Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Loren Ray Miller

The story of every fallen hero is a sad one to write, but occasionally I will come across one that seems more so. When I sit down to research each fallen hero I often come across efforts by others to document some aspect of that person’s life, showing me that they have not been completelyContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Loren Ray Miller”

Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Wilbur R. Bailey

The hedgerows of the Normandy countryside can be beautiful, but during the days that Wilbur R. Bailey (1921-1944) spent among them in July 1944 they proved fatal. According to one newspaper account reporting his death, Wilbur was the only World War Two casualty from within the limits of Mineral City. Wilbur R. Bailey was bornContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Wilbur R. Bailey”

Fallen Heroes: Private George H. Timmerman

Most Americans have seen still photos or film, either real or cinematic, of the Allies’ D-Day assault on the coast of France during World War Two. While those images are dramatic and informative, only those who were there can truly speak to the horror, and bravery, that occurred on those beaches. Fallen Tuscarawas County heroContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private George H. Timmerman”

Victim’s Head Could Not Be Found

We are used to seeing and hearing sensationalized headlines designed to make us click a link, pick up a magazine, or “come back after the commercial break.” The stories rarely live up to the hype of the headline, present outright falsehoods, or tell a completely different story than the headline would have you assume. PerhapsContinue reading “Victim’s Head Could Not Be Found”

Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Fred Schenk

I have used the phrase “fallen heroes” to describe all of the service individuals I have written about to date. Very rarely, if ever, do I find an eyewitness account of the individual’s heroic sacrifice. In researching the life of Tuscarawas County’s Staff Sergeant Fred Schenk (1915-1945), and his death during the Battle of theContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Fred Schenk”