Philippines – Noel B. Poirier

Fallen Heroes: Private Thomas J. Forbes

Surrender of American troops at Corregidor, Philippine Islands, May 1942 (Source: wikipedia.com -NARA-535553).

This family had two older sons, both of whom volunteered to serve in the United States military during World War Two. Each would be sent to the Philippines to combat the Japanese, and each would die while a prisoner-of-war. This is one of those sons’ stories. Determining when this branch of the Forbes family treeContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Thomas J. Forbes”

Fallen Heroes: Private Carl Ankrim

Often times the death of a soldier in a far-off land is, unfortunately, politicized by some to support their arguments for or against a given conflict. We tend to think of this as a modern practice, but there are ample instances of it from history. The loss of this fallen hero is but one example.Continue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Carl Ankrim”

Fallen Heroes: Private Frederick Gibson

I never tire of learning about people in history who were able to see more of the world than one might expect for someone of their era. Oftentimes the mechanism for that travel was through service in the military. Frederick Gibson (1877-1900), who grew up in Mill Township, Tuscarawas County, was one of those soldiersContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Frederick Gibson”