More Veterans in my Family - Part Three

Armistice Day. 1918. The 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. The end of "The Great War" thought then to be the "war to end all wars" but alas, it was not to be. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill that changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day, a day meant for honoring all American Veterans, the living as well as the dead, those who served in wartime and those who served during peaceful times.

On May 28, 2007 I posted a list of The Veterans in my Family, which primarily consisted of members of my immediate family as well as my ancestors and a few of their siblings who had served in the Armed Forces of the United States.I've spent some time over the last two days going through my genealogy database looking for other relatives that served in the U. S. Military.

Very little is known about most of these men and women (just two women). For many of them, all it stated in their obituary was that they were a veteran of a war with no details given, not even the name of the unit in which they served. (Sources will be provided upon request.)

The format of the data is:
Name of Veteran (date of birth - date of death)
Service information, if known.
Residence at time of death.
Relationship to me.

An * after the relationship indicates that I actually knew (or know) the person.

The first post in this series, includes Veterans of the War of 1812 and the Civil War.
The second post covers the Spanish American War and World War I Veterans.
This post lists the Veterans from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

~ WORLD WAR II ~

Harold V. Bailey (March 25, 1909 - September 25, 1979)
A veteran of World War II
Huntington, Huntington County, Indiana
Husband of 3rd Cousin Once Removed, Bonnieta Ream

Don Beard (May 9, 1922 - November 7, 1981)
A World War II Veteran.
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
4th Cousin Twice Removed

Robert S. Blain (October 8, 1909 - June 8, 1995)
World War II Air Force veteran.
New Haven, Allen County, Indiana
3rd Cousin 3 Times Removed

Thagras A. Burns (February 19, 1917 - October 27, 2008)
Served in the U.S. Navy for three years as a Lieutenant during World War II. Destroyer Gunnery Officer, participated in the invasions of Normandy and Southern France.
Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana
1st Cousin Twice Removed*

Gene Romain Brubaker (August 18, 1925 - 15 February 15, 1983)
Served in the Navy during World War II
Veterans Hospital, Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana
1st Cousin Once Removed

Floyd Francis Dodd (August 5, 1923 - September 5, 2003)
U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II
Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois
3rd Cousin Once Removed

Wendell W. Fetters (May 11, 1922 - September 17, 1996)
A World War II Army veteran.
Bremen, Marshall County, Indiana
Husband of 3rd Cousin, Marilynn Joan Phend*

Merle LeRoy Fisher (June 5, 1903 - September 23, 1981)
A veteran of the U. S. Navy, serving in World War II
Columbia City, Whitley County, Indiana
2nd Cousin 3 Times Removed

Herbert Edward Fry (May 22, 1920 - March 9, 1994)
Enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 16, 1943 and was discharged on Sept. 18, 1945.
Whitley County, Indiana
3rd Cousin Twice Removed

Six brothers served simultaneously during WWII (3rd Cousin 3 Times Removed)
Clyde Dalton Goodrich (January 4, 1926 - March 13, 2006)
Esta Orville Goodrich (May 5, 1920 - January 13, 1976)
Fay Leroy Goodrich (October 28, 1917 - January 11, 1993)
Gerald Goodrich (living)
Harold Edward Goodrich (May 28, 1927 - October 28, 1950)
Kenneth Goodrich (living)

David Hugh Hockert (January 29, 1917 - March 6, 1983)
Army veteran of World War II.
Nappanee, Elkhart County, Indiana
Husband of 3rd Cousin Once Removed, Jeanette Richmond

Jay Herbert Howenstine (December 26, 1926 - March 10, 1986)
A veteran of World War II, he served in the U.S. Army.
North Webster, Kosciusko County, Indiana
4th Cousin Once Removed

John William Kaufman (October 24, 1917 - May 2, 1998)
Enlisted in the Air Force in 1940, serving five years with the 59th bomber squadron as a gunner stationed in Panama through World War II. Discharged as a staff sergeant in September, 1945.
Jefferson Township, Whitley County, Indiana
Husband of 4th Cousin Once Removed, Mildred Howenstine

Verlin Lester McClain (December 16, 1915 - December 23, 1965)
Veteran of World War II
South Bend, Saint Joseph County, Indiana
Husband of 3rd Cousin Twice Removed, Ferne Dunfee

Ellis Revere McNabb (May 12, 1900 - July 1, 1953)
Enlisted in the Marine Corps on August 26, 1922. During World War II he served in the South Pacific, having fought in the battles on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Cape Gloucester, New Britain, Pelelieu and Palau Islands. He served on active duty until May 1948.
Columbia City, Whitley County, Indiana
3rd Cousin Twice Removed

Merle Louis Pepple (July 25, 1924 - December 9, 1997)
World War II Navy veteran.
Hicksville, Defiance County, Ohio
Husband of 1st Cousin Once Removed, Betty Phend*

Elmo Lowell Phend (April 15, 1918 - July 22, 2003)
Served in the Navy from July 30, 1942 to December 5, 1945 and in the Army from December 5, 1946 through December 19, 1966. He received the WWII Victory Medal, the Army Occupation Medal Japan, the Korean Service Medal with 5 bronze stars, Good Conduct Medal with 3 loops, Expert Carbine, and the National Defense Service Medal with one Oak Cluster.
Richmond, Virginia
2nd Cousin Once Removed

Keith Eugene Phend (March 4, 1922 - October 25, 1943)
Enlisted in the Navy on September 28, 1942. Killed in an airplane crash while in training at the Naval Air Station, Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana
1st Cousin Once Removed

Elmer J Phend (living)
Enlisted in the Army on June 5, 1941
Goshen, Elkhart County, Indiana
2nd Cousin Once Removed*

George W. Phend (September 6, 1920 - April 26, 1990)
Served in the Army.
North Redington Beach, Pinellas County, Florida
2nd Cousin Once Removed

Jacob J Phend (May 11, 1920 - May 31, 2006)
Served with the 1st Marine Division in the Pacific Theater
Elkhart, Elkhart County, Indiana
1st Cousin Twice Removed*

James Edward Phend (September 27, 1918 - March 22, 1967)
Enlisted in the Army on November 17, 1942. A veteran of both WWII and the Korean War, he received the Purple Heart after he was wounded during invasions in both European and Korean theaters. He was promoted to the rank of Captain and was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor in both WWII and the Korean War.
Goshen, Elkhart County, Indiana
2nd Cousin Once Removed

Parker H Phend (April 26, 1918 - October 3, 1985)
Enlisted in the Army on October 27, 1942
Milford, Kosciusko County, Indiana
2nd Cousin Once Removed

Charles Edwin Remy (Sep 8, 1916 - 1944)
Killed in France during World War II.
Husband of 2nd Cousin Once Removed, Mary Alice Phend

Harry Wayne Richmond (Oct 4, 1910 - May 28, 1976)
Army veteran of World War II
Elkhart, Elkhart County, Indiana
3rd Cousin Once Removed

Dallas C. Shaw (living ?)
Served with the Army in France during WWII
3rd Cousin Once Removed

DeWayne Shaw (living ?)
Served with the Army in Italy during WWII. When his father died in May 1964, he was a Sergeant First Class serving with the Army in Nuremberg, Germany.
3rd Cousin Once Removed

William Morris Sites (May 31, 1917 - October 15, 2000)
During WWII, served with the U. S. Army in Europe.
Shelby, Richland County, Ohio
3rd Cousin Twice Removed

Raymond Cecil Stemm (November 18, 1925 - April 24, 1980)
He served with the U. S. Army in World War II, earning the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
3rd Cousin Twice Removed

Wayne Stemm (May 12, 1916 - January 16, 2000)
Served in the Army.
Cherokee Village, Arkansas
2nd Cousin 3 Times Removed

Robert Laverne Walker (September 1, 1927 - October 4, 1989)
In August of 1945 he enlisted in the U. S. Navy and served in the South Pacific during World War II. He was discharged from the Navy in September of 1948.
Columbia City, Indiana
Husband of 1st cousin Once Removed*

William J. Wertzberger (November 6, 1912 - December 30, 1985)
Served in the 3rd Marine Division in the South Pacific during World War II.
Died at Tyler, Smith County, Texas. Formerly of Rochester, Fulton County, Indiana.
2nd Cousin Twice Removed

Tyrus A. Winebrenner (November 26, 1926 - November 12, 2000)
Served in the Army during WWII and was honorably discharged October 27, 1946
Columbia City, Whitley County, Indiana
Husband of 1st Cousin Once Removed, Evelyn Phend*

David Franklin "Frank" Yarian (August 8, 1922 - May 31, 1971)
His military service was not mentioned in his obituary but the 1944 article below about his brother Robert states that Frank was stationed at Miami, Florida., after having been around the world several times on air transport duty.
Angola, Steuben County, Indiana
2nd Cousin Twice Removed

Genevieve Yarian Arrants (May 11, 1916 - Jan 1996)
Served as an Army Nurse in Germany and Italy for several years during World War II.
Austin, Travis County, Texas
2nd Cousin Twice Removed

Jacob Eugene Yarian (July 21, 1918 - August 22, 1995)
He was a World War II Army Air Corps veteran. The 1944 article about his brother Robert stated that Eugene was in New Guinea, having served for over two years in the southwest Pacific.
Attica, Warren County, Indiana
2nd Cousin Twice Removed

Robert George Yarian (July 12, 1923 - June 7, 1978)
Wakarusa, Elkhart County, Indiana
2nd Cousin Twice Removed
Nappanee Advance News, Elkhart County, Indiana (Thursday) January 27, 1944
Nappanee Boy Reported As Missing. A telegram was received by Mrs. Hazel Yarian, at Sarasota, Fla., on Monday of this week from the war department informing her S/Sgt. Robert G. Yarian was missing in action over Germany as of Jan. 11th, last. Mrs. Yarian went to Florida about two weeks ago with a group of friends and expected to spend the winter there, where she would be close to another son, Frank, who is now in an aviation school in Miami, Fla.
Upon entering the service Robert was assigned to Scott Field, Ill., where he was given special instruction as a ball turret gunner and radio man. He went to England in August and since that time had participated in at least fifteen raids over Germany and the occupied territories in western Europe. He had been awarded an air medal as well as the Oak Leaf cluster for bravery in action. He had written home folks under date of January 1st that he was nearing the required number of raids to make him eligible for a furlough back to the states and was looking forward to this end. It is believed he was on a daylight raid from which his craft failed to return and there is strong hopes his plane was forced down and the crew made prisoners, but no information could be given at this time.
Robert is one of a fighting family, he having two brothers and a sister in the service. Frank is now stationed at Miami, Fla., after having been around the world several times on air transport duty; Eugene is in New Guinea, having served for over two years in the southwest Pacific, and a sister, Mrs. Genevieve Arrants is a nurse and at present is on duty in Italy.

~ KOREA and VIETNAM ~

Warren Gillette Dawson (February 25, 1929 - May 5, 1993)
Veteran of the Korean War
South Bend, Saint Joseph County, Indiana
Husband of 2nd Cousin Once Removed, Enid Phend

Dale Eugene Ernest (February 6, 1933 - June 17, 2001)
He was a veteran of the Korean War, serving in the U.S. Army.
Goshen, Elkhart County, Indiana
2nd Cousin Once Removed*

James Elmore Fry (November 9, 1933 - April 6, 1995)
He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.
Syracuse, Kosciusko County, Indiana
3rd Cousin Twice Removed

Audra Dea Marshall Kutz (August 7, 1927 - May 29, 1993)
Denver, Denver County, Colorado
Served in the Marines as a disbursing officer and was a veteran of the Korean War.
Wife of 2nd Cousin Twice Removed, Richard Earl Kutz

Richard Earl Kutz (July 25, 1928 - January 9, 1996)
Retired from the Marine Corps. Served during the Korean War and Vietnam War.
Aurora, Arapahoe County, Colorado
2nd Cousin Twice Removed

Donald Lee Meier (Oct 21, 1931 - Oct 12, 1966)
He was a member of the American Legion when he died. Have not found dates of service yet, probably Korea.
Whitley County, Indiana
3rd Cousin Twice Removed