Question of the Week: Who are the military heroes in your family? [closed]

Question

Who are the military heroes in your family? Please tell us about them with an answer below. You can also answer on Facebook or share the question image to get your friends and family talking on social media. 

P.S. You may be interested in our Military and War project.

Comments

My cousin Sir Arthur (Roden) Cutler VC AK KCMG

Answer 1

Henry Bray, North Carolina Militia, Revolutionary War

Josiah Bray, 76th Indiana Infantry, Civil War

Cecil Ireland (maternal grandfather), 6th Regiment, Marines, World War 1

John Robert Bray, Navy, World War 2 and Korea

Answer 2

Great grandfather - Elias Buch (1845-1902 (Civil War)

Father - Herbert Clarke Buch Sr. (1919-2014) (Word War II)

Answer 3

I find new ones all the time.  I keep track of them here:  https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Ward-21154_Military_Cousins

Answer 4

Most men in my family for generations from prior to 1600's to 1970's, every military conflict.

Answer 5

There are many, but the person that first came to mind is Abraham Tatlock  because I just updated his profile and discovered that he died along with 500 others in October1862, 11 days after loosing a leg, likely to infection. My heart ached for that young man suffering for so long.  

Answer 6

William James Page (abt. 1886 - 1961), https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Page-12283

Husband of my great aunt, Infantry Captain served during WW1, from 1914-18, wounded at Ypres 1915, gassed and wounded at the Somme 1916, seriously wounded near Arras 1917, lost both legs 1918 as a result of his injuries.

The following is a quote from the Family History written by his wife's brother William Henry Richards 1890-1967
"He has been marvelous all these years, is chairman of Magistrates at Devizes, keeps bees and drives a disabled man’s car. "

Comments

I wonder if he served with my uncle James who died in France in 1918.

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WJP as he referred to himself was English but born in Limerick, Ireland, he was a Captain in Royal Sussex Regiment.

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It is truly amazing that WJP survived. Lately I have been reading about brave Heros who lost even one leg and died after a few days. We all owe them a debt of gratitude.

Answer 7

This is a photo of my father MSgt. Clare Alexander "Chick" Lovelace Jr., who was MIA for 6 months and declared KIA in WWII.

Other members of my family:

My husband, Capt. Mike Nelson, who flew a rescue helicopter in Vietnam.

My first cousin, Jeffery M. Marvin, received a Purple Heart with an Oak Leaf Cluster for service in Vietnam.

My father-in-law, LeRoi Nelson, who saw a great deal of action in the Pacific during WWII aboard a destroyer.

My great uncle, Robert Julius Long, who received a Bronze Star in WWII, Battle of the Bulge.

My uncle, Scott Marvin Jr., who was stationed in England during WWII.

My grandfather, Scott Marvin Sr., who was a medic in WWI.

My great uncle, Kyle McCleery, who was KIA in WWI.

My great grandfather, Thomas Luther Lovelace, who enlisted in the Union Army at age 14, and was wounded.

My second great grandfather, Edward McCauley Long, who was a second lieutenant in the Union Army.

My second great grandfather, Evangel Luveous Morris, who was wounded while serving in the Union Army; and his brothers: Ralph and Newton were both KIA.

My first cousin 3 times removed, John Calvin Irwin, died as a prisoner at Andersonville, where I visited his grave in Oct 2021.

My 4th great grandfather is my DAR patriot, Capt.Andrew Sharp, was cited for heroism at the Battle of Trenton Ferry.

My 5th great grandfather, Asa Wilson, enlisted in the New Jersey Militia at age 15 and was captured by the British, and he was a POW for six years. 

Comments

Your father and my grandfather were at Guam at the same time period. We can always wonder if they ever crossed paths or actually knew each other. Your father's profile is outstanding, by the way. 

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John, I noticed that in what you wrote about your grandfather. I will be going to a reunion of vets at Guam in July in Baltimore, The 2nd down is a photo from last year’s reunion: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1313778/photo-sharing-theme-of-the-week-reunion

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I've wondered if your husband crossed paths with my father.

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Eileen, there is a good chance, especially during the years my husband was flying second seat in the C-141, as they went everywhere. It sometimes is a very small world.

Answer 8

Not military hero, exactly, but my grandfather Lewis Gullison was in training in the Canadian Army during the last years of World War II. He was rather tall, and a family joke is that if he had been sent overseas, there would have been no descendants.

My Great-Grandfather Henry Christian Tapley was in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the Great War. I'm not sure that he actually went overseas though.

A number of my Stairs cousins served in the First and Second World Wars as well, including one (Perley Ondon) as a chaplin.

Answer 9

My grandmother, Dorothy Siller Hodge who enlisted for the entirety of WWII even though she had no idea when it would end and she spent most of her "best years," her 20s, in the Army.

She was also German-American and proud of it though it must not have always been easy. Grandma outranked my grandfather. Every Veteran's Day the cemetery she's buried in moves her flag to where her son is buried, who was a great guy, but no veteran. She did not want her name on the WAAC memorial because of all the terrible flack she got for being in the military. My hero.

Comments

Heather, thank you for sharing the photo of your beautiful grandmother and her great story.

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And thank you for commenting and sharing all your stories! Unbelievable to read.

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Thanks for the great story.  I am a US Marine Veteran (1989-1995) and am thankful for all Women who served before me and paved the way.

Answer 10

My father served in the US Navy for over a decade, in anti-submarine warfare (he was an ASW operator aboard P3 Orions, with a tour aboard the USS Dwight D Eisenhower).

Both of my grandfathers (like every other man who was of age and not physically unfit) served in WWII; my paternal grandfather stayed Stateside and didn't see combat, and my maternal grandfather served under Omar Bradley in Europe; he was an ammunition handler in a field artillery battalion, and was in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded by shrapnel (he was later part of the Allied army that crossed the Rhine in March of 1945).

My great-grandfather William S. Childs was in the US Army during WWI.

My 3rd great-grandfather Samuel Coomes enlisted in the 6th Battalion, District of Columbia Infantry, two days after the bombardment of Fort Sumter (he only served for three months, but those were probably three critical months when the capital was at risk of being captured).

Another 3rd great-grandfather, Coleman C. Adams, of Graves County, Kentucky (where 85% of men who enlisted joined the Confederacy), enlisted in the 10th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry (Union) in 1862 and served for one year.

My 5th great-grandfather Paul French was lieutenant colonel of the 5th Regiment of Indiana militia in 1812.

My 5th great-grandfather Henry Baker was commissioned an ensign in the 5th Maryland Regiment (Continental Line) in 1781, and later promoted to lieutenant. 

My 7th great-grandfather Isaac Pennington was a captain in a South Carolina regiment during the French and Indian War.

Answer 11

My grandfather, Mike Vaskie Sr https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Vaskie-5 served in the US Navy fighting in Guam and other South Seas areas. He was on the Underwater Demolition Team, and this is his certificate for diving and playing with explosives while diving. He never would talk about his service at all, and threw all of his pictures, medals, and anything else, in the trash when he got home. Luckily, this certificate somehow survived. The only thing he kept was the letters my grandmother, and everyone else, sent him. He's still my hero. 

Comments

John, thank you for sharing your grandfather’s certificate. Glad you have been able to keep this piece of his remarkable accomplishments during WWII.

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Thanks Alexis!

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That's really cool! I'm glad you got your grandfather's certificate!

Answer 12

My uncle Harold Drasdo https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Drasdo-5  was killed on the first day of the Spring Offensive 21 March 1918. He was 19 and had only recently arrived in France. Most of his battalion’s losses that day were in a counter attack, described by the adjutant later, which is a perfect description of cannon fodder: “We only heard of this attack from the mouths of a few survivors. It was one of the most heroic episodes in the retreat. The company gathered together in the shell-battered trench that they had occupied all day, and then took the open. No artillery covered their advance. It was hopeless, insane, suicidal. They had perhaps one hundred and fifty yards to cover. They advanced at a jog-trot, lumbering on the uneven ground. One by one they fell before the fusillade that met them”. 

Answer 13

Elmer August Heisel, Jr (1918-1986).  He was an administrative 1st sergeant with the 424 Infantry Regiment, which was part of the 106 U.S. Infantry Division.  The 106th was a new division which arrived in Europe in November, 1944.  It was placed in the Ardennes, which was thought to be a quiet sector of the front.  Instead, early on the morning of Dec. 16, 1944 the Germans attacked, and the 106th found itself at the northern hinge of the German offensive that in the U.S. is called the Battle of the Bulge. The 106th entered history as the only U.S. division ever surrendered in the field.  That memory is not entirely accurate, however.  The 424th Inf. Regiment and an armored brigade attached to the 106th were not surrendered.  Over the course of about three days they fought their way diagonally across the German advance to fall in on the U.S. strong point at St. Vieth. There, the 424th was placed on the right side of the U.S. line, where they fought for about a month until they were relieved. Many of us may recall a scene from a WWII era movie (Battleground?) where the order is given: "Cooks and bakers fall out to draw rifles."  Something like that must have happened to Elmer. He was a mild mannered man with a job done behind the lines who  suddenly found himself carrying an M1 rifle in one of  the most desperate parts of the Battle of the Bulge.  Hero?  I am not sure that label should be applied especially to my uncle, but I am inclined to say that all of the 424th were heroes.

Answer 14

Uncle - Gordon Walter Philcox - Enlisted member of the First Special Service Force (Black Devil's/Devil's Brigade) An Elite American-Canadian commando unit in WW11 http://www.firstspecialserviceforce.net/

Answer 15

Grandfather Alfred Truslow  enrolled in the US Naval Academy, and graduated in 1926. He survived a plane crash off the coast of San Diego, CA, in 1930 and participated in the record-breaking flight from San Diego to Pearl Harbor on September 6, 1938. He went on to become a US Navy pilot. He married Dorothy Carswell Jones at Jeffersonville United Methodist Church on 3 September, 1931. The young couple moved around as Al was transferred between bases and welcomed their only child, Alfred Truslow III in 1935. Shortly after the birth of their child, the family was assigned to the Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December, 1941, Al was in command of the USS Swan, a sea plane tender. The Swan was one of the few ships to escape major damage. He remained in command of the Swan for the remainder of the war, and assumed command of the USS Kenneth Whiting in 1945. On 6 May 1946, the Kenneth Whiting left San Diego to operate with support forces during atomic tests at Bikini Atoll.

He died of cancer in 1976 and was buried will full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.

Answer 16

William Henry Allen did not live to have his own children. My great-great-great-grandmother was his first cousin, so I’m about the closest relative you can find to sing his praises.

During the infamous Chesapeake-Leopard affair in the tensions before the War of 1812, William was the only reason even a single shot got fired in defense of American honor. The story of how he lit the cannon fuse is a gem.

Then during the war itself, he took a brig-sloop to the waters around Britain itself, causing mayhem and forcing a concerted response before finally losing an epic battle with the heavily armed HMS Pelican under Captain Maples. Allen suffered fatal injuries but was buried with full honors in England after the battle.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Allen-19792

Answer 17

My grandfather Private Charles McIntyre , Royal Irish Rifles. Served, and was wounded , in the Boer War, survived, got home to Ireland then re-enlisted, aged about 45, for the Great War. Was wounded a few times and sent “back in”, until German shell head wound Ypres 1915 - survived , and got home to a divided Country. My uncle ; Colour Sergeant Hugh McIntyre, 1st Bat. Inniskilling Fusiliers. He was in Singapore when the regiment was ordered to surrender to the Japanese, escaped and made his way back to the war in Europe.

Answer 18

My father - Wisbey-189. On the photo that I have uploaded, you can see the US Presidential Unit Citation.  This was awarded for the defence of hill 235 at the Imnij River: He was in comand of the 170 Battery of the 45th Field Regiment.

Citation

All units of 29th Brigade had fought with great courage, but the Gloucestershire Regiment and 170 Battery of the 45th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, were both awarded a US Presidential Unit Citation, the highest American award for heroism and collective gallantry. The 29th Brigade’s performance on the Imjin demonstrated that the British soldier in defence was a stubborn and formidable foe. 

https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/battle-imjin

Answer 19

I have many who served in WW1: but the one who stands out for me (so far) is my mother's cousin, Kenneth Ronald Buckle.

He lost his life in the first of the incidents in the "Accidents and incidents" section on the Wikipedia page linked in his biography (No. 214 Squadron RAF - Wikipedia). I still need to do quite a bit of work to bring his bio 'up to scratch'.

Answer 20

Colonel William Crawford who fought in the French & Indian War, Lord Dunmore's War and the American Revolution where he crossed the Delaware with G. Washington.  Eventually he gave his life after being captured by Native Americans. (1782)  His death by burning at the stake,  was widely publicized and had lasting effects throughout the US.    His friend and business associate George Washington stated "I lament the failure of the expedition against Sandusky, and am particularly affected with the disastrous death of Colonel Crawford