institute and attended Linlawn school.  He also  
made his home with Mr. and Mrs. Carl Nuner, Wabash Rural Route 4.  A  
daughter, Mary Louise Rupert, also survives.  

GEORGE CHARLES SABO 25, technician fifth grade with the l62nd infantry, was  
killed in action March 2, l945 on Mindanao.  His mother, Mrs. Lena Sailors,  
Wabash, received the notification.  Death followed three years service in  
the south Pacific where Cpl Sabo had served in Australia, seen action in  
Biak, New Guinea and at Guadaclcanal.  He was born March 23, l920 in Wabash  
and attended Wabash High School.  Entering service June l8, l94l Cpl Sabo  
was sent to the Pacific area after training in California and Washington.  

RICHARD SAUSAMAN 23, a corporal in the infantry was killed in action in  
Italy Sept 2l, l944.  His father C.E. Sausaman, Roann, and his mother, Mrs.  
Thelma Sausaman, Denver, were notified by the war department.  Overseas  
since May l943, Cpl Sausaman had participated in the North African and Italian  
campaigns.  he enlisted Oct 28, l942.  Born Sept 26, l92l in Crown Point,  
Cpl Sausaman was a graduate of Peru high School.  

JAMES R. SCHETZSLE 20, flight officer in the army air corps, was instantly  
killed July l, l945 when the B-29 bomber in which he was making a routine  
training flight as bombardier-navigator, crashed near Benton, Ky. while  
flying through an electrical storm.  Flight Officer Schetzsle was born in  
Wabash to Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Schetzsle on Dec 12. l924.  The parents  
received the official notification of his death.  he attended the Rich  
Valley and St. Bernard's parochial schools and was graduated from Linlawn  
High School.  He entered the army Feb 28, l943 and transferred to the air  
corps, receiving his commission Dec 1, l944.  He was a member of St.  
Bernard's Catholic Church.  

GEORGE HENRY SIMPSON 26, technical sergeant in the air corps, was killed in  
action while on a bombing mission over Germany Nov 30, l944.  He was  
radioman and gunner on a B-24 bomber and had received the army Air Medal  
with several oak leaf clusters at the time he met his death.  He had been  
previously listed as missing.  He was the husband of Mrs. Helen White  
Simpson and son of Mr. and Mrs. Maurice A. Simpson, Wabash.  Born in Wabash
Feb 12, l9l8 he was graduated from Wabash high School and later worked at
the General Tire and Rubber company.  He entered service Jan l4, l942 and  
had been overseas since May l0, l944.  

VERL RAY SINGER 33, sergeant and technical engineer in the army air cooprs,  
was killed sept l5, l944 at Patterson field, Fairfield, Ohio, as a result of  
the collision between the twin-engine cargo plane in which he was a crew  
member and a pursuit plane which was coming into the field.  The cargo plane  
was taxiing down the runway in preparation for a take-off on a trip to  
California.  Sgt. Singer was born Oct 15, l9ll and spent l4 years of his  
life on a farm near Kewanna, completing his schooling in Cincinnati.  He was  
the son of  the Rev. and Mrs. L.A. Singer, Wabash.  

EUGENE STEELE Lt in the U.S. Army was killed in action June 7, l944 in Italy  
according to a war department message to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Rolla  
Steele, near South Whitley.  Lt Steele, who had entered the service on April  
l6, l94l, was a member of the tank corps.  He was a resident of North  
Manchester at the time he entered service.  

HAROLD FREDERICK STELLAR 25, private in Co. H, Indiana National Guard, 
died February l7 in the Wabash county hospital after undergoing an appendectomy  
three weeks earlier.  Pvt Stellar had been mobilized with the local company  
and had been billeted at the national Guard armory in Wabash awaiting  
orders to move to Camp Shelby, Hattiesburg, Miss. for training, when he  
became ill.  He entered the hospital the night before the unit moved out.  
He had been a member of the National Guard for four years.  Pvt Stellar was  
the son of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Stellar, Servia.  Funeral services were held  
at the Fairview Church near Servia and burial was in the church cemetery.  

MAX W. STEVENS 26, Lt in the army air corps, was killed in action over
the Japanese island of Formosa Mar 23, l945 while he was serving as lead  
bombardier of his plane crew.  His death in service followed months of  
overseas service during which he had participated in many missions in the  
south Pacific first while based on Biak Island and later in the Philippines.  
He received the Air Medal three weeks before his death for meritorious  
achievement in the southwest Pacific.  Born in Wabash Sept 12, l9l8, Lt  
Stevens was the son of Mr. and Mrs. W.W. Stevens.  His father preceded him  
in death by six weeks.  He was graduated from Wabash High School where he  
was on the football squad.  He attended Manchester college and was employed  
as a chemist at the General Tire and Rubber company.  He was a member of the  
First Christian Church and regular attendant in the Showalter Sunday School  
class for many years.  Lt Stevens is also survived by his widow and son,  
Michael Neal Stevens, San Antonio, Texas.  

STEWART BERNARD SWEAZY 27, private in the infantry, met his death in 
action Oct 22, l944 in France where he had been in combat since June l6.  He
was the son of Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Sweazy, Speicherville.  He saw duty with three  
American armies.  At one time he was a member of a squad of 30 men which  
held 635 Germans for several days until they made their way back from a  
reconnaissance patrol to the American lines.  Born May l, l9l7 in,  
Pvt Sweazy moved with his parents to Wabash county and attended  the Urbana  
school.  Again they returned to Elkhart county where he was graduated from  
Dunlap High School.  Entering Service in October l943 he was sent overseas  
in March l944.  He was a member of the Church of the Nazarene.  

PAUL G. TAYLOR private in the U.S. army met his death Oct 24, l944 when
the Japanese troop ship on which he was being transferred from the Philippines  
as a prisoner of war was sunk by submarine action off the China coast.  He  
was reported missing first and later presumed to have died at sea.  Pvt  
Taylor was taken prisoner during the battle of Corregidor.  A native of  
Lafontaine where he was born Jan l5, l9l5 and where he attended school, Pvt  
Taylor entered service in February l940.  He was soon sent to the  
Philippines where he served until the fall of that stronghold in May l942.  
Survivors include the father, Charles Taylor, Los Angeles, a sister, Mrs.  
Hiley Marks, and a brother, Odlin Taylor, both of Lafontaine.  

CHARLES HERBERT TINSLEY who served with a division of engineers, met his  
death in the North Africa theatre of war Aug 22, l943.  A native of Wabash  
where he was born in the home of his grandfather, Charles Flinn, an  
attorney, Tinsley was the son of Rev. and Mrs. Herbert Tinsley, Warsaw, Ky.
and a grand-nephew of Dr. Minnetta F. Jordan, Wabash.  He entered the army
in August l94l and was sent to Africa in June l943 where he took part in the  
invasion of Sicily.  

HOWARD THOMAS TUCKER 25, radioman second class, U. S. Navy died in the  
performance of his duty June 24, l945 and was buried in the 2nd Marine  
Cemetery on Saipan in the Marianas.  His father, John Tucker, who lives  
south of Speicherville, was notified of his death.  A native of Wabash  
County Radioman Tucker entered the service in l943.  

FREDERICK ULREY 35, first Lt in the infantry, was killed in action in  
Normandy in August l944 after serving overseas since May l943.  His widow,  
Mrs. Kathryn Ulrey who was making her home in Wabash with Lt. Ulrey's  
sister, Mrs. Robert Beauchamp, was notified by the war department.  A native  
of North Manchester where he was graduated from high school, he attended  
Manchester College and later Purdue University.  Lt. Ulrey enlisted in June  
l942.  He was an instructor in an Oklahoma City High school at that time. Lt  
Ulrey was a member of the Walnut Street Church of the Brethren, North  
Manchester.  

HERBERT P. URSCHEL technical sergeant who was killed in action during the  
paratroop invasion of Holland Oct 3, l944, was posthumously awarded the  
Silver Star for gallantry in action June l9, l944 when he singlehandly  
stormed a machine gun nest which had pinned his platoon to the ground and  
killed the crew of five men with grenade and sub-machine-gun fire.  During  
his participation in the Normandy invasion he had been wounded, then went  
into special training with the paratroopers and was in a glider outfit,  
second to land in Holland, at the time of his death.  Born in Wabash Sgt  
Urschel, graduated from Wabash high School where he was a football player  
and prominent boxer.  He was employed at the Container Corporation at the  
time he entered service.  He had a total of eight years military service  
with the National Guard and the regular army before induction.  He was a  
member of the First U.B. Church.  His widow, Mrs. Marjorie Kramer urschel,  
Huntington, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Urschel, Wabash, survive.  

JAMES H. VALENTINE 2l, second Lt in the army air corps, was killed May l5,  
l943 when an army transport ran into a dense fog and crashed on a  
mountainside near Morgantown, N.C.  A native of Wabash where he was born on  
Sept l9, l92l, Lt. Valentine was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Valentine,  
now residents of Cincinnati.  His father was a Wabash resident and his  
mother was mae Hendricks, Lafontaine.  He spent his boyhood days in the two  
communities but was graduated later from Anderson High School.  Entering  
service in the air corps May l9, l942 he was commissioned Mar l0, l943 and  
had been assigned to the troop carrier command.  Funeral services were held  
in Cincinnati and burial in the Lafontaine cemetery.  

ROBERT E. WAKEFIELD ensign in the U.S. Navy, was declared dead after 
being reported missing in action for more than three years.  The date of
his presumptive death, which occurred while serving aboard the U.S.S.  
Connecticut, was April 9, l942 when that ship was sunk by a German raider  
while en route to Cape Town, South Africa.  Ensign Wakefield was the last  
missing Wabash county veteran of World War II who was officially accounted  
for.  Born in Wabash, he was educated in the city schools and was a student  
at DePauw University when he enlisted in l94l.  He had been on sea duty for  
a year and a half when his ship was sunk.  His father, Lucius D. Wakefield,  
Wabash, was notified of the death of his 22 year old son.  

GRANT WALTER 26, staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, died March l5, l945 in  
France from wounds received between March ll and the date of his death.  He  
was serving with the infantry and had been overseas for three months.  Sgt  
Walter entered service in September l942.  He had been employed at the  
General Tire and Rubber Company plant in Wabash following his graduation  
from Central high School.  Notification of his death came to his foster  
father, Victor Heeter, with whom he had lived since the age of seven weeks.  
Sgt Walter was a native of Granite City, Ill.  He is also survived by a son  
Stevie, and a brother, Victor Walter, near North Manchester.  
PAUL WEST 3l, a private first class in the army, who had been declared  
missing was later reported to have died in action Nov 26, l944 while serving  
with the Third Army on the Franco-German border.  Pfc West had been in  
service for three and one-half years, two and one-half years of that period  
spent overseas.  Early in the war he served in Iceland.  he had participated  
in much of hard fighting following the invasion of France.  Pfc West is  
survived by his father Hayes West, North Manchester.  

LEW D. WILLIAMS a private first class and radio technician in the army air  
force, died in Hawaii April l8, l945 after serving overseas since November  
l944.  He had been based on an island in the East Indies.  Pfc Williams, 25,  
was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Williams, Lagro, who received the  
official war department notification of his death.  He was a graduate of  
lagro High School and Manchester College.  Pfc Williams entered the service  
in the fall of l942 shortly after his graduation from college where he had  
majored in mathematics and coaching.  

ROLLIN WINDBIGLER 26, private first class in the U.S. Marine Corps, was  
killed in action on Iwo Jima and was buried on that island according to the  
war department message received by his widow, Mrs. Marie Windbigler, and his  
parents Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Windbigler, on May 8, l945.  Pfc Windbigler  
entered service in l944 and was sent overseas with a short time.  He spent  
eight months in the Pacific area.  Born in Wabash June 6, l90l8 he attended  
the local schools and before entering service was employed by the Asbestos  
manufacturing company.  He was a member of the First Church of God.

ROBERT KAY WOLFF 20, a private first class in an infantry division with the 
Ninth army, was killed in action Dec l, l944 in Germany.  Official word came to his 
parents, the Rev. and Mrs. Fred Wolff, former Wabash residents now living in 
Lebanon, Ind.  Pfc Wolff was born March l9, l924 in Kokomo but spent most of 
his boyhood in Wabash where his father was pastor of the First Christian 
Church.  He was graduated from Wabash high School and attended Purdue 
University for two years.  he entered the army in l943, was transferred to the 
army specialized training program and when ASTP was abandoned returned to 
the infantry.  He had been overseas only two months at the time of his death.  

JAMES T. WRIGHT Lt in the army air corps, met his death while on a mission 
over New Guinea, May l5, l944.  Notification came to the pilot's parents, Mr. and 
Mrs. Galen Wright, North Manchester.  Lt Wright, a native of North Manchester, 
was graduated from Central High School in l940 and attended Manchester 
College for two years.  He entered the service in July l942 and left the United 
States for overseas duty in August l943.  

HOWARD OTTO YOUNG 24, private first class in a glider division of the airborne 
troops, was killed in action June 8 in the invasion of Normandy. He was the son 
of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Young, Chester township.  Born July l5, l9l9 Pfc Young had 
been a lifelong resident of Wabash county.  He attended Chester township 
schools and was employed at the Servia elevator before entering service in l942 
and had been overseas for a year at the time of his death.  Pfc Young was a 
member of the St. John's Evangelical Church at Bippus.  

EUGENE ZELLERS sergeant in the engineering branch of an armored division 
was killed in action Oct l, l944 in France.  Official notification from the war 
department was received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Zellers, North 
Manchester.  Sgt Zellers, who was 25, was a graduate of Central High School, 
North Manchester, and entered the army in l94l.  He had gone overseas in 
December l943.

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