SGT Bobby Edward Beasley

SGT Bobby Edward Beasley was born 19 Feb 1968 in Clinton, North Carolina. His parents were Leon Sydney and Charity (McDaniel) Beasley. Bobby attended James Wood High School graduating in 1988. He married Juanita Virginia Basore in 2000.

SGT Beasley deployed as a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Company 3rd Battalion 1st Brigade 29th Infantry Division in 2004.  He was killed by a roadside IED on 7 Aug 2004 in Ghazni, Afghanistan.

SGT Beasley was interred in Rosedale Cemetery in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Bobby's great-great grandfather Ephraim Oxford Beasley served as a PVT in D Company 50th North Carolina Infantry (CSA) in the Civil War. Great-great grandfather Jesse Edwards also served in that war.

TSGT William Darden Rowell

Technical SGT William Darden "Bill" Rowell was born 26 Jul 1918 in Greensville County, Virginia to Thomas Joseph and Lucy Gary (Turner) Rowell.  William was federalized 3 Feb 1941 with his National Guard unit and served with M Company until the end of the war.

During their long time in England the 116th fielded a baseball team, the Yankees, on which William played.  He has a short biography at Baseball in Wartime.

He married Nellie Virginia Newsome of Franklin, Virginia on 28 Feb 1942.  They had one son.  William returned home in June 1945. Nellie and their second,infant child died 4 Jun 1946.  He did not remarry until 1965. 

TSGT Rowell died 1 Jul 2004 in Emporia Virginia and is buried in Greensville Memorial Cemetery in Emporia.

CPT John Robert Teal

CPT John Robert Teal was born 17 Apr 1972 in Hanover County, Virginia to Joseph Stanford and Emmie Louise (Rumsbarger) Teal.

John was attending Virginia Military Institute when he enlisted in Company A (- Detachment 1), 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry, 29th Infantry Division (Light). When he became eligible he transferred to the Simultaneous Membership Program (for soldiers in both the ROTC and National Guard) and was promoted to the pay-grade of E-5. Cadet Teal made every effort to be involved in unit activities and even designed a "T"-shirt for the unit which styled itself as the "Legion of Doom".  Such was the popularity that the shirt was re-issued when the unit was re-designated as Company B, 1st Battalion, 116th Brigade Combat Team. When John graduated and received his commission as a 2LT he attended training at Fort Sam Houston.

CPT Teal was assigned to 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division on 23 Oct 2003 when he was killed by an improvised explosive device initiated as his vehicle passed. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star. CPT Teal is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.


The Army Medical Command established the John R. Teal award following the first combat loss of a medical officer supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. This award annually recognizes one medical operations or support officer and NCO who have made significant contributions to the medical community and displayed exceptional soldiering.

Links:

• Arlington National Cemetery - CPT John Robert Teal
• Military Times - Honor the Fallen 
• Fallen Heroes of Operation Iraqi Freedom
• Faces of Valor 
• Bliley Funeral Home Obituary
• Virginia War Memorial - John Robert Teal

1LT Cornelious Ayer Sabin

1LT Cornelius Ayer Sabin (b. 9 Nov 1916 - d. 7 Jun 2003) 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Division. Wounded at Normandy, France, July 11, 1944. Recipient of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Cornelius Ayer Sabin was born November 9, 1916 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. One of seven children, he grew up in Walterboro, South Carolina and Jonesboro, Tennessee. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Science from State Teacher's College (East Tennessee State) in Johnson City, Tennessee, and completed post graduate work at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois . He received his PhD at Stanford University. 

Jonesboro, Tennessee newspaper article about four of the Sabin brothers in the service.
 
Neil Sabin was attached to the U. S. Army 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Division, E.T.O., and was critically wounded in Normandy, France on July 11, 1944. He received the Purple Heart and Bronze Cross. He spent almost four years in hospitals, and had thirteen operations. He was promoted to the rank of Captain, and separated from active duty at Madigan General Hospital, Tacoma, Washington, November 26, 1947.

On August 6, 1945 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, he married Juanita Dorothy Bean, a WAVE from Tacoma, Washington. They settled in Portland, Oregon, where for over thirty years Dr. Neil Sabin was a well respected professor at Lewis and Clark College. They had two daughters. After a prolonged illness, Nita Sabin died in 1994.

You can read more about Dr. Sabin at http://www.oldplaces.org/neilsabin/neil.html

Note that he died in 2003, 59 years after D-Day.

COL Archibald Jesse Harris

COL Archibald Jesse Harris was born 24 Aug 1874 in Atlantic, Iowa. He was the2nd of the 8 children of Jesse and Mary Abigail (Miles) Harris. 2 of his siblings died in infancy. The family moved to the area of Fort Collins, Colorado in 1878. His father was, elected Mayor of  Fort Collins, Colorado in 1911, was a livestock & real estate dealer and horseman as well as working as agent for Union Pacific Rail Road. He also served on the State Agricultural Board and State Prison Board. Archie, as he was known for most of his life, graduated with a Bachelors or Science from Colorado A&M College in 1897. The photo of Archie is from that time.

Appointed 2LT, 2nd Infantry federally recognized on 3 Aug 1898 and fought with L Company 2nd Infantry Regiment in Cuba in 1898 and 1899. He was promoted to 1LT on 16 May 1899 in Cuba. The 2nd returned to the U.S. in September 1899. The 2nd Infantry was deployed to the Philippines in August 1900. While in the islands the regiment fought in more than 25 engagements on several of the archipelago's islands. 1LT Harris returned with M Company to the western U.S. in May 1903. Archie was promoted to CPT on 30 Dec 1904 . He graduated from the Infantry and Cavalry School in 1905 then deployed with the regiment to the Philippines in May 1906. He served there posted to the Agur barracks and H Company until the regiment returned to the U.S. in March 1908. CPT Harris assumed duties as Regiment Adjutant on 1 Jun 1908 and on 7 Oct 1908 at Fort Thomas, Kentucky he married Helen J. Price.

The regiment remained at Fort Thomas until it was deployed to Hawaii in 1911. When WWI broke out the 2nd had the duty of guarding interned German ships and crews in Hawaii as well as various installations. Archie was promoted to MAJ on 15 May 1917. He was then assigned to the 362nd Infantry Regiment, 91st Division at Camp Lewis, Washington (now Fort Lewis) and in September 1917 transferred from the 362nd to 346th Infantry Regiment in the 87th Division.

MAJ Harris was permanently promoted to LTC on 1 Jul 1920 and LTC Harris was apparently sent to France where he received a temporary promotion to COL effective 2 Jul 1918 and on 21 Aug 1918 assumed command of 116th Infantry Regiment which he commanded in the opening days of the Meuse-Argonne offensive. COL Harris was relieved of command on 9 Oct 1918 but kept his temporary rank until October 1919.  COL Harris returned to the U.S. in June 1919 first going to Fort Dix, New Jersey. He was promoted to COL on 20 Jul 1920 which was made permanent on 1 Dec 1920. COL Archie Harris assumed duties as E&R officer of Fort Lewis, Washington. He was retired effective 22 Dec 1920.

After he retired and he and Helen moved to 1628 Bushnell Avenue, Pasadena, California a home valued at $4000 in 1940 and $2.4-million today. They apparently left a very quiet life. The couple had no children.

COL Harris died on 19 Feb 1953 in Pasadena, California of a heart attack while doing yard work. He was interred in Grandview Cemetery in Fort Collins, Colorado. 

NOTE: This memorial was published 50-years after his death.

COL Mifflin Belsterling Clowe Jr.

receiving Bronze Star from COL Thrasher, 1944

COL Mifflin Belsterling Clowe Jr. was born 16 Jan 1917 in Winchester, Virginia. He was the first of the 3 children born to Mifflinn Belsterling and Eugenia Laura (Snapp) Clowe. His father had worked as a jeweler and engraver in Winchester in the family store and owned their large home at 106 North Washington Street in Winchester. Young Mifflin attended Handley High School in Winchester where he played basketball and baseball on the school teams and was in the drama club as well as student body president for 2 years. Mifflin graduated from Handley in 1937 and went to work in the family business as a clerk.

Mifflin enlisted in the local Virginia National Guard unit on 19 Jun 1935.  He was commissioned 2LT 3 Feb 1941, the same day as the units of the 116th Infantry were federalized and called to active duty. He married Mary Elizabeth Beckwith on 30 Jun 1941. At that time the 116th was still at Fort George Meade, Maryland. He was promoted to 1LT 21 May 1942. He departed with the unit for England in September 1942 and was again promoted, this time to CPT, on 15 Dec 1942 and given command of a company.

CPT Clowe commanded I Company 116th Infantry on D-Day. His actions in the amphibious assault resulted in the award of the Bronze Star Medal. CPT Clowe was wounded shortly after the landing and sent to a hospital in England where he found himself in a bed next to his friend, PVT Beverly Byrd, son of U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd. He was promoted to MAJ 16 May 1945. After the war he returned to Winchester and he and Mary had a son in March 1947. Mifflin was a MAJ serving again in the Virginia Army National Guard when elected Mayor of Winchester, Virginia in June 1948 and he would hold that office until 1956. He was promoted to LTC on 10 Jan 1952. LTC Clowe assumed command of 2nd Brigade 29th Infantry Division in 1959 and was promoted to COL 10 May 1960. COL Clowe's command ended in 1964. He then served as chief of the office of military support at National Guard Bureau. He was considered as a possible State Adjutant General by Governor Linwood Holton. COL Clowe was also Civil Defense Coordinator for Winchester.

Mifflin was a member of several civic and fraternal organizations. He was a master mason, president of the Winchester American Legion post, member of VFW and Elks, and president Retail Merchants Association.

Mrs. Clowe died in 1997 and COL Clowe died in 2001. They rest forever in the Mount Hebron Cemetery in Winchester, Virginia. 

Great, great-grandfather Charles Bell Clowe, had served in the War of 1812. His great-grandfather, COL Henry Wyatt Clowe, served as Superintendent of the arsenal at Harper's Ferry and was there when it was attacked by John Brown in 1859.

BG James Alexander Walker

BG James Alexander Walker was born at Mount Sidney, Virginia on 27 Aug 1832. He was the oldest of 3 children of Alexander and Hannah Mary (Henton) Walker.  James received his early education at private schools, later attending the Virginia Military Institute. During his senior year there, he was dismissed on charges preferred by a professor, his future commander, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Although James challenged Jackson to a duel, the two did not meet. He then worked for the Carrington and Ohio Railway before studying law at the University of Virginia. Following his graduation, he practiced his profession in Pulaski County, Virginia. James married Sarah Ann Poage in November 1858 and the couple's first child, a daughter, was born in September 1859. James was elected as Commonwealth's Attorney for Pulaski County in November of that same year. The Walkers would have another daughter born in November 1860.

When Virginia seceded, James entered Confederate service as Captain of the Pulaski Guard. He initially served under Jackson at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, then became Lieutenant Colonel of the 13th Virginia Infantry. In February 1862 he succeeded BG Ambrose Powell Hill as Colonel of the regiment, leading it in the 1862 Shenandoah Valley, Seven Days', and Second Bull Run Campaigns. A skillful, ferocious combat officer, he commanded Trimble's brigade at Antietam, where he suffered a wound. He commanded another brigade at Fredericksburg in December 1862 and at Chancellorsville in May 1863. His prowess as an officer so impressed Jackson that "Stonewall" specially requested his promotion to Brigadier General. He received his commission, and command of the Stonewall Brigade, which he led at Gettysburg, Bristoe, Mine Run, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. At the battle of Spotsylvania Court House, in the "bloody angle" he was grievously wounded when his left elbow was shattered by a bullet. On his return to duty, he commanded a division at Petersburg, and in the surrender at Appomattox. 

After the war, he returned to Pulaski County, where he farmed and resumed his legal practice. He was elected to the state legislature as a Democrat in 1869 and served two terms. The following year, the Virginia Military Institute granted him an honorary degree, in recognition of his war career and listed him on the rolls as a graduate of the Institute. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 1876. He eventually split with the Democratic party and, as a Republican, served 2 terms in the United States House of Representatives. James' great-grandson, Manley Caldwell Butler, would years later also serve in the Congress as a Republican. 

BG Walker died on 21 Oct 1901 in Wytheville, Virginia. He rests forever in Eastend Cemetery in Wytheville. 

Note: this was published 100-years after his death.

COL James Carr Baker

2nd Virginia Infantry Staff at Camp Cuba Libre, Jacksonville, Florida - 1898

 

Colonel James Carr Baker was born at "Greenwood," Winchester, Frederick county, Virginia, on 7 Oct 1851. He was first taught by private teachers, then entered Shenandoah Valley Academy, a notable  educational institution in Winchester. He witnessed the constant fighting in the area during the Civil War. James left the academy and continued his studies at Romney Institute in West Virginia then under private tutors until he began the study of law under Judge James W. Allen. James was admitted to the Virginia bar at the age of 21 and practiced law privately and as commonwealth attorney in the states of Virginia and West Virginia. Colonel Baker married Ada H. Keene on 7 Apr 1874. The couple would have 5 children. He began practice at Moorefield, West Virginia and continued there until 1876 when he accepted a position in the West Virginia government at Wheeling, where he remained until 1880. James returned to Virginia in that year, locating at Woodstock. He remained at Woodstock for nineteen years, spending 7-years in the private practice 12-years as Commonwealth's Attorney of Shenandoah county, to which he was first elected in 1884. An officer in the Virginia militia, James was a colonel of the Second Regiment Virginia National Guard in 1898 and he served with his regiment in the Spanish-American war, his regiment being held in Jacksonville, Florida, until their release from the United States service in 1899. After the war Colonel Baker re-located to Newport News, Virginia, where he practiced law from 1899 until 1906. He again re-located in 1906 to Stephens City, Virginia, and practiced law there. He was a member of the bar associations of the district, is a past master of Moorefield Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, is a companion of Wheeling Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, belongs to the Knights of Pythias, and a practicing Episcopalian. He was a Democrat, serving for 2-years as mayor of Stephens City, 1912-13, and then as a justice of the peace. His military service in the Virginia National Guard began in 1886 and in 1898 he was elected colonel of the Second Regiment, holding that command until 1900.

COL Baker died of influenza on 17 Jan 1917 in Winchester, Virginia. He rests forever in the Mount Hebron Cemetery in Winchester, Virginia. 

This memorial was published on the 150th anniversary of COL Baker's birth.

MG John Glover Castles

MG John Glover Castles was born 1 Jan 1925 in East Orange, New Jersey. He was the youngest of the 3 children born to Eugene Franklyn and Julia L. (South) Castles. His father was a native of New York City and a fabric designer and manufacturer. His mother's family had long been living in Franklin County, Kentucky and several ancestors had been keepers or assistant keepers at the state penitentiary, postmasters,and in other government posts. The couple had met when Eugene was working as a manager of a Frankfort, Kentucky store and delivered the then Miss South's wedding dress for her marriage to another New York City man. The couple hit it off and were married in 1909 and they initially lived in Louisville, Kentucky.

Soon after John was born the family was living at 428 Ridgewood Avenue in Glenn Ridge, New Jersey in a home valued at $75,000 in 1930 together with 2 servants one of whom was the butler. However, the Great Depression had an obvious impact on the family as there were no live-in servants in 1940 and the family had moved down the block to 443 Ridgewood Avenue to a home then valued at $25,000. His father reported a 1939 income of $5,000 and was still designing fabrics. Being from a well-to-do family, John (or "Jack" as he would be called later in life) was able to graduate from Valley Forge Military Academy in 1943. He attended University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In 1943 he enlisted in the Army and attended OCS class 362-44 at Fort Benning, GA. He was initially commissioned as a 2LT on 22 Nov 1944. 2LT Castles would go on to serve as a platoon leader in Europe with the 345th Infantry Regiment in the 87th Infantry Division during WWII during which time he was awarded the Bronze Star. Discharged in April 1945 he returned to school. He married Dorothy Towles Rowe on 15 Apr 1950 and completed his BS degree in Economics at the University of Virginia shortly after in that same year. John originally joined the Virginia National Guard’s Charlottesville-based K Company 116th Infantry in May 1949 while he was attending the University. Promoted to CPT on 2 Mar 1953 and MAJ on 11 Mar 1957. John began work for the Farmers Home Administration in Fredericksburg before that office closed and moving to the Culpeper office as supervisor in 1959.

John and Dorothy had their first child, a daughter in January 1961. A near tragedy occurred on 30 Aug 1961 when John's stalled car was struck by a train at a crossing near Barboursville, Virginia. His left leg had to be amputated below the knee and he suffered a fractured pelvis. However, this didn't stop his military career, John attended the United States Command and General Staff College again in 1964. In May of that same year John and Dorothy had a son. Confirmed as a BG in 1974, he commanded the 116th Infantry Brigade (Separate) from 1977 to 1980. BG Castles was appointed the Adjutant General of Virginia (TAG) in August 1982 and confirmed as a MG on 24 Feb 1983. During his tenure as TAG, the Virginia National Guard went from ranking 50th in the nation to 1st in 1994. 

MG Castles died at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia on 18 Jun 2001. He rests forever in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

COL Hansford Lee Threlkeld

COL Hansford Lee Threlkeld was born in Union County, Kentucky on 17 Feb 1868. He was the 3rd of the 9 children of Uriel Hansford and Mary Catherine (Taylor) Threkeld. The family had come to Kentucky from Virginia and been in Union County in the area of Morganfield since 1811. His father farmed and in 1870 reported that his farm was valued at $3000 and the livestock thereon was valued at $2660 and that his total estate value was about $8500.

Hansford received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and attended beginning in 16 Jun 1887 graduating in 1892. C\He was commissioned as a 2LT on 11 Jun 1892 to serve in B Company 13th Infantry Regiment. He participated there in rifle competition in 1893 and 2LT Threlkeld represented his regiment in the 1894 rifle competitions. In October 1894 he took a month leave. 2LT Threlkeld was detailed to serve on a Court Martial board in June 1895. He underwent an examination for promotion in 1898 and was selected in July of that year for promotion to 1LT. He was then posted to C Company 13th Infantry. 

C Company 13th Infantry found itself in Manauag, Luzon, Philippines in April 1900 and 1LT Threlkeld was commanding the company and governor of Manauag. He was promoted to CPT in 1901 and assigned to the 30th Infantry Regiment. He then was detailed to recruiting duty in Cincinatti, Ohio. 

Hansford's engagement to Elizabeth Berry Waller of Morganfield, Kentucky was announced in February 1902. The couple returned to Cincinnati to live. CPT Threlkeld was detailed to serve on a court martial board at Fort Crook in April 1904. Shortly after that he served on a promotion board. The Threlkelds had a son born in January 1905. Apparently continuing his interest in shooting competition in participated in service pistol competition in August 1906. Posted to the Philippines again in 1908, he was accompanied by his wife and stationed in Manila. The couple returned to the U.S. in 1909. Having graduated from the Army School of the Line, CPT Threlkeld attended the Army Staff College in August 1910. He took 3 months leave in June to August 1911 after which he was stationed with the 30th Infantry at the Presidio San Francisco, California for what was a planned 2 year assignment cut short by operational needs requiring CPT Threlkeld to go to Alaska in 1912. However this was interrupted when he became ill and was put on sick leave for several months which was extended for 2 months in July. However he was still considered for promotion in October of that year and he went to Jeffereson Barracks before he was supposed to continue to Alaska. However, after another month's leave he was instead assigned to the Columbus Barracks in Ohio on recruiting duty. He was relieved and returned to the 30th Infantry in June 1913 and promoted to MAJ in October 1914. By this time Austria-Hungary had declared war on Serbia beginning the first World War.

On 25 Aug 1915 MAJ Threlkeld departed for Plattsburg, New York to rejoin his regiment. The 30th had duty on the Mexican border in 1916 and MAJ Threlkeld was with them until he was ordered to report in September 1916 to attend the Army War College. After completing the course MAJ Threlkeld was on duty there as staff before being reassigned to the 35th Infantry Regiment. Promoted to COL sometime before November 1917. The relatively new COL took command of the 116th Infantry Regiment, just formed, from COL Leedy in January 1918 in anticipation of COL Leedy attending training at Fort Sam Houston. However, the retirement/discharge of BG Vaughan resulted in his reassignment as temporary commander of the 58th Brigade, the next higher headquarters in the 29th Division, being replaced by COL William J. Perry. After a replacement was found for BG Vaughan, COL Threlkeld returned to the 116th. He was then assigned to the 321st Infantry Regiment at Camp Jackson, South Carolina. It is unclear if that transfer ever happened. COL Threlkeld shipped out for France on 19 Jun 1918 aboard the Great Northern and he was still recorded as being assigned to the 29th Division. 

Once he arrived in France he was made an Assistant Chief of Staff in which position he served until his return in 1919. Initially assigned to Plattsburg, New York barracks, he requested retirement in 1920. Hansford and his wife moved back to Morganfield, Kentucky. In 1922, President Harding appointed a number of people across the country to a committee to support the raising of funds for the relief of people in the near east and Hansford was among those selected. COL Threlkeld received a silver star device to his Spanish campaign medal in recognition for gallantry at the July 1898 battle of Santiago.

Chief among the Hansford's interests was genealogy. He was a member of the American Genealogy Society, the Sons of the American Revolution, the Filson Club and the Kentucky State Historical Society. He wrote a book, Threlkeld Genealogy, which was published in 1932. Hansford was ill for several years before dying on 8 Sep 1949. 

COL Threlkeld rests forever in the Masonic Cemetery in Morganfield, Kentucky.

MAJ James William Newton

MAJ James William Newton was born 8 Mar 1838 near Greenville, Virginia. He was the eldest of the two children born to John and Amanda T. (Hutcheson) Newton. James was educated at private schools and Brownsburg Academy before completing his education at Mossy Creek Academy under head teacher Jedidiah Hotchkiss who was later a Major and famed as General Jackson's mapmaker. James married Mary Wade Eskridge sometime in 1860. The couple had two daughters, both of whom died in infancy before 1863.

With war on the horizon, James organized and became commander of a militia company known as the Augusta Grays. This unit would become E Company 5th Virginia Infantry 1st Brigade of Virginia Infantry (the Stonewall Brigade). He was promoted to Major after demonstrated gallantry at the first battle of Winchester. MAJ Newton commanded the 5th Virginia at Cedar Mountain where the unit captured the  the 28th New York Volunteer Infantry regiment. He was at Kernstown but was so badly wounded there that he lost a leg and could not return to duty.

Returning to Augusta county, he clerked for others before opening his own dry goods business in 1869. He was very successful for many years but his business could not escape the effects of deflation in the 1882-1885 depression and James liquidated his business in 1884 after which he traveled in the American west until he returned in October 1885. MAJ Newton was well known in Staunton and popular and he publicaly supported prohibition as early as 1887. Well known in the movement, he joined the national committee of the Women's Christian Temperance Union and attended the national convention in Indianapolis in 1888. He was also a member of the Independent Order of Good Templars. Always willing to take on responsibility, he served as the guardian of Miss Mary Rebecca Shipley from about 1874 through to at least 1890. James was selected to "take charge" of the Virginia exhibit at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

MAJ Newton died of a stroke on 7 Jan 1897 while fetching coal for the stove. He is buried in Thornrose Cemetery in Staunton, Virginia.

Nephew, COL Harry Newton Cootes, was awarded the DSM. 

NOTE: This memorial was published on the 100th anniversary of his death.

PVT Howard Louis Griffith

PFC Howard Louis Griffith, b. 30 Jul 1925 - d. 28 Dec 1996, son of Milton Palmer and Edna Violet (Price) Griffith. He is the twin brother of Harold Douglas Griffith and both were assigned to F Company 116th Infantry Regiment (but are not the only twins to serve in the Regiment at the same time). Howard was wounded on 30 Aug 1944 and evacuated but apparently did not return to the unit. Howard rests forever in Arlington National Cemetery. 

COL William Kent Adams

COL William Kent Adams was born in Halifax County, Virginia on 21 May 1917. He was the oldest of the 2 children born to John Herman and Ruth Thompson (Lewellyn) Adams. Called Kent for most of his life, he grew up in Danville, Virginia and lived there most of his life. In the first years of his life the family lived with his paternal grandparents on Grove Street in Danville and his mother supported the family working as a telephone operator. They later moved to 324 Farrar Street which they owned and his father ran a retail grocery. His mother would later run a boarding house. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1940. 

Commissioned as a reserve 2LT in the Field Artillery branch  on 3 Jun 1940 he was called to active duty on 1 Dec 1940. Serving throughout WWII and receiving a Bronze Star medal 1LT Kent was promoted to CPT on 23 Dec 1945. he was married to Dorothy Victoria Roark on 15 Aug 1942. After release from active duty, Kent went to work for Dan River Mills and he would work there for 30-years. Kent was promoted to LTC on 17 Apr 1951.. Kent and Dorothy had a son on 14 Oct 1953.

Dorothy died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage on 22 Aug 1958. Kent was married on 8 May 1959 to Stella Kerns Bailey Adams (no relation). In 1967 COL Adams took command of the reorganized 116th Infantry Regiment then the 2nd Brigade 29th Infantry Division consisting of 2 infantry battalions and 1 armored battalion. When he retired from service on 30 Nov1972 the Brigade was recognized as the best in the division.

COL Adams died in Danville, Virginia on 22 Nov 1995 and rests forever in Highland Burial Park in Danville.

COL Hobart Blauvelt Brown

COL Hobart Blauvelt Brown was born 2 Oct 1884 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. He was the first of 7 children born to John Spear and Annie (Blauvelt) Brown. His father worked as a store clerk, teamster, and salesman. Hobart was working as a railroad clerk in 1900 and living with parents at 160 Garside Street in Newark, New Jersey. His mother died at the age of 41 in 1901.

Hobart enlisted in "Essex Troop" a New Jersey militia cavalry unit, as a PVT. He was promoted to CPL in May 1909. At that time he was working as a cashier for the Fireman's Insurance Company.

In 1916 New Jersey provided soldiers to respond to the emergency along the Mexican border and CPT Hobart  was stationed at Camp Funston, at Douglas, Arizona from June through October 1916 and during this time was promoted to MAJ commanding 1st Squadron, Essex troop having expanded to 3 troops of cavalry. He married Mary Elizabeth James in March 1917 and then moved with unit to Sea Girt in July 1917 in preparation for movement to Camp McClellan near Anniston, Alabama.

After arriving at Camp McClellan, the old 1st Squadron was reorganized as the 104th Military Police Battalion at Camp McClellan and MAJ Brown commanded from September 1917 to April 1918 during which time he was promoted to LTC and served as post Provost Marshall. At this time there was a lot of shuttling about of officer and LTC Brown and he briefly served as commander of the 116th Infantry during June 1918 at Camp McClellan. He shipped out to France with the 116th on 15 June 1918 and once there he was re-assigned as Commander of the 114th Infantry which was composed of New Jersey National Guard units that had been reorganized at Camp McClellan. He led the unit during the Meuse-Argonne offensive in October 1918.

After the armistice on 11 Nov 1918 he was again reassigned this time as Deputy Provost Marshall General of American Expeditionary Force in France and served in this position until February 1919. For his service during the war he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. 

Returning to the United States he met his infant daughter for the first time. Shortly thereafter he was appointed Assistant Treasurer of Fireman's Insurance Company in April 1919. Hobart with George H. McCarter applied for and received a charter for American Legion in New Jersey on 24 May 1919 and was elected as the first commander of the New Jersey American Legion. This obviously was an extremely busy time for COL Brown and he refused command of 6th New Jersey Infantry in July 1919, not wanting to continue service.

He was then appointed as treasurer of Fireman's Insurance Company and in 1920, with his family, lived in the home of his mother-in-law 1920 on West 79th Street in New York City. However, military service was a continuing interest and in 1926 he was commanding the 302nd Cavalry Regiment, 61st Cavalry Division. Hobart was elected as Vice President and Secretary of  Insurance Shares Corporation in September 1927. He continued in this work, living with his extended family in New York City until he was called to active duty with his unit on 13 Apr 1941. He was selected to establish a Women's Army Corps training center at Fort Oglethorpe and was commanding that facility effective 1 Jan 1943. Mary died on 29 Apr 1946. He married Helen Bowden on 14 Oct 1947.

COL Brown retired from military on 29 Jun 1948 as a COL of Cavalry. He and Helen moved to 156 Palmetto Road, Clearwater, Florida. COL Brown died on 2 Jun 1955 in Belleair, Florida and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. A granddaughter survives.

Hobart had 2 brothers who also served in the military. John Vincent Brown retired from the United States Air Force as a COL. Perry Terhune Brown retired from the United States Navy as a LtCmdr.

Note: this is published 40-years after his death.

COL Sidney Vincent Bingham Jr

COL Sidney Vincent Bingham Jr. was born 4 May 1915 in Douglas, Arizona. He was the first-born of the 5 children born to COL Sidney Vincent Bingham Sr. and Margaret Patterson (Nix) Bingham. This is a concise biography by the United States Military Academy Association of Graduates:

"His father, Sidney Vincent Bingham Sr. was a member of the USMA Class of 1912, His grandfather, Gonzalez S. Bingham, received a direct commission in 1883. His great-grandfather, Judson David Bingham, was a member of the USMA Class of 1854. He grew up at Fort Riley, Fort Meade and West Point. He entered West Point with the class of 1937, but graduated with the class of 1940. At graduation, he received his commission in the Infantry-Air Corps. After a brief attempt at pilot training, he joined the 2nd Division at Fort Sam Houston. Soon after graduation he met Rosemary Chapman in Dallas. They were married on April 6, 1941 in Dallas. They were the parents of three daughters. After a year with the 4th Armored Division, he joined the G3 Section of ETOUSA, England in April 1943. He was soon sent as an observer with the 3rd Division during the invasion and campaign in Sicily, from June to August 1932.
In September 1943, he joined the 29th Division in England and several months later assumed command of a battalion in the 116th Infantry. He led the unit into Normandy on D-Day. His leadership earned him the Distinguished Service Cross. He was wounded in August and hospitalized five weeks, but he returned to the Division and assumed command of the 116th in December, leading his regiment until the Division was deactivated in December 1945. After the war, he was assigned to the Army Field Forces, the Pentagon, National War College, the CIA, Hawaii, Fort Polk, Korea, Fort Bragg and twice in Vietnam. In 1970 he retired with his wife to Aspen, Colorado. For a short time, he served as general manager of the Snowmass Resort. He became involved in planning for a city transportation system which involved designing routes, lobbying the City Council and searching for vehicles. He served as secretary and on the Board of Directors for the Aspen Camp School for the Deaf. In 1972 he started the Aspen Retired Senior Volunteer Program. He became chair for the Colorado Board of Nursing Home examiners, served as Colorado’s representative to the White House Conference on Aging, president of the board of directors of the Pitkin County Community Health Services and was appointed by the governor to be commissioner-at-large on aging for the state."

COL Bingham received the Distinguished Service Cross for actions on 6 Jun 1944 while serving as Commander, 1st Battalion 116th Infantry Regiment. The citation reads as follows:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Major (Infantry) Sidney Vincent Bingham, Jr. (ASN: 0-23267), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, in action against enemy forces on 6 June 1944, at Normandy, France. When his battalion was pinned down on the beach by the heavy and intense enemy fire, Major Bingham gathered together five of his men and personally led them across the beach and up a cliff in an attempt to seek out an enemy machine gun that had been inflicting heavy casualties on his unit. Though unable to reach the machine gun, he was, nevertheless, able to discover its location. He returned to the fire-swept beach and organized a flank and rear attach which succeeded in taking the enemy position, thereby permitting his unit to advance. Major Bingham's superior leadership, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the 29th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.

 COL Bingham died 22 Aug 1993 in Aspen, Colorado and he was cremated. 

 

BG William James Perry

BG William James Perry was born 20 Jan 1866 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the 1st of 4 children born to the Reverend William James and Harriet Ruff (Martin) Perry. His father was a minister of the Baltimore conference of the Methodist Church (south) and moved the family to Staunton, Virginia as part of his work. However, Reverend Perry died at age 39 in 1878 after a protracted illness. William attended local public schools before attending Dunsmore Business College. He was a bookkeeper for Augusta National Bank in 1885 when he decided to leave banking for the insurance business. He saw opportunity in providing insurance for southerners who apparently wouldn't buy insurance from northern agents. Successful, he became the agent for the Maryland Life & Land Insurance Company. When the Spanish-American War began in 1898 he enlisted in the local militia unit and was soon a 1LT in K Company 2nd Virginia Regiment. After the war he was made CPT and commander of K Company. He began a general agency in West Virginia in 1900. He was also soon promoted to MAJ in the 2nd Regiment and then LTC by 1903 when he married Maude St. Clair Conrad of Richmond, Virginia. The couple would soon have 3 children, a son in 1904, a daughter in 1905 and another daughter in 1907. William continued to build his business, changing office locations as the business expanded. He was also active in local civic and business interests including real estate.

He participated in the Army maneuvers near Chicamauga, Tennessee in 1908. COL Perry deployed with his regiment to Brownsville, Texas in 1914 and was discharged when the unit returned in 1916. He returned to duty in 1917 when the unit was mobilized for the First World War and commanded the newly formed 116th Infantry Regiment at Camp McClellan, Alabama for a short time. William and Maude welcomed a 2nd son in 1916. William retired as BG Perry in 1920 and the next few years were devoted to his civilian life. However there were several tragedies. Son, James Martin Perry, died age 11 of pneumonia on 26 Oct 1926. Then daughter, Mary Frances Perry, died of pulmonary tuberculosis at age 20 on 24 Jun 1928. This must have had a toll on Maude and she died of pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of 56 on 31 Jul 1931. 

BG Perry never remarried but lived in his home at 16 Washington Street in Staunton, Virginia until his death at age 77 on 20 Apr 1943. He was buried next to his wife in Thornrose Cemetery in Staunton. 

Note: this memorial was published on the 50th anniversary of his passing.

BG Hierome Lindsay Opie Sr.

BG Hierome Lindsay Opie Sr. was born 6 Oct 1880 in Augusta County, Virginia. He was the 2nd of the 7 children of John Newton and Ida Walton (Fletcher) Opie Jr.  Ida was John's 2nd wife, he had previously been married to Isabella (Harmon) Opie who had died in 1877 and Hierome had 4 older half-siblings. 

Hierome would spend nearly all his life in Staunton. He first enlisted in the Staunton Rifles a company of the 70th Regiment of the Virginia Volunteer Infantry in 1899 as a PVT. As such he participated in the unit's service in civil action in the Richmond street car strike of 1903. He founded the Evening Leader newspaper in 1904. Hierome was first commissioned as a 2LT on 13 Jun 1905 and promoted to CPT on 4 Jun 1906. 

Hierome married Mary Eleanor Ranson on 28 Sep 1910. Her father was a prominent local lawyer. The couple would have 4 children of whom the 3rd would die in infancy.

He commanded the Staunton unit then known as I Company 1st Virginia Infantry and in 1916 took the company to service on the Mexican border. Mobilizing with the unit for the war in France, he at first commanded the newly formed A Company 116th Infantry Regiment He was promoted to MAJ on 5 Mar 1918 and assumed command of the 3rd Battalion of the 116th Infantry Regiment. He departed with that unit for France aboard the USS Finland in June 1918. While in France he was wounded on 15 Oct 1918 and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for refusing to be evacuated but continuing to lead his battalion taking the unit objective and consolidating its position. He spent several months recovering from his wounds before he was assigned the command of 1st Battalion 113th Infantry Regiment and returned with that unit aboard the USS Floridian in May 1919.

After returning from France in May 1919, Hierome purchased the Staunton Daily News in that same year and combined the 2 newspapers into the Staunton News-Leader which is still published today. He was active in  establishing the American Legion in Staunton and in supporting the needs of returning soldiers. When the regiment was re-organized as a National Guard unit in 1921, then LTC Opie was convinced to take command of the 116th to be headquartered in Staunton. He worked to make it one of the finest regiments in the National Guard. Despite having a health scare in 1926, he recovered enough to continue in command of the 116th until 1933. COL Opie led the unit in aiding civil authorities in the Danville Mill Strike in 1931 until the unit was relieved. He was also a founder of the Staunton Chamber of Commerce of which he was president for 12 years. Hierome was on the original committee that started the Shenandoah National Park movement. He was a vestryman in the Trinity Episcopal Church. He wrote articles about conservation and wildlife. 

Additionally he was a member of the National Press Club, Sons of the American Revolution, Commonwealth Club of Richmond, the Army and Navy Legion of Honor, the New York Southern Society, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Virginia Academy of Science, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Also, he was a member of Staunton Masonic Lodge No. 13, Staunton-Augusta post Veterans of Foreign Wars, Clemmer-McGuffin post of the American Legion, the Woodrow Wilson post of the 29th Division Association (now Post 116), a charter member of the Staunton Rotary Club, and on the board of directors of the Staunton Industrial Loan Corporation. 

A marksman, he not only promoted marksmanship in his military units, he participated and was on the Virginia team at the national matches at Seagirt, New Jersey in 1906 and at Camp Perry in 1909, 1910, 1911 and 1913. 

Hierome was ill and did not leave home for 22 days before he died on 26 Feb 1943. He was buried in Thornrose Cemetery in Staunton, Virginia in a ceremony attended by U.S. Senator Harry Flood Byrd and Virginia Governor Colgate Darden. 

He was the brother of MG Evarts Walton Opie. His oldest son LTC (USMC Ret) Hierome Lindsay Opie Jr. served with the USMC 1st Division in the south Pacific in WW2 . His youngest son CPT Thomas Ranson Opie, was killed with 15 others when he B29 Superfortress crashed in a training flight near Clovis, New Mexico. 

Note: This memorial was published on the 50th anniversary of his death.

 

PVT Thomas Memory Turner

PVT Thomas Memory Turner as born 17 Jul 1847 in Middletown, Virginia. He was the second of the nine children born to Professor Augustus J and Katherine M (Aby) Turner. The family moved to Staunton, Virginia in sometime between 1855 and 1859. Thomas was known to friends and family as "Mem".

When the Civil War began in 1861, Augustus became the leader of what is now known as the Stonewall Brigade Band and Mem played the B cornet in the unit with his father from 1 Apr to 22 Aug 1862. He enlisted in the 14th Virginia Cavalry band on 1 Aug 1863. He was serving with that unit when captured at Winchester, Virginia on 30 Apr 1865 and paroled. He was just 17 years old. 

Mem returned to his family in Staunton. The Stonewall Brigade Band was reformed in 1869 with Augustus as the leader and Mem as the Assistant Leader. He began working as a piano tuner and music teacher. Memory married Miss Katherine C "Kate" Grimes of Carroll County, Maryland on 28 Mar 1872. The couple were married in Warren County, Virginia by Reverend Amasa Converse who had officiated at the Edgar Allen Poe's wedding. The couple lived near Charlestown and a daughter was born to them there. Mem lead/instructed the Charlestown Cornet Band in 1874 and 1875. 

In 1876 the family moved to Lewisburg, West Virginia where Memory worked as a jeweler/goldsmith/watchmaker and undoubtedly continued to tune pianos. He directed the Lewisburg Concert Band. 

The family again moved in November 1879, returning to Staunton where they lived at 12 Madison Street. He again played in the Stonewall Brigade Band and also directed the Stonewall Octette, a vocal group associated with the band. He also composed music writing "Hancock's Grand March" for a politician and "Garfield's Funeral March" on the occasion of President Garfield's assassination. During this time he operated a jeweler's shop at 102 East Beverly Street (the main street of Staunton) where he repaired watches and jewelry as well as tuning musical instruments. He would continue to tune pianos to the end of his life. 

The family returned to West Virginia and lived in Hinton and Alderson where Kate died on 14 Oct 1888. Memory returned to Lewisburg with his three living children in 1889. It was there that his oldest son was killed at the age of 14 when he fell headfirst into a vat of boiling water at the Greenbrier Cannery. 

After his son's death he again returned to Staunton where he lived at 213 West Beverly Street. It was at this time that he became the director of the Blackford Cornet Band at the Western Lunatic Asylum where he was paid $6 a week and earned an extra $3 if he tuned the pianos. In this time before recorded music the band provided a welcome relief from boredom at the asylum for staff and inmates alike as well as visitors to the institution. 

On 15 Feb 1893 he married Virginia Anne "Nannie" Wyatt in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She died in childbirth a little more than a year later, on 9 Mar 1894 in Staunton. 

In 1896 and 1897 he was in Baltimore and Gaithersburg, Maryland, again teaching music but soon relocated again, this time to Norfolk, Virginia where he would live out his life teaching music and tuning pianos. He married Mary F. Goddard of that place sometime in 1900. Thomas died at the age of 70 on 2 Sep 1917. He was buried in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk, Virginia.

Note: This memorial was published on the 75th anniversary of his passing.

PFC John Edward Minnigh Jr

PFC John Edward Minnigh Jr, b. 1 May 1893 - d. 17 Jun 1966. Son of John Edward and Annie Elizabeth (Warner) Minnigh. His name is spelled "Mennigh" in some Army records. His brother George Luther Minnigh also served. John married Mildred Penn after the war and they lived in Alexandria, VA. They had one son, Morton Llewellyn Minnigh who served during WWII. A member of C Company 116th Infantry, PFC Minnigh is buried in Alexandria National Cemetery, Alexandria, VA.

COL William Lewis Bumgardner

courtesy of Angel Ellis

COL William Lewis Bumgardner was 14 Aug 1844 in Augusta County, Virginia near Bethel Church. He was the third of nine children born to James and Malinda Mathilda (McCorkle) Bumgardner. Two of his siblings died in infancy. His ancestors had come to Virginia prior to the Revolution. His father farmed near Bethel Church in the Riverheads district of Augusta County to support the family. William undoubtedly worked on this farm. This life was interrupted in 1861 by Virginia's vote for succession and the beginning of the Civil War. William enlisted on 24 Mar 1863 in E Company 1st Virginia Cavalry. PVT Bumgardner was wounded at Spotsylvania Courthouse on 9 May 1864. There is no known record of his return to duty. This being so close to the end of the war it may be that he returned home to recover and simply never returned to duty. 

William became a grocer after the war and operated a store where he sold, together with the usual things, his family's whiskey products. Like other businessmen in the area, he became involved in local civic organizations and joined the local masonic lodge. The Commonwealth of Virginia passed legislation on 29 Mar 1871 authorizing the reorganization of the militia in the state and reestablishment of the office of the Adjutant General of Virginia. However this act did not provide for funding of the militia units. Notwithstanding, local veterans and civic leaders met in 1874 to proceed with the recreation of local units and veterans formed the core of those units. Units began drilling in 1874 despite having to provide their own uniforms and equipment. 

William did find time to start a family and married Miss Pocahontas Virginia Happer on 25 Oct 1871 and the couple would have four children from 1872 to 1879. One daughter would died in infancy in 1877.

William was elected Captain and commander of the West Augusta Guard on 19 Jul 1875. The unit was first reorganized after the Civil War in April 1871 but had been struggling to equip and arm its members and reportedly incurred considerable debt. CPT Bumgardner was elected as Colonel of 2nd Virginia Infantry Regiment in May 1881. He was then ordered by the Adjutant General of Virginia McDonald to take command of the 1st Virginia Brigade in the interim before an election to replace BG Fitzhugh Lee. COL Bumgardner resigned from the 2nd Virginia Regiment in October 1885. 

William moved to Missouri in 1889, apparently to live close to relatives then living there. Unfortunately he soon became ill and died in Saint Joseph on 14 Oct 1890. His body was returned to Staunton and he was buried in Thornrose Cemetery in Staunton, Virginia.

His great-grandfather, Ensign John McCorkle, died on 17 Jan 1781 of wounds received at Cowpens while in American service.

Note: this memorial was published on the 100th anniversary of his death.

COL Samuel Houston McCune

COL Samuel Houston McCune was born 23 Feb 1819 near what is now Fishersville, Virginia. He was a son of James V. and Sarah (McCune) McCune. His father farmed in Augusta County, Virginia and Samuel would eventually take over the working of his father's farm after his father died in 1845. In 1850 Samuel was recorded as owning two slaves, a woman and a four-year old boy who was probably the woman's son. Samuel was apparently successful as a farmer almost doubling the value of their holdings by 1860. The family had also apparently no slaves in 1860.

Samuel also became a member of the militia rising to the rank of Colonel of the 32nd Virginia Militia before the war. In the fluid politics of the area after Virginia voted for succession Samuel remained with the 32nd until it was disbanded and the 52nd Virginia Infantry Regiment was formed. Samuel was elected Captain of G Company 52nd Virginia Infantry in August 1861. However, he was not reelected in the May 1862 reorganization and was dropped from the rolls. Returning home, he would command as Captain, D Company 3rd Virginia Valley Reserves Battalion. The history of this unit is rather vague but the battalion was present at the siege of Petersburg and may have been present at Saylor's Creek and Appomattox. 

After the war Samuel returned to farming. He married at the age of 50 in 1869 to Mary Elizabeth Ramsey who was twenty years his junior. The couple would have four sons. Samuel died at the age of 70 on 29 Sep 1889 and was buried in the Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Augusta County, Virginia. 

Brother, Alexander Givens McCune, also served as a CPT in the 52nd Virginia Infantry. 

NOTE: this memorial was published 75 years after COL McCune's death.

BG George Murrell Alexander

BG George Murrell Alexander was born on 1 Aug 1889 in Staunton, Virginia. He was the oldest of the 2 children born to Frank and Frances Elizabeth (Murrell) Alexander. His ancestors included the earliest settlers of the Shenandoah Valley as well as Native Americans. His father had worked as a clerk in a general store and then as head of the hardware firm of Frank Alexander & Company before dying of pneumonia at the age of 41 in 1893. Frances remarried 3-years later to James Emory Hughes, a Lynchburg lawyer, and the family moved there. However, his step-father was soon stricken with tuberculosis and although he moved to Texas seeking the relief of the dry climate by working as a cowboy he died in 1902. George's mother supported the family by taking in boarders at their home on Court Street. George was able to attend Virginia Military Institute and graduated in 1909. In 1910 he studied at Washington and Lee College.

Immediately appointed reserve CPT of Infantry in 1909 he served to 1910. In 1916 he received his federal recognition and commanded the Minutemen, a company formed expressly for the duty in Mexico. After mobilization for WWI he commanded L Company 116th Infantry which had been formed from E, L and part of G company, L Company (the Minutemen) having been CPT Alexander's before reorganization at Camp McClellan. He sailed for France in June 1918 with L Company and in the unit's service there was wounded. Promoted to MAJ while in France, due to other assigned duties he did not return with the 116th and came back to the United States in July 1919. 

George married Margaret Elizabeth Kinnier on 15 Nov 1921 and he worked as an insurance agent for Ivey and Kirkpatrick and notary with offices at the then Peoples National Bank Building, 801 North Main Street in Lynchburg. He would later own the firm. George and Margaret had a son in 1922, and a daughter in 1924. In January 1929 another son who died soon after birth. Meanwhile, he continued his military career with the Virginia Army National Guard. 

As a MAJ he commanded the 1st Battalion of the 116th Infantry then headquartered in Lynchburg. On 6 May 1929 he was promoted to LTC and served as Executive Officer of the 116th Infantry. When COL Hierome Opie retired he was promoted to COL on 26 Jun 1933 and made commander of the 116th. George and Margaret had the youngest of their children, a boy, in July 1938. COL Alexander was again reassigned, replaced by COL Evarts Opie on 6 Jun 1940. As the country prepared for war he was called to active duty, promoted to BG and assigned as commander of the 88th Infantry Brigade on 3 Feb 1941. He also commanded the 91st Infantry Brigade before being reassigned as Assisting Commanding General of the 29th Infantry Division on 11 Oct 1942. The division was then in England and beginning training that would prepare it for the amphibious invasion of Nazi occupied France. In 1943 he became the Assistant Deputy Provost Marshal General, US European Theater of Operations and served in that position until 1945. A recipient of the Bronze Star medal in WWII, BG Alexander retired from military service effective 31 Aug 1949. 

After his military retirement, George devoted himself to his business and civic interests. He died of heart disease on 3 Mar 1961 survived by his wife, daughter, youngest son, 3 grandchildren and sister. BG Alexander rests forever in the Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg, Virginia. 

Note: this memorial is published on the 100th anniversary of his birth.

BG William Terry

BG William Terry was born 14 Aug 1824 in Amherst County, Virginia. He was the son of Thomas and Katherine (Robinson) Terry. His family on both sides had fought in the Revolution and was prominent in local affairs. William received a good, private, education and then attended at the University of Virginia where he graduated in 1848. 

Post graduation he moved to Liberty, Virginia (in Bedford County) where he taught school to support himself while he studied law. William was admitted to the bar in 1851 and began practicing law in Wytheville, Virginia as well as editing a newspaper of which he was part owner. He had been boarding with a local family near Liberty and in 1852 he married their daughter, Emma Wigginton. The couple would have seven children. William joined the local masonic lodge as well as the local militia unit, the Wytheville Grays, and was elected Lieutenant. It was he who led the unit to the execution of John Brown at Harper's Ferry in 1859. William was a slave owner with 5 slaves in 1860.

Upon Virginia's vote to succeed on 17 Apr 1861, William joined A Company 4th Virginia Infantry as a Lieutenant and was promoted to Captain soon after then moving to a staff position. He was promoted to Colonel in February 1864 and then to Brigadier General on 20 May 1864. On the next day he took command of a Brigade formed from remnants of several units including the Stonewall Brigade, the 1st Virginia Brigade. BG Terry had been wounded several times and was home recovering from wounds when Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia. BG Terry attempted to join General Johnston but returned home upon learning of his surrender. 

After the war William resumed his law practice in Wytheville. After he received his pardon he was elected to the House of Representative in 1870, served until 1873 having lost a reelection bid but was again elected in 1874. He again lost an attempted reelection in 1876 and returned to his law practice. He was a delegate at the Democrat National Convention of 1880. 

BG Terry drowned when returning home from Grayson County Courthouse when he attempted to cross Reed Creek near Wytheville on 5 Sep 1888. 

BG Terry is buried in East End Cemetery in Wytheville, Virginia. 

Brother, Colonel John Fletcher Terry, commanded the 37th Virginia Infantry. 

Note: this memorial was published on the 100th anniversary of his death.

SSG Larry Henry Comer

SSG Larry Henry Comer was born 11 Mar 1946 in Shenandoah, Virginia. He was the son of Wilbur Warren and Treva Oneta (Morris) Comer. Larry operated the Waynesboro Small Engine Repair Company in Waynesboro, Virginia and attended the Pentacostal HolinessChurch. Larry was married to Cherie Jacqueline Bashlor with whom he had 3 daughters.

Larry enlisted in the Army on 22 Sep 1967 and served a tour in Vietnam and 2 tours in Germany as well as at Fort Belvoir, Virginia before enlisting in the National Guard in 1981 as a SSG. He was driving an M880 on a rainy, oil-slicked road when he was involved in a two vehicle accident and was killed.

SSG Comer was interred in Oaklawn Cemetery in Staunton, Virginia.

CPT Edwin L. Curtis

CPT Edwin L. Curtis was born 12 Nov 1824 in Saratoga Springs, New York. He was the eldest of eight children born to Henry D. and Electa (Abell) Curtis. His father worked as a hatter. The details of Edwin's education are lost to us now but he moved to Augusta County in 1852 and worked as a school teacher in Burke's Mill, then a thriving village north of Staunton. It seems that his wife, Adria Anna (Keppell) who was born in Vermont accompanied him on this move and that it may have been shortly after their marriage because their son was born in Virginia in 1854. He would be the couple's only child. It was in this time frame that Edwin probably joined a local masonic lodge.

When the Civil War became a seeming inevitability, Edwin enlisted in the local militia unit, the "Ready Rifles" commanded by CPT Oswald F. Grinnan who was also a teacher (professor) at the Loch Willow School headed by Jedidiah Hotchkiss (later to be famous as GEN Jackson's cartographer). Edwin was elected CPT of the Ready Rifles, now I Company 5th Virginia Infantry on 17 Apr 1862. Present for the Valley Campaign, CPT Curtis was wounded at Sharpsburg (Antietam) on 17 Sep 1862 but remained on duty. Although it was only temporary, this was the first time CPT Curtis took command of the regiment. He was wounded again at Fredericksburg on 13 Dec 1862 and did not return to duty until February 1863. He continued to command the company through the battles of Chancellorsville, 2nd Winchester, Stephenson Depot, Gettysburg, Mine Run, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. It was at this last battle that the 1st Virginia (Stonewall) Brigade was nearly destroyed and afterwards the remaining 249 soldiers of the brigade were consolidated with the remnants of 14 other regiments. CPT Curtis was among those soldiers. He then was present for the the battles at Monocacy, 3rd Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek and in the seige of Petersburg. He is known to have been commanding the remnants of the 5th Virginia in March 1865 and is presumed to have been commanding the 8 officers and 48 enlisted men who surrendered at Appomattox on 9 Apr 1865. 

After the war CPT Curtis returned to Augusta county and resumed teaching, now near Mount Sidney, where he lived with his wife, son and widowed mother-in-law. He continued teaching and also reportedly worked as a tax collector for the Internal Revenue Service even though he continued to suffer from the effects of the wounds he suffered in 1862. His son still lived with them and also began teaching in this period. 

Edwin received word that his mother was dying and while enroute to visit her he was killed on 7 Aug 1887 in a train accident at the Greenwood Station in Albemarle county. His body was recovered and he rests forever in the Thornrose Cemetery in Staunton, Virginia. 

Edwin's great-grandsons all served in WW2. 

Note: this memorial was published on the 100th anniversary of CPT Curtis' death.