Typically when I look at the short life of a fallen hero, I trace his roots in the community along his paternal line. In the case of this Vietnam War fallen hero from Midvale, I chose to follow his mother’s family instead. The Chaney family arrived in Ohio in the early 1800s with the migrationContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Specialist 4 Donald Eugene Allan, Jr.”
Tag Archives: vietnam
Fallen Heroes: Private Oscar F. Nicewander
This fallen hero from the hamlet of Dundee had barely been in service three months when he made the ultimate sacrifice in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. The Nicewander family came to Ohio from Pennsylvania in the first half of the 19th century with the arrival of Peter Nicewander (1809-1882). The family originally settled inContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Oscar F. Nicewander”
Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Kenneth L. Foutz
The Silver Star is the third highest United States combat-only award. It was established in 1918 as the Citation Star, and it has been awarded posthumously for actions as far back as the Spanish-American War. This fallen hero earned his Silver Star fighting in a jungle far from his Tuscarawas County home. The Foutz family,Continue reading “Fallen Heroes: Staff Sergeant Kenneth L. Foutz”
Fallen Heroes: Private William Border
There are many soldiers who train as medics or corpsman so that they can aid their fellow soldiers wounded in the heat of battle. Unfortunately, in this case, one of those trained soldiers never had the chance. The Border family can trace their Tuscarawas County roots back to the arrival of Christopher Border (1800-1856) andContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private William Border”
Fallen Heroes: Private Daniel K. Hinkel
There are may families where multiple siblings serve their country in the military, in peacetime and during periods of conflict. A large percentage of those families’ sons and daughters will serve without suffering any loss at all. There are those cases however, like this one, where the family sacrifices one of those children to conflict.Continue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private Daniel K. Hinkel”
Fallen Heroes: Corporal Arthur T. Friley
Many imagine that only men from the Navy or Coast Guard saw duty on the numerous patrol boats that operated in the rivers of South Vietnam. The Army, however, also played a part in what they referred to as “riverine” operations. The story of this fallen hero is one example of that type of service.Continue reading “Fallen Heroes: Corporal Arthur T. Friley”
Fallen Heroes: Specialist 5 James B. Alexander
The first Tuscarawas County soldier to lose his life in Vietnam was not some young-faced draftee straight out of high school. He was a career soldier who had served in two previous wars and been wounded in battle once. His death, and those that died with him that day, would bring the Vietnam War intoContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Specialist 5 James B. Alexander”
Fallen Heroes: Specialist 4 Thomas Michael Struchen
The stories of fallen heroes are composed of long lists of “All American Boys.” Young men often went from their high school playing fields to the jungles of Vietnam within a few short months. They, like many heroes before them, gave their lives far from the people they loved and the country they served. TheContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Specialist 4 Thomas Michael Struchen”
Fallen Heroes: Private First Class Thomas Alan Johnson
Bases, roads, hospitals and so much more are essential to the military’s operations and the soldiers responsible for constructing them are often overlooked. Much of their efforts are done under hostile enemy fire and can be just as dangerous as any other soldier’s duty. This is one of those cases. David Johnson (1857-1920), relocated fromContinue reading “Fallen Heroes: Private First Class Thomas Alan Johnson”
Noel B. Poirier 